Mozart the star of TSO concert
at St. Andrew's Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance presents latest Tucson Symphony Orchestra performance at new venue in Oro Valley
The Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance (SAACA) on Friday, Feb. 5, will present the third installment of the 2009-10 Tucson Symphony Orchestra MasterWorks Concert Series in Oro Valley.
 
The performance, which begins at 8 p.m., will feature selections from legendary composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. TSO Musical Director and Conductor George Hanson will conduct the MasterWorks Chamber Orchestra, and the program will feature soloist Letitia Bryant, the TSO's first-chair bassoonist.
 
Please note, however, a change in venue for the third MasterWorks program. The concert moves to St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, 7575 N. Paseo del Norte.
 
Tickets remain available for this performance at a discounted rate of $20 per person for adults (youth rate for those 18 and younger is $5). For more information or to purchase tickets, call the SAACA box office at (520) 797-3959, ext. 2.
 
Information about the specific musical selections to be performed in the Feb. 5 concert at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church follows:
 
Overture to The Magic Flute. This workpremiered in 1791 when Mozart had only 10 weeks to live. However, it enjoyed a run of 197 performances, the most successful of his operas. The arias are profound expressions of human feelings and predicaments. This overture references this same range of the human experiences.
 
Bassoon Concerto. This is a work of endearing charm that exploits the instrument's and the performer's resources. We do not know for whom Mozart wrote the concerto, but we do know it was composed in 1774. First-chair bassoonist, Letitia Bryant is fully possessed of the needed rapid fire articulation and the long phrases reminiscent of some of his loveliest operatic arias.
 
Symphony No. 39, "Prague." This symphonyis one of last three Mozart composed, all of them completed in 1788. The long, slow and forceful introduction leaves us unprepared for the gentlemanly, charmingly unexpected melody that follows. We are then frequently threatened by deeper waters but a smile seems to be cracked at the last minute. Some of the writing is reminiscent of Haydn - downward rushing scales, the wistful opening theme of the andante, the countrified menuetto, and the gypsy rondo finale.
MasterWorks III: "Mozart and Bryant"
When: 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5
Where: St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, 7575 N. Paseo del Norte
Featuring: TSO Conductor George Hanson and Letitia Bryant (bassoon)
Cost: $20 adults, $5 youth (18 and younger)
Phone: (520) 797-3959, ext. 2
Online: www.saaca.org
About the Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance
The Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance (SAACA) is a not-for-profit organization that exists to ensure that, through engagement in arts and culture, our communities produce strong, inspired citizens. SAACA enlists artists, businesses, governments, and individuals to expand artistic and cultural opportunities in their respective communities. To enhance access to the arts and to promote cultural awareness in the communities it serves, SAACA presents large-scale festivals, events and other programs. The Alliance also promotes educational opportunities in the arts and culture for both the young and the old.
 
Organization History
The Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance (SAACA) grew out of the Greater Oro Valley Arts Council (GOVAC), an organization established in 1997 to provide artistic and cultural opportunities for residents of northwest Tucson. GOVAC eventually became one of the largest arts organizations in the region. In 2009, owing to its success, the group expanded its mission to include creation of partnerships with business, governments, and communities throughout Southern Arizona that would encourage innovative, creative cultural expression in the arts for years to come.
 
For more information about programs and events produced by the Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance, go to www.saaca.org.