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'Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail '
An illustrated study in the origins of Mozart's opera by Hanns Hammelmann and Michael Rose
Musical illustrations from gramophone records of * Die Entfiihrung aus dem Serail ' conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham , at.
Production by Christopher Sykes
At the age of twenty-five Mozart had written one successful opera, Idomeneo, but was still thought of in Vienna as a clavier composer and executant. He was determined to prove himself in the field in which he eventually triumphed, perhaps beyond all others of the great composers. With sharp business instinct, he searched for a suitable libretto -always a major difficulty in his operatic ventures. He found it fairly soon this time, and in 1782 after nearly a year of toil, setback, and the usual tribulations attendant on opera he gave the world Die Entfiihrung.
The story is followed mainly through
Mozart's own letters.
* Die Entführung' on records: Thursday