After Greater Bridgeport Symphony’s (GBS) thrilling opening night on October 14, Maestro Eduardo Leandro will pivot from West Side Story and samba rhythms to showcase Mozart and his influence on today’s music with Mingling With Mozart, November 11 at The Klein in Bridgeport – get tickets HERE. The concert will feature Mozart’s last – and perhaps greatest – symphony, Number 41, the Jupiter Symphony, so-called because its opening chords bring images of the Roman god Jupiter throwing thunderbolts. This bold piece, an enduring classic, has been used in countless movies, shows and advertisements and will be familiar to most people. “Hearing it with full orchestra is so much richer an experience,” says GBS President Mark Halstead. “It will stir souls. It’s the first time in at least ten years that GBS has performed this piece, and it’s going to be big.”
The first half of the concert will focus on Mozart’s lyrical opera compositions, starting with the overture to The Marriage of Figaro, another easily recognizable piece. Then soprano Jessica Rizzio and baritone Thomas Woodman will take the stage to sing excerpts from Figaro, as well as Don Giovanni, Cosi Fan Tutte, and The Magic Flute, ending with the comical Pa pa pa Papagena/Papageno aria, sung in English.
The theme of GBS’ concert series this year is Building Bridges. After intermission and before Jupiter Symphony, GBS will perform Trans-criations for Strings by Flo Menezes, a contemporary Brazilian composer. Leandro chose this piece, written by a fellow Brazilian countryman in this century to show how Mozart’s music bridges the 250 years between Mozart and today.
Tickets for the show range from $18.00 to $65.00 and are available at www.GBS.org/tickets or by calling (203)576-0263. Three and Four Concert Subscriptions are available at deep discounts. Family Pack Deals let you bring a family of four for as low as $40.00 (all kids under 19 are $10.00; adults get 15% off), available only by calling GBS. The Klein is the area’s premiere acoustic space and offers free lighted parking with easy access from all major highways.