Mozart On Tour | Vienna and Prague: The Other Side of the Coin (Episode 9)

- DOCUMENTARY SEGMENT: In Vienna in 1786, Mozart composed the opera buffa The Marriage of Figaro. Mozart and his librettist, Lorenzo da Ponte (1749–1838), based it on a satirical political play by Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (1732–1799), which was banned in the Austrian Empire. Although not as politically charged as Beaumarchais's work, The Marriage of Figaro nonetheless satirized the aristocracy and their relationships with their servants. It also broke new ground in opera in its three-dimensional treatment of its characters, its exploration of their sexual attractions to one another, and in its use and style of music, which departed from previous operatic conventions in many ways. Thanks to these qualities and to the palace intrigue and social politics that tended to determine musical success or failure in Vienna, the opera premiered in Vienna on 1 May 1786 but closed after only nine performances, receiving a mixed reception. Shortly after its premiere, however, connoisseurs of music in Prague invited Mozart to attend a performance of the opera in Prague, where it premiered in December 1786. In Prague, The Marriage of Figaro achieved tremendous success. In 1789, The Marriage of Figaro was revived in Vienna, cementing its place in the Mozart repertoire. Music performed during the documentary includes portions of Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491 – which Mozart composed in 1786, a few weeks before the world premiere of The Marriage of Figaro – performed by André Previn with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Previn; The Marriage of Figaro by István Gáti (as Figaro); Der Schauspieldirektor ("The Impresario"), K. 486, by István Rozsos (as Buff), Ingrid Kertesi (as Madame Herz), and Katalin Farkas (as Madame Silberklang); and Antonio Salieri′s (1750–1825) Prima la musica e poi le parole ("First the music and then the words") by Mária Zempeléni (as Tonina) with the Symphony Orchestra of the Hungarian Radio and Television conducted by Wilhelm Keitel.

- CONCERT SEGMENT: Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491 with cadenzas by André Previn, performed by André Previn with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Previn, recorded in the Grosse Galerie ("Great Gallery") at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria.

Episode 10: https://rumble.com/v4noz8w-mozart-on-tour-prague-success-with-da-ponte-episode-10.html