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.
