Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
Overture to Così fan tutte, K. 588 (1789–90)
Approximate duration: 5 minutes

Mozart's Così fan tutte begins with a question: can love remain faithful when it is put to the test?

The opera's title, often translated as “Thus Do All Women,” hints at the mischievous premise of the comedy. Two young officers are convinced of the unwavering devotion of their fiancées. Their older friend Don Alfonso, however, challenges their confidence and proposes an elaborate wager. The men pretend to leave for war, only to return disguised as strangers and attempt to win the affection of each other's beloved.

The Overture captures much of the opera's personality in only a few minutes. A bold, dramatic opening quickly gives way to sparkling energy, elegant melodies, and Mozart's unmistakable sense of wit. Beneath the comedy, however, there is also a hint of uncertainty. Così fan tutte is not simply a story of mistaken identities and romantic confusion—it also asks whether love, loyalty, and human nature are ever quite as simple as we would like them to be.

With its theatrical contrasts and infectious momentum, the Overture provides a lively beginning to an evening filled with love, longing, magic, and tragedy.

John Rutter (b. 1945)
O Waly Waly from Suite for Strings (1973)
Approximate duration: 4 minutes

Few melodies possess the simple, timeless beauty of O Waly Waly. Based on a traditional British folk song, the tune is perhaps best known through the words:

“The water is wide, I cannot get o'er…”

The song's history is difficult to trace precisely. Its melody has appeared in numerous forms over the centuries, and different texts have been paired with it, often telling stories of love, separation, and loss.

In his Suite for Strings, John Rutter transforms this familiar folk melody into an expressive instrumental meditation. The strings introduce and develop the tune with warmth and restraint, allowing its natural beauty to remain at the center of the music.

Rather than dramatically reinventing the melody, Rutter lets it unfold with an almost vocal quality. The result is music that feels both intimate and expansive—a quiet moment of reflection between the sparkling comedy of Mozart and the passionate drama to come.

David Diamond (1915–2005)
Music for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (1947)
Approximate duration: 19 minutes

The story of Romeo and Juliet has inspired composers for centuries, from Berlioz and Tchaikovsky to Prokofiev and Bernstein. In 1947, American composer David Diamond added his own voice to this long musical tradition with Music for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

Rather than creating a complete retelling of Shakespeare's tragedy, Diamond composed a five-movement work that captures pivotal moments and emotional relationships from the play. The result is a musical journey through Verona, moving from youthful energy and romantic intimacy toward inevitability and tragedy.

The Overture introduces the dramatic world of the story with restless energy and a sense of anticipation. In Romeo and Juliet: Balcony Scene, the music turns inward, portraying one of literature's most famous declarations of love. Romeo and Friar Laurence suggests the solemnity and uncertainty surrounding the secret marriage, while Juliet and Her Nurse offers a lighter, more animated portrait of Juliet's confidante.

The final movement, The Death of Romeo and Juliet, brings the work to its emotional conclusion. Diamond's music does not simply illustrate Shakespeare's story—it explores the emotional forces that drive it: youthful passion, tenderness, conflict, fate, and ultimately, devastating loss.

Written in Diamond's distinctive American musical voice, the work combines rich orchestral color with dramatic intensity, reminding us why Shakespeare's tragic lovers continue to inspire artists more than four centuries after their story was first told.

Manuel de Falla (1876–1946)
El amor brujo (Love, the Magician) (1914–15; revised 1925)
Approximate duration: 24 minutes

Manuel de Falla's El amor brujo is a story of love, jealousy, death—and the supernatural.

Originally conceived as a work for a small theatrical company, El amor brujo draws inspiration from the music and culture of Spain's Andalusian Roma community. Its story centers on Candelas, a young woman haunted by the ghost of her former lover. Even after death, his jealousy prevents her from finding happiness with a new love, Carmelo.

To free herself from the ghost's presence, Candelas must enter a world of spells, ritual, storytelling, and dance.

The work opens with an evocative scene among the gypsies, followed by the mezzo-soprano's Song of Love's Sorrow, in which Candelas expresses her anguish. The ghost soon appears, bringing the ominous Dance of Terror. In The Magic Circle, the characters attempt to summon supernatural forces, leading to one of the work's most famous passages, the Ritual Fire Dance. With its relentless rhythms and growing intensity, the music seems to whirl around an ancient act of exorcism.

The magic continues through the shimmering Song of the Will-o'-the-Wisp, while the final sections turn toward deception, romance, and ultimately liberation. Through a clever ruse, Candelas is finally able to distract the ghost and break free from his hold.

El amor brujo showcases many of the qualities that make Falla's music so distinctive: driving rhythms, vivid orchestral colors, flamenco-inspired melodies, and an extraordinary ability to create atmosphere. The music moves effortlessly between sensuality and terror, mystery and humor, tenderness and explosive energy.

It is a fitting conclusion to a program that begins with the uncertainties of love in Mozart's Così fan tutte, travels through longing and tragedy, and finally arrives at a story in which love must overcome even death itself.