Mozart concerto gets spotlight

Mozart's five violin concertos never seem to have left the concert repertoire. Violinists continue to play them and for good reason.

They're not too demanding by today's standards, but what they lack in virtuosity they more than make up for in their irresistible charm and wonderful melodicism.

When Joseph Silverstein was the Utah Symphony's music director, he would occasionally program one or more of these concertos on some of his concerts. But for some reason, he never got around to playing the First. And, surprisingly, the First lags far behind the other four in concert performances.

It's going to be up to the symphony's assistant concertmaster, David Park, to make amends when he plays Mozart's First Violin Concerto at the next Utah Symphony Chamber Orchestra concert.

The work is also new for Park. "It was only recently that I heard it complete," he told the Deseret News. "And I've never seen a performance of it elsewhere."

When Park was asked to play a concerto for this concert, there were several suggestions, including doing either Mozart's First or Second Violin Concerto. "I did a little research and when I discovered that the First had never been done by the Utah Symphony, I decided to do it."

Not only will he be debuting the work, he'll also be making his debut as a composer, since he wrote his own cadenzas for the concerto. "I've dabbled with writing candenzas before, but only for some short showcase pieces."

Park looked over some of the cadenzas that have been written for this concerto, including those by conductor Raymond Leppard, and figured he would try his hand at coming up with his own.

"After looking at them, I thought I could do something similar and at least as good, if not better."

Mozart wrote his First Violin Concerto when he was 17 (the four others came in rapid succession two years later). What Park appreciates about this work is its youthfulness.

"It's very fresh and exuberant, and it's the more brilliant of the five," he said. "But it also has some soul to it. It's amazing what he was able to write at such a young age."

Assistant conductor David Cho will lead the orchestra. Also on the program will be Mozart's Symphony No. 35 in D major ("Haffner") and Haydn's Symphony No. 45 in F sharp minor ("Farewell").

E-mail: ereichel@desnews.com

If you go...

What: David Park, violin, Utah Symphony Chamber Orchestra, David Cho, conductor

Where: Abravanel Hall

When: May 14, 8 p.m.

How much: $30-$42

Phone: 801-355-2787 or 888-451-2787

Web: utahsymphony.org