Sunday, February 17, 2019
Thayer Hall at the Colburn School
200 S Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012
Program: 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Speaker: Dr. Kristi Brown-Montesano
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Written for the coronation of Emperor Leopold II as King of Bohemia, Mozart’s final opera, La Clemenza di Tito (The Clemency of Titus) dramatizes issues of power, betrayal, revenge—and, most significantly, mercy. Forgiveness has a prominent place in all of Mozart’s most famous operas—Figaro, Don Giovanni, Così, and The Magic Flute—but in Clemenza, the act of pardon is a high-stakes choice made by a Roman emperor who has survived an assassination plot. The real-world political context of the opera’s commission and premiere adds a fascinating counterpoint to the humane spirit of the Titus story. And, of course, Mozart’s music conjures a psychological and emotional depth that still resonates today.
Speaker
Dr. Kristi Brown-Montesano
Chair of the music-history faculty at the Colburn School Conservatory of Music, Dr. Brown-Montesano received her Ph.D. in musicology from UC Berkeley, combining her strong interest in both musical performance and scholarly research. Her book The Women of Mozart’s Operas (University of California Press, 2007) offers a detailed study of the female characters in the Da Ponte operas as well as The Magic Flute. Dr. Brown-Montesano has presented and published essays on music in contemporary film, opera, trends in marketing classical music and musical culture in late 19th century England. A passionate “public musicologist,” she has also been a frequent lecturer for the Opera League, Colburn Chamber Music Society, LA Opera’s Opera for Educators seminars and the Salon des Musiques chamber music series. She is also on the faculty of LA Phil's Upbeat Live lecture series.
Click here to order tickets.