Ian Page’s ground-breaking MOZART 250 series continues its vivid exploration of Mozart’s contemporaries and influences with this fascinating selection of music from operas composed in 1773, featuring an outstanding line-up of young artists.

‘1773 – An Opera Kaleidoscope’ provides a fascinating cross-section of largely forgotten operas dating from 250 years ago. The programme begins with Mozart’s Symphony No. 26, a work whose dramatic flair has prompted several musicologists to wonder whether it was originally conceived for a theatrical context. The arias and duets that follow – several of which have never previously been performed in the UK – include music that we know Mozart was familiar with, settings of texts that Mozart himself subsequently set and other highlights that help to contextualise Mozart’s operatic output. The Mozartists have a distinguished track record in nurturing young artists and this concert is designed as a Young Artist Showcase, featuring several outstanding emerging artists.

With special thanks to the Garrick Charitable Trust, D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust, Cockayne Foundation, The Weinstock Fund, The Fidelio Trust, Scops Arts Trust, The Sainer Charitable Trust, The Pitt-Rivers Charitable Trust, The Aspinwall Educational Trust & the many generous individuals who support our work.

“This is exactly the kind of mad thing that makes MOZART 250 so diverting: unearthing forgotten works… playing them often for the first time since the 18th century, and giving us a real feeling of the musical air Mozart was breathing.”

ROBERT THICKNESSE, OPERA NOW MAGAZINE