What operas did Mozart write? 5 most famous operas

During his short life, Mozart created a huge number of different musical works, but he himself considered operas to be the most important in his work. In total, he wrote 21 operas, with the very first, Apollo and Hyacinth, at the age of 10, and the most significant works occurred in the last decade of his life. The plots generally correspond to the tastes of the time, depicting ancient heroes (opera seria) or, as in opera buffa, inventive and crafty characters.

A truly cultured person simply must know what operas Mozart wrote, or at least the most famous of them.

“The Marriage of Figaro”

One of the most famous operas is “The Marriage of Figaro”, written in 1786 based on the play by Beaumarchais. The plot is simple – the wedding of Figaro and Suzanne is coming, but Count Almaviva is in love with Suzanne, striving to achieve her favor at any cost. The whole intrigue is built around this. Billed as an opera buffa, The Marriage of Figaro, however, transcended the genre thanks to the complexity of the characters and their individuality created by the music. Thus, a comedy of characters is created – a new genre.

Don Juan

In 1787, Mozart wrote the opera Don Giovanni based on the medieval Spanish legend. The genre is opera buffa, and Mozart himself defines it as “a cheerful drama.” Don Juan, trying to seduce Donna Anna, kills her father, the Commander, and goes into hiding. After a series of adventures and disguises, Don Juan invites the statue of the Commander he killed to a ball. And the Commander appears. As a formidable instrument of retribution, he drags the libertine to hell…

Vice was punished, as required by the laws of classicism. However, Mozart’s Don Giovanni is not just a negative hero; he attracts the viewer with his optimism and courage. Mozart goes beyond the boundaries of the genre and creates a psychological musical drama, close to Shakespeare in the intensity of passions.

“That’s what everyone does.”

The opera buffa “This is what everyone does” was commissioned from Mozart by Emperor Joseph in 1789. It is based on a true story that happened at court. In the story, two young men, Ferrando and Guglielmo, decide to make sure of the fidelity of their brides and come to them in disguise. A certain Don Alfonso incites them, claiming that there is no such thing in the world as female fidelity. And it turns out he’s right…

In this opera, Mozart adheres to the traditional buffa genre; its music is full of lightness and grace. Unfortunately, during the composer’s lifetime “This is what everyone does” was not appreciated, but already at the beginning of the 19th century it began to be performed on the largest opera stages.

“The Mercy of Titus”

Mozart wrote La Clemenza di Titus for the accession of the Czech Emperor Leopold II to the throne in 1791. As a libretto, he was offered a very primitive text with a banal plot, but what an opera Mozart wrote!

A wonderful work with sublime and noble music. The focus is on the Roman Emperor Titus Flavius ​​Vespasian. He reveals a conspiracy against himself, but finds the generosity in himself to forgive the conspirators. This theme was best suited for coronation celebrations, and Mozart coped with the task brilliantly.

“Magical flute”

In the same year, Mozart wrote an opera in the German national genre of Singspiel, which especially attracted him. This is “The Magic Flute” with a libretto by E. Schikaneder. The plot is replete with magic and miracles and reflects the eternal struggle between good and evil.

The wizard Sarastro kidnaps the daughter of the Queen of the Night, and she sends the young man Tamino to search for her. He finds the girl, but it turns out that Sarastro is on the side of good, and the Queen of the Night is the embodiment of evil. Tamino successfully passes all the tests and receives the hand of his beloved. The opera was staged in Vienna in 1791 and was a huge success thanks to Mozart’s magnificent music.

Who knows how many more great works Mozart would have created, what operas he would have written, if fate had given him at least a few more years of life. But what he managed to do during his short life rightfully belongs to the treasures of world music.