Midsummer Mozart, the modest festival founded by late conductor George Cleve, has picked up where it left off, shortly after Cleve’s death. Now in its 49th year, and under the direction of pianist and conductor Paul Schrage, the festival’s July 2023 iteration was recently announced. Opening night is on July 19 at The Mountain Winery in Saratoga.
Unlike San Diego’s Mainly Mozart and Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart, this two-program weeklong summer treat is all Mozart. Says Schrage, “Every time we approach his music, there is always something new for us to discover, learn and achieve. We are privileged to celebrate this genius year after year because striving for perfection is a goal worth pursuing.”
Bastien und Bastienne, the singspiel that was 12-year-old Mozart’s first theatrical piece, is on that opening concert, in a production directed by Josh Snow, founder of L.A.’s Pacific Opera Project. Also on the opening concert is Mozart’s Symphony No. 33 in B-flat Major, K. 319.
The Berkeley City Club hosts a chamber concert on July 20, with Robin Hansen, concertmaster of Midsummer Mozart for the past 20 years (in addition to posts at SF Ballet Orchestra, SF Opera, SF Contemporary Music Players, among others), interprets the Violin Sonata in B-Flat Major, K.454, while Schrage plays several piano works, including the Fantasia in D Minor, K.397, and the Quintet for Piano and Winds, K. 452, with members of the festival orchestra.
Two more performances of the Bastien und Bastienne program on July 21 at St. Marks Lutheran Church in S.F. and on July 22 at Buena Vista Winery in Sonoma. For tickets, visit the event page of the festival website.
