270 years ago, in Salzburg on 27 January 1756, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born. Few composers have left a deeper imprint on Western classical music, and from its earliest days his music has been central to the repertoire of the Berliner Philharmoniker. Indeed, only weeks after the orchestra’s founding, one of his works – the Piano Concerto No. 13 – was featured in a concert conducted by Joseph Joachim. This anniversary offers an opportunity to reflect on Mozart’s remarkable range and enduring relevance. Drawn from the Digital Concert Hall archive, the performances gathered here illuminate the many sides of his music, as interpreted by the Berliner Philharmoniker across different eras and styles.
Often cited as one of Mozart’s most emotionally charged symphonies, the Symphony No. 25 impressed E.T.A. Hoffmann with what he described as a sense of “stormy, youthful world-weariness”. Kirill Petrenko conducted this taut, compelling performance in Barcelona’s Sagrada Família during the 2023 Europakonzert.
In 1999, on the tenth anniversary of Herbert von Karajan’s death, Claudio Abbado conducted Mozart’s Requiem in Salzburg Cathedral. Composed in the final months of Mozart’s life, the work’s emotional weight and expressive intensity remain undiminished, and this performance captures its gravity with particular restraint and depth.
Grace and youthful exuberance are hallmarks of Mozart’s First Violin Concerto. Noah Bendix-Balgley, 1st concertmaster of the Berliner Philharmoniker, brings a sense of effortless vitality to the performance, with cadenzas of his own making.
The Serenade in B flat major, known as the “Gran Partita”, stands as one of Mozart’s most refined explorations of wind sonority. Under Kirill Petrenko, the soloists of the Berliner Philharmoniker bring out the work’s richness of colour and finely balanced textures with exemplary attention to detail.
Curated just for you: This playlist guides you through the full breadth of Mozart’s output, from symphonies and sacred works to opera excerpts and solo concertos.
Mozart’s reputation as a composer was matched in his lifetime by his brilliance as a pianist and improviser. Elegant in design yet often profound in expression, his piano concertos occupy a central place in the repertoire. This playlist brings together distinguished performances by leading pianists, offering a revealing perspective on these works.
