The national deficit in Costa Rica is threatening to freeze future performances by the National Symphony Orchestra (Spanish initials: OSN), but its directors and musicians are moving forward with the current season and preparing to deliver a magnificent performance featuring the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven and Carlos Jose Castro Mora.

Beethoven and Mozart certainly do not need introductions as their creations are considered to be among the most beautiful chamber music ever created. Carlos Jose Castro Mora is a Costa Rican composer whose love for classical music earned him a Latin Grammy Award in 2008. Mr. Castro has explored the gamut of composition as he has created operas, symphonic concerts, soundtracks, ballet pieces, and more. On this coming Friday, October 31^st and Sunday, November 2^nd, the OSN will debut Mr. Castro’s latest composition “Aura and Reverberation.”

According to Mr. Castro, Aura and Reverberation is a visual and musical composition in the sense it focuses on the performance delivered by an alto saxophone, an instrument not typically associated with classical music. The performer must stand up and play under a spotlight. After a brief interlude, the music continues but the sax player is gone while the spotlight remains. The idea is to enhance the reverberation sound effect with visual cues for an interesting experience.

Aside from Aura and Reverberation, classical music lovers in Costa Rica will also enjoy:

• Mozart’s Concerto for Flute, Harp and Orchestra in C Major (the only Mozart creation for harp)
• Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 (Heroic) in E-flat Major, Opus 55 (this challenging performance is a favorite among OSN fans).

Both performances will be at the National Theater in the lovable city of San Jose. On Friday at 8:00 pm and on Sunday at 10:00 am. The OSN season will finish in December, and it is not known if any budget funds will be allocated to allow them to perform in 2015. Budget cuts submitted by legislators in Costa Rica to curb the deficit are undermining cultural development, and the Central Bank does not expect to issue new sovereign bonds until next year. To this effect, The Costa Rica Star suggests that classical music lovers should attend as many OSN performances as they can this year.

For more information and tickets, please visit the OSN website.