Brian Mulligan’s Triumphant Return to The Phoenix Symphony
Baritone Brian Mulligan Performs Puccini
PHOENIX – The Phoenix Symphony welcomes Brian Mulligan back to Symphony Hall following his incredible 2010/11 Season performance.
Baritone Brian Mulligan is not a stranger to Symphony Hall as his celebrated career has included multiple collaborations with Virginia G. Piper Music Director Michael Christie and The Phoenix Symphony. Mulligan’s outstanding performance in the 2010/2011 production of Elijah solidified his unparalleled appeal within the symphony community in Phoenix. In 2006, Mulligan was the only American in the International Hans Gabor Belvedere Vocal Competition to win the prestigious prize in the competition’s history. For his performance, Mulligan will interpret Italian opera composer, Giacomo Puccini’s “Crisantemi”.
Known for his operas Madama Butterfly, La Boehme, Tosca and Turandot, Giacomo Puccini was one of the leading composers of the romantic era. His composition, “Messa di Gloria,” is a full mass for chorus and orchestra first performed in the late 19th century. “Crisantemi,” written in a single night, was composed in 1890 to commemorate the death of Amadeo di Savoia, Duke of Aosta. The orchestra will also perform selections from Gustav Mahler’s Leider aus “Des Knaben Wunderhorn” (The Youth’s Magic Horn).
During the March 2 Coffee Classics concert, the orchestra will perform Antonin Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 (From the New World) rather than Puccini’s “Messa di Gloria.”
The US Airways Classics Series: Brian Mulligan Performs Puccini and Mahler will be held at Symphony Hall on March 1 at 7:30 p.m., March 2 at 11 a.m. and March 3 at 8 p.m.
Tickets for Brian Mulligan Performs Puccini and Mahler start at $18 and can be purchased by calling the Phoenix Symphony Box Office at 602-495-1999 or by visiting www.phoenixsymphony.org.
Other highlights of The Phoenix Symphony include: Elgar: Enigma Variations March 22 and 24, Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 April 19 to the 21 and a two-week Rachmaninoff Festival with world-renowned pianist Olga Kern May 3 through May 13 at Symphony Hall.