BY KAREN BOSSICK
Mozart will be “In Focus” as the Sun Valley Summer Symphony strikes up its 2018 season tonight.
The symphony’s 34th season gets underway with four “In Focus” concerts that will showcase the mastery of Mozart through intimate ensembles and small chamber orchestras in a program titled “Mozart Forever! A Brief Survey of Masterpieces for His Time and Ours.”
The In Focus Series kicks off tonight--Sunday, July 29--and will be followed by three more concerts on Tuesday, July 31; Thursday, Aug. 2, and Friday, Aug. 3, before the full orchestra it’s the stage on Aug. 5.
The free concerts will start at 6 p.m. with a brief discussion each evening, telling the story behind some of Mozart’s works, such as Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major and Mozart’s “Jupiter” symphony.
Did you know Mozart wrote his first symphony at age 8?
Here’s a sneak peak at the four concerts:
- Sunday, July 29—The journey begins with two iconic works. The charming “A major Sonata” is a pianist’s staple with its “Rondo alla turca” finale among one of Mozart’s most celebrated melodies. The other is the moving G minor String Quintet, which travels from the depths of sorrow to playful dances of joy.
- Tuesday, July 31--Pianist David Fung will perform “A major Piano Concert No. 23, K. 433,” said to include the most transcendental concerto movement Mozart ever composed.
Fung, who is proficient in Chinese and Italian, as well as English, has appeared with ensembles around the world, including the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Israel Symphony Orchestra, the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
The young Australian pianist attended two years of medical school before switching to music. The music trajectory has served him well, having taken him to performances at The Kennedy Center and the Lincoln Center, as well as at the Ravinia Festival.
Also on tap: the lovely “Concerto for Flute and Harp.”
- Thursday, Aug. 2—Soprano Celine Byrne and Baritone Hugh Russell will perform an evening of Mozart’s greatest opera overtures and arias from “The Marriage of Figaro,” “Don Giovanni” and “The Magic Flute.”
Byrne, an Irish soprano, decided she wanted to be an opera singer after seeing her first live opera at Milan’s La Scala while working in Italy as an au pair. And, so, she started singing lessons at age 18, making her operatic debut as Mimi in Scottish Opera’s 2010 production of “La boheme.”
Russell, a Canadian baritone, has sung his way around the world, including performances for the Angers-Nantes Opera and Atlanta Opera.
- Friday, Aug. 3—the final “In Focus” concert will highlight Mozart’s superior symphonic writing with a performance of his Jupiter Symphony, also known as “Symphony No. 41 in C major.” The symphony—his last and his longest, has an explosive opening, and stormy moments, ending on a majestic note. Critics consider it one of the greatest symphonies in classical musical history.
Sadly, it’s not known whether it was ever performed during Mozart’s lifetime. Mozart died three years after its completion. He was a mere 35 years old but had composed more than 600 works.
Alasdair Neale was recently appointed the new Music Director of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra in Connecticut, which is the fourth oldest orchestra in the United States. He’ll be establishing a second residence in New Haven, living on both coasts. But the symphony’s schedule will allow him to continue his duties in Sun Valley and Marin without interruption.
The New Haven Symphony Orchestra, which was founded in 1894, has close ties to Yale University, which Neale graduated from. Neale was chosen from 150 applicants.