LANCASTER—The Northern Neck Orchestra (NNO) Chamber Music Series will present string quintets by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Felix Mendelssohn at 2 p.m. Sunday, February 8, at Good Luck Cellars, 1025 Goodluck Road, Kilmarnock.
Tickets are $35 and may be purchased at northernneckorchestra.org, or the door. Students are admitted free with an online reservation.
“These quintets are profound masterpieces of chamber music, brimming with rich colors, striking contrasts and virtuoso passages,” said artistic director Mooises Cunha. “Both feature two violins, two violas and a cello which add a special depth and beauty to the works.”
The quintets will be performed by Cunha and Nusheen Farahani, violins; Luis Eduardo Bellorín and Jane Lenz, violas; and Jake Fowler, cello. Cunha also is the principal violinist and concertmaster of the NNO.
Composed in 1787, Mozart’s String Quintet No. 4, K. 516 begins with a lively, but dramatic theme, followed by an unusual minuet. The slow third movement contains the composition’s most tender moments, filled with reflection and poignancy. The piece concludes with a triumphant finish.
Mendelssohn considered his String Quintet No. 2, Op. 87 unfinished when composed in 1845. His reservations proved to be unfounded as the luminous quintet is regarded as a great work of chamber music.
The first movement begins gently and later becomes more spirited. The second movement is light and sprightly. The haunting third movement begins mournfully and concludes with a sense of hope and serenity. A majestic finish affirms the cope and vitality of this work.
