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To fully appreciate the talent pool that existed in Vienna at the end of the 18th century one need look no further than the April 12 concert by the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra. Three household names – Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven - are represented. Moreover, these three individuals, today viewed as the kings of the musical Classic period, knew and respected each other.
From an age when composers were not particularly effusive about another’s talent, one finds the following comments among this supremely gifted trio:
After hearing the 29-year old Mozart perform in 1785, Joseph Haydn conveyed to Mozart’s father: “I tell you before God, as an honest man, that your son is the greatest composer I know, either personally or by reputation.”
A year later, following a dazzling piano performance by the 16-year old Beethoven, Mozart told those in attendance, “Keep your eyes on him; some day he will give the world something to talk...
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