In music, a "divertimento" is a piece of music meant to be somewhat frothy, bubbly, and lighthearted. Wolfgang Mozart was employed to write several for social occasions, and you'll hear one of them in this concert by the Classical Music Institute, recorded June 17, 2024 at their CMI210 Festival.
You'll also hear the 20th Century composer Béla Bartók's own version of a divertimento—decidedly modern and harmonically, a little spicier than Mozart, but still those bouncy rhythms characterize the opening movement of the piece.
The CMI concert also includes music by Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara, and a gorgeous piece by Ralph Vaughan-Williams that finds the CMI ensemble paired with area students who were studying with the pros this summer.
PROGRAM:
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Divertimento in D major (Salzburg Symphony No. 1)
- Ralph Vaughan-Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
- Einojuhani Rautavaara: Epitaph for Béla Bartók
- Béla Bartók: Divertimento for String Orchestra
