Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Donald Macleod explores Mozart’s prolific final years.

Five years before Mozart’s premature death aged 35, the composer felt at the top of his game. He was performing regularly in Vienna and his music was beloved throughout the city. However, the Austro-Turkish War between the Habsburg Monarchy and the Ottoman Empire would soon have a negative impact on Mozart’s prospects, along with changing musical taste in the Austrian capital. The nobility had more important things to do than hold concerts and commission new music. Money was in shorter supply. As a composer for hire, Mozart had to change tack and write chamber music for publication and for performance in middle class homes, rather than concertos for the nobility.

Music Featured:

Horn Concerto No 4 in E flat major, K 495 (I. Allegro maestoso)
Piano Concerto No 24 in C minor, K 491 (I. Allegro)
Sonata for Piano 4 Hands in F major, K 497 (I. Adagio - Allegro di molto)
Symphony No 38 in D major, K 504 “Prague” (I. Adagio – Allegro)
Symphony No 39 in E flat major, K 543 (I. Adagio – Allegro)
Adagio in B minor, K 540
Divertimento in E flat major, K 563 (II. Adagio)
Clarinet Quintet in A major, K 581 (II. Larghetto)
Piano Sonata No. 17 in B flat major, K 570 (I. Allegro)
Gigue in G major, K 574, "Leipziger Gigue"
Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), K 492, Act 1 (excerpt)
Symphony No 41 in C major, K 551, "Jupiter” (II. Andante cantabile)
Don Giovanni, K 527, Act II (excerpt)
Così fan tutte, K 588 (excerpts)
Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), K. 620, Act II: Allegro
Ave verum corpus, K 618
6 German Dances, K 600 (No 1 in C Major; No 3 in B-Flat Major; No 6 in D Major)
Kyrie in D minor, K 341
Piano Concerto No 27 in B flat major, Op 17, K 595 (I. Allegro)
String Quintet No 6 in E flat major, K 614 (I. Allegretto di molto, IV. Allegro)
Fantasia in F minor for mechanical organ, K 608 (arr. for wind quintet)
La Clemenza di Tito, K 621, Act I: Quintetto con poro)
Clarinet Concerto in A major, K 622 (I. Allegro, II. Adagio)
Requiem in D minor, K 626 (completed by F.X. Sussmayr)(except)

Presented by Donald Macleod
Produced by Iain Chambers

For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0012pn0

And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z