LONG BEACH SYMPHONY’S APRIL 29 ALL-MOZART CONCERT

Masterful Performance Includes Four Professional Soloists

On April 29 at 8 p.m., four professional soloists, 80 voices from Long Beach Camerata Singers and 62 musicians from the Long Beach Symphony combine forces to bring Mozart’s iconic Requiem mass to life at the Terrace Theater of the Long Beach Performing Arts Center (300 E. Ocean Blvd).

The Symphony welcomes Robert Istad to the podium for this all-Mozart program that begins with Mozart’s Overture to The Magic Flute, composed 1791, just 9 weeks before his death. As well as high comedy and romance, The Magic Flute possesses a serious ethical side, and both of these qualities can be heard in its remarkable overture.

Composed much earlier, in 1773 when Mozart was only 17 years old, the composer’s Symphony No. 25 in g minor, a tempestuous work full of fierce syncopation, rounds out the first portion of the program. According to Dr. Istad, “This work represents the first truly mature work of Mozart’s symphonic career and embodies the dramatic flair of classic era “sturm and drang.”

Following intermission, 80 voices of Long Beach Camerata Singers join the Symphony on stage for Mozart’s renowned Requiem in D Minor, also composed in 1791, but unfinished at the time of Mozart’s death. Stories abound, as factiously portrayed in the 1984 film Amadeus, concerning who actually completed it, though most scholars attribute its final iteration to Suessmayer in 1792. Despite the dubious nature of some claims put forth in that film, the genius of Mozart’s Requiem is irrefutable.

The choral component of the work will be fulfilled by the Symphony’s artistic partner, Long Beach Camerata Singers, for which Istad serves as Artistic Director. Guest soloists include soprano Elissa Johnston, whom audiences may remember from her performance of Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 last season, alto I-Chin Lee, tenor Nicholas Preston and bass Randall Gremillion.

Commenting on the concert, the Symphony’s Executive Director, Kelly Lucera, enthused, “We are thrilled to join with our artistic partners, the Long Beach Camerata Singers, to present this musical masterpiece to the community.”

Patrons are invited to come early for a 7:00 p.m. pre-concert talk led by Dr. Istad and to enjoy music in the lobby by the Cal State Long Beach String Quartet.

Tickets to the Long Beach Symphony’s Classical concerts start at $25 with student tickets available for $10. For more information, or to purchase tickets and subscriptions, please visit the Symphony’s website at www.LongBeachSymphony.org or call 562-436-3203 ext. 1.