Rach Mozart

In addition to a busy weekend of contrasting operas, the San Diego Symphony is throwing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 at us. Mozart’s final symphony, The Jupiter, is coming along for the ride as well.

Previously when the symphony did Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 I was nonplused. It is one of the most popular and beloved concertos of all time, so I have hope that this concert will be a redemption.

Joyce Yang is the soloist for the Rachmaninoff reckoning, but before she tears into Rachmaninoff she will be playing a Schumann piano quartet at the Scripps Research Institute with members of the San Diego Symphony. Also on this program is Dvorak’s American Quartet.

This chamber effort by Dvorak to capture the American spirit foreshadows the symphony’s presentation of the New World Symphony — also an American effort by Dvorak — in December. I am disappointed that I will be unable to attend this concert on Wednesday, November 9, at 7:30 p.m.

An opportunity to hear a chamber concert of this caliber doesn’t come along too often in San Diego. Both pieces of music are representative of Schumann’s and Dvorak’s finest efforts in any genre.

Returning to the topic of the weekend concerts at Symphony Hall, Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony is so called because of its size and scope — for that era. So far as Mozart symphonies go, this is the big one.

Of course, Mozart did not give his Symphony No. 41 the cognomen “Jupiter.” He would never do something so distasteful. That task was performed, most likely, by an impresario trying to sell a concert. Should we Google it or remain speculative?

I vote for speculative.