Program notes
On the 16th of March, 1781 at 9 0'clock in the morning, the 25 year old Mozart arrives in Vienna. The last ten years o his life will be spent in this city. In this period he writes such masterpieces as the Magic Flute, his most important symphonies and the Requiem. In Vienna Mozart takes charge of his own works by becoming the first ever freelance composer. In Vienna he meets world famous composers and librettists.
Here is where he reaches the limits of his popularity. "Believe me … fame doesn't last very long here … after only a few months the Viennese already want something new.," wrote Mozart to his father. After ten years of living in Vienna he acquires a sickness which leads to his death in December 1791. Mozart, who changed apartments eleven times within those ten years was buried in a pauper's grave at the cemetery of St. Marxer in Vienna.
Mozart in Vienna traces in 60 minutes the most critical years of his life. Examining Vienna's authentic Mozart sites such as the Mozart House at Domgasse 5 ("Figaro-Haus"), the Theater an der Wien and the Stefansdom helps put into focus Mozart's special connection to the city and the Viennese relationship to Mozart.