Keiko Shichijo - An Afternoon in van Swieten's Salon

Keiko Shichijo introduces us to Baron van Swieten's salon, where Mozart used to play the piano. Keiko constructs a clever programme of great masterpieces related to these years and to the new influence Bach exerted on Mozart.

In 1782, Mozart regularly attended a salon sponsored by the Dutch diplomat van Swieten, where he was introduced to the music of Bach and Handel. This experience led to a change in the composer's own creativity and compositional style, opening his mind to new harmonic structures, contrapuntal techniques and dramatic expression. This album offers a glimpse of the transformation of Mozart's wonderful musical consciousness. I aim to convey the striking expressivity of the 19th century performance of Mozart's music, while benefiting from the musical creativities from today.