Video of the Week:

Peace and Profundity in Melissa White's Mozart

The Third Violin Concerto, in G major is…a work of very considerable charm, a fine example of how Mozart was experimenting with adventurous ideas while still adhering to an essentially Rococo-Classical idiom. It reveals common ground between symphonic and operatic music….Indeed, this piece is so operatic that it breaks into a brief recitative for solo violin just before the recapitulation section in this sonata-form movement.!” – James Keller

Mozart was all of 19 years old when he composed this violin concerto in 1775!

Happy birthday, Amadeus! From a 2021 “Celebrity Series” concert featuring the world-renowned faculty members of the Heifetz Institute, violinist Melissa White steps out from her role as a member of the Heifetz Performance & Communication Training faculty to take a solo turn in Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3 with the able support of pianist Rohan De Silva.

As Melissa notes in her introduction, this concerto is “quintessential Mozart,” with a surface charm that belies a budding profundity underneath: “A triple rhythm that goes with a duple theme…I find it so peaceful.” A music historian puts it this way: “An accomplished violinist himself, Mozart’s attention to intricacy and his concern for the role of the orchestra are the most important features of the work. Overall, the orchestra’s sound is light, while the soloist’s is incredibly ornate. Mozart intentionally composed it this way to highlight the technical skill of the soloist.”

Ornate, technically accomplished….yet serenely peaceful. Namaste! An apt description of our faculty member and soloist in this performance. In addition to her “day job” as a member of the acclaimed Harlem Quartet, Melissa and her teaching partner Elena Urioste conduct the innovative “Intermission” program – “music, movement, and mindfulness” that goes on beyond yoga, and has become one of the most popular courses at the Heifetz Institute. To experience it first hand, apply now for Summer 2022!