Tuesday 18 August 2015

Scheming Salieri

My brother PJ is in Prague, to see a performance of Don Giovanni. So he is in a musical mood. So am I, as well as in an envious mood, this being my favorite opera, bare none. Anyway, he also made me aware today of a very special anniversary for people into musical history: today is the 265th anniversary of Antonio Salieri. Contemporary of Mozart, an urban legend makes him his murderer. And various works of fiction, among them the movie (and the play which inspired it) Amadeus, which used this urban legend to great effects. But Salieri was apparently in conflict with Mozart and scheming against him, which is enough to be disliked nowadays by people like me. I am merciless aren't I? Still, it is very ironic that he is now famous for a crime he probably never committed. And that his rival his now renown as the greatest composer of all time. So in "honour" (hum, hum) of Salieri, I uploaded this introductory scene from Amadeus, which pretty much sums up his stature now in our memory.

2 comments:

jaz@octoberfarm said...

i love that movie and don't even want to admit to how many times i've watched it. prague might be my most favorite city.

Debra She Who Seeks said...

F. Murray Abraham was absolutely brilliant as Salieri in "Amadeus." I saw that movie 3 or 4 times in the theatre just to watch the scene where he sneaks a look into Mozart's works in progress and you can see the enormous play of emotions washing over his face as he does so -- disbelief, awe, jealousy, despair, envy -- what a tour de force of acting!