His sweet notes often permeate every concert hall like clouds of perfumed incense. Except for the odd sombre piece, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart may well be the mascot of good cheer, his music light and cheery, even in these dark times. The composer who attained early stardom with every kind of opera or symphony he created, marked the zenith of the classical form. He revealed even dissonances imaginatively, the notes unfolding with dramatic speed and rich timbre. So it is only fitting that the Symphony Orchestra of India’s (SOI) Chamber Orchestra, based at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai, chose the ‘Overture’ to the Marriage of Figaro, one of Mozart’s finest operas, to herald its return to the national stage after two years.
Over a phone call, SOI’s resident conductor Briton Mikel Toms, who found himself leading India’s first professional orchestra founded in 2006 by NCPA chairman Khushroo N Suntook and renowned violin virtuoso Marat Bisengaliev, says he found his way here via Kazakhstan where he had earlier worked with Bisengaliev over 15 years ago.
