MAINLY MOZART FESTIVAL RACES TO A CONCLUSION WITH CONCERTS ON JUNE 21, 22, 23, and 24

The month-long Mainly Mozart Festival concludes for a final week of performances. The 30th Annual Mainly Mozart Festival, led by Music Director Michael Francis, continues its six-year exploration of Mozart’s life with Year Three – Brave New World: From Rebel to Entrepreneur. In his early 20s, and longer Europe’s “golden child”, financial need forced Mozart to become a musical entrepreneur, dedicating himself to the business of music. Some of Mozart’s greatest works of this period will be featured in Festival programming, along with boundary-breaking works by other composers.

FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA SERIES: Thursday, June 21 – 7:30 p.m. / 6:30 p.m. Overture presentation, free to ticket holders / Tickets $15-$88

THE BALBOA THEATRE 868 Fourth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

Michael Francis, conductor; James Ehnes, violin; James Ollarsaba, baritone

Sibelius                                  Suite for Violin & Strings, Op. 117

Prokofiev                             Violin Concerto NO. 2 in G minor, Op. 63

Mozart                                  Thamos, King of Egypt, Incidental Music, K. 345

Sibleius’s gem begins the concert deep in nature. Sibelius evokes spring and summer in this brief reverie for strings and violin.

Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2, debuted Madrid, Spain, December, 1, 1935, and is one of his most conventional pieces of music. Prokofiev wrote it while touring Europe yet this violin concerto is full of melodies indicative of Russian folk tunes.

Mozart composed the incidental music to Thamos, King of Egyptbetween 1773 and 1780. It’s Kochel number is K345/336a. The play premiered in 1774 but it appears as if only two of the choruses were completed at that time. The plot of the play is somewhat intriguing but the conclusion is laughable. We can only theorize about the status of this music had the play been moderately successful. This performance represents the West Coast Premiere of Thamos.

SPOTLIGHT CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES: Friday, June 22 – 7:30 p.m. / 6:30 p.m. Wine Reception / Post-concert Talk-Back with artists / Tickets $58

AUDITORIUM AT TSRI 10620 John J. Hopkins Dr. San Diego, CA 92121

Members of the Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra:

Juliana Athayde, violin; Jun Iwasaki, violin; Mark Holloway, viola; Rainer Eudeikis, cello; JuFang Liu, bass; Boris Allakverdyan, clarinet; Whitney Crockett, bassoon; Andrew Bain, Horn.

Schubert Octet in F Major, D. 803

This is the largest of Schubert’s chamber music compositions. The instrumentation follows that of Beethoven’s Septet with the exception of an extra violin. The piece runs about 50 minutes.

CONCLUSION OF THE JOAN AND IRWIN JACOBS FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA SERIES: Saturday, June 23 – 7:30 p.m. / 6:30 p.m. Overture presentation, free to ticket holders / Tickets $15-$88

THE BALBOA THEATRE 868 Fourth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

Michael Francis, conductor; Dejan Lazić, piano

Mozart                                Symphony No. 32 in G Major, K. 318

Haydn                                 Piano Concerto in D Major, Hob. XVIII: 11

Mozart arr. Lazić                ENCORE: Rondo Concertante, WORLD PREMIERE

Mendelssohn                      Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56, Scottish

SPOTLIGHT CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES: Sunday, June 24 – 2:30 p.m. / Tickets $28

SCHULMAN AUDITORIUM, Carlsbad Dove Library

James Ehnes, violin; Orion Weiss, piano

Beethoven                          Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Major, Opus 12

Poulenc                               Sonata for Violin & Piano

Beethoven                          Violin Sonata in E flat Major, Op. 18

SPOTLIGHT CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES: Sunday, June 24 – 6:00 p.m. / 5:00 p.m. Wine Reception / Tickets $78

RANCHO SANTA FE GARDEN CLUB, 17025 Avenida de Acacias, Rancho Santa Fe, 92067

James Ehnes, violin; Orion Weiss, piano

Beethoven                          Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Major, Opus 12

Poulenc                               Sonata for Violin & Piano

Beethoven                          Violin Sonata in E flat Major, Op. 18

Our Mission: Invigorating the cultural life of the San Diego/Tijuana community by connecting to the truth and beauty of Mozart via world-class music-making. www.mainlymozart.org

Credit: Mainly Mozart.

Funding for Mainly Mozart is provided in part by the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture; the County of San Diego; the National Endowment for the Arts; and contributions from local individuals, corporations, and foundations.