Inspired by Amadeus Program Notes

Concert info: https://philharmonianw.org/concert-5-2025-26/

Prelude

The 1984 film Amadeus made a big impact on me. I was 13 years old and smitten with playing the clarinet, and all things music. While romanticized and somewhat fixated on the “mad genius” part of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s life, Amadeus nonetheless instilled in me the sense that composers of classical music were not mythical creatures who created now revered works in isolation, but living artists balancing art-making with pleasing patrons, raising families, and dodging creditors. One scene I found particularly fascinating had Mozart, far past the deadline for a commission, composing whilst drinking heavily and playing billiards, a way of working for him that has been verified as historically accurate through his diaries. The film’s hold on my teenage brain aside, it offered a glimpse into the life of one of the most influential and inspiring composers in history, which is what we celebrate in today’s concert, carefully curated by Michael Wheatley and Philharmonia Northwest colleagues, to bring a deeper understanding of Mozart’s charms.

W.A. Mozart: Symphony No. 35 in D major, K. 385 “Haffner”

Originally conceived as a six-movement serenade, Symphony No. 35 was commissioned by the prominent Haffner family of Salzburg to honor the ennoblement of Sigmund Haffner the Younger, a longtime friend of the Mozarts. The commission arrived at an extraordinarily inopportune moment as Mozart was engaged in several other musical projects while also preparing for his wedding and moving to a new apartment. (See my comments above regarding composers working in the midst of life!) Mozart appears to have done quite a bit of revising and editing on this symphony and the premiere in 1783 was far different than his first sketches. A fascinating element of the premiere is that the movements would have been split across the program and not performed all at once as they will be today, a common practice in Mozart’s time but one we no longer follow.

The overall character of Symphony No. 35 can be described as “fiery,” with splashes of orchestral color and fast moving lines, several of which are marked by Mozart to be played “as fast as possible.” What sets this symphony apart from Mozart’s others are the colors brought forth by doubling the flutes and clarinets in several movements, a novel concept in the late 18th Century and an example of Mozart’s experimental sensibilities. It was the woodwind coloring, in fact, that inspired today’s programming, as Maestro Wheatley worked closely with Philharmonia Northwest’s General Manager, Libby Gray, who also plays flute in the orchestra and posed the idea of performing the Haffner. “I love it for this concert because it feels appropriately celebratory as we continue to commemorate our 50th anniversary,” states Michael.

Maurice Ravel: Piano Concerto in G major, M. 83

If you find yourself thinking about Gershwin several times while listening to Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major, you will be neither alone nor wrong. The concerto emerged from Ravel’s sustained engagement with American popular idioms, most notably following a 1928 North American tour, during which he encountered jazz performances firsthand and held a well-documented meeting with George Gershwin. From the opening snap in the percussion straight through to the final bass drum hit in the third movement, the concerto is laced with jazz-tinged brass punches, woodwind pitch bending, and harmonic movement that places this work squarely in the timeframe of its composing, 1929-1931.

It is in the second movement that we meet Amadeus. Interested in achieving a slow reveal of his central melodic material, Ravel consulted the “Larghetto” theme of Mozart’s revered Clarinet Quintet as a model. The result is a movement of exquisite beauty, not only through beautiful melody writing, but because of the slow arc of the unfolding theme—first in the piano, then throughout the woodwinds. Piano tremolos linger into the final moments of the movement, achieving a tranquility that is broken by the third movement’s return to an urbane freneticism. Our soloist today, award-winning pianist Sandra Wright Shen, brings her passionate playing to this complex yet remarkably entertaining work.

P.I. Tchaikovsky: Suite No. 4 in G major, Op. 61 “Mozartiana”

Tchaikovsky’s devotion to Mozart was lifelong and unabashed. “I not only like Mozart,” he once wrote, “I idolize him.” Written in 1887 to mark the centenary of Don Giovanni, “Mozartiana” is less an original composition than an act of homage; a loving orchestral arrangement of four lesser-known Mozart piano pieces, dressed in the warmer colors of the late Romantic orchestra. Tchaikovsky had additional inspiration for his composition as he felt Mozart was being underappreciated at the time and sought to correct this by reminding audiences of the older composer’s charming themes. As you listen, pay attention to the extended solos for different members of the orchestra, each of which seems to ease out of the lush textures. Mozartiana occupies a unique place in the repertoire: neither pure Mozart nor entirely Tchaikovsky, it is instead a conversation across a century between two kindred musical souls.

As the final moments of today’s concert come to a close, and linger into a short surprise that awaits us all as listeners, we are reminded of the kindred souls that have made 50 years of glorious music together in Philharmonia Northwest. One inspiring soul that has been with us throughout all those years, is Mozart.

 

James Falzone

Associate Dean & Professor of Music

Cornish College of the Arts at Seattle University