Classical music filled the entire city. The 15th Mozartiana International Festival provided us with 7 days of entertainment, around 200 artists and 12 concerts. All in the beautiful scenery of Gdańsk – from the House of Uphagen through Oliwa Park, to Oliwa Cathedral. As every year, some of the events during the festival were free of charge.

Mozartiana Festival is a journey to the time of one of the greatest artists in the history of music – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Tickets for this journey have been available in Gdańsk every year for fourteen years, always in mid-August. So if the sounds of classical music make your hearts beat faster, then the end of the holidays is a good time to visit Gdańsk to enjoy Mozart in different variations, from classical to the less obvious ones.

The excellent music was accompanied by spectacles. This year saw a combination of the opera “Cosi fan tutte” by Mozart and the comedy “Śluby Panieńskie” (Maidens’ Vows) by Aleksander Fredro. Younger guests could enjoy a spectacle by a puppet theatre.

The festival was divided, in order to accommodate an intimate audience at the House of Uphagen for the first three days, then invite more people to a music feast in Oliwa Park, to finally present the grand finale in Oliwa Cathedral.

Mozart at the House of Uphagen in Gdańsk

This year’s festival began on August 18 in the House of Uphagen. VenEthos Ensemble presented in front of the audience various interpretations of masterpieces of 17th to 19th century chamber music. The concert, full of sounds of Mozart, was only an introduction to the diverse and rich offer of the festival. Admission to the chamber music concerts at the House of Uphagen was ticketed.

Mozartiana among the trees in Oliwa Park

Can you imagine a more appropriate and picturesque scenery for classical music than Oliwa Park? The sounds of trees and singing birds combined with strings and keyboards are like ambrosia for the soul. The festival’s organisers are well-aware of this. That’s why they have allocated some fo the events in the park, located in the historical district of Gdańsk. The musical outdoor feast, in the courtyard of the Palace of Abbots, began with a performance by Lodz Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Paweł Przytocki. The audience were served: a classical symphony, a romantic serenade and a concerto for horn and orchestra. In the evening, Oliwa Park was filled with jazz interpretation of Mozart’s music. In the following days, there were a lot of Cuban sounds, and the aforementioned spectacles. Admission to the open-air events in Oliwa Park was free.

Mozart in Oliwa Cathedral

The grand finale of the festival was the opportunity to see the interior of the famous Oliwa Cathedral, which is full of historic relics and works of art. In the cool walls of the temple, the audience listened to one of the most recognizable pieces of Mozart – Requiem KV629, supplemented by Gregorian chant. The grand finale was one of the moments where you could feel the solemnity of the whole festival. Admission to the Requiem in Oliwa Cathedral was ticketed.