Today is the 250th birthday of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Mozart was arguably the greatest musical genius who ever lived. He is most often noted for his ability to listen to a musical work and reproduce it in writing and performance. However, Mozart was also an innovator musically, experimenting with different tonalities, and paving the way for the composers who came after him.

His biography is interesting, but I prefer to let the composer speak for himself. Listen to some Mozart today.

The BBC has a nice website where you can hear some of Mozart's symphonies.

CBC Two has a full day of Mozart programming scheduled.

One of my favorite Mozart works, the Piano Concerto #21, second movement. It was featured, famously, in the film Elvira Madigan.