K. 2006

Composer Charles Gounod once said: "Mozart exists, and will exist, eternally; divine Mozart — less a name, more a soul descending to us from the heavens, who appeared on this earth, stayed for a little over thirty years, and left it all the more rejuvenated, richer and happier for his appearance."

If anything, Gounod was underestimating him. The independent film Mozartballs, named for the popular Salzburg confection, makes the case that Mozart's influence, the power of his music, the resilience of his spirit, is undiminished today, 250 years after his birth.

This film focuses on five individuals whose lives are literally transformed by that power: a retired schoolteacher in Switzerland, once despondent, now rescued; a composer who uses the original music to create new works in the same spirit (sort of "Amadeus ex machina," if you will); the first Austrian space traveler, for whom the music provided connections to both earth and sky; and a couple in Oklahoma who have found that spirit dwelling deep within themselves.

Or, in other words, Mozart lives! (Which, I discover, was a working title for the film.) If you've ever doubted it for a moment, Mozartballs will persuade you otherwise.

The US premiere was late last night at the Okie Blogger Roundup; being old and infirm, I was unable to attend — they buried poor Wolfgang at thirty-five, and I'm pushing fifty-three, fercryingoutloud — but Steph Waller was kind enough to set me up with a DVD of the current 56-minute version, for which I am grateful. This fall, an expanded cut (70 minutes or so) will be issued on DVD. It's worth your time just for the music — it's Mozart, after all — but the story is so compelling that you, too, may be touched by the spirit of the man from Salzburg.

(Playing while this post was written: Piano Concerto No. 17 in G major, K. 453, John O'Conor, Scottish Chamber Orchestra/Sir Charles Mackerras.)

Posted at 4:21 PM to Almost Yogurt