MOZART in a MODERN Style
MOZART MODERN – Reinventing Classics
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) is perhaps the most significant and enduring composer of European classical music, and widely regarded as one of the greatest melody writers of all time. His enormous output – over 620 works – ran the gamut of symphonic, chamber, piano, operatic and choral music. His genius continues to be magnetic for a great many people around the world.
"When I heard Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - specifically the Allegro - for the first time in my fifth grade class, that moment I knew I had to be a musician", says Bob Parr. Growing up in a home where classical music was always in the air, Boris Berlin gravitated towards the slow, sentimental movements like the Adagio of Piano Concerto No. 23 – one of his most favorite melodies of all time that still evokes tears with every listen. “I had always hoped for an opportunity to transcend such timeless melodies into a more modern style – without sacrificing the emotional impact of the original arrangement, but appreciable outside the elitism of symphonic halls.”, Boris says. Many of Mozart’s melodies were the “hits” of their time, with people on the streets singing and whistling the most famous arias from his great operas.
January 27th 2006 marked the 250th birthday of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. We thought it was fitting to use Mozart’s 250th anniversary as an opportunity to draw inspiration from his most famous works, and update them in a fresh, new context.
A sheet of Mozart’s original manuscript of "Non so più cosa son," from Le nozze di Figaro, K. 492
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Family portrait from about 1780 by Johann Nepomuk della Croce: Nannerl, Wolfgang, Leopold. On the wall is a portrait of Mozart's mother, who had died in 1778.
CAFÉ MOZART – The History
The church and the various monarchies of the world supported live performance and composition of major works by many composers for centuries; these were the early patrons of live works. With the establishment of the Boston Symphony in 1881 and the Berlin Philharmonic in 1882, the great cities of the world began to cull their own orchestras for their own artistic needs. The financial support of musicians and composers was shaded slightly differently for the first time in history. At this point in history, music began to move away from the church and the monarchy to become more 'secular'. This secularization brought with it a new problem of a practical nature for musicians: "How do we survive as players" became the question. With more and more patrons looking toward the greater municipalities to secure players and composers, and more of the lesser known orchestras 'closing shop', the financial outlook was not good, unless you landed one of those rare prized positions in a major orchestra.
For the rest of the working musicians, the only apparent way to take the music to the people and garner employment was to perform in less aristocratic settings, such as cafés and pubs. These musicians took the great classic melodies of all the major composers - melodies that the common people were most familiar with (the so-called "Gassenhauer"), and created new, abbreviated arrangements and orchestrations for the available players, or orchestrated for an ensemble appropriate for that particular venue and the new financial realities.
Thus, the accordion and piano became the mainstay of such ensembles, allowing a reduced ensemble to present these great melodies to the common people. The barrel organ was also widely used in the late 18th and early 19th centuries to bring the melodies to the streets. Just about everyone - when mentioning the cafés in France - begins to hear that music in their head, the accordion playing some famous melody with the aroma of bread baking in the background, or the sound of a cappuccino machine foaming away in the distance..., such a common mental visualization that it is hard to imagine this scene without the music.
By allowing a much more free structure of performance of the works of both major and unknown composers, the café ensembles would breed interesting musical hybrids, and create a common bond with the public. This record is a homage to them and those who still struggle to find a way - players in casinos, dance halls, and cruise ships around the world... this is for you!
Mozart can be regarded as the first defining artist who dared to venture into artistic freedom from the constraints of the time and commercial independence from the slavery of the patrons, his life always on the edge of poverty.
We hope that this album will serve as tribute and joyous celebration of these most famous and timeless melodies of Mozart, presenting them in a new, richly rhythmical context, with a wide eclectic mix of instruments ranging from symphonic to pop, electronica, klezmer, Latin and middle eastern influences, transporting this music into a modern context in a true 21st century merging of cultures.
Boris Berlin & Bob Parr (Producers)
[from the Café Mozart Liner Notes]
