Symphony No. 39 in E-flat Major, K. 543 1. Adagio – Allegro 2. Andante con moto 3. Menuetto and Trio – Allegretto 4. Finale – Allegro Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Born in Salzburg in 1756; died in Vienna in 1791) In the summer of 1788, Mozart found himself on the brink of financial ruin. With the […]
Aria: “Dove sono” from Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Born in Salzburg in 1756; died in Vienna in 1791) Nearing the peak of his career, Le nozze di Figaro is naturally one of Mozart’s finest scores – many consider it to be the finest Opera buffa ever written. And […]
Aria: “Come scoglio” from Così Fan Tutte Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Born in Salzburg in 1756; died in Vienna in 1791) The composer-librettist relationship between Mozart and da Ponte culminated in this great opera. In some ways it is so sophisticated that it occasionally threw listeners off, and it still can. The libretto is rife […]
Overture to Così fan tutte Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Born in Salzburg in 1756; died in Vienna in 1791) Even after his failed attempt to create and sustain a German National Opera company, Emperor Joseph II still patronized the arts, especially opera. By 1789, he was fully aware that the Austrian public still demanded Italian Opera […]
Aria: “Ach, ich fuhl’s” from The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte) K. 620 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Born in Salzburg in 1756; died in Vienna in 1791) By the summer of 1791, Vienna had seemed to turn its back on its once favorite composer, and Mozart was facing probable financial ruin. But there was a glint of […]
Aria: “Ruhe sanft, mein holdes Leben” from the Opera Zaide Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Born in Salzburg in 1756; died in Vienna in 1791) In 1778 Austrian Emperor Joseph II began setting up a new opera company called Nationalsingspiel (“National Singspiel”) to produce German operas. Vienna, at the time, was still filled with Italians, and except […]
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Born in Salzburg in 1756; died in Vienna in 1791) No composer (not even Bach or Beethoven) has contributed so many works of genius, in so many genres of music, as Mozart has: sacred, chamber, concerti, orchestral and opera. His output is not only extraordinary in its sheer amount and consistently high […]