# Which were the most popular operas of WA Mozart?



## JSBach85 (Feb 18, 2017)

Which operas by WA Mozart can be considered as most famous in the time were composed in 18th century? And which ones are being considered as popular nowadays in terms of number of live concerts? Finally, what are your favourite WA Mozart operas? (I am not considering performance practices, recordings, conductors, etc... just the operas).


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## Biffo (Mar 7, 2016)

Mozart wrote around 20 operas but only the last 7 are performed with any regularity today. The first of the 7, Idomeneo was written for Munich but was enough of a success to be staged in Vienna as well; after that it was more or less forgotten for 20 years. The next, Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail was a reasonable success in Vienna and became the most often performed of Mozart's operas in his lifetime. The rest had varying degrees of success in Vienna and Prague but didn't really start to travel outside Germany until after Mozart's death in 1791.

La Clemenza di Tito was the first of Mozart's operas to reach London, in 1805, though it was probably staged in mangled form. It was published in 15 different editions before 1810 but rapidly went out of fashion. The 1820s saw mangled versions of Zaubeflote and Don Giovanni staged in Paris, this was typical practice of the day. It was only in the 20th century that Mozart really became massively popular.

My favourite is Die Zauberflote, very marginally ahead of Le nozze di Figaro.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Le Nozze de Figaro- Don Giovanni- Cosi Fan Tutte - Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail toppping my list, all available in in H.I.P recordings.


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## JSBach85 (Feb 18, 2017)

Pugg said:


> Le Nozze de Figaro- Don Giovanni- Cosi Fan Tutte - Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail toppping my list, all available in in H.I.P recordings.


I see, mainly operas sung in italian. I also enjoy most operas sung in italian: Le Nozze de Figaro and Cosi Fan Tutte along with La Clemenza di Tito, probably this one is my favourite. I find difficult to like operas sung in german. I will give a try...


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

JSBach85 said:


> I see, mainly operas sung in italian. I also enjoy most operas sung in italian: Le Nozze de Figaro and Cosi Fan Tutte along with La Clemenza di Tito, probably this one is my favourite. I find difficult to like operas sung in german. I will give a try...


That's a shame - German is a highly expressive language great for opera.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

The three da Ponte operas - Figaro, Don G and Cosi - are perhaps the greatest ever written. The Flute is of course a Singspiel with dialogue but the music is heavenly. Any of these four


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## JSBach85 (Feb 18, 2017)

DavidA said:


> The three da Ponte operas - Figaro, Don G and Cosi - are perhaps the greatest ever written. The Flute is of course a Singspiel with dialogue but the music is heavenly. Any of these four


I can't enjoy Die Zauberflote in the same manner I do with La Clemenza di Tito. I don't find Singspiel as enjoyable as Opera Seria, probably because I get used to baroque opera. As you stated, there are simply too many dialogues without music and slow parts as well. I am listening to Lucio Silla at this moment and I think is an interesting opera with great arias and orchestration. Is not among the most famous Mozart operas but I love it because reminds me Pergolesi, Hasse, Galuppi.


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

JSBach85 said:


> And which ones are being considered as popular nowadays in terms of number of live concerts


Once source to judge popularity in the current time is Operabase. Their database currently shows totals from over five seasons 2011/12 through 2015/16. They have information from 900+ opera companies around the world, but by no means is it complete. Here are the Mozart operas in the top 200 of their most performed operas list.

Rank. Opera - Performances (Production runs)

Even if all performances of Die Zauberflote were combined together (as I suspect happens with most other operas that are cut) it would not be enough to over take the #1, La traviata, seen 4,190 times.

2. Die Zauberflote - 3310 (561)
8. Le nozze di Figaro - 2483 (545)
9. Don Giovanni - 2299 (473)
15. Cosi fan tutte - 1538 (364)
27. Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail - 855 (163)
69. La clemenza di Tito - 302 (65)
74. Idomeneo re di Creta - 276 (62)
92. Die Zauberflote (reduction) - 223 (58)
108. La finta giardiniera - 194 (43)
164. Der Schauspieldirektor - 108 (34)

For comparison with Der Schauspieldirektor, other operas that saw 98 to 118 performances over this period include: Adriana Lecouvreur*, Medea*, Il viaggio a Reims, Orlando (Handel), Platee*, and Lulu. (Each opera marked with an asterisk was that composer's most performed work).


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## JSBach85 (Feb 18, 2017)

Thank you for all the information provided.

Just an easy question: Overall, considering all operas composed by WA Mozart, What are your favourites? (I am not considering recordings, performers, live concerts, ... just the operas).


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## Biffo (Mar 7, 2016)

JSBach85 said:


> Thank you for all the information provided.
> 
> Just an easy question: Overall, considering all operas composed by WA Mozart, What are your favourites? (I am not considering recordings, performers, live concerts, ... just the operas).


Roughly in order of preference:

Die Zauberflote
Le nozze di Figaro
Don Giovanni
Cos fan tutte
Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail

I like them all and find it difficult to choose between the first two and between Giovanni and Cosi. I don't listen to the opera seria very often but have a vague feeling I ought to give Idomeneo another spin soon.


