We are pleased to share that Professor Simon Keefe, Professor of Music and Musicology, appears as an expert contributor in the new documentary Mozart: Genius for Hire, which airs tonight (Tuesday 16 December) at 9.00 pm on Sky Arts.
The documentary offers a reassessment of Mozart’s career, focusing on his decision to leave the relative security of court employment in favour of working as an independent, freelance composer. Through a combination of historical commentary, dramatic readings from Mozart’s correspondence and musical analysis, the film explores the artistic opportunities and material challenges that shaped his working life.
Professor Keefe joins a group of leading scholars and commentators to contextualise Mozart’s music and career within the social and economic conditions of late-eighteenth-century Europe, offering insights into how Mozart navigated the demands of patronage, creativity and professional independence.
Mozart: Genius for Hire will be of interest to anyone seeking a deeper understanding of Mozart’s music, his working practices, and the broader historical circumstances that influenced his compositional output. The documentary airs tonight at 9.00 pm on Sky Arts.