Magnificent Mozart

How do we love Mozart? When we “count the ways,” we find his genius in practically every Classic genre: symphonies, concertos, chamber music, operas—you name it. Our Classics III concerts present three different facets of Mozart, and the connections are as fascinating as the contrasts.

We begin with one of Mozart’s most intriguing overtures. Influenced by Turkish culture deemed exotic at the time, Mozart’s rescue opera, The Abduction from the Seraglio, was one of his first to feature a German libretto rather than using Italian. Quintessential Italian elements still prevail in the celebrated Overture, though: bubbly fast outer sections frame a slower, more lyrical central episode. The “Turkish” flavor is imparted by piccolo, triangle, cymbals, and bass drum—standards today, but simply not part of the normal symphonic palate at the time!

It was the Italian three-part opera overture, created long before Mozart, that gave birth to the symphony as an independent form. Over the decades, another movement was added, creating the traditional four movements we’re used to. It’s thus quite unusual to find Mozart, at the zenith of his career, circling back to operatic roots with a three-movement design in his elegant Symphony No. 38, written for performances in Prague. There’s another operatic connection—the first movement features a rhythmic figure that’s an unmistakable precursor to his Overture to The Magic Flute.

If you saw the movie Amadeus you may have picked up a creditable portrayal of Mozart’s character, but the notion of Salieri finishing off the Requiem is pure cinematic license. It was actually Franz Süssmayr who finished off the masterpiece Mozart had been working on until his death. There have been other more contemporary reconstructions, but Süssmayr’s dates from Mozart’s time, and has become known and treasured over the centuries—this is the beloved version we shall perform. A few interesting notes:

·        The Stockton Chorale will be singing in Germanicized Latin, since Mozart was moving in that direction with his operas at the end of his career. Listen for “Agnus” with a hard “g” or “Requiem” pronounced “Reqviem”!

·        Mozart almost never referred to one of his middle names as “Amadeus,” except on occasion as a joke. He usually signed his name “Wolfgang Amadè Mozart”—so we’ve gone to printing his name that way in our programs for the past decade or so.

·        The piece calls for two basset horns—they’re a kind of intermediary between the clarinet and contemporary bass clarinet. Often performers can’t get a hold of these relatively rare instruments, but we’ve got ’em! Come to our preconcert discussions (45 minutes before each performance) and enjoy principal Patti Shands deliver some “show and tell” with the basset horn.