Works by Mozart referred to in Amadeus Abduction from the Seraglio (1782) An opera with dialogue in German. The plot concerns the hero Belmonte’s attempts to rescue his love Konstanze from the seraglio (harem) of the Pasha Selim. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAPYT7Lk2bc Don Giovanni (1787) An opera in Italian with a libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. A blend of comedy, supernatural, and melodrama, it is based on the Spanish tales of the legendary lover, Don Juan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJnJjpMdT3Y Così Fan Tutti (1790) A comic opera in Italian with a libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. The title is sometimes rendered in English as “Women are Like That.” There is some evidence that Salieri also had attempted to set the libretto to music, but abandoned it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBXy9N3Frkk The Marriage of Figaro (1786) A comic opera in Italian with a libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte based on a play by Pierre Beaumarchais. The plot concerns servants Figaro and Susanna foiling Count Almaviva’s attempts to seduce Susanna. In Amadeus, Mozart transforms Salieri’s welcome march into the aria “Non piu andrai” from this opera. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1-FKyOTvto The Magic Flute (1791) An opera in German, in the singspiel style with both singing and dialogue. It is a fantasy in which hero Prince Tamino, along with comic sidekick Papageno undergoes a series of tests to win the hand of Pamina. They must oppose the evil Queen of the Night, Pamina’s mother. The Magic Flute uses veiled references to rites of the Freemasons. “The Queen of the Night’s” aria is one of the world’s most familiar pieces of vocal music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuBeBjqKSGQ
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