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Mostly Mozart Festival Gala
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The Mostly Mozart Gala dinner, in Avery Fisher Hall.
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The
2008 Mostly Mozart Festival held its opening night
gala on Tuesday, July 29 in Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher
Hall.The evening honored Richard K. DeScherer and
featured remarks by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Lincoln
Center Board chairman Frank A. Bennack, Jr. The gala
was chaired by Martin J. Geller, Jack H.
Nusbaum and Martin E. Segal. The evening
was attended by 350 guests and raised $1.2 million.
The Festival's opening concert featured the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra conducted by music director Louis Langrée. This summer's Festival explores the themes of loss and transformation and the program illuminated these themes. The opening concert featured Mozart's Symphony No. 40 in G minor. The use of the minor mode signified especially tragic emotions for Mozart and composers of his time, and Symphony No. 40, more than any of his work, reflects the emotional turmoil of the composer's last years. It was paired with Mahler's meditative song-cycle Das Lied von der Erde, in a chamber version. This was the first time Mahler was performed as part of Mostly Mozart which featured performances by tenor Paul Groves and alto Anna Larsson.
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Lincoln Center chairman Frank A. Bennack, Jr., honoree Richard K. DeScherer and Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
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Music director Louis Langrée and Lincoln Center president Reynold Levy.
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Jennie DeScherer, Richard DeScherer.
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Gala chair Martin Segal and Edith Segal.
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Renée Belfer and Robert Belfer.
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Donald Newhouse and Marlene Hess.
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Mary Lake Bennack, Frank A. Bennack, Jr., and the Hon. Mario Cuomo.
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Peter Gregory and Jamee Gregory.
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Anne Ehrenkranz and Joel Ehrenkranz. |

Ann Unterberg, Thomas Unterberg and Pam Schneider.
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 Richard Ravitch and Kathy Ravitch.
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Chris Descherer and Amanda Honeycutt.
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Lillian Vernon, David Hochberg and Barbara Block.
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| Photos:
Julie Skarratt |