Woodstock Mozart Festival Expands Venues for 28th Summer Season

The Woodstock Mozart Festival expands to two venues for its 28th season July 24-August 10, 2014: the Woodstock Opera House and the Sanfilippo Foundation's Place de la Musique concert hall in Barrington Hills. Single tickets are on sale now.

The Woodstock Opera House program lineup is as follows:

July 26 and 27: Conductor Istvan Jaray and clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein

Rossini's Overture from L'Italiana in Algeri, which debuted in 1813, displayed the composer's penchant for combining infectious melody, sparkling wit and bustling pace, achieving broad public appeal.
Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K. 622 is the composer's last fully completed major work; written for his friend, court oboist Anton Stadler, it combines virtually all the elements of his expression into a harmonious interplay between soloist and orchestra.
Haydn's Symphony No. 101 in D Major derived its sobriquet "The Clock" from the ticking accompaniment of its second movement (Andante), which he actually had set earlier for a musical clock built by a colleague.

August 2 and 3: Conductor Istvan Jaray and pianist Igor Lipinski

Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture, Op. 26, a product of his trip to Scotland, incorporates two fascinations of the Romantic era: a preoccupation with nature and its subjects and an interest in medieval legends.
Mozart's Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in D Minor, No. 20, K. 466, among his most dramatically powerful works, marks a gigantic conceptual leap for the composer and opens the door to the stormy Romantic expression of the 19th century, particularly Beethoven's works.
Mozart's Symphony No. 36 in C Major, K. 425, "Linz" was composed for a celebration for a former pupil, the daughter-in-law of Count Thun, who was extraordinarily hospitable to Mozart and his wife at his home in Linz.

August 9: Violinist and conductor Igor Gruppman and violinist/violist Vesna Gruppman

Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik, Serenade for Strings, K. 525, though perhaps the most widely known work of the Classic period, has mysterious origins: the work was not commissioned or composed for any known occasion, and there is no record of a first performance.
Vivaldi's The Four Seasons "Winter," Op. 8, No. 4, one of the most famous early examples of program music, was presented to and performed for the composer's Bohemian patron, Count Venceslas Morzin.
Vivaldi's Concerto Grosso in A Minor for Two Violins, Op. 3, No. 8, RV 522 was one of the 12 concertos that first brought Vivaldi international attention, published in 1711 and collectively entitled L'estro armonico ("The Harmonic Inspiration").
Warlock's Capriol Suite for Strings, originally written for strings in 1926 and rescored for orchestra two years later, is the work of Philip Henseltine (using the pseudonym Peter Warlock), who lacked a formal musical education but possessed a keen knowledge of English poetry and Elizabethan music and dance.
Piazzolla's Oblivion, a fragrantly melancholy tango, was written in 1982 and two years later used in the soundtrack for Marco Bellocchio's film Enrico IV ("Henry IV"). The work also enjoyed a Grammy Award nomination for Best Instrumental Composition.
Piazzolla's The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires was originally a series of single-movement tangos for solo violin and strings, which Russian composer Leonid Desatnikov adapted, periodically adding little musical allusions to Vivaldi's Seasons.

The Place de la Musique programs are as follows:

July 24: Clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein and pianist Igor Lipinski

Mozart's Quartet in G Minor for Piano and Strings, K. 478 established a new form for this combination; earlier compositions were more like piano concertos with string accompaniment, but Mozart achieved a true chamber music interaction, paving the way for subsequent generations of composers and performers.
Mozart's Quintet for Clarinet and Strings in A Major, K. 581 is referred to as "Stadler's Quintet" after the composer's friend Anton Stadler, whose artistry on the clarinet served as inspiration.

Following the performance is a clarinet master class.

August 10: Violinist and conductor Igor Gruppman and violinist/violist Vesna Gruppman

Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik, Serenade for Strings, K. 525, though perhaps the most widely known work of the Classic period, has mysterious origins: the work was not commissioned or composed for any known occasion, and there is no record of a first performance.
Vivaldi's The Four Seasons "Winter," Op. 8, No. 4, one of the most famous early examples of program music, was presented to and performed for the composer's Bohemian patron, Count Venceslas Morzin.
Vivaldi's Concerto Grosso in A Minor for Two Violins, Op. 3, No. 8, RV 522 was one of the 12 concertos that first brought Vivaldi international attention, published in 1711 and collectively entitled L'estro armonico ("The Harmonic Inspiration").
Warlock's Capriol Suite for Strings, originally written for strings in 1926 and rescored for orchestra two years later, is the work of Philip Henseltine (using the pseudonym Peter Warlock), who lacked a formal musical education but possessed a keen knowledge of English poetry, Elizabethan music and dance.
Piazzolla's Oblivion, a fragrantly melancholy tango, was written in 1982 and two years later used in the soundtrack for Marco Bellocchio's film Enrico IV ("Henry IV"). The work also enjoyed a Grammy Award nomination for Best Instrumental Composition.
Piazzolla's The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires was originally a series of single-movement tangos for solo violin and strings, which Russian composer Leonid Desatnikov adapted, periodically adding little musical allusions to Vivaldi's Seasons.

Both programs include a 90-minute pre-concert tour of the Sanfilippo estate.

The 2014 Woodstock Mozart Festival's performances at the Woodstock Opera House, 121 Van Buren Street, Woodstock, take place Saturday, July 26, August 2 and August 9 at 8 p.m. andSunday, July 27 and August 3 at 3 p.m. Pre-concert introductions take place one hour before each performance. Single tickets are $33-58, $28 for students, and are available through the Woodstock Opera House Box Office at 815-338-5300 or at woodstockoperahouse.com.

The Festival's events at the Sanfilippo Foundation's Place de la Musique, 789 Plum Tree Road, Barrington Hills include the chamber music concert and master class Thursday, July 24 at 3 p.m.and the final concert program Sunday, August 10 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $48 for the July 24program, $33 for students, and $68 for all tickets to the August 10 program, each including the 90-minute pre-concert tour. General admission tickets are on sale at sanfilippofoundation.org/woodstock-mozart-festival.html

The Woodstock Mozart Festival's first performances took place in 1987 at the restored 1880s Woodstock Opera House in an environment reminiscent of Mozart's day. From the beginning, the Festival showcased internationally recognized guest artists and conductors during its three weekends of concerts in late July and early August. The Festival's goal is to maintain a superb orchestra that delivers extraordinary performances to inspire and educate audiences of all ages through a chamber orchestral program of an outstanding caliber, which is centered on Mozart. The Woodstock Mozart Festival is a member of the League of American Orchestras and the Illinois Arts Alliance. Funding is provided by the Illinois Arts Council, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture, the AptarGroup Charitable Foundation and private and corporate contributions. For information, visit mozartfest.org.

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