MOZART, BEETHOVEN, AND BRAHMS Notes on the composers and the pieces Ludwig van Beethoven |
Wolfgang Amadè Mozart: Overture to Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) was Mozart’s last opera, though much of it may have been written before his previous one, La clemenza di Tito. The idea of a “magic” or “fairy” opera to be given at the Theater auf der Wieden was suggested in 1791 by impresario Emanuel Johann Schikaneder. Its form would be a Singspiel with musical numbers and spoken dialogue, roughly the equivalent to a Broadway musical. Mozart was glad to comply. His music had become somewhat out of vogue with the public, and he needed a way back into German theaters to earn money to support his family. —Roger Hecht Roger Hecht plays trombone in the Mercury Orchestra, Lowell House Opera, and Bay Colony Brass (where he is the Operations/Personnel Manager). He is a former member of the Syracuse Symphony, Lake George Opera, New Bedford Symphony, and Cape Ann Symphony. He is a regular reviewer for American Record Guide, contributed to Classical Music: Listener’s Companion, and has written articles on music for the Elgar Society Journal and Positive Feedback magazine. His latest fiction collection, The Audition and Other Stories, includes a novella about a trombonist preparing for and taking a major orchestra audition (English Hill Press, 2013).
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