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Power, emotion, and tunes you can hum for days—Mozart’s operas have it all. Tune in this week to hear about Mozart's true love: the opera.
Howdy, howdy, howdy! I’m Solomon Reynolds, and this is: Saturday Morning Car Tunes! This morning…
Mozart wrote pretty much every type of music out there, but opera was his true passion. His greatest works came after he moved to Vienna, where he teamed up with librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte, who wrote the words while Mozart set them to music.
They wrote three operas together which have been performed continuously for over 200 years. The Marriage of Figaro is often called the perfect opera. It’s a comedy about a clever servant who outsmarts his scheming boss to marry the woman he loves. In the finale, or last part, of Act II, seven people sing at the same time in controlled chaos—proof that this is the funniest opera you’ll ever hear.
Figaro was so popular that Mozart and Da Ponte were commissioned to write another opera: Don Giovanni, an opera about a charming, wealthy man who hurts people until he’s punished for his crimes. Mozart’s genius was his ability to combine opera traditions from different countries— Italy's opera seria (serious opera based on Greek myths) and opera buffa (comic opera about everyday life), along with Germany’s Singspiel, which is like American musical theatre. In the process, he created a new kind of opera, blending serious tragedy with lighthearted humor.
Mozart and Da Ponte’s third and final collaboration has been controversial since its premiere: Così fan tutte, which means “All Women Are Like That.” While the title sounds like it makes fun of women, the story’s more about human nature in general. Mozart’s music brings each character to life (while making fun of all of us). And isn’t the music sublime?
The Magic Flute was the last opera Mozart wrote and maybe his most thoughtful. Inspired by ancient Egypt, it tells a story of a quest for knowledge. And like Don Giovanni, it captures the depth of human emotion right next to moments of pure joy.
Mozart’s final operas are masterpieces that are still performed today. In fact, there’s probably one playing near you right now.
I’m Solomon Reynolds. I write and produce Saturday Morning Car Tunes with research assistant Carolina Correa and audio engineer Stephen Page, only on Classical California. Tune in—or out of your car—next Saturday morning!
