RPO and Mozart’s Influence on the Future

Rochester, NY, May 11, 2006 – The influence of Mozart and the music he wrote during his short life can be heard centuries after his death in the works of his musical “heirs.” On Friday, May 26 in the Performance Hall at Hochstein at 7:30 p.m., the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra under Music Director Christopher Seaman concludes its final celebration of Mozart’s 250th birthday, featuring excepts of works by the composer plus more than half a dozen other composers from Beethoven and Schubert to Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky. The concert will repeat on Sunday, May 28 at 2:00 p.m. in the Hale Auditorium, Roberts Cultural Life Center at Roberts Wesleyan College.

Some of Mozart’s most representative works will be performed, including excerpts from a symphony, piano concerto (symphonic excerpt only), and overture to his beloved opera, The Magic Flute. The variety of genres by Mozart sets the stage for later compositions performed in this concert including Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3, Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4, and Rossini’s Overture to the Barber of Seville, inspired by the same libretto as Mozart’s popular opera, the Marriage of Figaro. Stravinsky’s Octet – performed by eight RPO musicians – brings Mozart’s influence full circle by demonstrating how a 20th century composer wrote in the classical style.

Music Director Seaman leads these engaging and innovative Symphony 101 concerts that feature discussion, musical examples, selections from significant works and complete pieces. Following each concert, Mr. Seaman takes questions from the audience.

General admission tickets for these performances are $20, available online 24/7 at www.rpo.org, by phone (454-2100) and in person from the RPO Box Office, and at all Wegmans Video Departments. RPO Box Office Hours are Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (non-concert Saturdays, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.). The Wegmans Video Department is open seven days a week, 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. A convenience fee may apply.

The Symphony 101 Series is sponsored by PAETEC Communications, Inc. Additional support for this series is provided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and The Mozart Performance Fund.

Celebrating its 83rd season in 2005-06, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra’s mission is to perform and present a broad range of quality music; attract, entertain and educate audiences with superior musical performances; maintain and build the Orchestra’s national reputation; and enhance the reputation of the Rochester community as a place in which to live, work, play, visit and learn.

RPO performances are made possible in part with grants from the National Endowment for the Arts; the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency; the State of New York; the County of Monroe; the City of Rochester; and American Airlines, the official airline of the RPO.