Boston University Chamber Orchestra

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart- Overture to “The Magic Flute”; Masonic Funeral Music; Overture to “Don Giovanni”; Symphony No.41; Joshua Gersen, guest conductor.

This event is free and open to the public.

The Boston University Chamber Orchestra joins the stage with guest conductor, Joshua Gersen, assistant conductor to the New York Philharmonic. Together, they will perform an all-Mozart concert showcasing some of his best-known works.

The concert opens with Mozart’s famous Magic Flute Overture. The Magic Flute opera is an enchanting fairy tale concerning the archetypal damsel-in-distress and the handsome prince who rescues her, but beneath the layer of fluff, Mozart has crafted an allegory of the quest for wisdom and enlightenment with many saying that the opera’s symbolism points heavily to Mozart’s involvement with the Freemasons. The second work of the program, Mozart’s Masonic Funeral Music, is a work written for Masonic gatherings. Mozart's position within the Masonic movement lay with the rationalist, Enlightenment-inspired membership, as opposed to those members oriented toward mysticism and the occult. The music of the Freemasons contained musical phrases and forms that held specific meanings. For example, the Masonic initiation ceremony began with the candidate knocking three times at the door to ask admittance which Mozart illustrates in a musical figure heard throughout the Overture to the Magic Flute. There are many other examples of specific musical symbols taken from the Masonic rites that appear throughout Mozart's compositions. These include the use of suspensions to indicate friendship and brotherhood, the use of three-part harmony to emphasize the special significance of the number three in Freemasonry, and special rhythms and harmonies to signify fortitude and other attributes.

Next, we have the Overture to Don Giovanni, a staple in the opera world. The Overture however was reportedly written the day before, if not the day of the first premiere. On the evening of the 27th (or possibly the 28th), it was mentioned to Mozart that there was no overture. He reportedly said “Don’t worry. It is here,” pointing to his head. He went to his desk well after midnight and spent the entire evening composing, as his wife helped to keep him awake with punch and poetry readings. There was no time to write a score, so he wrote out the individual parts without one! Possibly due to this circumstance, the music to the overture contains no thematic material from the opera itself and instead could stand as the first movement to a new symphony.

We close out the program with Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 “Jupiter”, the longest and last symphony he composed. The origin of Symphony 41 has always puzzled historians, during the last years of his life, Mozart was dogged by debt-collectors and the financial strain had become unbearable, yet Mozart composed his three final symphonies without commission. Many historians believe that they were written out of an inner need, the tragedy being that Mozart did not live long enough to hear these great works performed. Having been called the greatest symphony of all-time, the nickname “Jupiter” originated around 1921 and was probably inspired by the flourishes of the trumpets and drums in the first movement. These gestures evoked images of nobility and grandeur bordering on godliness. The name became permanent in 1823 when it was included on the title page for the first printed edition of a version for solo piano.

Sign up to receive a monthly email highlighting upcoming concerts and events presented by the School of Music.