Classical Opera to embark on ambitious Mozart project

Classical Opera marks 250 years since Mozart's death

Published: August 19, 2014 at 7:00 am

Many ensembles embark upon projects that last an entire season, with perhaps the more ambitious lasting for a year. In 2015, Classical Opera will begin a project that spans almost three decades.

Who is worthy of such an undertaking? Mozart.

Starting in 2015 and running until 2041, the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s death, Classical Opera and conductor Ian Page will present major works from the composers life, each on the 250th anniversary year of their composition or premiere. The project aims to contextualise the compositions within Mozart’s lifetime and the wider social context of the time in which they were written.

Founder and artistic director of Classical Opera Ian Page has said: ‘I’ve always felt that programming – whether within a single concert or across a whole season – should have a strong sense of narrative and be able to take an audience on a real journey.’

‘MOZART 250,’ he explains, 'enables us to embark on a massively ambitious, long-term and wide-ranging voyage of discovery, to explore, contextualise and re-live the life and work of arguably the greatest composer ever to have lived.’

Classical Opera will set the musical scene in 1765 Europe before moving to our own shores with a weekend marking Mozart’s stay in London in January 2015. Concerts will explore the repertoire that he would have been exposed to, much of which has not been performed since the 18th century. This will conclude with the first production in modern times of JC Bach’s Adriano in Siria.

An education project with Museum of London and events at the British Library have also been planned to coincide with Classical Opera's performances.

MOZART 250 comes to London on 22 January 2015 with '1765 – A Retrospective' at the Wigmore Hall. Visit: www.classicalopera.co.uk for more information

David Quinn

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