Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...RIP

Speaking as a fan of the movie,allow me to recommend Maynard Soloman's biography of Mozart.(He also did a Beethoven biography.)

The strengh of Soloman's biographies is that English is his native language. Biographies translated from German read like,well,books translated from another language.

Maynard Soloman's biographies are very subjective and authoritative.

On the way to office this morning Mozart’s symphonies performed by Klemperer accompanied me. What a drive!

Happy Listening.

Otto

Mozart is indeed a genius of music. Love his opera and horn concerto. The movie is just a movie. My friend told me that the people in Vienna hate that movie when he visited Europe. People there think the story is distorted and too much Hollywood. Eldartford, if read the other thread carefully, you were the person started the arguement. No one demote Mozart there, but some Mozart fans insist Beethoven is overrated.

Choosing Tom Hulce to play Mozart in punky-pink wigs and having him act like an american brat really dates "Amadeus" now, IMHO. I always felt the composer could have been portrayed as a deeper, more substantial character, though not without humor. The letters he wrote might have served as resources to gain a better understanding of his true personality. No wonder the Viennese don't like "Amadeus".

Well so far as the movie goes, it was just entertainment but probably poor entertainment to those that were well familiar with the wonder of his music and have explored his life in more detail trying to get a glimpse of how it could have come about. To the masses of moviegoers, Mozart was just a historical figure.

The great point of the movie to me is not the story, its the music and if it takes popular art to embellish and distort the story of Mozart the man, there can certainly be no distortion of the greatness of his music and the power of his creativity for a new generation to discover. So the film did have its value in that regard. I just never cease to be amazed when I listen whether it be his opera music, his great piano concertos, his variations on twinkle twinkle, is varied chamber works, when you hear the best of his music you know only he alone could have created it.