A rocky road to Paris
The Mozart family have barely started their epic European adventure, and already their plans are going awry. With Donald Macleod.
The Mozart family have barely started their European adventure, and already their plans are going awry. With Donald Macleod.
When Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was just seven years old, he and his family set out on an epic journey. Their goal: to travel through Europe and become famous; bringing their awesomely talented children to concert halls, homes and royal palaces across Germany, Belgium, France, Britain, the Netherlands and Switzerland. At the start of their trip, young Wolfgang could already perform and improvise better than most adults. By the time they returned home, three and a half years later, he’d grown into a fully fledged composer of sonatas, symphonies and arias. This week, Donald Macleod accompanies the Mozart family on their musical marathon and invites us to follow their many scrapes and adventures.
Today, the Mozarts' plans to enthral wealthy royals in Mainz and Bonn are scuppered when they arrive to discover the princes are either absent or ill. Bad weather ruins a river voyage down the Rhine and they are kept waiting for six weeks by Prince Karl Alexander of Belgium. Young Wolfgang is homesick and the family coffers are emptying fast.
Symphony in C, K 208/102, 1. Molto allegro
Academy of St Martin in the Fields, conducted by Sir Neville Marriner
Allegro in C Major, K 6
Florian Birsak, clavichord
Piano Concerto No 17 in G major, K 453: II. Andante
Lang Lang, piano
Vienna Philharmonic, conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Mass in C, K 317 'Coronation Mass': Credo & Agnus Dei
Barbara Bonney, soprano
Catherine Wyn-Rogers, contralto
Jamie MacDougall, tenor
Stephen Gadd, bass
The English Concert Choir
The English Concert, directed by Trevor Pinnock
Violin Sonata No 1 in C Major, K 6
Rachel Podger, baroque violin
Gary Cooper, fortepiano
Last on
More episodes
Music Played
-
![]()
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Symphony in C, K 208/102, (1st mvt, Molto allegro)
Orchestra: Academy of St Martin in the Fields. Conductor: Neville Marriner.- PHILIPS : 416-477.
- PHILIPS.
- 12.
-
![]()
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Allegro in C Major, K6
Performer: Florian Birsak.- DECCA.
-
![]()
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Concerto No 17 in G major, K 453: (2nd mvt, Andante)
Performer: Lang Lang. Orchestra: Vienna Philharmonic. Conductor: Nikolaus Harnoncourt.- SONY CLASSICAL : 88843-0825222.
- SONY CLASSICAL.
- 5.
-
![]()
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Mass in C, K 317 'Coronation Mass': Credo & Agnus Dei
Orchestra: The English Concert. Director: Trevor Pinnock. Choir: English Concert Choir. Singer: Barbara Bonney. Singer: Catherine Wyn-Rogers. Singer: Jamie MacDougall. Singer: Stephen Gadd.- ARCHIV : 445-353-2.
- ARCHIV.
- 6.
-
![]()
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Violin Sonata No 1 in C Major, K 6
Performer: Rachel Podger. Performer: Gary Cooper.- Channel Classics: CCSSA21804.
- Channel Classics.
- 7.
Broadcast
- Tue 2 Apr 2024 16:00Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 3
Vaughan Williams Today
Programmes, concerts and features celebrating Vaughan Williams's 150th anniversary.
Beethoven Unleashed – the box set
The complete set of Radio 3 Beethoven Unleashed podcasts, with Donald Macleod.
What was really wrong with Beethoven?
Georgia Mann and neurosurgeon Henry Marsh examine the composer's numerous health problems
Composers A to Z
Visit the extensive audio archive of Radio 3 programmes about Composers and their works.
Who knew? Five eye-opening stories from Composer of the Week
The production team reflects on 5 of Donald Macleod’s best stories from the last 20 years
Five reasons why we love Parry's Jerusalem
What is the strange power of Jerusalem which makes strong men weep?
A man out of time – why Parry's music and ideas were at odds with his image...
The composer of Jerusalem was very far from the conservative figure his image suggests.
Composer Help Page
Find resources and contacts for composers from within the classical music industry.