Mozart and His Operas

by David Cairns, Sue Bradbury

David Cairns—winner of the Whitbread Biography Award and the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction—has spent his life immersed in Mozart’s music, both as a performer and as a listener. This intimate biography sheds new and important light on the composer by placing his operas in the context of his life and his complete musical output. Mozart's unusual childhood as a musical prodigy touring Europe as a performer from an early age is well known. But even more remarkable is that the genius grew up to produce works of increasing maturity and originality. Cairns unravels the many myths surrounding Mozart to reveal the opinionated, passionate, and exceptionally intelligent man behind the legend.

Cairns shows that familiarity with the operas can transform our perception of Mozart's art. He demonstrates that the composer’s approach to composition was that of a consummate dramatist. Using the operas as his guide, he traces the steady deepening of Mozart's musical style from his beginnings as a child prodigy, through his coming of age with, in Cairns’s opinion, the most Romantic and forward-looking of all Mozart's operas, Idomeneo. He discusses Mozart’s later genius as displayed in the three comic operas The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Così fan tutte, and in The Magic Flute, the final and greatest triumph of his career.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography, History

301 pages, Hardcover

First published January 26, 2006

About the author

David Adam Cairns is a British journalist, non-fiction writer, and musician, widely regarded as a leading authority on Hector Berlioz. The son of neurosurgeon Sir Hugh Cairns, he co-founded the Chelsea Opera Group in 1950 with Stephen Gray, presenting Mozart’s Don Giovanni in Oxford under a young Colin Davis, with whom he later championed Berlioz’s works. Cairns served as classical programme coordinator for Philips Records (1967–1972), providing sleeve notes for Davis’s landmark Berlioz recordings. His English translation of Berlioz’s Mémoires was published in 1969. Cairns held prominent journalism roles, including music critic and arts editor for The Spectator and chief music critic of the Sunday Times (1983–1992), and contributed to the Evening Standard, Financial Times, and New Statesman. His two-volume biography of Berlioz—The Making of an Artist 1803–1832 (1989) and Servitude and Greatness 1832–1869 (1999)—received widespread acclaim and multiple awards. He founded the Thorington Players in 1983 and has written on composers including Mozart, emphasizing the emotional depth of their music. Cairns was appointed CBE (1997), elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (2001), and named Officier and later Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for his contributions to French music.

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

An elegant perspective on the life of Mozart as framed by his operas (mostly). Cairns writes accurately and succinctly, which is hard to do when the topic is music and so much has already been said. I listened to the operas as I read through Cairns' account of each one, and then I listened again, and read again, learning more each time, and finding answers to new questions as I listened. Five or six passes through Mozart's operatic oeuvre are not adequate to gauge the depth of the music, but Cairns' overview provides a helpful biographical frame.

[Alistair · Rating 5 out of 5]

List of Illustrations - ix
Map: Vienna, 1780's - xii

Preface I
Prologue - Page 5

1, Imitation, assimilation
The early Operas - Page 17

2, "Such great things in so small a head"
'Idomeneo' - Page 32

3, Vienna and a new life
'Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serait - Page 69

4, Lorenzo Da Ponte and the perfect marriage
'Le Nozze di Figaro' - Page 99

5, Prague and "the opera of all operas"
'Don Giovanni - Page 136

6, Catechisms of love
'Cosi fan tutte - Page 169

7, Mozart the visionary
'The Magic Flute' - Page 194

8, Propaganda and parable
'La clemenza di Tito' Page 229

Epilogue - Page 246
Bibliography - Page 252
Notes - Page 257
index - Page 275

[Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Cairns is a respected music critic, professor and scholar, educated and cultured man who obviously live for music (he had also published biography of Berlioz) and this was clearly labour of love. Contrary to what I expected, the book was not only about Mozart's operas but it actually covered his life as well - it is a part chronological biography, part explanation how his famous operas came to be and what were circumstances in which he created them. As we all know by now, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had spend most of his tragically short life (he died only 35 years old) in search of money, better employment and benefactors but along the way he did travel a lot, enjoyed life to a full and even if he failed to get protection from some wealthy benefactor, he created for himself quite a loyal and loving following in Vienna and Prague. Cairns naturally focuses more on music than on private life and here he explains to a detail all the little ornamentations, from "Idomeneo" to "The Magic Flute' - it is far more exciting and interesting than my description and in fact I read it with greatest pleasure. Naturally it sent me back to Mozart's music immediately and I absolutely agree with Cairns who says that Mozart's music seems to move above the earth as airborne, touching the ground only momentarily.

