A Little Night Music with Mozart

Maestro Victor Vener and the California Philharmonic will spotlight the works of everyone’s favorite composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, at a concert Jan. 20 at the historic Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena. Featured artists will be father-and-daughter singers Rodney and Carin Gilfry.

The evening features highlights from three enchanting operas, an unforgettable symphony and the effervescent favorite, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.

Mozart’s Symphony No. 39 is one of his three final symphonies. Written at the same time as numbers 40 and 41, this charming work is often considered to be a portrait of Mozart’s happiness, with the 40th representing his tragedies and the 41st portraying an uplifting vision of order and stability.

Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, also known as Serenade for Strings in G major or A Little Night Music, is one of Mozart’s most popular compositions, and can be heard in film, on television and in commercials. This happy serenade is a favorite even with listeners who are not familiar with classical music.

Selections from the operas Cosi Fan Tutti, The Magic Flute and Don Giovanni will be performed by guest artists Rodney and Carin Gilfry.

Cosi Fan Tutti (1790) has at its central theme the 13th century practice of fiancé swapping (also a theme in Shakespeare’s “Cymbaline”). Two officers claim their brides will be eternally faithful. A friend joins the discussion and bets that in a day’s time the wives, like all women, will prove themselves fickle. The two officers pretend to be called off to war, returning in disguise to attempt to seduce each other’s lover. In time-honored comic fashion, the opera ends with the men revealing their trickery and the couples happily reunited.

The Magic Flute (1791) remains one of the most performed operas in the repertoire. With the libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder, the opera is often known for its many Masonic elements, since both Mozart and Schikaneder were Mason lodge brothers.

Based on the legend of Don Juan, Don Giovanni is considered one of the greatest pieces of music ever composed. The opera’s music is popular in film, having been used in Babette’s Feast, Bonfire of the Vanities, and Kind Hearts and Coronets.

Baritone Rodney Gilfry regularly performs in the world’s great music capitals, equally at home on operatic, orchestral and recital stages, as well as in the realms of musical theater and cabaret. Mezzo Carin Gilfry is pursuing a bachelor’s of music from the USC Thornton School of Music, where she has appeared in a variety of roles, including Une Espirit in Massenet’s Cendrillon and the First Witch in Dido and Aeneas.

For more information about Cal Phil concerts and activities, call (626) 300-8200 or visit www.calphil.org.