‘Mozart! Mozart! Forgive your assassin. I confess I killed you. Forgive me, Mozart!’ So, to the dramatic opening strains of Mozart’s G minor Symphony No. 25, begins Amadeus – perhaps the greatest film about classical music ever produced. Described as a ‘fantasia on the theme of Mozart and Salieri’ by Peter Shaffer, upon whose play the script was based, the film takes as its premise the ‘confession’ of Antonio Salieri to the murder of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – a rumour first circulated in 1825 when whisperings of a poisoning gripped Vienna, and embellished in the years that followed by playwright Alexander Pushkin and composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
Though at times there may have been professional tensions, there is little historical evidence of a bitter rivalry between the two composers, let alone a murderous plot. Yet, this gripping black fantasy of genius and ‘mediocrity’ – as a jealous and wrathful Salieri must accept as his God-given fate – proves the perfect vehicle to showcase the dazzling skill and versatility of Mozart’s music, and to reflect in a surprisingly sophisticated way on the nature of brilliance, and creativity’s power to consume and destroy.
This story is from the April 2024 edition of BBC Music Magazine.
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This story is from the April 2024 edition of BBC Music Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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