Elliott Carter’s Mosaic, written in 2004, owes its genesis to the composer’s memories of French harpist Carlos Salzedo, who revolutionized his instrument’s playing technique in the 1920s and 30s. Led by Peter Eötvös, the Boulez Ensemble contrasts Carter’s contemporary score with the harp’s Romantic image in Ravel’s 1905 Introduction and Allegro. Mozart’s famous Quintet K. 452, for which Martin Helmchen takes on the piano part, and a new work by the young Spanish composer Guillem Palomar—who finished his studies with Jörg Widmann at the Barenboim-Said Akademie in the summer of 2021—complete the program.

It is with great regret that Daniel Barenboim had to cancel his participation in this concert for health reasons. We would like to thank Peter Eötvös and Martin Helmchen for stepping in on short notice.