With a change in venue came a variation in style last night at the Mostly Mozart Festival, as it was the first time this season that I was able to take in an orchestra performance in Alice Tully Hall. Not only was it a new setting, but also, as my friend pointed out, there was no conductor directing the night with a baton. In fact, nearly everything about last night’s performance by the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra was unique, leading to an exciting night at Lincoln Center.

Works by Mozart and Haydn shared the bill, with the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra alternating between both a symphony and concerto by each of the composers, the latter closing out the night with Symphony No. 52 in C minor, Hob.I:52. What impressed me most about the German orchestra was their fun approach to the classical style.

Having never seen them perform before, I wasn’t sure what to expect after realizing all of the violinists would be standing and that there would be no conductor, let alone how a bassoon solo would go – yet another first for me. It didn’t take long to see that the somewhat untraditional configuration made for a slightly fanciful performance. Petra Müllejans led the evening with violin in hand, and it was the violinists that kept my attention throughout. Light on their toes, they bounced along with the music at each step, making their most dramatic gestures during the night’s Presto finale.

Another real highlight for me was Javier Zafra’s bassoon solo in Mozart’s Concerto in B-flat major, K. 191. I don’t often hear the bassoon stand alone, and when mixed with a full orchestra, it often blends in with the overall sound, so it was delightful hearing Zafra step out from the orchestra for a solo and fill Alice Tully Hall with the instrument’s warm sound.

I feel as if this season of Mostly Mozart went by too fast. It is set to conclude this weekend with two finale performances led by Louis Langrée – one of my personal favorites. This summer provided me with a wonderful chance to soak up as much Mozart and the like as possible, and it has left me with a hunger for more.

Peter Jablonski has been playing the piano since he was 7 years old, never taking a break from the musical instrument for more than two to three weeks, so I was slightly surprised when he told me that last night’s A Little Night Music performance in the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse was a first for him.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever played a concerto and then a recital at 10:30 in the evening,” Peter said as we sat in his dressing room at Avery Fisher Hall, where he had literally just taken a bow alongside conductor Louis Langrèe following a Mostly Mozart Festival performance of Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No.2. The chemistry between Louis and Peter feels very natural, especially after hearing the musician correct himself while saying farewell to his conductor that evening. “See you maestro, I mean Louis,” Peter called out as Louis walked by the dressing room.

But, it was Peter who was preparing to take center stage, without any other musicians or a conductor to lead him. And that leap from a rather large performance hall to a candlelit space had him wondering what to expect. “Lots of intimacy and smiling faces, I hope,” he said. “I think it’s a wonderful setting for a late-night concert. I wonder how I am going to feel about it after playing there.”

He had selected a wide variety of musical selections for the recital, including works by Szymanowski, Liszt, Haydn and Chopin, all pieces that Peter loves, and which were chosen to give audience members a varied experience.

Last night marked Peter’s final evening in New York City. He seemed almost relieved when mentioning his upcoming vacation – following his debut at Mostly Mozart he is returning to England for a month long break. “I’ve been away from home for two months,” he said, adding that he won’t be playing piano “for a week, at least,” which he joked would probably give him the shakes.

While Peter might be done with Mostly Mozart, there remain a handful of late-night Penthouse performances on the schedule, including two this weekend, which I hope to try catching before the Festival is over.

What is most striking upon first meeting Mostly Mozart Festival Music Director Louis Langrèe is his enthusiasm, not just for the work at hand but for music in general. His face lights up with a grin when the subject of his musicians comes up. Many of those same expressions appear on Louis' face while he is conducting the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra each night. Yet, when sitting with the conductor in his dressing room, it is hard not to become as equally excited about Mozart, Gluck and Beethoven as he does.

I recently joined Louis backstage at Avery Fisher Hall following a rehearsal to chat about his tenure at Lincoln Center. As Louis puts it, "every year we are reaching higher standards, in terms of our own collective identity," and that identity has been shaping up to include the mastery of rather difficult musical works.

"James Ehnes, who played Barber's Violin Concerto many times, told me after our recent concert, that he had never heard the big tutti in the last movement so clean like that before," Louis said with an overwhelming sense of joy. "When I hear that, I'm so happy and so proud of the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra. It's this chemistry we have which is inspiring."

It was the Orchestra’s chemistry that most interested me, as Louis appears to lead them with such ease. Having first worked as a guest conductor three times before joining Mostly Mozart as Music Director, Louis said they hit it off immediately. “If the chemistry doesn’t work, never start, but if it works, use it to build something. [The Orchestra] still surprises me. This is something really precious.”

