Concert celebrates Mozart's birth

"Mozart is the greatest composer of all. Beethoven created his music, but the music of Mozart is of such purity and beauty that one feels he merely found it - that it has always existed as part of the inner beauty of the universe waiting to be revealed." Albert Einstein, well known for his revolutionary discoveries and theories in physics, found the music of this 18th-Century composer worthy of such praise. And why wouldn't he, for in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's 35 years of life, he composed more than 600 pieces, most of which are considered masterpieces of the classical period in music.

Mozart's music has found revival in the 20th Century, and Milos Forman's 1984 Cannes Film Festival winner "Amadeus," about the artist's life, has only boosted its popularity. The University community has been an avid fan of Mozart, and the upcoming Mozart's Birthday Concert featuring the University Chamber Orchestra promises to be a night of musical talent worthy of this composer's musical genius.

PREVIEW
	Mozart's Birthday Concert Tomorrow at 8 p.m. At Hill Auditorium; Free

Kenneth Kiesler, conductor for the evening and director of University Orchestras, formed the University Chamber Orchestra last fall. While the Symphony Orchestra had been reduced to a smaller performing ensemble for the birthday concerts of previous years, this year's program will feature the full orchestra, Kiesler said. The orchestra will perform the central piece of the so-called "Final Trilogy" of symphonies that Mozart composed during six weeks in the summer months of 1788.

These symphonies were apparently not written for any commission, and not decisively performed during Mozart's lifetime. But they are the culmination in sophistication and depth of the artist's symphonies, of which there are approximately 40.

Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550, is one of the most well known symphonies written by Mozart, Kiesler said. It consists of four movements, beginning and ending with a dramatic, fast tempo. The middle consists of two movements, which are more soft and languid. The minuet, which is the third movement of the piece, was a popular dance of the 18th Century. This part is therefore more playful.

There will be other attractions in the program as well. University organ Prof. Marilyn Mason will perform in the concert, celebrating the 50th year of her career. She will be featured in three of the church sonatas for organ and strings, K. 144, 329 and 336.

Xiang Gao, who graduated from the masters program last year, will be the soloist in the Violin Concerto in D Major, No. 4, K. 218. Kiesler stated that Mozart wrote all five of his violin concertos within one year.

Listening to Mozart's music is not only enjoyable, but has been proven in numerous studies to be intellectually beneficial, Kiesler said. Children who listen to Mozart think better in abstract terms, pick up languages faster, perform math problems more confidently and can solve puzzles more proficiently. Adults who listen to Mozart before taking examinations perform consistently better on them.

Kiesler, who has conducted in Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center among other world re-known music halls, finds that Mozart's music, "speaks to us from the inside, his music seems right. He conveys moods very well, like the psychology of the characters in his operas."

So on this 242nd anniversary of Mozart's birth, we should experience the music of a composer who many regard as the greatest of all time.

For Mozart, music was not a learned technique but instead something which he heard inside. There is no other explanation for his mastery of the violin at the age of five with no instruction and only sound for a score.

One can truly experience Mozart's genius through live performance. There is no exception to who may enjoy Mozart's music, especially because tomorrow's concert is free of charge.

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