Research Guide for the 2006 WCFSO Youth Concerts
This year’s WCFSO Youth Concerts will be directed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart [aka Jason Weinberger, in full 18th-century dress]. Mozart has, through a loophole in the time-space continuum, arrived in the present day to share his music with young people everywhere. He will talk about his own remarkable experiences as a kid, explain the influences on his composing, lead a tour of his own masterpieces and even explore some of the music he has missed in the two centuries since his own time.
Richard Wagner [1813-1883]
Prelude to Die Meistersinger
This is a ‘fake-out’ opener. The exciting first section of the Wagner will be interrupted by Mozart calling on a cell-phone [with the ring-tone from ‘Eine Kleine Nacthmusik’]. After a brief discussion on the phone, Mozart will appear to lead the concert.
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach [1714-1788]
Track 1 Symphony in G major, W.182 no. 1
A short section from this piece is the first music that Mozart will perform with the orchestra. C.P.E. Bach was one of the biggest influences on Mozart’s early music, and Mozart will reminisce on his childhood and his education. He will also explain that C.P.E.’s famous father, the great Johann Sebastian, was actually not very well-known during the 18th century. A teaching segment could focus on the Bach family.
Franz Joseph Haydn [1732-1809]
Track 2 Symphony no. 60 in C major
Haydn was another major influence in Mozart's life. The elder classical composer was a master of both the string quartet and the symphony, imbuing his unpredictable and energetic music with humor, pathos and drama. Mozart, ever competitive, will expose Haydn’s secrets for the audience, including the “crazy” inspiration for the Symphony no. 60.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart [1756-1791]
Tracks 3-6 Symphony no. 31 in D major, K. 297 [300a], Overture to Don Giovanni, K. 527, selected chamber music
When Mozart is leading his own music on the concert he will uncover all sorts of interesting details and will demonstrate how his music functions. The works listed above are included specifically because they exemplify some of the different genres in which Mozart excelled.
[Since Mozart is the focal point of this concert an in-depth section of the packet will be devoted to him. It could potentially be broken into sections dealing with various aspects of the composer’s life, such as his incredible childhood or his troubled yet prolific adult life, or musical themes including his love of opera or his abilities as a performer. Above all else the materials should emphasize how human and real Mozart was.]
Felix Mendelssohn [1809-1847]
Track 7 Violin Concerto in e minor, Op. 64
Mendelssohn was perhaps even more accomplished as a young person than his predecessor Mozart. During the concert, Mozart will approach this concerto with a bit of apprehension, having heard of Mendelssohn’s unbelievable skills through the ‘grapevine’ since arriving in Iowa in 2006. Mozart will also explore some of the changes that took place in the orchestra in the 30 or 40 years after he left the musical scene.
Johannes Brahms [1833-1897]
Tracks 8-10 Variations on a theme of Joseph Haydn, Op. 56a
Though Mozart never knew [until now] how much the world would eventually come to love his music, he certainly would have been flattered by the admiration that other composers had for him. Brahms was particularly fascinated with Mozart, who will discover as much when he plays Brahms’ remarkable homage to music from Mozart’s time.
Dmitri Shostakovich [1906-1975]
Track 11 Festive Overture, Op. 96
By the time we arrive at Shostakovich Mozart will already be blown away by how much bigger and more varied the orchestra has become since his time. Then his encounter with the brash and bold sounds of this 20th-century Russian composer will make him wish he had lived in another time... though maybe not that of Shostakovich, who suffered humiliation and fear at the hands of Stalin.
John Williams [1932- ]
Track 12 Excerpt from Harry Potter
Mozart will end the concert by saying how glad he is that he has had a chance to bring his music to the modern world. And he’ll also explain how much he has enjoyed finding out about young people making a splash in the 21st century – before this concert he saw his first DVD, something about a special kid... named Harry...