Critic’s Choice

Tue Feb 05, 2019 at 4:07 pm
By Steven Brown

Mercury, Houston’s period-instrument orchestra, has tackled cycles of the Beethoven and Brahms symphonies. A Mozart cycle would be a much bigger undertaking, obviously. So the ensemble this weekend goes straight to the climax of the Viennese icon’s orchestral oeuvre.

Conductor Antoine Plante and the group will perform Mozart’s celebrated final trio of symphonies: No. 39 in E-flat major; No. 40 in G minor; and No. 41 in C major, the so-called Jupiter. The three are almost a little Mozart cycle unto themselves, offering a multifaceted view of Mozart’s lyricism, buoyancy, brooding and exuberance.

Mercury performs the symphonies at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Bayou Theater at the University of Houston-Clear Lake and 8 p.m. Saturday in Houston’s Wortham Theater Center. mercuryhouston.org; 713-533-0080.


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