Continuo Connect — Profile // The Mozartists

The Mozartists specialise in the music of Mozart and his contemporaries, and have established themselves among the most exciting period-instrument ensembles in Europe. Founded (as ‘Classical Opera’) in 1997 by conductor and artistic director Ian Page, they have attracted widespread recognition for the quality and dynamism of their performances and for their imaginative programming, and in 2015 they embarked on MOZART 250. Described by The Observer as “among the most audacious classical music scheduling ever”, this flagship project presents 250th anniversary performances of most of Mozart’s important works, placing them in context alongside other significant works by Mozart’s contemporaries. It will form an important part of their programme each year until 2041.

The Mozartists have mounted staged and concert productions of most of Mozart’s stage-works and have also presented the UK premières of Gluck’s La clemenza di Tito, Telemann’s Orpheus, Niccolò Jommelli’s Il Vologeso and Hasse’s Piramo e Tisbe. They were also invited to perform The Royal Opera’s new production of Thomas Arne’s Artaxerxes, and subsequently recorded the work.

In concert, they appear at London’s leading venues, and they enjoy a particularly close relationship with Wigmore Hall. Outside the UK, they gave the opening three concerts at the 2016 Haydn Festival in Eisenstadt, and have appeared in Paris, Prague, Athens, Schwetzingen and on tour in France and Italy.

The Mozartists’ extensive recordings include an ongoing cycle of the complete Mozart operas and a new ‘Sturm und Drang’ series, the third volume of which will be released in October. Other releases include ‘The A-Z of Mozart Opera’ and ‘Blessed Spirit – a Gluck retrospective’, both of which were selected for Gramophone magazine’s annual Critics’ Choice, and ‘Mozart in London’ (Gramophone’s Editor’s Choice and Recording of the Month).

The Mozartists have established an outstanding track record for their work in discovering and developing world-class young artists, and the numerous singers who have worked with the company at the outset of their careers include Sophie Bevan, Rebecca Bottone, Allan Clayton, Lucy Crowe, Klara Ek, Sarah Fox, Jacques Imbrailo, Anna Leese, Sally Matthews, Robert Murray, Matthew Rose and Lawrence Zazzo. In 2006 they launched their Associate Artist scheme, designed to nurture and showcase exceptional young singers in the early stages of their careers. Current and recent Associate Artists include sopranos Louise Alder, Samantha Clarke, Kiandra Howarth, Alexandra Lowe, Soraya Mafi, Emily Pogorelc and Chiara Skerath, mezzo-soprano Ida Ränzlöv, tenors Alessandro Fisher and Stuart Jackson and répétiteur Jo Ramadan. The company’s acclaimed period-instrument orchestra likewise incorporates some of the finest young players in their field.