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NM Phil to perform four concerts in Mozart festival series
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The New Mexico Philharmonic has gathered a bouquet of concertos, symphonies and operas for a Mozart festival spanning four concerts.
All the concerts are slated for Immanuel Presbyterian Church, located at 114 Carlisle Blvd. SE, scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 7; Sunday, Oct. 8; Saturday, Oct. 21; and Sunday, Oct. 22.
He鈥檚 鈥渙ne of the most beloved composers, not only for the world, but for musicians,鈥� said music director Roberto Minczuk. 鈥淢ozart鈥檚 music, its classical style, the refinement, the intonation, the transparency 鈥� it鈥檚 very deep music.鈥�
The series opens with 鈥淚mmortal Voices,鈥� organized as an aural version of the 1984, Academy Award-winning film 鈥淎madeus.鈥�
鈥淭his would be better described as Mozart and Salieri,鈥� Minczuk said. Antonio Salieri was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart鈥檚 Vienna court rival.
The program opens with Mozart鈥檚 overture to 鈥淒on Giovanni,鈥� then his Symphony No. 25, written when he was 17 years old. Next, the orchestra will play 鈥淢ozart & Salieri鈥� by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
鈥淭he movie 鈥楢madeus鈥� was inspired by the play,鈥� Minczuk said. 鈥淭he play was created and inspired by Pushkin鈥檚 story. The Pushkin story is the libretto for Rimsky-Korsakov鈥檚 opera. It鈥檚 basically a dialogue between Mozart and Salieri.鈥�
Mozart鈥檚 beloved 鈥淨ueen of the Night鈥� aria from 鈥淭he Magic Flute鈥� follows, with a Salieri aria followed by Mozart鈥檚 鈥淩equiem.鈥�
鈥淢ozart is composing this 鈥楻equiem鈥� when he dies,鈥� Minczuk said. 鈥淢ozart never finished the 鈥楻equiem鈥� and that鈥檚 where we end.鈥�
Slated for Sunday, Oct. 8, 鈥淰irtuosi Concerti & Symphony No. 40鈥� combines Mozart鈥檚 concertos for eight instruments: the flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, harp, violin and viola.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the kind of concert you can only program in a festival setting,鈥� Minczuk said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like a tasting menu.鈥�
His Symphony No. 40 is likely his most famous, Minczuk said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very dark, almost melancholy,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 toward the end of his life. It鈥檚 almost like he had a premonition of it being one of his last works.鈥�
On Saturday, Oct. 21, 鈥淥peramania鈥� features soprano Amy Owens and baritone Carlos Archuleta. The program opens with the composer鈥檚 famous 鈥淓ine Kleine Nachtmusik鈥� before diving into excerpts from 鈥淭he Magic Flute,鈥� 鈥淭he Marriage of Figaro,鈥� 鈥淐osi fan Tutte鈥� and 鈥淒on Giovanni.鈥�
On Sunday, Oct. 22, 鈥淛upiter and Beyond鈥� stars a selection of piano music played by Akilan Sankaran, followed by Symphony No. 41, the 鈥淛upiter.鈥�
鈥淲e get to play his first piano concerto, written when he was 8 years old, and his last symphony,鈥� Minczuk said.
The composer penned his 39th, 40th and 41st symphonies in a frenetic nine-week period in 1788. He died in 1791.
Tickets are $28-$72, plus fees, at or .
