U. to celebrate Mozart's music

The University of Utah's school of music is not about to let Mozart's 250th birthday anniversary slip by unrecognized.

When the school decided to celebrate the event, it resolved to do so on a grand scale. "Mozart was one of those composers who was successful in all genres, and we wanted to show the diversity of his music," said Robert Walzel, chairman of the University of Utah's school of music.

Walzel didn't want to limit the celebration to just a couple of concerts. He felt that to do Mozart's music justice, the school needed to stretch the event over an entire term.

Starting this Friday, the U. will be presenting a series of six programs, culminating in April with fully staged performances of "Don Giovanni."

"I'm very excited about it," Walzel said. "Not only does this celebration give us a chance to do a little of everything, it also lets the community see the diversity of talent we have at the U."

Walzel said the programming incorporated ongoing concerts. "We've tried to combine ongoing things, such as the annual Scholarship Concert, into the Mozart concerts."

The kickoff of the nearly three-month-long celebration coincides with the school's Scholarship Concert on Friday, with a repeat performance the following Sunday. On the program will be the "Ave verum corpus," K. 618, and the Requiem.

"We're actually going to be starting with Mozart's last piece," Walzel said. Taking part will be the school of music's combined choirs and the Utah Philharmonia.

Later in February, the first of three concerts devoted to Mozart's chamber music will take place. That concert, on Feb. 27, also features the music of Utah's most celebrated composer and longtime U. faculty member, Leroy Robertson. "We do a Robertson concert once every two years to keep his music alive," Walzel said, "and I thought this would be a great opportunity to combine the music of Mozart with that of the Mozart of Utah."

The program will include Robertson's string quartet, "American Serenade," and Mozart's Clarinet Quintet, K. 581. Walzel, who is also a clarinetist, will be featured in the K. 581, along with Utah Symphony concertmaster Ralph Matson and violinist Barbara Scowcroft.

Pianist Paul Dorgan has created a program he calls "Mozart at Home" for the March 6 concert. "Paul came up with the ideas for the repertoire," Walzel said, and the program will include some of Mozart's shorter works for voice, piano and various instruments, as well as the "Kegelstatt" Trio, K. 498.