[Left to Right: Adolphus Hailstork, Brett Mitchell and Stefan Jackiw]
Under the baton of Brett Mitchell, who assumed leadership of the Pasadena Symphony in April 2024 (only the sixth music director in the orchestra’s 97-year history), today’s performances at Ambassador Auditorium—at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.—promise to showcase both the ensemble’s evolving artistic vision and violinist Stefan Jackiw’s remarkable interpretive gifts.
The centerpiece, Mozart’s A-major concerto, remains one of the composer’s most intriguing instrumental works. Composed in 1775 when Mozart was just 19, it demonstrates his growing compositional sophistication. The concerto’s nickname derives from its finale, where Mozart dramatically shifts from A major to A minor, introducing what his European contemporaries perceived as exotically “Turkish” elements: unison chromatic crescendos, repetitive phrases, and col legno playing (striking strings with the wood rather than hair of the bow)—techniques that must have seemed thrillingly foreign to 18th-century Salzburg audiences. As music scholar Tchaikovsky noted, this piece represents “the highest, culminating point to which beauty has reached in the sphere of music.”
Jackiw, who began playing violin at age four and debuted professionally with the Boston Pops at 12, brings particular sensitivity to this repertoire. Now 39, the Korean-German American violinist has built a reputation for combining technical brilliance with profound emotional intelligence. “In just a few bars of Mozart, you encounter an entire universe of feeling,” Jackiw once observed about the concerto’s Adagio movement, noting the “huge range of emotions contained in just a few bars” particularly in the slow movement.
Mitchell’s programming reveals curatorial acumen. The concert opens with Adolphus Hailstork’s Baroque Suite, a contemporary work filtering modern compositional techniques through historical forms, before proceeding to Mozart’s concerto with Jackiw as soloist. The program continues with Prokofiev’s impeccably crafted Classical Symphony before concluding with Stravinsky’s Suite from Pulcinella.
As Mitchell’s inaugural season unfolds, today’s concerts offer a compelling glimpse of his artistic vision—one that respects tradition while embracing innovation. Known for his “warm, down-to-earth demeanor” and ability to connect with audiences through insightful musical interpretations
The venue itself adds another dimension to today’s performances. Ambassador Auditorium—nicknamed “Carnegie Hall of the West” for its superb acoustics—provides an intimate 1,224-seat setting adorned with luxurious materials including emerald green Brazilian granite and rose onyx from Turkey and Iran. Outside, a reflecting pool with David Wynne’s bronze egret sculptures creates an appropriately serene prelude to the musical experience within.
For those attending, the pre-concert “Insights” program hosted by KUSC’s Brian Lauritzen offers illuminating context through conversations with Mitchell and special guests. Tickets ($49-$145) remain available online at pasadenasymphony-pops.org, by phone at (626) 793-7172, or at the Ambassador Auditorium box office. Parking is available at the Wells Fargo structure across Green Street and in the surface lot adjacent to the Auditorium, with onsite parking costing $20 (cash only) and valet service available for $30.