[Warwick Stubbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

How much the reader gets out of this book depends entirely on how well they know Mozart’s operas. If, like me, you love his symphonies, concertos, and quartets, and only know the operas through famous arias and overtures, you may find Cairns’ passionate responses to critics somewhat overdone as he explores recitatives, arias, and incidental music with as many adjectives and verbs he can find to justify the music’s place in the score. If you are a lover of the operas with a deep knowledge of the music, you will find how Cairns compares the characters and the themes with their accompanying music as nothing short of interesting, if not sometimes a bit overblown. While I understood all the musical detail of key changes, tempos, and dissonances Cairn refers to, as a modern listener, even stopping to listen to some of those parts, he does seem to overstress a lot. Even at his darkest, Mozart comes off as brooding, and, usually, in the end triumphant. What “jarring” dissonances he incorporates are fleeting and what follows is melodically and harmonically grounded. It’s not like listening to Wagner, Janacek, Sonic Youth or The Dillinger Escape Plan at their most extreme when you feel like there is absolutely no escape.

What the book does do very well though, is give an accurate history of Mozart writing his operas starting from the first “major” opera Idomeneo where he had to spend a long time re-writing the libretto using letters to his father who was in direct contact with the librettist, to the final opera The Magic Flute (technically, and being the final chapter, La Clemenza di Tito, since The Magic Flute was only finished off and finally performed after di Tito). The first chapter gives a brief overview of what he had worked on prior to this, much of it building his confidence as a composer, until the commission for Idomeneo was secured and he could take complete charge of its completion. This second chapter really shows how much Mozart was more than just a composer of great music, but a genuine orchestrator of drama ensembles. He had his hand in every detail of this opera even rewriting sections of libretto to meet his needs. It isn’t until Da Ponte becomes his partner that he can let go and focus on the music itself.

Throughout the book Cairns does his best to defend Mozart against the accusations of sexism or misogyny found in Da Ponte, and to some extent Schikaneder, librettos by explaining how the music gives deeper emotions, drama, and justifications to the character’s actions: because all evidence points to Mozart not having sexist views himself, he could not possibly have been particularly accepting of this aspect of the librettos, therefore imbued all the women with the deepest ranges of emotions in their arias, and allowed them to be a full part of the operas equally. It is certainly a convincing argument.

As the reader travels through the years (so few of them!) with the operas, they will hear about the symphonies and concertos coming into being, often alongside, or sometimes just to fill in time. Even when we know this was a learned child who worked hard all his life on music, the share breadth of skill, musicality, development of ideas, and total output is still staggering when compared to other composers of his time who also completed a large number of works. Mozart did just as much, but he did it better.

[Wing · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very written attempt to demythologize Mozart by using primary and secondary sources to portray a genius who was consistently industrious, innovative, and perfectionistic. Concentrating on his mature operatic output, the author explains how Mozart was able to sublimate this popular and entertaining genre into something profound and sophisticated. The subject matter of the book does require the reader to be familiar with all the seven operas that are discussed. It is a trove of insights and certainly will enhance the reader's appreciation of Mozart's music. Lots of historical backgrounds are provided. Four stars.

[Joan]

Read chapters 1 (early operas), and 5 (Don Giovanni) in anticipation of attending a live performance of Don Giovanni next month.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book looks at Mozart's life and compositional development through the lens of his operas. Cairns takes each opera and places it in the context of Mozart's life and relevant historical events. He then provides wonderful commentary and analysis on each work, concentrating on how Mozart uses musical means to support and shape the dramatic content. Although there were a couple dry spots in the first chapter covering Mozart's early, pre-Idomeneo operas, Cairns is overall a terrific writer: his prose flows beautifully and conveys warmth and love for Mozart's operas. It was a pleasure to read, and I gained a better understanding of how Mozart expanded and furthered the forms and conventions of late 18th century opera. I also had a lot of fun listening to each opera as I read about it.

[Paul Jellinek · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well-written, highly informative and insightful book for those who love Mozart's operas, which I do. And if you don't yet know his operas, this book will make you want to hear them--for which, in all likelihood, you will be eternally grateful.

[Victoria Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contains in-depth details about his operas and collaborations. Much information survives from letters to his father and to Constanze when she was ill and taking a cure elsewhere. Contrary to popular belief he did not have a pauper's burial. Needs a re-reading, as so much information to absorb.

[Vivien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cairns is just a beautiful writer.