The Vienna Philharmonic is joined by a group of stars to celebrate the 250th birthday of the most famous among Salzburg natives, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The legendary Riccardo Muti masterfully conducts the ensemble on the stage of the Großes Festspielhaus, in the company of some of the world’s most renowned soloists.
Pianist Mitsuko Uchida, a prominent specialist of the Austrian composer’s repertoire, kicks things off with a classy performance of the Piano Concerto No. 25, wonderfully balancing passion and control. She is followed by baritone Thomas Hampson, with a rendition of the aria titled “Rivolgete a lui lo sguardo”, a song that was to be included in Cosi fan tutte before Mozart decided to make it a stand-alone work.
The brilliant Sinfonia Concertante follows, bringing string instruments to the foreground with two fantastic soloists taking the stage, Yuri Bashmet on viola and Gidon Kremer on violin. The evening is concluded in style with one of the composer’s most famous orchestral works, the Symphony No. 35, also known as the Haffner Symphony, a worthy ending to this celebration of classical music’s brightest talent!
