Fortress Europe takes on Mozart with 'Amadeus'

Fortress Europe is a heady mix of Eastern-European music traditions intermingled with a slew of modern influences, all guided and held together by an experimental, avant-garde sensibility.

Led by composer and multi-instrumentalist Leon Radojkovic, Fortress Europe features some of the most in-demand musicians in the country playing everything from electric guitar, to violin to Turkish saz.

Their new album Amadeus is out today, and is a modern re-imagining of selected works and fragments of works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, performed by a 12-piece band made up of Fortress Europe and friends, and featuring vocals by soprano Madison Nonoa and bass-baritone Joel Amosa.

Taking the listener on a journey around the world and outside time, frenzied Romanian fiddles, heart-breaking Hungarian lamentations and infectious rhythms from Serbia are all combined with jagged guitars, cinematic strings, and retro-futuristic electronics to create a sound that is as innovative as it is evocative.

Reworked by Leon Radojkovic, the arrangements feature modern textures including post-rock guitars, haunting synths, drum kit, and electric bass, alongside more traditional orchestral instrumentation such as brass, woodwinds and strings.

Inspired by Radojkovic's work as Musical Director for Auckland Theatre Company's production of the Peter Shaffer play, Amadeus takes Fortress Europe from the Eastern Bloc to the heart of Western musical tradition, including works from the breadth of Mozart's career, starting with the gorgeous Serenade for Winds, and ending with the Lacrimosa movement of his Requiem in D minor.

Amadeus is released via the Songbroker Label and is now available now from all good digital platforms.

Listen to Amadeus here: