J. Kat Photography

The players are gathered from the top orchestras in the country.

It’s the time of year when San Diego’s classical music collective consciousness bends its attention to The Mainly Mozart Festival. This year’s iteration takes place June 10-18 at the Surf Sports Park, formerly known as San Diego Polo Fields, in Del Mar. The festival moved to this open-air venue during Covid. The setting proved popular, and a return to the pre-Covid Balboa Theatre venue appears unlikely.

As always, the primary appeal of The Mainly Mozart Festival is The Festival Orchestra. This orchestra is a unique musical entity that needs to be experienced by any lover of classical music. The players are gathered from the top orchestras in the country. The violin section is flooded with concertmasters. The rest of the sections are stuffed with principal chairs from prestigious organizations such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the LA Philharmonic, and others.

Maestro Michael Francis has been the music director of Mainly Mozart since the 2015 festival. During that time he has continued to ascend through the ranks. He is the music director of the Florida Orchestra in Tampa Bay and the Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz in Germany. He has been engaged in guest appearances with the Dresden Philharmonic, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Mariinsky Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic.

It is impossible to overstate the quality of the musical acumen that is gathered year in and year out by Mainly Mozart. It is in a class by itself.

The programming this year goes beyond Mozart and gives the orchestra ample opportunities to flex. The opening night concert on Friday, June 10, 2022, includes Mozart’s beloved Clarinet Concerto and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4. Those of a certain age will recall the Mozart Clarinet Concerto being prominent in the movie Out of Africa. The Beethoven Fourth is squeezed between the monstrous Third and revolutionary Fifth. In such a position it doesn't receive the veneration it is due.

Other highlights of the festival are Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 27 and Symphony No. 41 on Saturday, June 11. Those are two of the greatest compositions Mozart ever produced.

Robert Schumann’s *Symphony No. 3 is paired with Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto on Tuesday, June 14. Violinist Augustin Hadelich performs the Mendelssohn. Pound for pound, this might be the concert of concerts this year. Schumann’s Third Symphony is perhaps the definitive symphony of the Romantic Era, and Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto is its natural counterpart.

Friday, June 17, features one of the most delightful pieces of music ever composed, The Wasps Overture by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Along with Vaughan Williams is music by Saint-Saëns, Mozart, and Haydn.

The festival closes on Saturday, June 18 with Franz Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony and Mozart’s Requiem. The San Diego Master Chorale will join the Festival Orchestra for this performance.

Tickets and more information are available at mainlymozart.org