Mozart Operas – Key Facts of Top 10 Operas by Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27th January 1756 – 5th December 1791) is one of the finest and most inspirational composers in the history of European music.

During his lifetime he composed over 600 works for all musical genres which include operas, symphonies, concertos, chamber music, and sonatas. He excelled in each one of them and was the greatest composer of his day.

 

Early Life of Mozart

On 27th January 1756, Mozart was born in Salzburg; Austria. He was the son of Leopold Mozart, a successful composer, violinist, and assistant concert-master at the Salzburg court. 

His mother, Anna Maria Pertl, worked with the local establishment. Together (Leopold and Anna) had seven children but only Wolfgang Mozart and a sister, Maria Anna, known as Nannerl, survived infancy.

Mozart started playing music at the age of three, playing chords on the harpsichord, playing pieces at the age of four, and composing his first compositions at the age of five.

At the age of five, Leopold took Wolfgang and Nannerl to Munich to perform for the Bavarian court, and then to Vienna to perform for the imperial court.

Recognizing his son’s extraordinary talents, Leopold took his family on several performing tours throughout Europe, to play for the continent’s wealthy and influential people. 

As he turned 17 he was already engaged as a musician at the Salzburg court. Throughout the 1770s, he continued to travel to European courts while still writing and learning from the many composers and performers he met.

He was sacked from his Salzburg post while visiting Vienna in 1781 and decided to remain in Vienna, where he wrote several of his best-known operas, symphonies, and concertos during his final years. Mozart died on 5th December 1791, while working on his famous Requiem, at the age of 35.

 

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How Many Operas did Mozart Write?

During his lifetime, Mozart wrote a total of 22 operas which includes examples of opera seria and opera buffa. Being a naturally gifted person, he made excellent use of orchestra and a variety of colour, to express his character’s emotional state, even during fast-moving dramatic action and comedic moments.

 

 

How many Symphonies did Mozart Write?

There has been endless study and debate on the accurate number of Mozart’s compositions. Mozart was once thought to have written 41 symphonies, but it is now known that he composed much more.

Mozart composed more than 50 symphonies, according to the latest accepted number. But, the lack of evidence for several of the other works credited to him does not mean they should be rejected entirely; some have been correctly identified as the work of other composers, and some may be proved to be Mozart’s work in the future.

The irony is even for a well-documented historical figure like Mozart, it’s possible that we’ll never have a complete list of his works.

 

Why is Mozart Opera so Special?

In the 35 years of his life, Mozart wrote 22 operas. What makes his opera special is the choice of expressive tunes. Depending on the genre and the specific opera he connected the audience to love, hate, joy, pain, and indifference like no other musical dramas.

In general, his operas belong to the opera seria (serious opera), the opera buffa (comic), or the German singspiel. According to the opera experts, Mozart’s later works were the most mesmerizing. However, in recent years, opera masters and fans have increasingly appreciated many of his early works, such as Bastien und Bastienne.

In terms of relevance, much of Mozart’s opera’s themes and characters are timeless. For instance, the stories of Don Giovanni and Cosi Fan Tutte, their characters have startling similarities with the present-day celebrities.

To make it easier for you to analyze Mozart operas, we present to you the top 10 operas split into the three opera categories.

 

• Opera Seria (serious opera, involving heavy themes)
• Opera Buffa (an Italian comic opera)
• Singspiel (German type of opera which has both dialogues and songs)

 

 

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Opera Seria

The opera seria is a serious form of opera that originated in the 17th and 18th century and is mostly based on mythological Greek and Roman tragic dramas and heroic tales. It was usually commissioned by Emperors, Kings, and other aristocratic personalities to uphold their authority.

1. Idomeneo

Premiere: 1781, Munich

Considered the first of Mozart’s great operas, Idomeneo is based on a legend from the Ancient Greeks. The opera is set on Crete Islands of Greece and involves Greeks, Trojans, gods, and priests. The style of Idomeneo is similar to the French opera of the day.  The music is innovative and Mozart makes use of a duet, a trio, and a quartet for dramatic impact, complimenting the gripping plot.

 

Plot: After being rescued from drowning, war hero Idomeneo vows to sacrifice the first person he meets. He is shattered as the first person he meets is his son, Idamante. Since he is unable to sacrifice his son, the Gods punish thousands of his people. Idomeneo eventually tells the truth, and Idamante is rewarded for his courage by being made king. Idomeneo is an excellent example of Mozart’s refined compositional style.

 

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2. La Clemenza Di Tito 

Premiere: 1791, Prague

La Clemenza Di Tito (The Clemency of Titus) was one of Mozart’s last operas. It’s a story about friendship and forgiveness winning over jealousy and violence.  Mozart wrote this two-act opera seria for the coronation of Leopold-II in Prague in 1791, and was one of his first operas to reach London. Many composers had previously set this storyline to music, but Mozart did it in a unique way. He portrayed Emperor Titus in a new light, as a down-to-earth person.

