MOZART IN THE MORNING PART 1 – The Keyboard Sonatas and Cadenzas
Performers
LLEWELLYN SANCHEZ-WERNER, host and piano
RACHEL BREEN, piano
Following a decade of our beloved Bach for Breakfast series, we are delighted to introduce a new chapter in our morning tradition: Mozart in the Morning, a nuanced exploration of the Classical era’s brightest light. Across five consecutive mornings, we’ll delve into the wit, charm, drama, and brilliance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, guided by scholar and pianist Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner, joined in this first session by pianist Rachel Breen whose performances and lectures at last year’s Screen Door were revelatory.
Each program features live performances alongside commentary and conversation, offering a closer look at the creative life of the composer. This season, we’ll move beyond the myth of the prodigy to discover the very human Mozart, full of invention, emotion, elegance, and irreverence. Whether you’ve been with us each summer for Bach, or are joining us for the first time, we invite you to bring your curiosity and your coffee and enjoy a joyful new series celebrating the life and music of a timeless genius.
Our first season of Mozart in the Morning begins and ends with keyboard works. The opening session explores the luminous C Major Piano Sonata, K. 330 as well as introduces the great C Minor Piano Concerto, which will be performed in Part 2. Lewellyn will play passages from the work and cadenzas by different composers, as well as discuss its history, characters, ornaments, and influences.
Program
MOZART Piano Sonata No. 12 in F major, K. 332/300k
Various cadenzas written for MOZART’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor, K. 466
Tickets: Age 35+: $38 | 22-34: $20 | 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish. Coffee and baked items generously provided by Zoot Coffee before the concert.
Honorary Concert Sponsor: Robert Johnston
Interview with Llewellyn Sanchez-Warner:
WHAT WAS MOZART LIKE AS A PERSON? WHAT'S A SONATA VS. A CONCERTO? FIND OUT AT MOZART IN THE MORNING!
If you've seen Amadeus, you've probably wondered if the real Mozart was anything like the movie's delightfully unbound protagonist. Llewellyn Sánchez-Werner has an answer.
"While the movie Amadeus is a little over the top, it is absolutely right in one way: we know that Mozart was as dynamic, free, and uninhibited a character as any. His music is synonymous with larger than life drama, mercurial wit, boundless love, tragedy, youthful idealism."
Llewellyn is the host-scholar and pianist for Mozart in the Morning, a new five-day series at Screen Door Festival focused on the great composer's life and work. It's a chance to gain a whole new appreciation of Mozart's near-unimaginable catalog of music. Each morning of Screen Door festival will feature a different musical topic: sonatas, cadenzas, concerti, quartets, chamber music. And it's a chance to learn about Mozart, the actual person.
You'll be in good hands. Llewellyn received an Artist Diploma from the Yale School of Music, where he was awarded the Charles S. Miller Prize. He is a Steinhardt Doctoral Fellow and Adjunct Professor at New York University.
This is no regular performance. Audience members are encouraged to ask questions and participate. It's "art as a cooperative affair," Llewellyn says. His collaborator, pianist Rachel Breen, breaks it down:
"Mozart in the Morning is an opportunity to hear some of the greatest music ever written in a less formal setting than the standard classical concert. We will be introducing Mozart not only as a composer but also as a human being through dialogue, demonstration, and analysis," says Breen who will be joining Llewellyn for two of the Mozart in the Morning sessions. "We're looking forward to sharing some of his major works with the audience, and to contextualizing them for seasoned listeners and newcomers alike."
Over the five days of Mozart in the Morning, Llewellyn will be joined by quartets, ensembles, and soloists. These renowned artists include Breen, Balourdet Quartet, Palaver Strings, violinist Blake Pouliot, oboist James Austin Smith, violist Benjamin Zannoni, and cellist Michael Nicolas.
We talked to Llewellyn about his approach to teaching Mozart, what to expect in the sessions, and his own favorite Mozart work. He also really digs Abraham Lincoln.
Tell us a little about your Mozart scholarly and musical history.
Like many concert pianists, Mozart has been a core part of my diverse repertoire. I have performed his timeless music in myriad instrumentations and countries, both solo and alongside fascinating artists and orchestras. As a mentor, Robert Levin was a profound influence for me as he trained me to conduct from the keyboard, to study Mozart’s manuscripts, to write my own cadenzas, and to continually search for the profound joy in Mozart’s music.
What can the audience expect each day from the sessions?
We will explore the magic of Mozart’s solo piano music, a piano trio with strings, an oboe quartet, a string quartet, 4-hands works for two pianists, and a piano concerto. I am delighted to be joined by dear friends and thoughtful artists with whom I will share both the stage and warmhearted conversations about the music. We want this to be interactive and inclusive dialogue. I’ll be leading but I want the audience to participate!
Do you have a favorite Mozart work? Can you tell us what it is about the piece that stands out?
Since our sessions will focus on Mozart's instrumental music, I’ll answer with an opera: The Marriage of Figaro! Brahms stated that "each number in Figaro is a miracle. It is totally beyond me how anyone could create anything so perfect.” Beyond the sublime music, the plot touches directly upon the perennial human struggle of conflict among social classes. Mozart was inspired by the French Revolution.
You see Mozart in the Morning as reflective of the artist's role in society. Talk about that.
Art is a cooperative affair, and musicians can and have contributed to a bold history of social engagement. I take pride in attempting to carry on such traditions of using music as a means of breaking down cultural and political barriers.
We've asked most of the artists interviewed in this space what music is dominating their playlists. But you told us what you're reading, which is so cool.
After re-reading Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, written by the ever-illuminating Doris Kearns Goodwin, I have recently turned to her auto-biographical memoir, Wait Till Next Year, which tells the story of her upbringing through the lens of her family’s devotion to the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team. Books by great historians are a fascination of mine.