By Sarah Beling

As temperatures peak under the August sun, Catskills audiences will get a chance to hear some of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s and Joseph Haydn’s hottest works in musical ensemble Twelfth Night’s Fever Pitch: Groundbreaking Symphonies by Mozart and Haydn, playing August 23 at the Doctorow Center for the Arts.

Exploring Mozart and Haydn’s Revolutionary Sound

Fever Pitch “really captures the spirit of the music in this program, not just in its emotional intensity, but also in its political and cultural backdrop,” says Twelfth Night co-founder and violinist Rachell Ellen Wong. “We’re focusing on symphonies and concertos by Mozart and Haydn, written during a time of growing unrest and revolutionary energy in Europe.”

“Toward the end of Mozart’s life, the continent was simmering with tension,” she adds. “There were widespread frustrations with monarchy and power structures, and you can feel that unrest mirrored in the music. Haydn, who lived until 1809, actually lived through the French Revolution and witnessed that upheaval more directly. Their works from this period don’t just reflect elegant Classical form, they’re bursting with contrast, drama, and expressive extremes.”

Classical Era Music Comes Alive on Period Instruments

The program features dramatic symphonies by both Mozart and Haydn that exemplify that intensity and unpredictability, adds Wong. “They’re paired with one of Haydn’s keyboard concertos, an absolutely electrifying piece that, in many ways, foreshadows the virtuosity and boldness of Beethoven.” There’s also a heavy element of Sturm und Drang, “a literary and artistic movement whose name literally means ‘storm and stress,’” she adds, noting that the pieces presented have a “heightened emotional range, sharp contrasts, and the sense that a piece could move from tenderness to rage in a heartbeat.”

Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night Ensemble: Juilliard Roots and Radical Vision

Fever Pitch is the most recent work from historical performance specialists Twelfth Night, an ensemble founded in 2021 and stemming from Wong’s and co-founder David Belkovski’s time as students in the Historical Performance division of The Juilliard School. “While we were students at Juilliard, we had many opportunities to perform together, both in large ensembles and as a duo — it became clear to us early on that our musical collaboration was something we both deeply valued,” says Wong. “We were inspired by that connection to think beyond school: we wanted to create something lasting that reflected our shared artistic vision. When we graduated, it felt natural to continue that work by forming our own ensemble. We knew we’d have to build the kind of organization we wanted to play in, one that prioritized creativity, flexibility, and a respect for a high level of commitment in the rehearsal space — that was the beginning of Twelfth Night.”

Wong and Belkovski consistently co-direct the ensemble with a rotating cast dependent on each project. “The nature of the music, its style, its instrumentation, its scale, really drives who we invite. We’re always thinking about what makes someone the right fit, not just technically, but artistically,” says Wong. “Our dream for Twelfth Night is that it becomes a place where many different musicians can bring their voices and ideas. The variety of projects we take on allows us to work with people who are genuinely passionate about the repertoire.”

Over the years, they’ve also managed to grow their repertoire, moving from a heavily Baroque focus to include works from the intersection of the Classical and early Romantic periods, says Wong. “As we’ve grown, our choices have become more intentional. We’re not just asking, what do we want to play? We’re asking, what experience do we want the audience to have? That mindset has helped us refine our identity and stretch artistically,” she adds, noting that their collaborations with the Catskill Mountain Foundation and the resources provided by its Piano Performance Museum have really opened the door for us to explore later repertoire.”

Yi-heng Yang

Collaboration with Fortepianist Yi-heng Yang

Their work with the Piano Performance Museum has also fostered further collaboration with other musicians from the Juilliard community, including Juilliard school faculty member Yi-heng Yang, who, alongside fortepianist Maria Rose, started Catskill Mountain Foundation’s International Fortepiano Salon Series and will be performing fortepiano in this performance. “Yi-heng Yang is one of the great fortepianists we have in North America,” says Wong. “Her deep knowledge of 18th- and 19th-century performance practices, combined with her remarkable flexibility as a musician, makes her uniquely capable of bringing music from this era to life with both authenticity and imagination.”

