Mozart wrote beautiful music despite disdain for flute

DOWNEY - It is said that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart did not think highly of the flute as a musical instrument. He played organ, piano, violin, viola. He composed, he concertized, he conducted. He did not play the flute. But his genius as a composer was such that, in his works for orchestra and for opera, he wrote perfectly for the flute, understanding its abilities and demands, its voice.When Mozart was 22, with concertos for piano or violin already under his belt, he got a commission to write something for solo flute. Well, no reason to hesitate. He could do it and he needed money (a perpetual state), so he produced two concertos for flute and orchestra which today have been performed and recorded by every eminent flutist in the world. And the first of these will be played on Saturday evening, Jan. 29, by soloist Francesco Camuglia and the Downey Symphony in our Downey Theatre. Francesco Camuglia is a junior at the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles, with credential for an important career. He describes himself as "an avid orchestral musician," currently playing with the Boise Philharmonic, but he has racked up solo engagements as well with the Colburn Orchestra and the Las Vegas Philharmonic. Last year Camuglia won the Downey Symphony's Young Artist Competition, originated by our music director, Sharon Lavery. In addition to Mozart's Concerto No. 1 for Flute and Orchestra, the Jan. 29 program includes Gustav Holst's "St. Paul's Suite" and Tchaikovsky's "Serenade for Strings." Concert time is 8 p.m., and Sharon Lavery will give a pre-concert talk about the music at 7:15 p.m. Tickets are priced at $25 and $30, students $10, and may be reserved by calling the Symphony Office at (562) 403-2944. Or you may purchase tickets directly at the theater box office on Wednesday, Jan. 26, between 12-4 p.m., and on the evening of performance. Another contact is our website: www.downeysymphony.org. Downey's Civic Theatre is located at 8435 Firestone Blvd. at the corner of Brookshire Avenue, and surrounding parking is free.

********** Published: January 13, 2011 - Volume 9 - Issue 39