New Jersey Symphony Orchestra presents Mendelssohn and Mozart

MENDELSSOHN AND MOZART
THURSDAY, OCT. 18, 8PM AT BERGENPAC, ENGLEWOOD
FRIDAY, OCT. 19, 8PM AT THE WAR MEMORIAL, TRENTON
SUNDAY, OCT. 21, 3PM AT THE COMMUNITY THEATRE, MAYO CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, MORRISTOWN

(Newark, NJ, October 2, 2007) The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra’s Music Director Neeme Järvi will conduct his “favorite young Mozart player,” Antti Siirala, in three exclusive New Jersey performances in October. An elegant and boldly passionate artist, Siirala hails from Finland. These performances mark his NJSO debut.

Mozart’s pioneering and introspective Piano Concerto No. 20 glimpses into the future with its ominous opening. Mendelssohn, a composer long enchanted with the Baroque, recalls the past with his Symphony No. 2 (Movements 1-3) and his Symphony No. 5, “Reformation,” a work of refined dignity that will delight with trumpet fanfares, upbeat dances and soaring melodies.

Ticket prices start at $20 and may be purchased by calling 1-800-ALLEGRO (255.3476) or by visiting www.njsymphony.org.

THE MUSIC

The program opens with the strikingly beautiful orchestral portion of a larger work for orchestra with voices by Felix Mendelssohn, his Symphony No. 2 or Lobgesang. “Performing these three movements, then a Mozart concerto, then the 'Reformation' gives us a much better perspective on Mendelssohn," says Neeme Järvi. And indeed this unusual and seldom-heard symphony lends itself well to the interesting programming concept, as Mendelssohn intended the opening movements to be performed as a whole, without breaks. The entire symphony, complete with chorus and vocal soloists, premiered in 1840 to enthusiastic public response.

The genre of the piano concerto was a magnet for Mozart throughout his career, yet only two of his 27 were composed in minor keys. The Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor, K. 466, was completely unlike any concerto that Mozart had previously written. It is worth noting that this is the same haunting key Mozart used in two dark works he composed late in his short life—the Requiem and the opera Don Giovanni. Completed in 1785, just after his 29th birthday, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 was one of 15 that he wrote in a prolific span of four years. He had reached a creative peak and his keyboard technique was formidable, resulting in works of inimitable quality.

Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 5, "Reformation" takes its name from the circumstances of its commission. Mendelssohn wrote the Symphony to commemorate the Augsburg Conference, where the doctrines of the Lutheran Church were set forth by Martin Luther. The piece was to receive its premier by the Paris Conservatory Orchestra, but the players rejected it during rehearsal, complaining that it was too academic and lacked melodies. Even years later, a dissatisfied Mendelssohn wrote to a friend that the first movement was "a fat bristly animal" and that he'd "like to burn it." Of course, today, the Reformation symphony stands as a beloved work in the symphonic repertoire.

About the Artists
The 2007-08 season marks Maestro Neeme Järvi’s third year as music director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. The NJSO and Järvi have forged a critically acclaimed partnership and audiences have delighted in his warm and engaging personality and performances of unparalleled artistic excellence. Born in Tallinn, Estonia in 1937, Järvi graduated from the Leningrad Conservatory in 1960 and was appointed principal conductor of the Estonian Radio Symphony in 1963. He also served as the principal conductor and artistic director of the State Academic and Opera Ballet Theatre of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic. Järvi emigrated with his family to the United States in 1980, where he debuted with major orchestras across the country and signed with Columbia Artists. Currently, he serves as Chief Conductor of the Hague Residentie Orchestra in the Netherlands and is Music Director Emeritus of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Principal Conductor Emeritus of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (the National Symphony Orchestra of Sweden), Conductor Laureate of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and First Principal Conductor of the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra. Frequent appearances with major orchestras around the world have resulted in a distinguished discography of over 350 recordings on Deutsche Grammophon, Chandos, BIS, Orfeo, EMI and BMG labels.

First Prize winner of three international piano competitions, including the prestigious Leeds International Piano Competition (2003), Finnish pianist Antti Siirala has already established himself as a star on the international stage. At age 28, he has worked with such renowned conductors as Paavo Berglund, Thierry Fischer, Mikko Franck and many others. He has performed with more than a dozen orchestras worldwide as well as in recital at London’s Wigmore Hall, the Cologne Philharmonie, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and many others. In 2004, Siirala’s debut in Brussels exemplified his spontaneity and flexibility. Suddenly asked to step in for the conductor, he led the orchestra from the piano in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 and was immediately re-engaged for concerts with the Orchestre National and a recital at the Palais des Beaux Arts. During the 2007-08 season, Siirala continues his cycle of the complete Beethoven piano works at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.

About New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
Led by Music Director Neeme Järvi, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra is composed of some of the country's finest musicians. Its mission is consistent with artistic excellence combined with community engagement and is realized through concerts and education/outreach programming designed to enhance and enrich learning for children and adults alike. The Orchestra tours to seven different venues throughout New Jersey. The AIG/New Jersey Symphony Broadcast Series is a syndicated program carried throughout North America by WFMT (Chicago) and 96.3FM WQXR (New York). For more information about the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, visit www.njsymphony.org or e-mail information@njsymphony.org. Tickets for performances can be purchased by calling 1.800.ALLEGRO (255.3476) or by visiting www.njsymphony.org.

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra’s programs are made possible in part by The New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, along with many other foundations, corporations and individual donors.

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