Musical Jokes

“The grounded roots of an ancient tree tower over the land, centering its weight through a sonorous trunk while the wind sends birds coasting through its branches, light and free, improvising each movement on the thermals.” Tonight’s concert lives inside that image: sturdy Classical form holds firm like deep roots, while clever surprises and comic turns lift the music into playful flight. Haydn’s “The Joke” and Mozart’s A Musical Joke show how the greatest Classical minds knew exactly when to laugh.

Haydn’s String Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 33 No. 2, is part of his famous Opus 33 set from 1781–82 — the so-called “Russian” quartets, written “in a new and special way.” These quartets replaced the old minuet with the quick, mischievous scherzo and filled every movement with clever twists and sudden silences. The final movement gave the quartet its nickname: a bright, dancing rondo that tricks listeners with…