"We feel certain that the special characteristics of Mozart's music and other chamber works will be more fully communicated and appreciated in this setting," said Jane Moss, Lincoln Center's vice president for programming.
Louis Langr_e, the music director of the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, added, "The more intimate physical circumstances of Avery Fisher Hall this summer will greatly assist us in our communication with each other as musicians and with the audience."
The idea for the new configuration emerged from discussions between Lincoln Center and the New York Philharmonic about the future of Avery Fisher Hall, according to a statement. Philharmonic officials are dissatisfied with the hall, and at one point announced that the orchestra would move to Carnegie Hall before reversing course and agreeing to stay in Avery Fisher Hall, which will be renovated. The Philharmonic tested a stage extension in a rehearsal last summer.
The Mostly Mozart Festival runs July 28-August 27, and includes 17 concerts at Avery Fisher Hall. The opening-night concert there will be broadcast live on PBS.