The Choir and Orchestra of Classical Opera

Classical Opera was founded in 1997 by conductor Ian Page. It specialises in the music of Mozart and his contemporaries, performing with its own acclaimed period-instrument orchestra, and has emerged as one of the leading exponents in its field. The company has attracted considerable critical and public recognition, not only for the high quality and vibrancy of its performances but also for its imaginative programming and its outstanding track-record in discovering and nurturing world-class young singers.

Classical Opera has mounted staged productions of Mozart’s Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebots, Apollo et Hyacinthus, La finta semplice, Bastien und Bastienne, Mitridate, re di Ponto, Il re pastore, Zaide, Le nozze di Figaro and Così fan tutte, and in 2009 it was invited to present The Royal Opera’s new production of Thomas Arne’s Artaxerxes. The company also appears frequently on the concert platform, and its repertoire ranges from cantatas by Handel and Pergolesi to symphonies by Beethoven and Schubert. It enjoys a particularly close relationship with Wigmore Hall, where it has presented several themed concert series, including a Mozart Travelogue series, a ‘Haydn at Esterhaza’ series, retrospectives of Handel, J. C. Bach, Haydn and Gluck, and solo programmes with Miah Persson, Sandrine Piau and Ann Hallenberg.

The company’s discography includes ‘The A-Z of Mozart Opera’ (re-launched on Signum Classics in 2014), ‘Blessed Spirit – a Gluck retrospective’ (Wigmore Hall Live, 2010) and Arne’s Artaxerxes (Linn Records, 2011). In 2012 it embarked on a major new recording cycle of the complete Mozart operas, and the first four releases in this series – Apollo et Hyacinthus (2012), Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebots (2013), Mitridate, re di Ponto (2014) and Il re pastore (2015) – have all attracted widespread critical acclaim. In 2015 Ian Page and Classical Opera launched MOZART 250, a ground- breaking 27-year project following the chronological trajectory of Mozart’s life, works and influences.