RTHK celebrates Mozart's birthday in fine style
Classical music channel RTHK Radio 4 is hosting a series of programmes and events to celebrate the upcoming 250th birthday of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of the most popular classical composers of all time.
Mozart was born on January 27 in Salzburg, Austria, in 1756. Before he died at 35 in Vienna, he had composed more than 600 symphonies, operas, solo concertos, chamber music, sonatas and masses, according to RTHK Radio 4 producer and programme host Raymond Chung Tsz-ho.
'Mozart had been called a genius and a child prodigy,' he said.
'It was said that after he saw his sister practising the piano when he was three, he could then replay the music and even made it a longer piece by adding new elements to it. When he was about four or five years old he made his first composition, the Minuet in G.'
The piece is among the 30 nominated works in Mad About Mozart - The Birthday Poll that invites music lovers to vote for their favourite Mozart composition until December 24.
Works that score high votes will be performed at a concert performed by Hong Kong Sinfonietta and various artists at 8pm on Mozart's birthday at St John's Cathedral in Central.
That day will be marked as Radio 4's Mozart Music Day, and the best Mozart music will be played throughout the day until midnight.
Many of Mozart's works are cheerful compositions, but Chung said the composer led a poor and miserable life in his later years.
He spent lavishly and drank a lot. As his wife was also a carefree spender, the family often had financial difficulties.
'His down-and-out life is a sharp contrast to his cheerful music. Mozart was very into music and he could extract himself from reality once he entered the world of music.'
