“Page’s band, The Mozartists, make the colours and expressiveness of overtures and
symphonies leap off the page.”
BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE
Ian Page and The Mozartists have announced their plans to return to the concert stage in
2021, having not performed live since the outbreak of COVID-19. Across three concerts, all
at Cadogan Hall, the ensemble will collaborate with soloists Kitty Whately, Ronald Brautigam
and Kiandra Howarth. The Mozartists are working with Cadogan Hall to create a safe
concert environment and all three concerts will run straight through without an interval.
Streaming and broadcasting opportunities are being considered and more details will be
shared on The Mozartists’ website in due course.
Ian Page writes: “It’s a tremendous joy and relief to be planning and preparing for concerts
again. Our MOZART 250 project is a continuously evolving journey, so we’re thankful to be
returning with two concerts exploring the music being composed by Mozart and his
contemporaries in 1771, and I’m delighted to be working again with two wonderful singers,
Kitty Whately and Kiandra Howarth. I’m also very excited to be collaborating with the
remarkable Dutch fortepianist Ronald Brautigam for the first time, having had to cancel our
planned concert together last April. More than anything, though, I’m thrilled at the prospect of
sharing live music-making with an audience once again.”
The Mozartists celebrate Mozart’s birthday with their first concert of the year on 27 January,
when they will be joined by mezzo-soprano Kitty Whately. Entering the seventh year of their
ambitious and visionary MOZART 250 series, which explores the life, works and influences
of Mozart 250 years on, Ian Page and The Mozartists present their annual retrospective
concert, this year performing works from 1771. The programme features works by 15-yearold
Mozart, as well as Mysliveček, Boccherini and Salieri, culminating in Haydn’s ‘Trauer’
symphony.
Page and The Mozartists return to Cadogan Hall in March for an all-Mozart concert of minorkey
masterpieces written between 1786 and 1788. The composer’s Adagio & Fugue in C
minor opens the programme, followed by his Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, which sees
the ensemble join forces with celebrated Dutch fortepianist Ronald Brautigam. The
programme ends with Mozart’s 40th Symphony, one of the composer’s most dynamic and
best loved works.
In May the ensemble take to the stage with Australian soprano Kiandra Howarth, one of The
Mozartists’ Associate Artists, to provide a fascinating overview of Mozart’s life in 1771. In
addition to Mozart symphonies and arias written during the course of the year, the
programme also features highlights from operas by Paisiello and Hasse that Mozart would
have heard during his travels in Italy.
In the summer of 2020 The Mozartists launched an innovative ‘Pay it Forward’ appeal to
generate funds for their freelance artists, who were severely affected by the COVID-19
pandemic. The appeal successfully raised advance fees for artists, which allowed The
Mozartists to pay them in advance for future performance and recording projects.
Debbie Coates, Chief Executive of The Mozartists, said “Our ‘Pay it Forward’ appeal is an
attempt to provide a much-needed stream of income for our musicians during these difficult
times. It feels particularly important to reach out and support the world-class individuals
whose skill, artistry and commitment are the lifeblood of our cultural infrastructure.”
In addition to their ‘Pay it Forward’ appeal, The Mozartists also initiated a collaboration with
Exit Live where they are releasing downloads of past concerts for audiences to purchase.
The proceeds from each recording are being shared directly and equally among every
performer who took part in the performance, again offering additional income for freelance
musicians.
To download the full Premier press release, please click here.