麻豆约拍

Donald Macleod maps out Mozart's life-story, plays many of his favourite works and tries to fathom why for him Mozart's music will always remain a constant companion.

He begins in this podcast by looking at Mozart's ultimately futile first attempt to sever links with Salzburg, an excursion which left the young man bereaved and broken-hearted. Donald then mixes two of his favourite passions: Mozart and Opera, and selects music from; Zaide, The Seraglio, Idomeneo, Don Giovanni, Cosi and The Marriage of Figaro.

Self-employed in Vienna, Mozart staged numerous concerts to set out his wares. Donald recreates such a musical evening. He also looks at Mozart's affiliation with Freemasonry, a movement whose symbolism the composer on occasions emphatically displayed in his Viennese music.

Donald discovers Mozart in his early thirties still on the road prospecting for a better job. To Mozart, Vienna seemed capricious -and so to Prague, Berlin & Potsdam.

And finally, Donald takes a broad view of Mozart's last year - 1791, a year that began full of promise but transformed into one of the saddest in the history of music.

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