October 5, 2025: Comfortably Classical

Northbrook Symphony
Robert Chen, Artistic Creative Partner, conductor and violin
William Welter, oboe

This concert will be approximately 1 hour 55 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Divertimento in B-flat major, K.137
I. Andante
II. Allegro di molto
III. Allegro assai

The Divertimento in B-flat major is perhaps, along with the other two divertimenti from 1772, the first piece of Mozart’s youth (he was 16 at the time) where he displayed the skill of a fully seasoned composer. The title "divertimento" comes from the Italian word for "entertainment", which implies a certain lightness or simplicity in the music. Mozart fulfills these characteristics while also displaying an impressive range of imagination with several quick dynamic changes and darker moments in minor keys.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Violin Concerto in A major, “Turkish”, K.219
I. Allegro aperto
II. Adagio
III. Rondeau
Robert Chen, violin

Mozart composed all five of his Violin Concertos before he was 20 years old, and as such they are all prime examples of his youthful ambition and imagination. It is not known exactly who this concerto was written for, though it is possible Mozart played it himself as he was known to be a talented violinist. There are several unexpected ideas throughout this work, including the very first entry of the violin which seems to stop the opening orchestral Allegro in its tracks for a moment of tenderness by the violin. The third movement, the source of the “Turkish” moniker, is also full of surprises, as Mozart has fun depicting Turkish influences through unusual scales and percussive effects by the strings.

—Intermission (15 minutes)—

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Oboe Concerto in C major, K.314
I. Allegro aperto
II. Adagio non troppo
III. Rondo
William Welter, oboe

The Concerto is C Major from 1777 is Mozart’s only work for solo oboe and orchestra, which seems like a modest effort when compared to his 27 piano concertos, 5 violin concertos and 4 horn concertos. It is unique among the rest however, as it took the longest to gain a place in the standard repertoire. Although it was long known an oboe concerto by Mozart existed based on his correspondences, the score was not discovered until the 20th century, and after that it was quick for this work to become one of the most important in the genre. The musical content of this concerto was not new to listeners’ ears however, as Mozart actually recycled the Oboe Concerto to satisfy the commission for his Flute Concerto No. 2 in D Major as efficiently as possible.

Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Symphony No. 45 in F-sharp minor, “Farewell”
I. Allegro assai
II. Adagio
III. Menuet
IV. Finale
V. Adagio

The story behind Haydn’s Symphony No. 45 from 1772, hinted at by the subtitle “Farewell”, goes that the Austrian musicians in his employ as Kapellmeister of Prince Esterházy court in Hungary were homesick after an especially long season. In an effort to communicate this to his employer without being pushy, Haydn composed a new symphony full of agitated and longing feelings reminiscent of the musicians’ wishes to be free to go home to their families. This all culminates during the Finale in an unexpected Adagio where the musicians actually begin dropping out one by one, until only two violins are left leaving, and one the occasion of the premiere leaving the Prince with an unmistakably clear sense of his orchestra’s feelings, communicated in a way only Haydn could have devised.

Program notes by Thomas Nickell.

Robert Chen
NSO Artistic Creative Partner, Conductor and Violin Soloist

Robert Chen celebrates his twenty-fifth season as Concertmaster of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. During his tenure as the CSO concertmaster, he has been featured as soloist with many world-renowned conductors, including Riccardo Muti, Daniel Barenboim, Pierre Boulez and Bernard Haitink. He gave the CSO premiere of György Ligeti’s Violin Concerto, Elliott Carter’s Violin Concerto and Witold Lutosławski’s Chain Two, as well as the world premiere of Augusta Read Thomas’s Astral Canticle. In addition to his duties as concertmaster, Chen enjoys a solo career that takes him around the world. Most recently, he toured Europe as soloist-conductor with the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, Chen has been an artistic partner of the Northbrook Symphony since 2019.

An avid chamber musician, Chen has partnered with many of the most important musicians of our time. He is a past participant in the Marlboro Music Festival and a member of the Chen Quartet. Prior to joining the CSO, Robert Chen won first prize in the Hannover International Violin Competition. He consequently recorded Tchaikovsky’s complete violin works with NDR Orchestra of Hannover for the Berlin Classics label.

Robert Chen began his violin studies in Taiwan at age seven. He continued his studies with Robert Lipsett when his family immigrated to Los Angeles in 1979. While in Los Angeles, he participated in Jascha Heifetz’s master classes. Chen received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from the Juilliard School, where he was a student of Dorothy DeLay and Masao Kawasaki.

The Chen Quartet, comprised of the Chen family, is an integral part of his musical activity outside the CSO. They serve many of the Chicago area’s retirement communities as well as casual and formal performance venues. The Chen Quartet is featured regularly on Live from WFMT and at Bargemusic.

William Welter
Oboe Soloist

William Welter was appointed Principal Oboe of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra by Music Director Riccardo Muti in June 2018. Prior to his appointment to the CSO, Welter performed as a guest musician with the Cleveland Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, New York Philharmonic and as guest principal oboe of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Welter was a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center and participated in several esteemed music festivals including Aspen Music Festival, Bravo Vail Festival and Music Academy of the West. He also participated in Music from Angelfire by invitation of acclaimed violinist Ida Kavafian.

A native of Omaha, Nebraska and raised in Crescent, Iowa, William Welter is a 2016 graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Richard Woodhams, the longtime Principal Oboe of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Welter completed an Artist Diploma at the Oberlin Conservatory under the instruction of Robert Walters. His other teachers include Eugene Izotov, former Principal Oboe of the CSO and current Principal Oboe of the San Francisco Symphony, and Christopher Philpotts, Principal English Horn of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Welter is an alumnus of the Interlochen Arts Academy, where he studied with Daniel Stolper.