Born: Jan 27, 1756; Austria
Died: Dec 5, 1791; Austria
Period: Classical
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was not only one of the greatest composers of the Classical period, but one of the greatest of all time. Surprisingly, he is not identified with radical formal or harmonic innovations, or with the profound kind of symbolism heard in some of Bach's works. Mozart's best music has a natural flow and irresistible charm, and can express humor, joy or sorrow with both conviction and mastery. His operas, especially his laterRead more efforts, are brilliant examples of high art, as are many of his piano concertos and later symphonies. Even his lesser compositions and juvenile works feature much attractive and often masterful music.
Mozart was the last of seven children, of whom five did not survive early childhood. By the age of three he was playing the clavichord, and at four he began writing short compositions. Young Wolfgang gave his first public performance at the age of five at Salzburg University, and in January, 1762, he performed on harpsichord for the Elector of Bavaria. There are many astonishing accounts of the young Mozart's precocity and genius. At the age of seven, for instance, he picked up a violin at a musical gathering and sight-read the second part of a work with complete accuracy, despite his never having had a violin lesson.
In the years 1763 - 1766, Mozart, along with his father Leopold, a composer and musician, and sister Nannerl, also a musically talented child, toured London, Paris, and other parts of Europe, giving many successful concerts and performing before royalty. The Mozart family returned to Salzburg in November 1766. The following year young Wolfgang composed his first opera, Apollo et Hyacinthus. Keyboard concertos and other major works were also coming from his pen now.
In 1769, Mozart was appointed Konzertmeister at the Salzburg Court by the Archbishop. Beginning that same year, the Mozarts made three tours of Italy, where the young composer studied Italian opera and produced two successful efforts, Mitridate and Lucio Silla. In 1773, Mozart was back in Austria, where he spent most of the next few years composing. He wrote all his violin concertos between 1774 and 1777, as well as Masses, symphonies, and chamber works.
In 1780, Mozart wrote his opera Idomeneo, which became a sensation in Munich. After a conflict with the Archbishop, Mozart left his Konzertmeister post and settled in Vienna. He received a number of commissions now and took on a well-paying but unimportant Court post. In 1782 Mozart married Constanze Weber and took her to Salzburg the following year to introduce her to his family. 1782 was also the year that saw his opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail staged with great success.
In 1784, Mozart joined the Freemasons, apparently embracing the teachings of that group. He would later write music for certain Masonic lodges. In the early- and mid-1780s, Mozart composed many sonatas and quartets, and often appeared as soloist in the fifteen piano concertos he wrote during this period. Many of his commissions were for operas now, and Mozart met them with a string of masterpieces. Le nozze di Figaro came 1786, Don Giovanni in 1787, Così fan tutte in 1790 and Die Zauberflöte in 1791. Mozart made a number of trips in his last years, and while his health had been fragile in previous times, he displayed no serious condition or illness until he developed a fever of unknown origin near the end of 1791. Read less
Label: Atma Classique
Catalog: 2722
Release Date: 04/14/2015
Number of Discs: 1
Composer:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:
Nathan Berg,
Karina Gauvin,
Marie-Nicole Lemieux,
John Tessier
Conductor:
Bernard Labadie
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Les Violons du Roy,
La Chapelle de Quebec
Label: Urania Records
Catalog: 121232
Release Date: 12/09/2014
Number of Discs: 2
Composer:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,
Anton Bruckner,
Johannes Brahms
Performer:
Léopold [Tenor Vocal] Simoneau,
Irmgard Seefried,
William [Baritone Vocals] Warfield,
Mack Harrell
...
Conductor:
Bruno Walter
Label: Osj Alive
Catalog: 2
Release Date: 11/11/2014
Number of Discs: 1
Composer:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:
Hannah Davey
Conductor:
John Lubbock
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Orchestra of St. John's Smith Square,
Orchestra of St. John's Smith Square Choir
Label: Naive
Catalog: 5370
Release Date: 09/30/2014
Number of Discs: 1
Composer:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:
Werner Güra,
Sandrine Piau,
Sara Mingardo,
Christopher Purves
Conductor:
Laurence Equilbey
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Insula Orchestra,
Accentus
Label: Brilliant Classics
Catalog: 1116167
Release Date: 09/02/2014
Number of Discs: 170
Composer:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,
Johann Christian Bach
Performer:
Margaret Urquhart,
Pieter-Jan Belder,
Marten Boeken,
Remy Baudet
...
Conductor:
Jaap ter Linden,
Paul Freeman,
János Ferencsik,
Kurt Masur
...
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Amsterdam Mozart Academy,
Musica Amphion,
Philharmonia Orchestra
...
Recommendation
Label: Decca
Catalog: 002081902
Release Date: 06/03/2014
Number of Discs: 28
Composer:
George Frideric Handel,
Arcangelo Corelli,
Giuseppe Torelli,
Pietro Antonio Locatelli
...
Performer:
Gwynne Howell,
Philip Langridge,
Anna Reynolds,
Elly Ameling
...
