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<\/p>\nThe Long Beach Symphony will close its 2025-26 Classical Series with a sweeping evening of grandeur in \u201cMagnificent Mozart & Mahler\u201d at the Terrace Theater on Saturday, June 6.<\/p>\n
Led by music director Eckart Preu, the program pairs two towering works of the classical repertoire: \u201cEine kleine Nachtmusik\u201d by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp minor by Gustav Mahler.<\/p>\n
Together, the concert promises a journey from the playful elegance of Mozart to the thunderous emotional landscape of Mahler\u2019s monumental Fifth Symphony.<\/p>\n
Preu describes Mozart\u2019s beloved serenade as deceptively simple \u2014 it\u2019s music that sparkles with ease while hiding extraordinary sophistication just under the surface.<\/p>\n
Though the exact reason Mozart composed the piece remains a mystery, Preu notes on the Long Beach Symphony website that it may have been written for gatherings among friends in Vienna during the same period Mozart was creating his opera \u201cDon Giovanni.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The Long Beach Symphony will launch its new season at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Long Beach Terrace Theater, shown here in a Jan. 14 file photo. (File photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n
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The Long Beach Symphony performs. (Courtesy of Long Beach Symphony)\n<\/p>\n
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The Long Beach Symphony will launch its new season at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Long Beach Terrace Theater, shown here in a Jan. 14 file photo. (File photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n
Expand<\/a><\/p>\n Whether intended as party music or simply an inspired burst of creativity, \u201cEine kleine Nachtmusik\u201d remains one of Mozart\u2019s most recognizable works.<\/p>\n The second half of the evening turns toward Mahler\u2019s Symphony No. 5, a work Preu calls one of the greatest symphonies of the 20th century.<\/p>\n Composed during Mahler\u2019s isolated summer retreats in the Austrian countryside, the symphony draws from a vast range of influences, including the complex counterpoint of Johann Sebastian Bach, the blossoming songs of Robert Schumann, the monumental symphonic writing of Anton Bruckner, and the dance rhythms of Vienna associated with Johann Strauss II.<\/p>\n Preu also highlights the profound impact of military band music on Mahler\u2019s imagination, rooted in the composer\u2019s childhood experiences.<\/p>\n If you know Mahler\u2019s music, you know how important the concept of \u2018the human\u2019 was to this composer.<\/p>\n So it\u2019s through militaristic rhythms, dramatic contrasts, and sudden emotional shifts that Mahler carries listeners through moments of grief, tenderness, chaos, and humanistic celebration.<\/p>\n And just like what it means to be human, Mahler\u2019s Fifth ultimately transforms from funereal darkness into jubilant triumph.<\/p>\n The performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 6. Head to longbeachsymphony.org<\/a> for information and tickets.<\/p>\n \u2018Kimberly Akimbo\u2019<\/p>\n Bittersweet, funny, and quietly heartbreaking, \u201cKimberly Akimbo\u201d will arrive at the Long Beach Playhouse\u2019s Studio Theatre this summer with a story that blends teenage awkwardness, family dysfunction, and an urgent perspective on growing up.<\/p>\n Directed by Michael Hovance, the comedy by playwright David Lindsay-Abaire will be on show from Saturday, June 6 through Friday, July 3.<\/p>\n This play (which directly inspired the Tony-award-winning musical) centers on Kimberly, a 16-year-old girl living with a rare condition that causes her body to age at more than four times the normal rate. Though she physically resembles an elderly woman, Kimberly is still navigating the everyday uncertainties of adolescence, from school and family conflict to friendship and first love.<\/p>\n Set in 1999, before the era of smartphones and social media, the play follows Kimberly as she tries to find moments of normalcy amid the chaos of her home life. Her hypochondriac mother, alcoholic father, and manipulative aunt create a world that feels both absurd and real.<\/p>\n Amid the dysfunction, though, Kimberly develops a connection with Jeff, a fellow outsider.<\/p>\n While many theatergoers may know \u201cKimberly Akimbo\u201d through its musical adaptation, Long Beach Playhouse\u2019s production returns to the original play that first established Lindsay-Abaire\u2019s reputation for balancing dark humor with emotional depth.<\/p>\n The playwright, known for works including \u201cRabbit Hole\u201d and \u201cGood People,\u201d crafts a story that explores mortality and resilience without losing sight of the strange comedy called \u201clife.\u201d<\/p>\n The production continues Long Beach Playhouse\u2019s 2026 Studio Season, which also features \u201cA Doll\u2019s House Part 2\u201d and \u201cHangmen.\u201d<\/p>\n