Mozart On Tour | London: The First Journey (Episode 1)

A 1991 Documentary series hosted by Andre Previn and Michael Kitchen as reader of Mozart′s letters.Show more

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart spent a third of his life travelling, and the 13-part 'Mozart on Tour' series focuses on these journeys and their influence on his life and work, highlighting a piano concerto that demonstrates his musical development at the time of each trip.

Mozart on Tour was produced to coincide with the 1991 bicentennial of Mozart′s death. Each episode is centred on a different European city and combines travelogue-style narration with musical excerpts and period re-enactment. Conductor and composer Andre Previn provides the historical and musical background, and actor Michael Kitchen reads from the many letters that Mozart wrote home while on his travels. Each episode includes a full performance of one of Mozart's twenty-seven piano concertos played by an internationally renowned soloist, orchestra and conductor. The performances take place in appropriately historical settings.

Episode 1 - DOCUMENTARY SEGMENT: During his childhood, Mozart and his family visited London from April 1764 to July 1765. It was a happy and successful visit in which the court of King George III idolized him and his family and Mozart met and associated with some of the most important musicians of the time. Among them were Johann Christian Bach (1735–1782) and Karl Friedrich Abel (1723–1787), both of whom had spent a significant amount of time in Italy and were influenced by musical developments there. The Mozart family also became friendly with Giovanni Manzuoli (1720–1782), an Italian vocalist residing and performing in London at the time, and became familiar with his style of virtuoso singing. Bach, Abel, and Manzuoli gave Mozart first-hand exposure to the Italian musical style that would influence him for the rest of his life, the Italian school of musical composition, and the pianoforte, a fairly new instrument at the time. These experiences inspired Mozart's style, which culminated in works like 1782′s Piano Concerto No. 12 in A Major.

- CONCERT SEGMENT: Piano Concerto No.12 in A Major, performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with soloist and conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy. Recorded in the Great Hall of Lancaster House at Hampton Court Palace, London.

Episode 2: https://rumble.com/v4n7glc-mozart-on-tour-mantua-initial-steps-episode-2.html