Music: Mozart Minus One

IN a way, this summer is the calm before the storm-because next year marks the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth, and the Salzburg Festival will go all out. What will they do for the homegrown hero? Mainly, they’ll present all 22 of his stage works. Some of them-juvenile efforts-are almost never seen. This will be the mother of all Mozart bashes.

Of course, they’re not neglecting him this year, either, because Mozart is not neglected in any year-anywhere. And speaking of juvenile efforts: One of the operas onstage this summer is Mitridate, which the composer wrote when he was 14. The kid was okay. But does Salzburg’s production serve the piece as he wrote it? Don’t be silly, my friend: At this festival, the director rules, and he—whoever he is-is about the only one who can make Mozart take a backseat.

About the Author

Jay Nordlinger

Jay Nordlinger was a senior editor of National Review and a book fellow at National Review Institute.

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Salzburg Festival

IN a way, this summer is the calm before the storm-because next year marks the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth, and the Salzburg Festival will go all out. What will they do for the homegrown hero? Mainly, they’ll present all 22 of his stage works. Some of them-juvenile efforts-are almost never seen. This will be the mother of all Mozart bashes.

Of course, they’re not neglecting him this year, either, because Mozart is not neglected in any year-anywhere. And speaking of juvenile efforts: One of the operas onstage this summer is Mitridate, which the composer wrote when he was 14. The kid was okay. But does Salzburg’s production serve the piece as he wrote it? Don’t be silly, my friend: At this festival, the director rules, and he—whoever he is-is about the only one who can make Mozart take a backseat.