Happy birthday, Wolfgang: Celebrating Mozart’s superhuman talent

He died at 35 but left behind a body of work we continue to listen to and fall in love with centuries later. His talent was almost superhuman.

“My personal theory is that he wasn’t really a human being at all, but a visitation from another world into our gene pool in some way,” CPRs Charley Samson argued recently. 

“Some people are so extraordinary as humans -- in the way that Shakespeare is, or Michelangelo -- we doubt their real humanity. Which is maybe a way of making us feel better.”

CPR Classical celebrates Mozart’s birthday today by playing his music every hour, as well as a look at his life and accomplishments at 8 p.m. A few of the highlights:

• 7:30 a.m.: Twelve Variations on a French Nursery Theme ("Twinkle Twinkle variations")   
• 9 a.m.: “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik”
• 10 a.m.: Symphony No. 40  
• 11 a.m.: Piano Concerto No. 21
• Noon: Ave Verum Corpus
• 1 p.m.: Requiem Mass
• 2 p.m.: Jupiter Symphony (No. 41)
• 5 p.m.: Five Fugues After Bach
• 6 p.m.: “Marriage of Figaro” highlights
• 7 p.m.: “A Portrait of Mozart”: A 90-minute walk through the composer's life.

Hear more of Charley Samson’s musings on Mozart in the audio above. Listen in the 9 a.m and 3 p.m. hours Monday to hear more of Charley Samson’s thoughts on Mozart’s childhood.