At home
JANUARY
BBC SO/ROBERTSON
The Jupiter Symphony and the great Mass in C minor, with Emma Bell and James Rutherford.
Barbican, Silk Street, London EC2 (www.barbican.org.uk 020-7638 8891), Jan 27
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MOZART AROUND THE CLOCK
Ensemble 360 undertake a Mozart marathon, with concerts from 7.45pm through to 8.45pm the next day. Can you take it?
Sheffield Theatres (www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk 0114-249 6000), Jan 27
LONDON MOZART PLAYERS/PARROTT
There’s chamber music in the afternoon, and the evening includes the Clarinet Concerto and Thamos, King of Egypt.
St John’s, Smith Square, London SW1 (www.sjss.org.uk 020-7222 1061), Jan 28
AMANDA ROOCROFT
The British diva sings arias from Così fan tutte and Idomeneo.
Heritage Centre, Macclesfield (0161-247222), Jan 28
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
A new production of the world’s favourite Mozart opera with Erwin Schrott in the lead.
Royal Opera House, London WC2 (www.royalopera.org 020-7304 4000), Jan 31
FEBRUARY
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LPO/JUROWSKI
Three concerts pairing well-known and rarely performed works by the birthday boys, Mozart and Shostakovich.
Queen Elizabeth Hall, London SE1 (www.rfh.org.uk 0870 3800400), Feb 15, 17 & 18
OAE/NORRINGTON
Pianist Robert Levin takes centre stage for the Piano Concerto No 24, the Piano and Wind Quintet in E Flat, and the Prague Symphony.
Queen Elizabeth Hall, London SE1 (www.rfh.org.uk 0870 3800400); St George’s, Bristol (www.stgeorgesbristol.co.uk 0845 4024001), Feb 7 & 11
APOLLO & HYACINTHUS
The Classical Opera Company and Opera Theatre Company, Dublin, collaborate on Mozart’s first opera, composed at age 11.
Touring (020-7844 4440), from Feb 10
A FESTIVAL OF MOZART
Gerard Schwarz conducts Nicola Benedetti in Mozart’s Third Violin Concerto, with Symphony No 36 and music by Richard Strauss to boot.
Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool (www.liverpoolphil.com 0151-709 3789), Feb 8
MARCH
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JULIAN BLISS
A British rising star in classical music, 16-year-old Julian Bliss plays the sublime Clarinet Concerto.
Cadogan Hall, London SW1 (www.cadoganhall.com 020-7730 4500), Mar 23
PIANO 2006
All of Mozart’s piano concertos, with a mouthwatering array of pianists.
Bridgewater Hall, Manchester (www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk 0161-907 9000), Mar 21-26
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
Jeni Bern and Linda Richardson star in Opera North’s production.
Touring (www.operanorth.co.uk 0113-243 9999), from Mar 3
APRIL
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IL RE PASTORE
Edward Gardner conducts a youthful cast in Wolfgang’s early comedy.
Linbury Studio, Royal Opera House, London WC2 (www.royalopera.org 020-7304 4000), from Apr 11
MAY
COSÌ FAN TUTTE
A must-see new production directed by Nicholas Hytner.
Glyndebourne (www.glyndebourne.com 01273 813813), from May 19
SUMMER
MOSTLY MOZART
Concert performances for four full operas jostle with free concerts, fireworks, workshops, films and family events in this Summer Mozart fest.
Barbican, London EC2 (www.barbican.org.uk 020-7638 8891), Jun 6-Jul 29
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LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
Another chance to sample the new ROH production, with an even better cast including the soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian.
Royal Opera House, London WC2 (www.royalopera.org.uk 020-7304 4000), from Jun 19
DER STEIN DER WEISEN
Where Harry Potter meets Wolfgang Amadeus — The Philosopher’s Stone is a collage of various 18th- century composers, including Mozart, that was staged in 1790.
Garsington Opera (www.garsingtonopera.org 01865 361636), from Jun 27
SEPTEMBER
LA FINTA GIARDINIERA
John Eliot Gardiner conducts the English Baroque Soloists in a Christoph Loy production.
Royal Opera House, London WC2 (www.royalopera.org.uk 020-7304 4000), from Sep 21
Abroad
MUNICH
Mozart Festwochen: the Bavarian State Opera hosts its Mozart Festival (Jan 27- Feb 14), offering several concerts and six of the great operas: Die Ëntfuhrung aus dem Serail, Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte, Die Zauberflöte and La Clemenza di Tito.
(www.staatsoper.de 00 49 892 185 1920)
NEW YORK
The Lincoln Centre’s popular Mostly Mozart festival is now in its 39th year. This year’s event (Jul 28-Aug 26) includes a new production by Peter Sellars of the unfinished opera Zaide.
(www.lincolncenter.org)
PARIS
The Opéra de Paris is this season staging all three of Mozart’s collaborations with the librettist Lorenzo da Ponte. The new productions of Don Giovanni and Le Nozze di Figaro open on Jan 27 and Mar 11. (www.opera-de-paris.fr 00 33 17 229 3535)
PRAGUE
The only surviving theatre in which Mozart’s operas were performed during his lifetime, the Estates Theatre (scene of the premiere of Don Giovanni) has several of his works in its repertory. A new production of Don Giovanni opens there on May 20.
(www.estatestheatre.cz 00 42 02 2422 7832)
SALZBURG
The city that once spurned its most famous son is hosting a Mozart 2006 festival that runs all year. The exhibition Viva!Mozart at the Neue Residenz promises to be the most comprehensive yet
(www.mozart2006.at)
The Salzburg Summer Festival (Jul 21-Aug 31) will include all 22 of Mozart’s works for the stage. — everything from the 11-year- old composer’s Apollo et Hyacinthus to his final masterpieces, Die Zauberflöte and La Clemenza di Tito. The main new production will be Claus Guth’s staging of Le Nozze di Figaro, conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt, on Jul 26.
(www.salzburgfestival.at)
VIENNA
Vienna launches Mozart Year with a weekend-long birthday party from Jan 27 to 29. His Coronation Mass will be played and broadcast round the globe. Riccardo Muti will conduct the Vienna Philharmonic with a line-up including Renée Fleming. Mozart Nights continues throughout the year at the city’s Staatsoper
(www.wienmozart2006.at)
And on TV & radio
The BBC certainly hasn’t forgotten that it’s Mozart’s birthday. Starting this week, Radios 2, 3 and 4 will be broadcasting a range of programmes on the composer throughout the year — see Radiohead.
BBC Four offers live coverage of this Friday’s global birthday celebrations, including concerts from Beijing, Salzburg and Berlin, starting at 7pm and continuing at 11pm.