Quite by accident, the concert hall and the theater conjured up a thought-provoking weekend ” quite a contribution to one’s personal “field of dreams.”
In the world premiere of “Cadenza: Mozart’s Last Year,” playing through Oct. 28 at Centro Cultural de la Raza, La Jolla playwright Robert Salerno imagines an overworked Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart during the final period of his life.
In its opening weekend, San Diego Symphony played Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony in F Major (“Pastoral”) and the Brahms Violin Concerto in D Major, in which the brilliant cadenzas were played by extraordinarily gifted Gil Shaham. Shaham’s face and attitude belied blissful anticipation and reverent relish for what he was about to play. He seemed transported to other realms from the orchestra’s opening passages.
The harmonic convergence between the opening concert of the Jacobs’ Masterwork Series and Salerno’s otherworldly play, seen later on Sunday, made for a rare day to be savored for months to come.
“Cadenza,” in which a major second-act character is Albert Einstein, questions the origins of creative genius ” especially during the heat of actual creation, during which no distraction is admitted. With profound whimsy, Salerno further ponders the time and space continuum and the relationship between the created and the real world (The Queen of the Night and Sarastro war over Mozart’s soul as he dies).
Some of Albert Einstein’s Act II pronouncements go on a bit too long and become didactic, and the play’s prolonged denouement needs to be shorter, tidier and cleaner. The estranged Queen of the Night and Sarastro evoke Isis and Osiris as well as Titania and Oberon, a most interesting resonance worthy perhaps of exploration.
Lighting designer Sally Thornton creates lovely effects and Salerno provides sound and video pertinent to the action. Mozart’s touching deathbed apologia to Constanze sets up resonance with the late poems of Raymond Carver. And throughout, both Mozart’s and visitors from the future’s out-of-time asides are marvelously funny, including a classical-to-rock connection.
One might be tempted to bow out after Act I, thinking it a rehash of effects in Peter Shaffer’s “Amadeus,” and indeed Rhys Green as Mozart adopts the same manic playfulness, which he wears none too comfortably. He is much better in quiet moments.
For the most part, all the actors have overcome the Centro’s too-reverberant acoustics. Normal and even sotto voce speaking is heard: Shouting beclouds crisp diction.
By the way, Werner Rolf Hashagen, who portrays Albert Einstein, is an 84-year-old resident of White Sands, and he makes his Vantage Theatre debut in the production. He does a fine job and bears a startling resemblance. So does Dave Rivas resemble the young Beethoven, who issues from Mozart’s delirium to thank the dying composer for laying the groundwork for his own harmonically adventurous and groundbreaking career. Salerno’s wife, Dori Salois, and Salerno share directorial duties.
As for the Sunday afternoon performance of San Diego Symphony, conducted by Jahja Ling, it was ample evidence of compositional genius and artistry. The orchestra has come a long way during the past four years, and Maestro Ling has just renewed his contract through 2012.
Watch for even more wonders. Programming may be found at www.sandiegosymphony.com or by calling (619) 235-0804.
“Cadenza” is performed at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 7 p.m. Sunday, through Oct. 28, at Centro Cultural del la Raza, 2125 Park Blvd. San Diego.
For information, visit www.centroraza.com or http://home.san.rr.com/vantagetheatre or call (619) 235-6135.