Soprano Susanna Phillips to Perform Mozart Arias with Marin Alsop and Baltimore Symphony

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A Little Night Music and Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 also on the November program

Baltimore, Md. (August 19, 2009)—BSO Music Director Marin Alsop will welcome soprano Susanna Phillips to the stage to perform selections of Mozart’s arias with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra on Friday, November 6 and Saturday, November 7 at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, November 8 at 3:00 p.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. The program also includes Mozart’s lively Eine kleine Nachtmusik (A Little Night Music) and Mahler’s Symphony No. 4.

Originally scored for a chamber ensemble, Mozart composed Eine kleine Nachtmusik while concurrently composing Don Giovanni. Though Mozart originally composed the piece in five movements, only four survive. Even in its diminished form, the tuneful melodies and simple harmonies make it a favorite among classical and non-classical audiences.

Of Mozart’s 60 arias, 35 were composed for soprano. Susanna Phillips will sing three that were composed in the later years of Mozart’s life: “Alma grande e nobil core,” K. 578, “Vado, ma dove? O dei,” K. 583 and “Bella mia fiamma—Resta, o cara,” K. 528. The last piece was composed for the Czech soprano Josefa Duschek, who reportedly locked Mozart in a room in order to convince him to write an aria for her. In turn, the piece is full of difficult leaps and surprising harmonic progressions. A relatively new artist, Ms. Phillips brings “warmth and suppleness, as well as an attractively dark tone to the soprano lines” (New York Times).

Gustav Mahler’s Fourth Symphony was inspired by a collection of German folk poems, Des Knaben Wunderhorn (“The Youth’s Magic Horn”). Based on one song from this cycle, “Das himmlische Leben” (“The Heavenly Life”), the symphony relays a child’s concept of heaven. This naïve “child’s vision,” along with its more modest, classical proportions and humorous nature, contributes to its posthumous reputation as one of Mahler’s more approachable works.

COMPLETE PROGRAM INFORMATION
Classical Concert Series: Mozart and Mahler
Friday, November 6, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. —Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall*
Saturday, November 7, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. — JMSH
Sunday, November 8, 2009 at 3:00 p.m. - JMSH

Marin Alsop, conductor
Susanna Phillips, soprano

Mozart: Eine kleine Nachtmusik
Mozart: Alma grande e nobil core, K. 578
Mozart: Vado, ma dove? O dei, K. 583
Mozart: Bella mia fiamma—Resta, o cara, K. 528
Mahler: Symphony No. 4

*Classical Conversations is a free pre-concert lecture at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. The program begins at 7:00 p.m. and is free to ticket holders.

Tickets for these concerts go on sale September 1, 2009, range from $28 to $90 and are available through the BSO Ticket Office, 877.BSO.1444, 410.783.8000 or BSOmusic.org.

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