Plot: It’s a tale that depicts unfaithfulness and betrayal, in form of seduction and murder plots, by Titus and people around him. Titus is crowned as the new emperor of Rome. He is loved by his subjects, with the exception of Vitellia, the daughter of the previous emperor. However, in the end Titus is forgiving and has mercy on those who plotted against him. Mozart intended Emperor Titus to serve as an example for Leopold II’s new leadership.

 

3. Ascanio in Alba

Premiere: 1771, Milan

Ascanio in Alba (Ascanius in Alba) is a pastoral opera in two parts by Mozart. Just like many of Mozart operas, this one was ordered by Empress Maria Theresa for the wedding of her son, Archduke Ferdinand Karl, to Maria Beatrice on 15th October 1771. The main intent of this opera was to portray the members of the royal family as generous, kind, and virtuous rulers. Therefore, Venus symbolizes Maria Theresia, Ascanio represents Archduke Ferdinand, and Silvia as Maria Beatrice.

Plot: This opera takes place in the pastoral landscape of Alba.  Its inhabitants are ruled by Venus, the Roman goddess of love. She encourages her son to ascend to the throne and rule Alba. Following the death of Ascanio’s father, Aeneas, Venus realizes that she will not be able to rule Alba forever and must instead follow Aeneas to the realm of the Gods. Ascanio, on the other hand, is more concerned with marrying Silvia. Venus puts Silvia’s virtues to the test with Cupid’s assistance. The happy ending – Ascanio and Silvia make their way to the altar.

 

Opera Buffa 

In the early 18th century, Opera buffa was a term used for funny operas in Italy. It had a humorous plot, spoken dialogue, and usually a happy ending.

The Opera Buffa’s by Mozart like Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, Così Fan Tutte, and Die Zauberflöte has created the most catchy and joyful opera tunes.

 

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4. Don Giovanni

Premiere: 1787, Prague

This was Mozart’s second collaboration with theatre poet Lorenzo da Ponte. Since Le Nozze di Figaro was so well received in Prague, Mozart was asked the following year to write another opera for the city’s audiences. And so Don Giovanni was born.

In Don Giovanni, Mozart successfully blended opera buffa and opera seria, with some characters belonging to one style and others to the other. Mozart knew all the singers for the lead roles and designed their individual character’s vocal parts to fit their voices perfectly.  He also conducted the premiere himself.  The opera is still performed regularly today and is considered one of Mozart’s best and most famous works.

Plot: The story is set in 17th century Spain, and Don Giovanni (Don Juan) plays an unscrupulous womanizer. The more difficult his victims are to get hold of, the more fun he has. One day, Don kills the father of one of his victims, who tried to save his daughter from his unwanted advances.  Don runs away, but the father returns as a terrifying statue and takes him to hell. 

 

 

 

5. The Marriage of Figaro

Premiere: 1786, Vienna

The Marriage of Figaro is widely regarded as the greatest opera ever performed. This was Mozart’s first collaboration with Lorenzo da Ponte, a theatre poet.

The plot is based on a Beaumarchais play that was first performed in 1784. The play was a success in Paris, but due to the controversial plot, it was banned in Vienna. The plot was imagined to cause rebellion against the monarch.

Despite this, Mozart decided to compose the opera after Da Ponte suggested it to him. Premiered in May 1786, the opera is a rollercoaster of emotions and contains some of the most popular pieces of Mozart music, namely the overtures and arias.

 

Plot: The entire opera is based on a single day, Figaro and Susanna’s wedding day. When Figaro’s master, the Count, is caught seducing Susanna, he seeks vengeance. Similar to other series of amusing revenge plots, the opera concludes with forgiveness and a happy ending.

 

6. Cosí fan Tutte

Premiere: 1790, Vienna

The title Cosí fan Tutte translates to ‘Women are all like that, this was Mozart’s third and final collaboration with Lorenzo da Ponte. The plot is a little indecent, but no one seemed to mind it for the first couple of years. Opera houses didn’t change the story until much later. Cos fan Tutte is still remembered for its extremely witty plot.

Plot: Two Italian men, Guglielmo and Ferrando, place a bet with a nobleman (Don Alfonso). No woman, according to the nobleman, is ever faithful. Guglielmo and Ferrando want to show the nobleman that Fiordiligi and Dorabella, their future brides are. They disguise themselves as Albanians, and the nobleman informs the two sisters that their grooms must enlist in the military. Fiordiligi and Dorabella are approached by the fake Albanians, who quickly make a pass at them. At first, both confirm their love to their bridegrooms. Disappointed, the Albanians cry foul and promise to commit suicide if the girls reject them. The girls soften their stance. The nobleman wins the bet; Guglielmo and Fernando remove their disguise and reappear in their original costumes. They confront their brides and explain the joke.  Both of them ask for forgiveness and there’s a happy ending.

