Symphony goes classical with Beethoven and Mozart

Nov 10, 2010

For Immediate Release

Contact: Annie Matlow at 464-7071

SPOKANE— The Spokane Symphony will perform a masterworks under the baton of guest conductor David Amado on Saturday, Nov. 20 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 21 at 3 p.m. at Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox.  Spokane Symphony’s principal clarinetist, Chip Phillips, will be featured as soloist playing Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto.  

The concert will begin with Bela Bartok’s Divertimento, a piece commissioned in 1939 by Swiss conductor and philanthropist Paul Sacher, one of the greatest supporters and benefactors of twentieth-century composers and founder of the Basle Chamber Orchestra, which specialized in pre-classical and contemporary music.  Modeled on the concerto grosso, Divertimento features the interplay between solos and ensembles by the members of a string quartet and the string orchestra. The final movement features the folk-melodies and gypsy fiddling of Bartok’s beloved Hungary.  

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622        This extraordinary work is Mozart's last completed instrumental piece. It has been without doubt the most popular work ever written for the clarinet and few others have done the instrument more justice. Most of the larger compositions Mozart wrote in the last years of his life were commissions – attempts to raise badly needed cash – but the Clarinet Concerto was written for Mozart’s friend, a celebrated virtuoso clarinetist. The concerto is filled with a masterful interplay between soloist and orchestra, as well as an astounding number of themes, most of them introduced by the soloist, with ample opportunities for the clarinet to show off. Listeners will be charmed by this delightful blend of joy and melancholy.

Chip Phillips, Principal Clarinet with the Spokane Symphony since 2000, will be the featured soloist in the Mozart Concerto. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree from the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied with clarinetists Thorn Martin and Bill Wrzesien. While in Boston, Phillips appeared in a concert for WGBH Public Radio, performing with clarinetist Richard Stolzman. He has performed as Principal Clarinet with the New Zealand and Alabama Symphonies, and has appeared as a soloist with the Spokane Symphony several times. In the summer, Phillips pays Principal Clarinet with the Oregon Coast Music Festival, where he has also been featured as soloist.

Phillips is an award-winning landscape photographer whose works have been published in several major magazines. He is married to Spokane Symphony violinist Amanda Howard-Phillips.

The concert will conclude with Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4, what Schumann described it as “the slender Greek maiden" of Beethoven’s symphonies. While the Symphony’s structure is classical, looking back to Haydn, the music is unmistakably Beethoven. The extremely slow introduction of 38 measures baffled his contemporaries: “Every quarter of an hour we hear three or four notes. It is exciting!” was one contemporary comment. This is contrasted with one of Beethoven’s most buoyant movements, the music cascading like a rushing waterfall. Overall, the Fourth Symphony is boisterous, joyful, light, witty and, above all, masterful.  

David Amado, guest conductor for this concert, has been praised by the media, audiences and fellow musicians for his deep insight and visceral energy. These qualities have allowed Maestro Amado to reinvigorate the Delaware Symphony Orchestra, turning it into a premier regional orchestra during his short tenure. His innovative programming, his approachable demeanor and his natural and instinctive music-making make him a formidable musical presence. In the 2009-10 season he guest conducted the orchestras of Eugene, Oregon and Bangor, Maine, as well as leading the Chicago and National symphony orchestras in performances with the Magic Circle Mime Co.

Descended from a long line of fine musicians including his grandmother, violist Lillian Fuchs, and great-uncle, violinist Joseph Fuchs, David Amado continues his family’s tradition of making great music. David studied piano with Herbert Stessin at Juilliard. His fascination with the orchestra led him to IndianaUniversity, where he received his Master’s in Instrumental Conducting. After graduating he returned to New York to study again at Juilliard, but this time as a conductor with Otto-Werner Mueller.

Tickets for either performance are $22, $32, $40, and $44. Tickets are available in advance at the Spokane Symphony Ticket Office, located at Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox, 1001 W. Sprague, or by calling 509-624-1200. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.spokanesymphony.org Tickets are also available at all TicketsWest outlets or by calling 1-800-325-SEAT.

Eckart Preu has recommended this concert for young people attending Symphony YES! , a program made possible by SCTU.