Conductor:
Sir Neville Marriner
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields,
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chorus,
Philip Jones Brass Ensemble
Recommendation
Label: Rca
Catalog: 300607
Release Date: 04/15/2014
Number of Discs: 51
Composer:
Richard Wagner,
Ludwig van Beethoven,
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,
Jean Sibelius
...
Performer:
Jan-Hendrik Rootering,
Barbara Fleckenstein,
Ben Heppner,
Heinrich Weber
...
Conductor:
Sir Colin Davis
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra,
Bavarian Radio Chorus,
Bavarian State Opera Chorus
...
Label: Sony
Catalog: 7906832
Release Date: 03/25/2014
Number of Discs: 6
Composer:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:
Zino Francescatti,
Irmgard Seefried,
Léopold Simoneau,
Jennie Tourel
...
Conductor:
Bruno Walter
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Columbia Symphony Orchestra,
New York Philharmonic,
Westminster Choir
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Catalog: 001999302
Release Date: 02/18/2014
Number of Discs: 40
Composer:
Ludwig van Beethoven,
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,
Franz Joseph Haydn,
Gustav Mahler
...
Performer:
Sena Jurinac,
Lucretia West,
Hans Loeffler,
Frederick Guthrie
...
Conductor:
Hermann Scherchen,
Pierre Monteux,
René Leibowitz,
Erich Leinsdorf
...
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra,
Vienna State Opera Orchestra,
Vienna Academy Chamber Chorus
...
Label: Harmonia Mundi
Catalog: 2908409
Release Date: 01/14/2014
Number of Discs: 8
Composer:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:
Bernarda Fink,
Graciela Oddone,
Marcel Boone,
Werner Güra
...
Conductor:
René Jacobs,
Philippe Herreweghe,
Gottfried Von der Goltz,
Andrew Manze
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Concerto Cologne,
Cologne Chamber Choir,
La Chapelle Royale Paris
...
Label: Erato
Catalog: 46441
Release Date: 11/19/2013
Number of Discs: 50
Composer:
Tomaso Albinoni,
Giuseppe Tartini,
Georg Philipp Telemann,
Giuseppe Torelli
...
Performer:
Maurice André,
Pierre Pierlot,
Paul Hongne,
Jacques Chambon
...
Conductor:
Sir Neville Marriner,
Jean-François Paillard,
Frigyes Sándor,
Kent Nagano
...
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ens.,
Paillard Chamber Orchestra,
Vienna Soloists
...
Label: Arthaus Musik
Catalog: 107295
Release Date: 11/19/2013
Number of Discs: 1
Composer:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:
Ortrun Wenkel,
Rachel Yakar,
Kurt Equiluz,
Robert Holl
Conductor:
Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Vienna Concentus Musicus,
Vienna State Opera Chorus Konzertvereinigung
Label: Accentus
Catalog: 20258
Release Date: 08/27/2013
Number of Discs: 1
Composer:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:
René Pape,
Sara Mingardo,
Anna Prohaska,
Maximilian Schmitt
Conductor:
Claudio Abbado
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bavarian Radio Chorus,
Swedish Radio Chorus,
Lucerne Festival Orchestra
Label: Accentus
Catalog: 10258
Release Date: 08/27/2013
Number of Discs: 1
Composer:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:
Maximilian Schmitt,
Sara Mingardo,
Anna Prohaska,
René Pape
Conductor:
Claudio Abbado
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bavarian Radio Chorus,
Swedish Radio Chorus,
Lucerne Festival Orchestra
Label: King's College Choir
Catalog: 2
Release Date: 04/09/2013
Number of Discs: 2
Composer:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,
Duncan Druce,
Michael Finnissy,
Robert D. Levin
...
Performer:
Christine Rice,
Elin Manahan Thomas,
James Gilchrist,
Christopher Purves
Conductor:
Stephen Cleobury
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Academy of Ancient Music,
Cambridge King's College Choir
Recommendation
Label: Warner Classics
Catalog: 332932
Release Date: 02/26/2013
Number of Discs: 1
Composer:
Anton Bruckner,
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:
Robert Tear,
Don Garrard,
Anne Pashley,
Dame Janet Baker
...
Conductor:
Daniel Barenboim
Recommendation
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Catalog: 001766872
Release Date: 11/13/2012
Number of Discs: 55
Composer:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:
Géza Anda,
Emil Gilels,
Elena Gilels,
Maurizio Pollini
...
Conductor:
Trevor Pinnock,
James Levine,
Herbert von Karajan,
Marc Minkowski
...
Orchestra/Ensemble:
English Concert,
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra,
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
...
Label: Apex
Catalog: 660707
Release Date: 06/26/2012
Number of Discs: 1
Composer:
Franz Joseph Haydn,
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:
Frances Bourne,
Carys Lane,
Paul Badley,
Matthew Brook
Conductor:
Nigel Short
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Tenebrae,
Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Label: Philips
Catalog: 438956
Release Date: 06/17/2012
Number of Discs: 2
Composer:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:
Waldemar Kmentt,
Ira Malaniuk,
Kurt Böhme,
Teresa Stich-Randall
Conductor:
Karl Böhm
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Vienna State Opera Chorus,
Vienna Symphony Orchestra,
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra