Leif Ove Andsnes became the Mahler Chamber Orchestra’s first Artistic Partner during the Beethoven Journey, a four-year project which took the artists across the globe for over 70 live performances and resulted in award-winning recordings of the complete Beethoven piano concertos on Sony Classical. This spring they reunite for a second Artistic Partnership which sees the launch of a new four year project (2019 – 2022), Mozart Momentum 1785/1786, dedicated to the music of Mozart.
With Mozart Momentum 1785/1786, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Leif Ove Andsnes embark on an exploration of two especially remarkable years in the history of classical music. In 1785 and 1786, Mozart wrote a series of masterpieces reinventing the nature of the piano concerto. In this period, he began to re-examine the roles of the soloist and orchestra, thus developing aspects of communication and dialogue between the two entities in a way that had not been done before.
“When you go on several tours with the same musicians, performing the same works for so long, you reach a special, shared understanding of the colours, emotions and musical character you’re all trying to evoke. This common goal can make for a great feeling of spontaneity in live performance.” said Leif Ove Andsnes of the partnership. “It’s a huge pleasure and gift to a group of collaborating musicians to have that time to find freedom together,” added MCO concertmaster Matthew Truscott, who will again be leading the orchestra.
Mozart Momentum 1785/1786 also showcases the endless creative genius of Mozart as a composer of solo, chamber and orchestral works. As in the Beethoven Journey, Leif Ove Andsnes leads and directs the Mahler Chamber Orchestra from the piano and performs chamber music with musicians from the orchestra.
Mozart Momentum 1785/1786 includes an integral education and outreach component entitled Unboxing Mozart, an interactive live event reinventing the traditional concert experience. By inviting audience members to actively participate in the artistic process with the help of sound boxes, Unboxing Mozart creates a convergence of classical music, collaborative performance and urban gaming. Participants become part of the action through role play, take on solo responsibilities or act as part of a group to create constructive dialogues within a community. This project follows in the footsteps of Feel the Music, which accompanied the Beethoven Journey and saw Leif Ove Andsnes and the MCO reach out to children around the world with hearing impairment, enabling them to explore music through all senses.
As they did with their Beethoven Journey, Leif Ove Andsnes and the MCO will perform Mozart Momentum 1785/1786 in numerous concerts and festivals, commencing in May 2019 in Frankfurt (over two days in a festival format), Berlin, Evian, Grenoble, Paris and Lisbon. In addition to key partners such as the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, Alte Oper in Frankfurt, Rudolfinum in Prague and DeSingel in Antwerp, the project will culminate in 2022 with residencies around the globe including London, New York and Tokyo.
Mozart Momentum 1785/1786 will be recorded for release on Sony Classical and the first sessions will take place in Prague’s Rudolfinum in May 2020.
Visit the Mozart Momentum 1785/1786 website here: https://www.mozart-momentum.com
TOUR 2019 | MOZART MOMENTUM 1785/1786: THE KICKOFF
11 May 2019 | Frankfurt – Alte Oper Frankfurt, Mozartsaal
Mozart: Fantasia K 475 (Leif Ove Andsnes)
Mozart: Piano Concerto no. 20 in D minor K 466
Talk on Mozart Momentum 1785/1786 with Leif Ove Andsnes and Cliff Eisen
Mozart: Lieder (Louise Alder & Leif Ove Andsnes)
Mozart: Piano Quartet K 478 (Leif Ove Andsnes & Musicians of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra)
Mozart: Violin Sonata K 481 (Matthew Truscott, Steven Devine Fortepiano)
12 May 2019 | Frankfurt – Alte Oper Frankfurt, Großer Saal
Mozart: Maurerische Trauermusik in C minor K 477
Mozart: Piano Concerto no. 20 in D minor K 466
Haydn: Symphony no. 83 in G minor Hob I:83 La Poule
Mozart: Piano Concerto no. 21 in C major K 467
14 May 2019 | Berlin – Philharmonie Berlin, Kammermusiksaal
Mozart: Maurerische Trauermusik in C minor K 477
Mozart: Piano Quartet K 478
Haydn: Symphony no. 83 in G minor Hob I:83 La Poule
Mozart: Piano Concerto no. 20 in D minor K 466
16 May 2019 | Grenoble – MC2 Grenoble
Mozart: Maurerische Trauermusik in C minor K 477
Mozart: Piano Concerto no. 20 in D minor K 466
Haydn: Symphony no. 83 in G minor Hob I:83 La Poule
Mozart: Piano Concerto no. 21 in C major K 467
17 May 2019 | Evian – Grange au Lac
Mozart: Maurerische Trauermusik in C minor K 477
Mozart: Piano Concerto no. 20 in D minor K 466
Haydn: Symphony no. 83 in G minor Hob I:83 La Poule
Mozart: Piano Concerto no. 21 in C major K 467
18 May 2019 | Paris – Théâtre des Champs-Elysées
Mozart: Maurerische Trauermusik in C minor K 477
Mozart: Piano Concerto no. 20 in D minor K 466
Haydn: Symphony no. 83 in G minor Hob I:83 La Poule
Mozart: Piano Concerto no. 21 in C major K 467
19 May 2019 | Lisbon – Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Grande Auditório
Mozart: Maurerische Trauermusik in C minor K 477
Mozart: Piano Concerto no. 20 in D minor K 466
Haydn: Symphony no. 83 in G minor Hob I:83 La Poule
Mozart: Piano Concerto no. 21 in C major K 467
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