Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment: Mozart's World

A musician stands in a sparkling black gown leaning against the back of a chair, her hair loose down her back.

It is no understatement to say that Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto (which we should really call a Basset Clarinet Concerto) is one of those pieces that changed the history of music. 21st Century audiences are so familiar with the sound of the clarinet – it is inextricably linked with smooth romantic melodies or the iconic opening of Rhapsody in Blue – but when Mozart unveiled the piece its sound would have shocked audiences. In this performance Katherine Spencer plays it on a specially commissioned basset clarinet, the instrument for which Mozart originally composed it, aiming to recapture that sense of wonder and delight.

If any piece epitomises Mozart’s lasting appeal it could well be what he himself called “a little night music” in his list of his works, probably put together for a party. With its instantly memorable opening hook, deliciously judged romance and exquisite lightness of touch it is a symphony in all but name – and one that’s ready to go out for the night!

Mozart is framed by pieces from two composers, whose lives are curiously linked to Mozart’s by the date of his birthday, 27 January. His friend Michael Haydn lost his only daughter shortly before her first birthday on 27 January 1771. Juan Arriaga was born 50 years to the day after Mozart. He became known as the ‘Spanish Mozart’ – partly due to this remarkable coincidence and his prodigious talent but also because he died tragically young in 1826, shortly before his 20th birthday.