Mozart's 250th birthday anniversary (#54; Topic H)

Last Saturday, the Metropolitan Opera mounted Mozart's Magic Flute; earlier this week, Washington Post had a write-up of Mozart in its Kids-Post section. Today is his 250th birthday anniversary. In Oberammergau for the Passion Play in 1990, my wife and I ventured into Vienna and, inter alia, heard Magic Flute at the Opera House. The ticket price (over $1000 equivalent) for the best seats astonished me; seeing that these seats were equipped with little lights for serious patrons -- and they were serious -- to follow the libretto was equally impressive. We then went to Salzburg, where Mozart was born. There, I learned that the archbishop of Salzburg ruled the province. Undoubtedly the most powerful as well as the richest, he, perhaps in his capacity as a (the?) patron of the art, employed Mozart as a court musician. Incurring the archbishop's ire, Mozart was dismissed and forced to leave Salzburg for Vienna. Thus, it was ironic to see, when we were in Salzburg, Mozart's likeness on display all over town. Out of curiosity, we went to a castle high in elevation, perhaps one of the archbishop's residences, for a chamber concert -- with candle lights, no less -- featuring Eine kleine Nachtmusik and such; the archbishop certainly lived well. The Post article mentioned that listening to Mozart may increase one's I.Q. by 20 points. He was, no doubt, a creative genius; his music is playful, and his ability to generate many variations on a theme is indeed an inspiration.
Posted 12 noon, Friday, January 27, 2006