The epithet »Gran Partita« under which Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Serenade in B-flat-major has become popular was not invented by the composer himself. Rather, Mozart himself described his work as a »great wind piece of a very special kind«, referring mainly to its dimensions: with 13 instruments and seven movements, the work easily exceeded the boundaries of what was considered traditional music for winds. Amidst the picturesque atmosphere of Burg Wertheim, the work alternates between faster, playful episodes and slower, solemn passages – sometimes from one moment to the other. A short walk takes the audience to the Abbey Church, where one of Franz

Schubert’s last compositions will be heard. Deeply shocked by Beethoven’s death and himself gravely ill, impoverished and underappreciated, Schubert distilled all his profundity and desperation in his String Quintet. Full of dramatic contrasts and imbued with tragically transcendent beauty, it penetrates the soul – yet remains strange and elusive.

The event will take place as planned as a sidespecific concert with a walkthrough. The concert will begin in the castle and end in the church.

Image © Frank Sauter