Queens of the Night

Today is the start of Mozart Week, a music festival celebrating his work held in his native city of Salzburg. And I thought, what better way to show this blogger's love for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart than to share a picture of our last holiday in Austria and sharing an aria for good measure. So yeah, I took this photo in his birthday house, now a museum. These are two mannequins dressed like the Queen of the Night, one of the many emblematic characters in Die Zauberflöte. I also share her most famous aria, sung by Diana Damrau. One of its most iconic interpretations. Side note: which costume do you prefer?

"Meeting Mozart" for his birthday

Today is the birthday of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. My favourite composer and in my opinion the very best opera composer of all time. Which is why he is my favourite composer (and why I think he will always be the most accomplished classical musician of all time, sorry for the controversial opinion, but not sorry and take that Ludwig). Anyway, since today it is his birthday, I celebrate by listening to his music, but also reading about him. So this is the book I have been reading these last few days in preparation for the anniversary of his birth: Meeting Mozart: A Novel Drawn From the Secret Diaries of Lorenzo Da Ponte, by Howard Jay Smith. Grosso modo, it is a fictionalize account of his relationship and collaboration with librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte. It's pretty nice so far. Both Mozart and Da Ponte's lives are the stuff of legend, so they work well as prime matter for fiction (even if it is often fanfiction). In any case, I encourage you to Mozart up your life today. And to celebrate on this blog, I am sharing a duet from Le Nozze di Figaro. Sung by legendary Diana Damrau and Golda Schultz (who is playing the role of the Countess at the Met at the moment). So anyway, happy birthday Maestro and happy Mozarting everyone!

Mozart's Alleluia

Because yesterday was the anniversary of the death of Mozart, which I had not forgotten, but did not have time to blog about, I am sharing today a piece of his music. I wanted something a bit Christmasee, so chose this one, sung by the amazing Diana Damrau. Hallelujah is an religious interjection that did not only inspire Handel or Cohen. Musically, this might actually be the best version.

 

Commémorer Mozart

Nous sommes aujourd'hui l'anniversaire de la mort de Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. J'ai décidé de commémorer d'avance hier en... mangeant une barre de Mozartkugeln. Ils en vendent à la bonbonnerie locale. J'ai développé un engouement pour ces chocolats à la marzipan et je justifie sa consommation parfois immodérée en écoutant le divin Mozart en même temps. Je commémore aussi bien entendu en écoutant sa musique. Comme Noël s'en vient, j'ai pensé à télécharger ici un air qui serait également circonstantiel. Je l'ai d'ailleurs entendu pour la première fois à un concert de Noël de l'École de musique de Chicoutimi, dans la salle Le Ménestrel. C'est dire à quel point ça m'a marqué. Comme je l'ai blogué en 2011, Mozart étant dans le monde de la musique une figure messianique, c'est presque approprié qu'il soit mort alors que Noël approche. Incidemment, cette interprétation a été faite dans un concert de Noël.