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Tucson Symphony Orchestra  Masterworks Series José Luis Gomez, conductor PROGRAM Franz Liszt: The Black Gondola (arr. John Adams) Richard Wagner: Siegfried Idyll Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 40 Nov. 6, 7:30 P.M.,  CFHS Auditorium REVIEW Credit where credit is due. The Tucson Symphony Orchestra , under José Luis Gomez’ direction, is in a real groove of great programming, and he and the players are performing their socks off. Everything has a purpose. We’re not “mixing old and new”, or playing “warhorses” because they’re popular, or playing contemporary music as a wink to post-modernity. Pinnacles of historical European symphonic repertoire have been singled out, like Mozart’s 40th Symphony this weekend, with renditions based on a very studied understanding of how they were performed when written. That means with Mozart, as with Beethoven, substantially faster tempos than most of us are used to. In the case of Mozart’s 40th, the swift tempos end up highlighting, in an unexpected

Tucson Symphony Orchestra Masterworks Series José Luis Gomez, conductor PROGRAM Franz Liszt: The Black Gondola (arr. John Adams) Richard Wagner: Siegfried Idyll Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 40 Nov. 6, 7:30 P.M., Nov 7, 2:00 P.M., CFHS Auditorium ============== A Few Mozartian Forethoughts... MOZART: SUPERHERO! As a little kid growing up during the so-called "Age of Affluence and Assassinations", I had three heroes: a local basketball player, the world record holder in the mile run, and a Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart composed the 'Rondo Alla Turca' -- the coolest music by far! -- and I was obsessed. I played the Rondo, very badly, and wanted to know everything about Mozart. In 4th grade I went to the big public library in my hometown and checked out three biographies of Mozart. Much was beyond my comprehension, mostly learning that his father, Leopold, was by far the greatest influence on Wolfgang’s life and music, and the fulcrum of all of his activities t