My son was hailed by all of Vienna not only as a great pianist, but as one of the greatest and most controversial composers of his time. But I saw it first. I nurtured¹ that talent in him. I had helped him become what he now was.

On a stormy evening in February 1785, the elite² of Vienna gathered to hear a new work from Austria's leading virtuoso³ pianist - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The importance of what lay within this masterpiece was known to only one man - Leopold Mozart, the composer's estranged⁴ father.

I believe Mozart is the greatest composer of all time. The popular view was that he was born a genius straight from his mother's womb. But in my opinion, his brilliance⁵ grew and developed from the loves and losses during his brief 35 years. Life was the driving force of his genius.

In this series I want to discover, helped by the true accounts of those who knew him firsthand and following his footsteps, how Mozart's own suffering and joy created music so powerful that it captivates the listeners today just as it did that first audience more than two hundred years