Join Berks Sinfonietta for \u201cSturm und Drang,\u201d on Saturday, April 25, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. at Atonement Lutheran Church in Wyomissing, PA. Berks County\u2019s homegrown orchestra explores the \u2018storm & stress\u2019 of Haydn\u2019s Symphony No. 44 and other classical works.<\/p>\n
The program showcases composers who pushed the boundaries of form and expression, embracing darker tonalities, dramatic gestures, and a spirit of artistic rebellion. The evening offers audiences a rare opportunity to come together and hear masterpieces capturing a transformative moment in musical and literary history that occurred during the time of the American Revolution.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am continuously fascinated by \u201cSturm und Drang\u201d music,\u201d writes Artistic Director David McConnell, \u201cthe shift to music of individual subjectivity and emotional extremes of emotion paved the way for the music of Beethoven, Mahler, and film scores. This concert gives us a chance to explore why we listen the way we do today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Program Highlights<\/p>\n
The concert features a lineup of works that attempt to reimagine the Sturm und Drang aesthetic, including:<\/p>\n
Franz Joseph Haydn \u2014 Symphony No. 44 in E Minor, \u201cMourning\u201d
\nJohann Baptist Vanhal \u2014 Sinfonia in A Minor
\nWolfgang Amadeus Mozart \u2014 Adagio and Fugue
\nChristoph Willibald Gluck \u2014 Selections from \u201cDon Juan\u201d<\/p>\n
These pieces offer a vivid portrait of a period when composers embraced emotional extremes and bold musical experimentation in opposition to enlightenment-era rationality.<\/p>\n
Event Details<\/p>\n