Leopold - Father
Kate Molleson tells Mozart’s story through five of the relationships that shaped the composer and his music – from his friends and family to a mentor and a supposed rival.
Kate Molleson tells Mozart’s story through five of the relationships that shaped the composer and his music – from his friends and family to a mentor and a supposed rival. In today’s programme, Kate looks at Mozart’s relationship with his father Leopold. A devoted dad who essentially abandoned his own career to focus on his son’s, Leopold could also be a dominating and oppressive figure, who said ‘I will give the children my heart’s blood, and when they have found their triumph and the time comes, they will give me theirs in return.’ Leopold saw it as his duty to proclaim Wolfgang’s miraculous gifts to the world and saw them as something to be exploited on gruelling European tours. He sat on the fortune he made out of his children until the end of his life, while always insisting he was in debt, and the pressure he put on Wolfgang would push them both to breaking point.
Symphony no. 35, K385 ‘Haffner’
IV. Presto
Orchestra Mozart
Claudio Abbado, conductor
Violin Concerto No. 1 in B flat, K207
II. Adagio
Isabelle Faust, violin
Il Giardino Armonico
Giovanni Antonini, conductor
Concerto for Flute Harp and orchestra in C, K299
II. Andantino
Kenneth Smith, flute
Bryn Lewis, harp
Philharmonia Orchestra
Giuseppe Sinopoli, conductor
Symphony no. 31 D major, K297 'Paris'
I. Allegro assai
Concertgebouw Orchestra
Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor
Idomeneo (excerpt)
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Sir Simon Rattle, conductor
Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K466
III. Rondo
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, piano
Manchester Camerata
Gábor Takács-Nagy, conductor
On radio
More episodes
Previous
You are at the first episode
Next
You are at the last episode
Broadcast
- Mon 3 Aug 202616:00BBC Radio 3
Beethoven Unleashed – the box set
The complete set of Radio 3 Beethoven Unleashed podcasts, with Donald Macleod.
What was really wrong with Beethoven?
Georgia Mann and neurosurgeon Henry Marsh examine the composer's numerous health problems
Composers A to Z
Visit the extensive audio archive of Radio 3 programmes about Composers and their works.
Who knew? Five eye-opening stories from Composer of the Week
The production team reflects on 5 of Donald Macleod’s best stories from the last 20 years
Five reasons why we love Parry's Jerusalem
What is the strange power of Jerusalem which makes strong men weep?
A man out of time – why Parry's music and ideas were at odds with his image...
The composer of Jerusalem was very far from the conservative figure his image suggests.
Composer Help Page
Find resources and contacts for composers from within the classical music industry.