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## Meyerbeer Smith (Mar 25, 2016)

Don Giovanni was one of the two most performed operas in the 19th century. (The other was Les Huguenots.) Mozart's other operas, as Biffo says, weren't given in versions we know today; Figaro was translated into French or German %, while Cosi, thought immoral, was given a new libretto. As late as the 1930s, Strauss reorchestrated and revised Idomeneo, to appeal to contemporary audiences who apparently found opera seria boring. (Handel and Gluck suffered similar fates.)

% Opera was usually translated into the native language (including in Russia) - except in the UK, where everything was done in Italian.

Here's Les Mystères d'Isis, a French pastiche of The Magic Flute: 




I like the three da Ponte comedies, Idomeneo, and Clemenza (noble and moving, with a sublime finale) best.


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## JSBach85 (Feb 18, 2017)

Those who like Die Zauberflote over other operas. Can you give me a good reason? I will listen to this opera again soon. Thanks.


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## Biffo (Mar 7, 2016)

JSBach85 said:


> Those who like Die Zauberflote over other operas. Can you give me a good reason? I will listen to this opera again soon. Thanks.


I am afraid I can't give a reason, it just is. I have heard it live more times than any other opera except perhaps Figaro. I never tire of listening to both though Flute just shades it as absolute favourite. If I see or hear a poor performance it doesn't matter too much, I have an imaginary performance playing in my head.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

JSBach85 said:


> Thank you for all the information provided.
> 
> Just an easy question: Overall, considering all operas composed by WA Mozart, What are your favourites? (I am not considering recordings, performers, live concerts, ... just the operas).


The whole story is just excellent, beautiful aria's for all the main parts, reason enough I think.


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## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

For me:
I list Cosi first overall, and it is musically. I prefer the story of Don Giovanni, I think it's the most interesting of Mozart's operas from a dramatic perspective. but the music of Cosi is some of the most beautiful to ever be created so it still wins top honors for me

1) Cosi
2) Don Giovanni
3) Magic Flute
4) Marriage of Figaro
5) Abduction from Seraglia
6) Idomeneo
7) Il Re Pastore

With regards to the singspiel component of Magic Flute, it's quite simple for me. I delete the spoken segments and focus just on the music. There are a few recordings that do just that (I think Klemperer does, and it's a fantastic recording)


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## betterthanfine (Oct 17, 2017)

I was going to mention the Klemperer recording of Zauberflöte too. If that doesn't help you appreciate the opera, not much else will.


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## Meyerbeer Smith (Mar 25, 2016)

betterthanfine said:


> I was going to mention the Klemperer recording of Zauberflöte too. If that doesn't help you appreciate the opera, not much else will.


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## Rossiniano (Jul 28, 2017)

For me it will always be _Don Giovann_i. It was one the first operas that I listened to all the way trough (the other was Paisiello's _Il socrate Imaginario_!) and it was also the first opera that I owned. It was a Christmas gift. To this day I think it the greatest opera ever written. It covers virtually very emotion in the human experience and in the process even takes one to the depths of hell itself. Since then perhaps other Mozart operas have surpassed it in popularity. I would guess that the Mozart opera du jour is currently _Così fan Tutte. _

Regatding the popularity of Mozart's operas in the 18th and early 19th Century, supposedly _La_ _Clemenza_ _di Tito_ was quite popular. I would assume that _Don_ _Giovanni_ was reasonably popular as well during that time frame. Popular enough for Rossini to include a parody of "Don Giovanni, a cenar teco" in _Il Turco in Italia_ ("Voga Voga, a terra a terra"). Also, popular enough for Berlioz to write an hilarious description of how it was interepteted at the time.


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## JSBach85 (Feb 18, 2017)

I got recently "Die Enfurhrung aus dem Serail", two recordings:

Gardiner:









Jacobs:









I am having a tough time to enjoy some parts because there are too many dialogs. I feel the same with "Die Zauberflote", there are wonderful arias and instrumental sections but the dialogues give them an irregular rhythm and few fluidity. I feel both would be better to enjoy in a live opera hall rather than on a CD recording. I am also not used to listen operas with too much dialogue.


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## Mal (Jan 1, 2016)

JSBach85 said:


> I am having a tough time to enjoy some parts because there are too many dialogs. I feel the same with "Die Zauberflote", there are wonderful arias and instrumental sections but the dialogues give them an irregular rhythm and few fluidity. I feel both would be better to enjoy in a live opera hall rather than on a CD recording. I am also not used to listen operas with too much dialogue.


Like you, I find listening to long dialogues in German, while trying to follow a translation, rather off putting. The Chandos "Opera in English" Magic Flute worked for me as the translation is into good, natural, modern English, and everything flowed very well, and (most importantly) meant I could concentrate on the music!


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## JSBach85 (Feb 18, 2017)

Exactly. My only previous experience with long dialogues is with Lully: Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, Atys, Musiques pour le mariage de Louis XIV. Nevertheless, long dialogues are not so common in baroque opera.


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## PlaySalieri (Jun 3, 2012)

Recording of Die Zauberflote are already heavily cut in dialogue - the original dialogue would have been, to the first Viennese audiences - as much a highlight as the music itself - and on equal terms with the spectacular sets and costumes. The dialogues may seem quite dull to us in modern times - even for those who can understand German - but we are not the audience that Schikaneder wrote his libretto for. But to get the best out of the opera it does make sense to follow the dialogue. I have not particularly found it obtrusive when watching at opera houses that provide surtitles or on DVD with subtitles.
For car listening - I get on well with the Klemperer recording which omits the dialogue.


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