Amadeus
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Amadeus is the title of a stage play written in 1979 by Peter Shaffer, loosely based on the lives of the composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri. Amadeus was inspired by Mozart and Salieri, a short play by Aleksandr Pushkin (later adapted into an opera of the same name by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov), and was itself later adapted into the film Amadeus.
The title refers to a name that Mozart often used (he was baptized as Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart) as a pen name. It is a Latinization of the Greek Theophilos, which Mozart in turn sometimes Germanized as "Gottlieb". All three names translate to "beloved of God" or "God-lover" (hence Shaffer's decision to title his play Amadeus, a reference to Salieri's relationship with God in the play and his perception of Mozart's musical gifts as a sign of divine favor).
The play makes use of Mozart's music (as well as that of a few other composers, including Salieri).
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[edit] Plot
Since the original run, Shaffer has extensively revised his play, including changes to plot details; the following is common to all revisions.
At the opening of the tale, Salieri is an old man, having long outlived his fame, and is convinced he is the assassin of Mozart (by poison). He then speaks directly to the audience, promising to explain himself. The play then flashes back to the late eighteenth century, at a time when Salieri has not met Mozart in person, but has heard of him and his music. He adores Mozart's compositions, and is thrilled at the chance to meet Mozart in person, during a salon at which some of Mozart's compositions will be played. When he finally does catch sight of Mozart, however, he is deeply disappointed to find that Mozart's personality does not match the grace or charm of his compositions: Mozart is crawling around on his hands and knees, engaging in sexual talk with Constanze Weber (who later became his wife).
Salieri cannot reconcile Mozart's boorish behavior with the massive genius that God has inexplicably bestowed upon him. Indeed, Salieri, who has been a devout Catholic all his life, cannot believe that God would choose Mozart over him for such a gift. Salieri rejects God and vows to do everything in his power to destroy Mozart.
Throughout much of the rest of the play, Salieri masquerades as Mozart's ally to his face, while at the same time doing his utmost to destroy his reputation and any success his compositions may have. On more than one occasion it is only the direct intervention of the emperor himself that allows Mozart to continue (interventions which Salieri opposes, and then is all too happy to take credit for when Mozart assumes it was he who intervened). Salieri also humiliates Mozart's wife when she comes to Salieri for aid, and smears Mozart's character with the emperor and the court. A major theme in Amadeus is Mozart's repeated attempts to win over the aristocratic "public" with increasingly brilliant compositions, which are always frustrated either by Salieri or by the aristocracy's own inability to appreciate Mozart's genius.
The play ends with Salieri attempting suicide in a last pathetic attempt to be remembered, leaving a false confession of having murdered Mozart with arsenic. He survives, however, and his confession is disbelieved by all, leaving him to wallow once again in mediocrity.
[edit] Historical background
Shaffer took dramatic licence in his portrayals of both Mozart and Salieri, but there is debate as to just how much. Documentary evidence suggests that there was some antipathy between Mozart and Salieri, but the idea that Salieri was the instigator of Mozart's demise is not given academic credence. While there may have been real rivalry between Mozart and Salieri, there is also evidence that they enjoyed a relationship marked by mutual respect.[1]
[edit] Mozart
Surviving letters by and about Mozart give examples of his boorish and often crude sense of humour, with a penchant for coprophilic jokes (shown in the film), which was shared by his mother, at least in their letters to one another. Mozart was extremely childlike, almost never able to sit still, even during others' performances. He was self-confident to the point of arrogance and his stubbornness and penchant for juvenile indulgences often annoyed his more staid peers. His sense of humour can be seen in some of his compositions, such as the canon Leck mich im Arsch (literally "Lick me in the ass"; idiomatically "Kiss my ass".)
Extant records show Mozart was not a good money manager and suffered from large debts (he loved clothing and spent huge sums on it) and also favored partying, drinking, gambling and possibly other drugs. As portrayed in Amadeus, Mozart actually comes off as fairly tame. Mozart's relationship with his father as portrayed in the film seems to be accurate, judging from the subtext of their letters to each other.
David Cairns called Amadeus "myth-mongering" and argued against Shaffer's portrait of "two contradictory beings, sublime artist and fool" in favour of a "fundamentally well-integrated" Mozart. He also rejects the "Romantic legend" that Mozart always wrote out perfect manuscripts of works already completely composed in his head (or "noodle," to use Shaffer's word), citing major and prolonged revisions to several manuscripts.
As for the film's key performance of "The Magic Flute", Mozart did not collapse on the first night, nor did Salieri take him home and transcribe the Requiem Mass. Salieri and his mistress, Katerina Cavalieri (shown in the film as Mozart's pupil and probable lover), attended at least a few performances of "The Magic Flute" together.
As for the Requiem, Hildesheimer points out that one or more of Mozart's pupils and/or friends helped him transcribe it, as he became too sick to write. There is still no solid conclusion on how much Mozart actually wrote, especially in certain parts, such as the "Lacrymosa".
