Can we ever get bored of Mozart? Pianist Angela Hewitt doesn’t think so.
As the timeless appeal of Mozart’s music continues, how do you bring a fresh perspective to his work?
I never find it hard to keep great music like Mozart’s “fresh”. It’s so fresh to begin with! I play so much repertoire during each year, and at the moment am performing all of Mozart’s piano concertos, so I don’t have time to get tired of a piece. Mozart is incredibly alive, alert, energetic, naughty, clever, incredibly poignant and sad, but then all of a sudden fooling around again like a child. You need to put maximum energy into every note of his music.
Mozart is incredibly alive, alert, energetic, naughty, clever, incredibly poignant and sad, but then all of a sudden fooling around again like a child.
Which parts of Mozart’s ‘Jenamy’ piano concerto do you most enjoy playing?
I love this concerto. It’s one of my favourite Mozart concertos to play. I learned it when I was 12 or 13 years old and have played it a lot throughout my life. The slow movement is Mozart’s first great masterpiece. It is amazing to think that it was written by a 20-year-old. Its emotional depth shows great maturity. But there is one moment in the last movement—when the piano suddenly introduces a Minuet—that each time gives me goosebumps. It is said to be a homage to the father of Mademoiselle Jenamy who was the first ballet dancer to put upper body expression into classical ballet. It has such poise and grace, and as a former dancer myself I feel it very profoundly. Wonderful!
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