September 24, 2025 | Author: Dominic Nicholas | Category:Discover
Queen of the Night from The Magic Flute
There have been many great opera composers down the centuries, but none has surpassed the genius of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791), whose instinct for drama was only bested by his ability to clothe it in the most divine music imaginable.
Mozart wrote 22 music dramas, some of which were small scale occasional pieces or pastiche pieces written when he was very young. Even these works contain much to be admired. Here, however, we rank to his mature masterpieces, the works for which he is truly remembered.
We also pick out our favourite music from these works—follow the links so you too can enjoy playing these iconic melodies!
The last of a trio of operas written with librettist Lorenzo da Ponte, the others being The Magic Fluteand Don Giovanni.
The work, whose title roughly translates as ‘Women are like that,’ is a non-PC rumination on the constancy of women, with two men intentionally testing the loyalty of their fiancées. Uncontroversial in its day, the plot, which includes the swapping of partners, was shocking to later audiences, leading to it sometimes being presented in a shortened or sanitised form.
A real ensemble piece, with no character hogging the dramatic or musical limelight, it contains some fabulous music, most notably the iconic trio Soave sia il ventothe ravishing tenor aria Un aura amorosa and the soprano belter Come scoglio.
The earliest opera to make it into our top 5, The Abduction from the Seraglio was the outcome of a pet project by Emperor Joseph II for operas to be written in German rather than Italian. It is also an example of a ‘Singspiel’ (‘Sing-speak’), where sections that might normally be recitatives are instead spoken.
It is set in exotic 16th century Turkey, the plot concerning the hero Belmote’s rescue of his beloved Contanza from the harem of Pasha Selim. To reflect this Mozart added extra ‘Turkish’ percussion, giving the opera its unique colour, as heard, for example in the magnificent Overture,the duet Vivat Bacchus! Bacchus lebe!and the Chorus of the Janissaries.
There are a number of show-stopping arias, including the technically demanding Doch du bist entschlossenfor soprano, the comic O wie will ich triumphieren for bass and lyrical ‘Ich baue ganz auf deine Stärke’ for tenor. Numbers like these ensured that ‘Seraglio’ was one of the most popular of Mozart’s operas during his lifetime.
The Magic Flute was the last of Mozart’s operas, premiering on 30th September 1791, a little more than two months before this death.
Like Seraglio, it is a Singspiel, though this was a result of Mozart’s involvement with the theatre troupe run by Emanuel Schikaneder, which favoured works in the national language. The libretto, by Schikaneder himself, is layered with references to medieval romances, fairy tales, philosophy and freemasonry.
The Marriage of Figaro was Mozart’s first collaboration with librettist Lorenzo da Ponte. It is an adaptation Beaumarchais’s controversial play of the same name, which had originally been banned in Vienna because of its propensity to stir-up class conflict.
The libretto removes much of what was considered objectionable, focusing on the human aspects of the relation between servants Figaro and Susanna, who succeed in marrying, despite the machinations of their employer Count Almaviva.
The music is miraculous, full of humanity and psychological insight, the highlights almost too numerous too list. The Overtureand the duet Sull’ariaare particularly well-known from their use in popular culture (the movies ‘Trading Places’ and ‘Shawshank Redemption’ respectively), but other numbers, including Figaro’s Non più andrai,the Countess’s Porgi Amorand Dove Sonoand Cherubino’s Voi che sapeteare equally iconic.
Our favourite Mozart opera sets Da Ponte’s retelling of the Don Juan legend. It concerns the actions of Don Giovanni, a nobleman and serial seducer of young women. At the opening we see Don Giovanni kill the father (the ‘Commendatore’) of one these women, Donna Anna. Following various machinations, the Commendatore returns at the end of the work as a ghostly statue who exacts revenge on Don Giovanni.
Whilst in terms of psychological nuance it could be argued that Figaro is the better work, where we think Don Giovanni pips Figaro to the crown is in the relentless quality of its musical numbers. Highlights include the comic list of Don Giovanni’s conquests recounted by his servant Leporello in Madamina; the brilliantly manipulative duet La ci darem la mano,where Don Giovanni attempts to seduce Zerlina on her wedding day; and Zerlina’s attempts to win back Masetto in Batti, batti, o bel Masetto.
Above all, however, Don Giovanni has one of the most thrillingly blood-curdling scenes in all opera. The Commendatore Scene,the penultimate in the work, features the ghostly figure of the murdered Commendatore telling Don Giovanni to repent or face the flames of eternal damnation. Giovanni refuses, and is dragged to Hell. The scene is horrifying and exhilarating in equal parts, a masterpiece of the macabre.