Recent studies suggest that Mozart died of some form of rheumatic fever (possibly aggravated by overwork and heavy drinking), and not from any poison. A similar fate befell Felix Mendelssohn who also demonstrated prodigal gifts for composing - and, like Mozart, did not survive to his 40th birthday.
[edit] Production
Amadeus was first presented at the National Theatre, London, in 1979, directed by Sir Peter Hall and starring Paul Scofield as Salieri, Simon Callow as Mozart, and Felicity Kendal as Constanze. It later transferred in modified form to the West End, starring Frank Finlay as Salieri.
Amadeus premiered on Broadway in 1980 with Ian McKellen as Salieri and Tim Curry as Mozart. It ran for 1,181 performances[2][dead link – history] and was nominated for seven Tony Awards (best actor for both McKellen and Curry, best director for Peter Hall, best play, best costume design, lighting, and set design for John Bury), of which it won five (including a best actor Tony for McKellen).[citation needed]
Mark Hamill was cast as Mozart in the 1983 Los Angeles production.
Adam Redfield and Terry Finn appeared as Mozart and Constanze Mozart, respectively in the 1984 Virginia Stage Company production. Performed at the Wells Theatre in Richmond, the drama was directed by Charles Towers.
The play was revived in 2000, and received Tony Award nominations for best revival and best actor (David Suchet).
To celebrate Mozart's 250th birthday in 2006, BBC Radio broadcast an eight-part first-person adaptation (by Neville Teller) of Shaffer's play as read by F. Murray Abraham in the narrative role of Salieri.[3]
The 1984 film version of Amadeus starred F. Murray Abraham as Salieri and Tom Hulce as Mozart, with Elizabeth Berridge as Constanze. The play was thoroughly reworked for the film by Peter Shaffer in collaboration with the film's director Milos Forman, in order to make it more cinematic, and to add scenes not found in the play.
In 2004, a modified production of Amadeus premiered in Mount Gretna, Pennsylvania at the historic playhouse. The considerably shorter production was directed by Will Stutts, Mount Gretna Playhouse's artistic director. The show was stage managed by Joseph Borkovich and featured Robert Campbell (Asylum 11) as Mozart. Dan Olmstead (Philadelphia, The Manchurian Candidate) played Salieri. Duffey Westlake (Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Anchorman) played one of the Venticelli.
On July 20, 2006, the Los Angeles Philharmonic presented a production of the latest revision of the play at Hollywood Bowl. Neil Patrick Harris starred as Mozart, and Michael York as Salieri; Leonard Slatkin conducted the Philharmonic.
It was performed in December 2007 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. This production was unique as it was performed on the Crucible's thrust stage. Director Nikolai Foster reportedly contacted Peter Shaffer for consultation on changing his stage directions of Amadeus, to adapt to the new stage. The ending of the production was also edited. In the original script, Salieri dresses as the mysterious, grey figure who commissions the Requiem Mass and goes to see Mozart. At the end, Mozart pulls off the mask Salieri wears and discovers him. In this performance, Salieri goes to visit Mozart, but never pretends to be the figure, and simply ends up confessing.
[edit] Differences between the play and movie
Shaffer and Forman spent a considerable amount of time rewriting the play into a movie. While the play focuses primarily on Salieri, the movie shows both composers as full characters. Some scenes were shot for the movie, but not used. Some of these made it back into the movie in the Director's Cut.
The following is a small selection of differences between the play and the movie.
| Play | Movie |
|---|---|
| Salieri doesn't attempt suicide until the end of the play. | At the beginning of the movie, Salieri attempts suicide and is brought to a mental hospital where he tells his story to Father Vogler. |
| The Archbishop Colloredo does not appear. | Mozart is chided by Colloredo after Salieri steals into the room and watches his and Constanze's obscene play. |
| Cavalieri is a silent part. | Cavalieri has lines, but her singing lesson is not in the play. |
| Mozart's father does not appear. | Leopold Mozart begs Colloredo to take Mozart back to his service. He later stays with Mozart and Constanze, and is shown to have a great influence on Mozart's personality, even after Leopold's death. |
| There is a scene where Salieri tries to seduce Constanze, with promises of a teaching position for Mozart, eventually humiliating her, as she offers herself to him. | This scene is not in the 1984 version, but the Director's Cut does contain it. |
| Mozart is angered by Constanze's game, in which her calves are measured by two men. | The scene is cut and replaced with Mozart, Leopold and Constanze going to a masquerade party. |
| Mozart tells Salieri about a figure in grey who has commissioned him to write the Requiem mass in D minor - it is not Salieri, though he consequently appears to Mozart in this guise. | Salieri disguises himself as the figure in grey (black, in the film version) and commissions Mozart to write the Requiem mass in D minor. |
| Salieri speaks directly to the audience to tell his story. | Salieri speaks to a priest. |
[edit] References
- ^ A. Peter Brown, "Amadeus and Mozart: Setting the Record Straight".
- ^ McKellen's web site
- ^ BBC Radio article concerning reading of March 2006
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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