 

7. La Finta Giardiniera

Premiere: 1775, Munich

La Finta Giardiniera (The Pretended Gardener), one of Mozart’s lesser-known operas, is a good blend of opera buffa and opera seria elements. This was Mozart’s eighth lyric work and was commissioned by Maximilian-III for the Munich Carnival in 1775 when he was just 18 years old.

Plot:  The story takes place in Northern Italy. It begins with Count Belfiore and Violante, who are lovers until Belfiore stabs Violante in a quarrel. Thinking Violante is dead, Belfiore gets engaged to the very jealous Arminda.  Meanwhile, Violante assumes the identity of a gardener Sandrina in order to expose Belfiore.  As the situation becomes more complicated, craziness ensues.  In a fit of anger and jealousy Arminda gets Violante kidnapped. When Violante is found, she and Belfiore go insane and think they are Greek gods.  After they regain their sanity Violante forgives the Count and they embrace each other.

Singspiel

Popular especially in the late 18th century, the German Singspiel is a form of musical theatre that consists of an overture and several arias linked by dialogues that are not accompanied by music.

 

 

8. The Magic Flute Opera

Premiere: 1791, Vienna

The Magic Flute is arguably Mozart’s most famous opera and over the years it has enchanted both adults and children alike. It has a more straightforward storyline than most other Mozart operas. 

For his Singspiel opera, librettist Schikaneder already had a plot, words, and actors written. All he desired was good music, so he reached out to Mozart. He composed all of the music quickly, then conducted the premiere at the end of 1791 (two months before his death). 

The Magic Flute was immensely popular for its fantastical elements and the insanely demanding aria for the Queen of the Night.

Plot: Prince Tamino is lost in a magical land between the sun and the moon. He is saved from a monster by three mysterious ladies, who show him a picture of Pamina, daughter of the Queen of the Night. At the first glance, Tamino falls in love with Pamina, and promises to rescue her from the clutches of the evil Sarastro.

 

 

9. The Abduction from the Seraglio

Premiere: 1782, Vienna

The story involves the hero rescuing his lover from a Turkish palace. The Abduction from the Seraglio is a light-hearted opera, with a good deal of humour. 

Mozart wrote suitable Turkish-sounding music for this opera, as it contained Turkish elements. Turkish art was famous in Europe at the time, and this, combined with the entertaining plot, made the opera a huge success. This opera brought Mozart a huge sum of money from its performances.

Some of the arias are incredibly challenging, with long runs and short passages. As Emperor Joseph-II heard the opera, he expressed his displeasure to Mozart and said “there are too many notes!”. Mozart then gently replied, “There are just as many notes as there should be”.

Plot: The plot revolves around the hero Belmonte’s effort, aided by his servant Pedrillo, to rescue his beloved Konstanze from Pasha Selim’s Seraglio. 

Konstanze is a young noblewoman from Spain who gets abducted by pirates along with her maid ‘Blonde’ and ‘Pedrillo’. They land on the shores of Turkey and are sold as slaves to Pasha Selim. Who has now fallen in love with Konstanze?

Pedrillo smuggles letters out to his master and Belmonte sails from Spain to try to rescue them. After Pedrillo and Blonde fail to escape, Konstanze and Belmonte are brought back to Pasha Selim.  He wants to execute Konstanze but is deeply touched by her love for Belmonte. He forgives and releases them.

 

10. Bastien Und Bastienne

Premiere: 1768, Vienna

Bastien Und Bastienne (Bastien and Bastienne) is a popular child’s opera and one of Mozart’s early operas, written when he was 12 years old. 

It was commissioned by a renowned German physician Franz Anton Mesmer, and Mozart composed the work in Vienna. It is one of the only Mozart’s operas to be written for performance at the summer house of Mesmer’s mansion, rather than a theatre.

No details of its première survived until some related documents miraculously resurfaced in Krakow in the 1980s. The musical comedy in one act, an hour-long, and features just three characters.

Plot:  Bastien is in love with Bastienne, a shepherdess. But things turn around when Bastien is seduced by cunning Phyllis, a rich girl from the town. Worried, the shepherdess seeks guidance from a fortune teller Colas on how to win back Bastien.

The shrewd Cola recommends she to take revenge and ignore Bastien.  After some time, Bastien visits Colas and confesses that he wishes to win back Bastienne. He isn’t a lover of Phyllis. But Colas informs him that Bastienne already belongs to someone else. 

Bastien refuses to believe Colases’ story and refers to his book of magic. Bastienne joins but doesn’t pay any attention to Bastien. He contemplates suicide out of desperation, but they both recall the good times they had as a couple and reconcile.