The Stories about Music Films: 61. Interlude in Prague (2017)

 

Basic Info

Title: Interlude in Prague

Genre: Drama, History, Music

Country: Czech Republic, United Kingdom

Language: English

Running time: 103 minutes

Release date: 11 May 2017 (London)

Staff

Director: John Stephenson

Producer: Huw Penallt Jones, Hannah Leader

Screenplay: Brian Ashby, Helen Clare Cromarty, John Stephenson

Music: Hybrid

Cinematography: Mike Brewster

Edited by: David Freeman

Cast

Aneurin Barnard as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

James Purefoy as Baron Saloka

Samantha Barks as Josefa Duchek

Morfydd Clark as Zuzanna Lubtak

Adrian Edmondson as Herr Lubtak

Anna Rust as Hana

Summary

“Interlude in Prague” is a 2017 film about a fictional episode of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart that led him to compose his opera “Don Giovanni”. Starring Aneurin Barnard, James Purefoy, Samantha Barks, Morfydd Clark, Adrian Edmondson and Anna Rust, the film was directed by John Stephenson and written by Brian Ashby.

In 1788, Mozart leaves Vienna for Prague, but a series of dramatic events occur as he begins a forbidden love affair with young soprano Zuzanna. His passionate response to danger and heartbreak is finally expressed through the creation of one of his most famous masterpieces.

Mozart's visit to Prague and the premiere of Don Giovanni

Mozart visited Prague for the second time to help supervise the first performance of his opera “Don Giovanni”. He arrived in Prague on October 4, 1787, and stayed there until 12 (or 13) November. The opera's premiere was scheduled for October 15, but did not take place until October 29, 1787. The opera received an enthusiastic response, and the Prager Oberpostamtzeitung reported that "critics and musicians say that Prague has never heard an opera like it before".

Movie Review

“Musical Drama”

“Well-acted, beautifully sung, fanciful drama based on composition of Mozart's Don Giovanni”

“An interesting reconstruction of the origins of Don Giovanni”

“Good tale for Mozart fans”

“Great film”

“Wonderful Mozart movie”

“Sumptuous musical period drama”

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The Stories about Music Films: 58. I, Don Giovanni (2009)

 

Basic Info

Title: I, Don Giovanni

Genre: Drama, History, Music

Country: Spain, Italy, Austria

Language: German, Italian

Running time: 127 minutes

Release date: 23 October 2009

Staff

Director: Carlos Saura

Producer: Andrés Vicente Gómez, Andrea Occhipinti, Igor Uboldi

Screenplay: Carlos Saura, Raffaello Uboldi, Alessandro Vallini

Music: Nicola Tescari

Cinematography: Vittorio Storaro

Edited by: Julia Juaniz

Cast

Lorenzo Balducci as Lorenzo Da Ponte

Tobias Moretti as Giacomo Casanova

Lino Guanciale as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Emilia Verginelli as Annetta

Ennio Fantastichini as Antonio Salieri

Summary

"I, Don Giovanni" is a 2009 Spanish-Italian-Austrian collaboration drama film directed by Carlos Saura. 

The film tells the life of Lorenzo da Ponte, an Italian Freemason who did not give up his libertinism, despite the Roman Catholic Church's order to behave like a priest. The Holy Inquisition accuses da Ponte of betraying the Christian faith through his licentiousness and publication of criticisms against the church influenced by Casanova and orders him to be exiled. 

Then, his close friend Giacomo Casanova writes a letter introducing da Ponte to Antonio Salieri, before he leaves Venice for Vienna. Because of this, Salieri introduces him to Mozart and da Ponte writes "le Nozze di Figaro". 

With Casanova's intervention, da Ponte persuades Mozart to publish a second edition of the "Don Giovanni", which was performed before the Emperor Joseph II, to great success.

Movie Review

“Picturesque!”

“A worthy take on Don Giovanni”

“Enjoyable period piece with impressive production design, outstanding musical score and nice acting”

“Operatic and beautiful”

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92. Classical Music: 7. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, ACJ Music Academy

How are you?

This week's lecture is “Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart”, the 7th topic of “Classical Music”, which is a summary of the contents of “92. Classical Music: 7. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart” introduced on June 14th, 2017.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a composer of the Classical era who was born on January 27, 1756 and died on December 5, 1791.

Mozart's birthplace, Salzburg

Portrait of the child Mozart

Born in Salzburg, Mozart showed outstanding musical talent from an early age. He started composing at the age of five and performed in front of European royalty as he embarked on a grand tour. 

The Mozart family on a grand tour

At the age of 17, he worked as a musician at the Salzburg court, but he traveled to find a better position. Dismissed from Salzburg position during a visit to Vienna in 1781, Mozart decided to stay in Vienna, where he composed his most famous symphonies, concertos, operas and parts of the Requiem that was mostly unfinished at his death.

The first page of Mozart's autograph score in the Requiem

After Mozart's death, his wife, Constanze, entrusted the unfinished Requiem to his pupils to complete the work, and finally Franz Xaver Süssmayr completed the work.

Constanze Mozart, Hans Hansen

Franz Xaver Süssmayr

Although Mozart died at a young age, he composed more than 600 works in almost every genre due to his rapid pace of composition, and many of which are recognized as the best works in the genres of symphonies, concertos, chamber music, opera and choral music. 

He is regarded as one of the greatest classical composers of all time, and his influence on Western music is immense. Ludwig van Beethoven composed his early works in the shadow of Mozart, and Joseph Haydn wrote: "posterity will not see such a talent again in 100 years".

Mozart Monument, Vienna

As the cause of his death is largely uncertain, it has been much mythologized, and researchers have suggested more than a hundred causes of death, including acute rheumatic fever, streptococcal infection, trichinosis, influenza, mercury poisoning, and a rare kidney ailment.

Mozart's most famous pupil was Johann Nepomuk Hummel, whom Mozart took to his home in Vienna when Hummel was young and lived with him for two years. He was a transitional figure between the Classical and the Romantic eras. 

Johann Nepomuk Hummel

Mozart had a great influence on composers of later generations, and many composers have paid homage to Mozart by composing variations on Mozart's themes. 

Ludwig von Köchel was the first to organize Mozart's works, and in 1862 he organized Mozart's works according to the Köchel index.

Ludwig von Köchel

Thank you.

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