BBC - Great Composers (1997) Part 2 Mozart

A landmark series that goes beyond the famous melodies and magnificent musical landscapes to explore the men and myths. Great Composers presents the lives and works of seven musical giants from the Baroque era to the twentieth century. It examines the backgrounds, influences and relationships that make these seven composers part of the very fabric of the history of western music. Each composer's life and work is presented through extensive performance sequences, and through interviews and comment from some of today's greatest artists and most respected authorities. Further insights are gained through the use of dramatization and specially-staged set pieces. Contributors to the series include Sir Georg Solti, Daniel Barenboim, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Valery Gergiev, Sir Charles Mackerras, Sir Colin Davis, Cecilia Bartoli, Ton Koopman, Michael Tilson Thomas, Maxim Vengerov, Andras Schiff, Thomas Hampson, Vladimir Ahskenazy, Yevgeny Kissin, Jonathan Miller, The Lindsays, Simon Callow and many more.

Series Executive Producer Kriss Rusmanis ; A BBC/NVC Arts/Thirteen WNET Co-Production in Association with RAI Thematic Channels.

Part 2 Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was without doubt the most prodigiously gifted of all Western composers. More than any other composer, it is his mythological biography – from the archetypal 'Wunderkind' childhood to his early obscure death – that defines our popular conception of a great composer. This film unravels two hundred years of fiction and myth. The deteriorating relationship Mozart had with his father, and his choice of Constanze for his wife are re-assessed in this film which expertly depicts the intrigue and jealousy that surrounded his life. This is shown alongside extracts from the hit film Amadeus based on Peter Shaffer's superb play about the composer. Music performed by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Colin Davis, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Endellion Quartet, Piano Imogen Cooper Interviewees include Charles Rosen, Imogen Cooper and Jonathan Miller with extracts from Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, Die Zauberflote, Piano concerto in E Flat and Requiem.

Produced and Directed by Francesca Kemp

Full Version Available Upon Request
Episode One Shown Here