“This is actually our second time collaborating with her on a concerto — our first was Mozart’s K. 414, which has this introspective, poetic quality to it,” adds Wong. “Yi-heng brought such elegance and sensitivity to that performance. This time, we’re exploring a different side of the Classical keyboard concerto with a much more exuberant and playful work by Haydn — it’s full of sparkle, wit, and rhythmic vitality. What makes Yi-heng such a compelling collaborator is not just her technical brilliance, but her chamber musician’s sensibility. She’s always listening, always engaging with the ensemble in a way that elevates the entire performance.”

Catskill Mountain Foundation and Historical Music Culture

Their collaboration spans beyond the concert stage. “Over time, Yi-heng and I began working more closely together,” adds Wong. “We’ve even co-taught online courses. And through our ongoing conversations about how to build and support fortepiano culture, she came up with the idea of launching a large-scale, interdisciplinary project in partnership with Aquila Theatre, hosted by the Catskill Mountain Foundation,” November 2024’s Amadeus Live!, featuring scenes from Peter Shaffer’s play based on Mozart’s life paired with live orchestral music played by Twelfth Night.

The admiration is mutual, says Yang. “Because the research and practice of [historical performance] is still relatively new and still developing, younger leaders like David and Rachell have inspired musicians and professors like me in collaboration and ever moving forward in finding ways to bring music alive through historical inspiration and learning,” she says. “I’ve known David and Rachell for many years, and we have heard each other perform countless times, and have dialogued and learned from each other through conversation and sharing.”

Expanding Classical Repertoire in the Catskills

In working with the Twelfth Night ensemble, “I’m looking forward to being in rehearsals and on stage with some of the most brilliant and risk-taking musicians I know, and finding fresh and exciting ways to play and experience Classical symphonies and concertos which were revolutionary in their time,” adds Yang. “The Haydn Piano Concerto will be a highlight for me, as I’ll perform on an early piano from the time of Haydn, which is able to produce the spontaneity and verve that is an essential part of that composer’s music.”

She hopes that “the experience of hearing and seeing a live performance of these Haydn and Mozart symphonies, played with the strings, winds, brass, and pianos of the time, by musicians excited to explore in this way, will give Catskill audiences a unique and memorable experience, and a refreshed way of hearing this repertoire,” adding that “David and Rachell are both electrifying performers.”

“Anytime people have the chance to hear music of the past performed on original instruments, using historical techniques and performance practices, there’s an opportunity to experience that music almost as if it were for the first time,” adds Wong. “That’s what we strive for with Fever Pitch — not simply to interpret the music, but to reimagine it from the inside out. We approach each piece as though we’re standing on stage with Mozart or Haydn themselves, trying to convince the audience that this music is vital, urgent, and worth passing down for generations. We don’t play it as if it’s something familiar or comfortable, we play it as if it might never be heard again.”

“Our hope is that audiences walk away with a renewed sense of how radical, surprising, and emotionally powerful this music really is,” she adds. “When it’s brought to life with the instruments and styles of the time, it speaks in a voice that is sometimes more intimate, sometimes more volatile, always more human. We want the audience to feel not just like observers of the past, but like participants in a living, breathing musical moment,” says Wong. “Ultimately, this program isn’t just about two composers, it’s about a shared emotional and historical landscape. We wanted to show how these works speak not only to their own era, but to ours: with all its beauty, conflict, and urgency.”

Ready to Experience Fever Pitch?

Don’t miss Fever Pitch: Groundbreaking Symphonies by Mozart and Haydn on Saturday, August 23 at 7:00 pm at the Doctorow Center for the Arts in Hunter. Secure your tickets now by visiting catskillmtn.org or calling 518-263-2063, and check out other exciting upcoming performances at the Catskill Mountain Foundation.