It was mostly Mozart (with a little Haydn thrown in for good measure) last night at Abravanel Hall and, since Mozart is my very favorite composer, I have been looking forward to this concert all week! Under the baton of guest conductor Patrick Dupre Quigley, the orchestra began with the Overture to Cosi fan tutte which is such a fun opera. Listening to this brought back happy memories of attending this opera with my cousin. Next, soloist Ronald Brautigam joined the orchestra for Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 9. With his mane of curly white hair, Brautigam was so much fun to watch in a brilliant performance. I especially loved the second movement because it seemed a bit more somber and introspective in tone but I also loved the third movement because is was so lighthearted and playful, especially the call and response between the piano and orchestra. After the intermission the orchestra played what is probably Mozart's most recognized piece (you can probably hear the opening theme in your head tight now), Eine kleine Nachtmusik. It is one of my favorite pieces by Mozart and it was absolutely delightful to hear it performed live. It is so light, airy, and beautiful and listening to it after a long and tiring day made me so happy! The concert concluded with Haydn's Symphony No. 99. This piece was also very lighthearted and it really complimented the selections by Mozart very well. The concert was simply delightful and I highly recommend getting a ticket to tonight's performance featuring the same program (go here). All of the pieces performed are very accessible so this would be a great choice for those who have never been to a symphony concert before (check out this post for a guide to listening to classical music).
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