Oscar and I have had the great good luck to find two interesting concerts to attend in the past two weeks.  Since we live in a rural area, this is a bigger deal then you might think.

 

The first was one of the many "Happy Birthday Mozart" concerts that were held all over the world in January.  (The anniversay of Mozart's birth, in case you missed it, was January 27.)  This particular one began with one of my favorite pieces "Overture to Le nozze di Figaro" from "The Marriage of Figaro."    The overture was the orchestra's nod to Mozart's skill in composing operas.   The concert continued by showcasing several of the other genres in which Mozart excelled, for sure enough, the man had success in not only opera, but concertos, chamber music, and symphonies.   Mozart was, by all accounts, the most skilled musician of his time.  I'm not sure anyone has surpassed him yet.

 

The grand finale of the Mozart concert was his Symphony No. 41 in C Major.  What incredible energy!  And the complexity of the intertwining motifs was breathtaking.   This, as it happens, was the last symphony Mozart ever wrote and, thus, an appropriate conclusion to an evening of pure pleasure.

 

Last night's concert was quite different.  This was the opening night for a series of four organ concerts sponsored by our Council of Churches.  The Sinfonietta from Andrews University, a harpsichord, and an organ  provided the music, and what music it was.  Elgar, Bach, Albinoni, and Handel were in turn featured.   I confess that I found the Elgar a bit boring, but then, boom, Bach's "Brandenburg Concerto"  took care of any tendency I might have been developing to doze off.  The grand finale was Handel's Organ Concerto No. 4 in F Major, and I defy anyone to sleep through that.  Music of that depth and beauty stirs something within us, and  I truly believe we are better people because of that.  We were uplifted even more than we were entertained.  A lovely evening!