Sarasota Orchestra finds musical connections in Discoveries concert

Editor’s Note: On Monday, in advance of Hurricane Ian, and likely disruptions to rehearsal and travel schedules for musicians and guest artists, the Sarasota Orchestra announced that it is canceling the Discoveries concert scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday night. Ticketholders can request a credit, receive a refund or donate their tickets through a form available at sarasotaorchestra.org

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had been dead nearly 50 year years when Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born, but the Russian composer often cited the young Austrian master as one of his great influences.

“I not only love Mozart – I worship him,” he wrote in a letter. Tchaikovsky created a Mozart-inspired suite, Suite No. 4 “Mozartiana,” that is featured on the Sarasota Orchestra’s opening concert Discoveries “Mozart and Tchaikovsky” on Saturday at the Sarasota Opera House.

It is the first of three Discoveries concerts scheduled for the season. They are designed to bring audiences closer to the music through chosen selections and comments from the conductor. The program runs about one hour with no intermission.

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“Tchaikovsky had an obsession with Mozart’s music, with his style and you see that in both the Variations on a Rococo Theme and the Mozartiana suite,” said Kerry Smith, the orchestra’s director of artistic planning. “It shows how Tchaikovsky was inspired by Mozart but at the same time was maintaining his own musical language.”

Nicholas McGegan will conduct the program, which features guest violinist Zlatomir Fung playing  the Rococo variations.

“Zlatomir is just incredible. He won the Tchaikovsky competition in 2018 and it’s always a big deal when an American wins the competition,” Smith said. “I first heard him in 2019 and I’ve really just been hoping we could get him to Sarasota.”

McGegan is filling in for the late Bramwell Tovey, the Sarasota Orchestra music director, who died over the summer. Tovey also had planned to join Fung in a concert featuring the same piece in Vail Colorado during the summer.

The concert also features Mozart’s Symphony No. 29.

Smith said many of Tchaikovsky’s contemporaries were more influenced by Bach and Beethoven.

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“All these creators start by imitating someone,” Smith said. “That’s true in Tchaikovsky’s situation. You have to emulate someone before you begin to create your aesthetic. That’s true of all artists.”

On Dec. 31, the Discoveries series will present “The French Influences,” led by conductor Sarah Ioannides and the orchestra performing works by Louise Farrenc, Franz Liszt and George Bizet. And on May 13, Joseph Young will conduct “Musical Postcards,” featuring a a range of music by Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo and German composer Felix Mendelssohn. The program features guest guitarist Bokyung Byun performing Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez.

Discoveries: Mozart and Tchaikovsky

7:30 p.m. Oct. 1, Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota. Tickets are $32-$70. 941-953-3434; sarasotaorchestra.org

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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota Orchestra links Mozart and Tchaikovsky in Discoveries concert