Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) was a composer and pianist of the classical era. Mozart's father, Leopold, was a composer and violinist, and taught Mozart the violin, piano, and composition. Mozart began performing and composing at a young age, and Leopold took Mozart and his sister on performing tours of Europe, presenting them as child prodigies. After Mozart left home, he worked as a composer and musician in Salzburg and later Vienna. Mozart composed over 600 musical works and was also a skilled improviser. He composed many symphonies, concertos, operas, chamber works, and pieces for piano. I have selected some of the best of Mozart for you to explore.

Symphony No. 25 in G-minor

Symphony No. 40 in G-minor

Symphony No. 41 in C-Major

Piano Concerto No. 20 in D-minor

Piano Concerto No. 21 in C-Major

Piano Sonatas

Violin Sonatas

String Quartets

The Marriage of Figaro – a comic opera in four acts

Don Giovanni – an opera in two acts 

The Magic Flute – an opera in two acts 

Sinfonia Concertante – for violin, viola, and orchestra

Requiem – for vocal soloists, chorus, and orchestra

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11 Great Overtures

Overtures are most often short pieces that introduce a larger piece, such as an opera, ballet, or play. Overtures can also be stand-alone pieces, also known as concert overtures. I have selected 11 great overtures that I highly recommend for the classical music listener.

1. Mozart – Overture from The Marriage of Figaro

• The overture to Mozart's opera The Marriage of Figaro. 
  

2. Beethoven – Leonore Overture No. 3

• This is one of four versions of an overture originally intended for Beethoven's opera Fidelio.

3. Beethoven – Egmont

• Composed for a production of Goethe's play Egmont. 
  

4. Mendelssohn – Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream

• Composed as a stand-alone concert overture, inspired by Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream.

5. Mendelssohn – The Hebrides

• A concert overture inspired by Mendelssohn's visit to Scotland. 
  

6. Wagner – Overture to The Flying Dutchman

• The overture to Wagner's opera The Flying Dutchman . 
  

7. Wagner – Overture to Tannhäuser

• The overture to Wagner's opera Tannhäuser.

8. Tchaikovsky – Romeo and Juliet 

• A concert overture inspired by Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet.

9. Rimsky-Korsakov – Russian Easter Festival Overture

• A concert overture inspired by sights and sounds of the Russian Orthodox Church's Easter service. 
  

10. Nielsen – Helios Overture

• A concert overture depicting the rising and setting of the sun over the Aegean Sea. 
  

11. Leonard Bernstein – Overture to Candide 

• An overture to Bernstein's operetta Candide.

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8 Requiems You Should Know

A Requiem is a mass for the dead, usually composed for voices, often with instrumental ensemble. Composers have been long been drawn to composing requiems for multitude of reasons, including personal expressions of grief or loss, the dramatic and expressive musical possibilities, the imagery of the texts, or religious belief. While all requiems have some commonalities, composers have created a wide variety of compositions based on the idea of honoring the dead. Many composers choose the traditional Latin requiem mass text, but others have chosen texts from other languages, authors, or other religious or non-religious ideologies. Some composers have even composed purely instrumental requiems.

In the following list I have chosen 8 requiems that every classical music listener should know:

1) Mozart - Requiem 

• Composed for soprano, alto, tenor, and bass soloists, chorus, and orchestra. Mozart died before he could finish it. It was completed by other composers, notably Franz Xaver Süssmayr.

2) Berlioz - Grande Messe des morts

• Composed for a huge orchestra, with 4 offstage brass choirs, a tenor soloist, and chorus. This requiem is a huge and dramatic work, with both apocalyptic and consolatory sections.
  

3) Brahms - A German Requiem

• Composed for soprano and baritone soloists, chorus, and orchestra. Instead of the usual Latin text, Brahms uses texts taken from the German translation of the Bible.

4) Verdi – Requiem

• Composed for vocal soloists, chorus, and orchestra. This is another big and dramatic requiem, with Verdi's dramatic and operatic sensibilities shining through.

5) Faure – Requiem

• Composed for soprano and baritone soloists, chorus, and orchestra. This requiem is much more peaceful than other requiems, giving the listener a much more consolatory experience. 

6) Britten – War Requiem

• Composed for vocal soloists, choruses, a chamber orchestra, and large orchestra. This requiem uses the Latin texts interspersed with poems about war by English poet and soldier Wilfred Owen.

7) Schnittke – Requiem

• Composed for vocal soloists, chorus, brass, percussion, celesta, organ, piano, electric guitar, and bass guitar. Schnittke composed this unique requiem for use in a production of Friedrich Schiller's play Don Carlos.

8) Takemitsu – Requiem

• This is a purely instrumental requiem, composed for string orchestra. Takemitsu composed this requiem at a time when he was seriously ill and contemplating his own mortality.¹

1. Peter Burt, The Music of Toru Takemitsu, (United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 2001), p. 50

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