Mozart in Italy: Coming of Age in the Land of Opera

Conductor Glover (Handel in London) vividly chronicles a pivotal period in the career of Wolfgang Mozart (1756–1791) against the rich cultural landscape of late-18th-century Italy. A child prodigy, Mozart mastered piano at four and began composing at five. His composer father, Leopold, paraded him and his older sister Nannerl around Europe to perform for the rich and influential. In December 1769, father and teenage son embarked on a 15-month tour of Italy, during which the young musician was mentored by such influential composers as Padre Martini and attended operas that shaped his artistic vision, including Verona’s Ruggiero. He earned his first operatic commission, Mitridate, rè di Ponto, in 1770, and gained entrance to both Bologna’s and Verona’s Accademica Filarmonicas. In 1771, Mozart’s delightful “serenata” Ascanio in Alba for Archduke Ferdinand and Princess Maria Beatrice d’Este’s wedding celebration impressed the royals, but failed to earn him a permanent appointment to the royal court. Propelled by Glover’s clear passion for the subject, the narrative captivates, even if a surfeit of minute travel details sometimes crowds out the bigger-picture analysis of Mozart’s stylistic shifts during these months. Still, classical music fans will be delighted. (May)