The Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra’s 2019 season ends on a lighthearted note, with four works that are more connected than they may seem at first glance. Pianist Steven Osborne performs the cheerful piano concerto Shostakovich composed for his son Maxim’s 19th birthday. Maxim, then a budding pianist, is said to have been the inspiration for the tongue-in-cheek inclusion of the Hanon piano exercises in the final movement, a musical joke. Schnittke displays a similar sense of humor in his Moz-Art à la Haydn, in which every note in the piece has been repurposed from either Haydn or Mozart. Beginning with dimmed lights, it quotes Haydn’s “Farewell” Symphony and Mozart’s Symphony No. 40, incorporating stage-play among the musicians, and, like the Farewell, leaving the conductor alone at the end. Mozart’s beloved “Haffner” Symphony, one of the composer’s most challenging, yet fun, works, is a joyous conclusion to the summer.

Haydn: Overture in D major, Hob. Ia:7

Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major, Op. 102

Schnittke: Moz-Art à la Haydn

Mozart: Symphony No. 35 in D major, K.385 (“Haffner”)

Winner of the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Instrumentalist of the Year in 2013, pianist Steven Osborne is one of Britain’s most treasured musicians. Celebrated for his insightful interpretations, his musicality and technique, Osborne is much sought after as a soloist, chamber musician and recitalist. His residencies at London’s Wigmore Hall, Antwerp’s deSingel, the Bath International Music Festival, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and this season, at the Royal Scottish National Orchestra are a testament to the respect with which he is held.

In 2020, Steven Osborne will release Prokofiev’s War Sonatas marking his 30th recording for Hyperion. A label artist since 1998, Osborne’s 29 recordings have accumulated numerous awards in the U.K., France, Germany and the U.S., including two Gramophone Awards, three Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik Awards and a clutch of Recordings of the Year from The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, The Times and The Sunday Times.

The French conductor Louis Langrée has been Music Director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra since 2013. The 19-20 season marks the 125th anniversary of the orchestra, and will be celebrated with a gala week in January 2020. In recent seasons, he has toured with them to both Asia and Europe, with appearances including the Hong Kong Arts Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, BBC Proms (London) and La Seine Musicale (Paris). He is also Music Director of the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center in New York, a position that he has held since 2002. During the 2019 festival, Langrée will lead a production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute directed by Barrie Kosky, amongst other concerts.

Recent conducting projects include Langrée’s debuts with the Czech Philharmonic at the Prague Spring Festival, Orchestre National de France and the Konzerthaus Berlin Orchestra. Return engagements included the Wiener Symphoniker, Orchestre des Champs-Elysées, Leipzig Gewandhaus and Philadelphia Orchestras. During the 19-20 season, Langrée will make his conducting debuts with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. In Germany, he will conduct the Dresdner Philharmonie for the first time, as well as returning to the Wiener Staatsoper and Opéra Comique.

Now in its 53rd year, the Mostly Mozart Festival is one of several annual summer events offered by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts that activate the campus’s indoor and outdoor spaces. Midsummer Night Swing (June 25—July 13) brings top bands from around the world, dance instructors, and New York’s social dance community to Damrosch Park for three weeks of dancing under the stars. Lincoln Center Out of Doors (July 25—August 11) presents a wide array of free performances, including music, dance, spoken word, film, and more, reflecting the diversity of New York City. The David Rubenstein Atrium’s robust calendar of free events, including world-class performances, illuminating conversations, dance parties, kids’ programs, and more, also continues through the summer.

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Dates: Friday, August 9 and Saturday, August 10 at 7.30 pm

Venue: David Geffen Hall, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023