Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
27 January 1756 — 5 December 1791
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period and one of the greatest figures in Western music. A child prodigy, he began composing at an early age and went on to create more than 600 works, including symphonies, concertos, chamber music, sacred compositions, and operas.
Mozart's music is celebrated for its beauty, elegance, and emotional depth. His most famous operas include The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte, and The Magic Flute. More than two centuries after his death, his works remain among the most frequently performed and beloved in the classical repertoire.
Operas
| Opera | Premiere or date of written | Libretti available |
|---|---|---|
| Die Entführung aus dem Serail | 1782, July 16 | |
| Le nozze di Figaro | 1786, May 1 | italian, german, english, french |
Don Giovanni  |
1787, October 29 | italian, german, english, french |
| Così fan tutte, ossia La scuola degli amanti | 1790, January 26 | italian, german, english, french |
| La clemenza di Tito | 1791, September 6 | italian, english |
| The Magic Flute | 1791, September 30 | german, english, french |
History
| January 27, 1756 | Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (a central figure in opera history, composer of works such as Don Giovanni and Le nozze di Figaro) was born in Salzburg. |
| August 30, 1770 | Charles Burney encountered the fourteen-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Bologna while Mozart was working on his first major opera seria, "Mitridate, re di Ponto", commissioned for Milan. |
| September 29, 1770 | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart began composing "Mitridate, re di Ponto" in Bologna. |
| December 26, 1770 | Mozart’s opera "Mitridate, re di Ponto" (K. 87/74a) premiered at the Regio Ducal Teatro in Milan. |
| January 29, 1781 | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s opera "Idomeneo" premiered in Munich (Cuvilliés Theatre). |
| September 15, 1781 | A Viennese newspaper report provided the earliest known public reference to Mozart's work on "Die Entführung aus dem Serail", which he had begun composing only weeks earlier. |
| August 4, 1782 | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Die Entführung aus dem Serail" received its world premiere at the Burgtheater in Vienna. |
| August 31, 1785 | Mozart's "Die Entführung aus dem Serail" was performed at the Nationaltheater in Mannheim with Ludwig Fischer, who had created the role of Osmin at the opera's Vienna premiere, appearing again as Osmin. |
| May 1, 1786 | The premiere of Mozart's "Le nozze di Figaro" took place at the Burgtheater in Vienna. |
| April 30, 1789 | The premiere of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera "Così fan tutte" took place at the Burgtheater in Vienna. |
| August 29, 1789 | Mozart's "Le nozze di Figaro" returned to the Burgtheater in Vienna in a substantially revised revival prepared for a new cast. Mozart supplied new music for Adriana Ferrarese del Bene as Susanna, including the rondò "Al desio di chi t'adora". |
| January 26, 1790 | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s opera "Così fan tutte" premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienna. |
| September 5, 1791 | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart completed "La clemenza di Tito" and entered it in his catalogue, one day before the opera's premiere in Prague for the coronation of Leopold II as King of Bohemia. |
| September 30, 1791 | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Die Zauberflöte" received its world premiere at the Theater auf der Wieden in Vienna. |
| September 21, 1792 | Mozart's "Die Zauberflöte" received its earliest known performance outside Vienna in Lemberg, now Lviv, with further performances following on September 22 and 23. |
| September 17, 1805 | Mozart's "Don Giovanni" received its first performance at the Paris Opéra, where it was presented as "Don Juan" in a substantially altered French version. |
| May 9, 1811 | "Così fan tutte" received its first performance at the King's Theatre, Haymarket, London. |
| March 30, 1900 | Mozart’s "Die Zauberflöte" was first performed at the Metropolitan Opera (New York), sung in Italian. |
| March 24, 1922 | The U.S. premiere of Mozart’s "Così fan tutte" takes place at the Metropolitan Opera. |
| July 27, 1935 | The Glyndebourne Festival Opera presented Mozart's "Le nozze di Figaro" during its inaugural season, helping establish the festival's international reputation for Mozart performance. |
| May 5, 2025 | Premiere of a new production of Mozart's 'Don Giovanni' at the Metropolitan Opera, directed by Tony Award-winner Ivo van Hove. |