As for his decision to turn from playing the piano to conducting, Louis admits he always preferred playing quartets and sonatas rather than solos. He said from early childhood, it was the orchestra that attracted him to music. “Watching an orchestra, with different cultures, characters and languages, suddenly speak in one voice still amazes me.” And that voice tonight speaks the sounds of Mozart’s Symphony No. 31 (“Paris”), a difficult and “shocking” piece of music, as Louis describes it. I’m looking forward to catching him conduct more next week during the final stretch of the Mostly Mozart Festival.

“He looks like he’s only 14 years old,” an elderly gentleman whispered behind me last night as conductor Pablo Heras-Casado took the stage at Avery Fisher Hall where he made his Mostly Mozart Festival debut. In reality, Heras-Casado is 32 years old, but his boyish looks worked in his favor, because I had no idea what to expect when he lifted the baton. It only took a moment for me to realize that he was a natural star.

I had a conversation out in the lobby, just before the performance, about the difference between young virtuoso musicians – the likes of Mozart and Beethoven were musical geniuses from early childhood – and conductors. In the case of a conductor, some have come to expect a person with years of experience, having a well-vetted mastery of the classical works being performed, and a deep understanding of all the instruments at their charge.

The last time I was surprised by a young conductor came a few years ago in my home town of Los Angeles, where Gustavo Dudamel made his debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Interestingly enough, Heras-Casado has played with the same organization multiple times. But last night, Heras-Casado led two pieces, written by composers when they were nearly the same age as the young conductor, Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major, K.219 (“Turkish”) and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36, and both were handled with a seemingly youthful energy.

If Heras-Casado’s energy wasn’t enough of a delight last night, violinist Gil Shaham kicked things up a notch, bringing his well-known flair to Mozart’s concerto. The musician watched his conductor with a smile on his face that couldn’t help but bring one to my face as I watched them work off of one another. Their combined playful chemistry kept the entire evening exciting.

Watching an orchestral performance can often be an exhilarating experience, rising and following with the power of the music. Sitting on the side of the stage, however, is something special, and an available option for all patrons. Especially when the energetic Louis Langrée is conducting. From the traditional seats in Avery Fisher Hall, where the opening performance of this years Mostly Mozart Festival took place, the audience was treated to Louis’ movement, but from my vantage point, not only were his swaying arms setting the pace, but nearly every facial expression scored a different mood. An arch of the eyebrow. A smile when his musicians hit their stride. Even a swift scratch of his forehead between movements.

There might not be a more unique vantage point to take in a performance of the Festival this season than from the stage. I could literally reach out and tap the shoulder of the violinists in front of my seat – not that such behavior would be tolerated, but a wild thought, nonetheless.

The sounds of Mozart bookended the hearty serving of emotional pieces performed Wednesday evening. Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 rounded out the first portion, while Handel and Gluck led into the night’s finale of Mozart’s Symphony No. 35 (“Haffner”).

Peering over the shoulders of the musicians in front of me, glimpses of Louis’ passion mixed with the sight of Emanuel Ax on the piano and Stephanie Blythe floating the opera selections. Before the night began, I wondered how sitting on the stage would change the evening’s mood. Would I be distracted by the full house in front? Were any movements I made going to distract from what was happening on stage? There was no need to question a thing, as there was only intrigue to be had by sitting on the stage at the Mostly Mozart Festival.

Mozart. A subject even those brandishing little to no classical musical background are aware. The timeless operas and symphonies were certainly my first exposure to the canon of classical music when I was a child. But, what of the man behind the music? Over the past few weeks, I have been absorbing the words of Carl Vigeland, the author behind The Mostly Mozart Guide to Mozart, all in hopes of bringing a newfound awareness to the upcoming Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center.

Beyond those “popular” sounds of Mozart, Beethoven and Mahler, I can’t claim to be an expert in the classical genre, so I turned to Vigeland, and his easily accessible biography of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. From an inspiring look at the musical genius to guides for nearly every piece of his music, this book is just what I needed to prepare for the Festival.

After reading the book, I had a chance to chat with Vigeland about his love of Mozart. “What struck me most was how human he was, which at its worst meant holding grudges and becoming discouraged but at its best meant always looking forward,” Vigeland said of Mozart. “I sought to make the book informational but personal. I wanted readers to learn something new about Mozart but most of all to share my love of his music.”

Vigeland said he started listening to Mozart as a young child before turning to his godfather, conductor Josef Krips, to discover more of the classical sounds. As for those of us trying to fully discover Mozart, Vigeland has a few listening recommendations, including “the great operas, of course, and late symphonies, but also the surprises, such as the Laudate Dominum.”

As Vigeland writes in his book, “Mozart and his music remain with you wherever you go, whatever you do. He is ubiquitous.” Now, with this book in hand, I find myself excited to experience that ubiquitous music starting next week at the Mostly Mozart Festival.