Symphony Silicon Valley invited me to conduct an interesting “pasticcio”-program this week at the beautiful California Theater in San Jose, CA.
Two concerts, one on Saturday evening and one on Sunday afternoon start with Mozart’s “way-too-well-known” Serenade in G K.525 nicknamed ‘Eine kleine Nachtmusik’. It is a challenge to do music that is always on the “Your Favorite Classical Music” selection at your local radio station or can be found on a Holiday CD for $2 each at Walmart. The only thing a conductor can do is to read the score with fresh eyes and concentrate purely on the musical information on the sheet music. Knowing and loving Mozart’s genius and work also helps. I spent a long hour rethinking phrasing, articulation, tempi and ornaments for this lively piece of string orchestra music. As always I am having fun with the challenge.
The second piece on the program is Symphony in C (Symphonie en ut as the score says in French) by Igor Stravinsky (or Strawinsky according to Edition Schott). This is a 28 minute long so called “neo-classical” composition written in 1940 for a medium size Beethoven orchestra. I don’t want to go into details here about the intricacies of orchestration, chord-engineering or thematic development. Let me just say one thing. There is no 20th Century composer who can dress up a seemingly simple chord or motive like Stravinsky can. This piece shows great mastery of pretend-simplicity and gives us a captivating musical portrait of the “Key C” in all its glory.
Read the program notes by Phillip Huscher here:
https://cso.org
In the second half of the program I get to be the musical partner of Mayuko Kamio
http://www.dispeker.com
in her colorful and imaginative interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto.
Tag Archives: Mozart
Schubertkugel
Mozart, Schubert and once again Mozart.
The Flute and Harp Concerto and Schubert Symphony #9 “The Great” with Grand Rapids Symphony (last week) and today (Sunday) the amazing Gran Partita (Serenade #10) by Mozart.
I am playing the clarinet and conducting tomorrow. This one of a kind serenade (also sound track to Amadeus) is the only piece on the program for Huntsville Symphony’s Casual Classics #1 at the Early Works Museum. We are serving dinner with the music, or music with dinner; just like it used to be done in the days of Mozart.
As for the concerts with Grand Rapids Symphony last week: I rearranged the seating for the Schubert Symphony. I put the woodwinds in the front of the orchestra since they are playing a major and solo role throughout the entire piece. (Also you play and listen differently if put in an unusual set up.) This way I could focus the attention to the chamber music qualities of this indeed lengthy and great symphony. In the first half of the concert we performed another composition in C Major (by Wolfie himself, and another piece from the Amadeus sound-track). Beth Colpean and Chris Kantner played beautifully. Assistant Principal oboe, Alexander Miller composed the candenzas. It was a real home-grown project, also my second (fun-)time with the GR Symphony.
See review and pictures here
I had fun by doing the preconcert talks, called “UpBeat” as well. I showed a picture of Mozart, of Schubert, then a photo of one of my favorite sweets, Mozartkugel. Then I showed the picture of Schubertkugel, which was practically just the blank screen. No Schubertkugel exists. With all his problems and battles to fight, Mozart has always been a bigger commercial success than Franz Schubert. However, I am pretty sure, there is something named after Schubert in the great city of Vienna. Most likely a piece of cake or some melange (coffee+cocoa) with whipped-cream.
One more thing: Salieri was not the villain showed in the movie Amadeus (based on a play). Among other things he was the mentor and teacher of young Schubert himself.
Music in the Mountains Summer Fest 2013 First Weekend
First concert of SummerFest 2013 tonight.
Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin, Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez (Gyan Riley-guitar), Bizet: Symphony in C
Saturday morning: Free Family Concert, Mozart: Magic Flute Overture, Britten: Young Persons’ Guide To The Orchestra
The fun and amazing band Three Leg Torso is playing a show in the evening.
Sunday: Glazunov: Summer, Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition (original solo piano version: Aleksander Korsantia, piano), Chopin: Piano Concerto #2 (Aleksander Korsantia, piano)
Check out the details here:
http://www.musicinthemountains.org
Mozart Symphony tailored to fit Mahler 4
First concert of “Voices and Symphonies” series with Hungarian Radio Symphony (MR Symphony)
http://www.mrze.hu
at Palace of the Arts, Budapest.
First half: Mahler Symphony #4
http://www.wikipedia.org
Second half: Mozart “Prague” Symphony with ‘Un moto di gioia’ concert aria as the “missing minuet”
http://www.wikipedia.org
I designed this program to tell the ‘story’ of the “Lied Symphonie”. Mahler’s Fourth is the last of his symphonies inspired by “The Boy’s Magic Horn” collection of poems.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Des_Knaben_Wunderhorn
I picked a three movement Mozart Symphony for the second (!) half of the program and inserted an aria about “the joyous movement of the heart” (written as an addition to Marriage of Figaro). It rhymes with the Mahler Symphony and “completes” the three movement classical symphony into a four movement piece. It is also a reminder that back in the days of Mozart the usual concert format was very different. They often mixed genres. A concert-aria could end up after one or two movements of a symphony paired with a concert rondo for piano and orchestra for example.
I am curious what the critics will have to say about this. 🙂
