What is it about Mozart that moves us? On a purely musical level we are dazzled by the virtuosity of his instrumental writing, the perfect construction of his symphonies and the keen insights into human nature that make his operas life-changing. But these are skills other composers also have. Liszt wrote show-stopping instrumental works, Haydn was a master of the model classical symphony, and way back in the 17th century, Monteverdi’s operas looked deeply into the hearts of men and women.
We are surely touched by the fate of a creative person whose life was cut short at a young age (Mozart died when he was 35). But there are other composers who also died in mid-bloom. For every Elliott Carter (who is now 103 years old), there’s a Purcell, Schubert, Chopin and Gershwin, all gone before the age of 40.
Whether the stories are true or merely figments of Amadeus writer Peter Shaffer’s imagination, we love the Mozart lore; his bawdy humor, his silliness and yes, his arrogance. Mozart knew he was great and we love him for that too. Love is a recurring theme when speaking of Mozart. It’s part of his name, “Amadeus” (“love of God”), and it’s reflected in the very streets of his hometown, Salzburg, where his name is something of a trademark. They even manufacture a Mozart candy, the famous “Mozartkugel.” We admire Bach, revere Beethoven, but only Mozart has his own candy.
Ultimately, a very wise man may have the last word on Mozart. Albert Einstein said, “Mozart is the greatest composer of all. Beethoven created his music, but the music of Mozart is of such purity and beauty that one feels he merely found it—that it has always existed as part of the inner beauty of the universe waiting to be revealed.”
That inner beauty is revealed in the Essential Mozart, an Ariama exclusive digital boxed set. This specially priced set contains 18 complete works in a wide variety of genres. The set includes more than six hours of music performed by such legendary artists as George Szell, Sir Colin Davis, James Levine, Lili Kraus, Robert Casadesus, Richard Stolzman, Pinchas Zukerman and others.
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by Craig Zeichner
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