Mozart, l'opéra rock ("Mozart, the rock opera") is a French musical with music by Dove Attia, Jean-Pierre Pilot, Olivier Schultheis, William Rousseau, Nicolas Luciani, Rodrigue Janois and François Castello, lyrics by Vincent Baguian and Patrice Guirao and a book by Attia and François Chouquet. The show is a dramatization of the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, beginning from the age of 17 and culminating with his death in 1791 at the age of 35. It uses both original pop-rock compositions as well as pre-existing music composed by Mozart and other composers, including Antonio Salieri.
Productions The musical premiered on 22 September 2009 at the Palais des Sports de Paris, where it continued until 3 January 2010. From 4 February 2010 until 3 July 2010, it went on tour in France, Belgium, and Switzerland. It returned to Paris between 9 November 2010 and 9 January 2011. A second tour began on 4 February 2011, and the production closed on 10 July 2011 at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy. It was directed by Olivier Dahan, choreographed by Dan Stewart and produced by Attia and Albert Cohen.
In 2013, Japanese production featured Akinori Nakagawa and Koji Yamamoto alternating the roles of Mozart and Salieri.
In 2019, Japan's all-female theater troupe Takarazuka Revue Star Troupe's staged the musical. It featured Makoto Rei as Mozart, Hitomi Maisora as Constanze and Ruumi Nagina as Salieri. Production ran in both Osaka and Tokyo, and released a CD and Blu-ray.
Synopsis
Act I The show opens with the accession of Hieronymus von Colloredo-Mannsfeld to the archbishop of Salzburg. Unlike the previous ruler, Colloredo is discouraging of the arts, which does not bode well for the Mozart family, who work for him. When Leopold Mozart requests leave to tour with his seventeen-year-old son and musical prodigy, Wolfgang, Colloredo refuses and suggests Leopold and Wolfgang quit if they are dissatisfied. Leopold and his daughter, Wolfgang's older sister, Nannerl, bemoan the state of Salzburg and its subservient people (Penser l'Impossible). Wolfgang appears, tumbling out from under the skirts of several women he's been chasing, and proceeds to be told exactly what Colloredo told Leopold: His leave has been denied.
Wolfgang insists that he'll leave Salzburg alone if he has to, as Leopold must stay behind because they cannot afford to be without work. Instead, Leopold sends Wolfgang's mother, Anna Maria, with him, as well as a warning: to find work fast, because a musician without a patron is no one. Anna Maria and Wolfgang set out for Mannheim, unaware that Colloredo has already sent word ahead to the Prince to assure that Wolfgang will not find work with him.
The show moves ahead to an inn in Mannheim (La chanson de l'aubergiste), where Wolfgang enters with several finished commissions. After sharing his dream of writing a grand opera in German, he is ridiculed by several of the people in the bar who remind him that all operas are written in Italian. Wolfgang rejects their comments (Le Trublion) and a fight breaks out, during which both he and his mother flee before being arrested by the police. A local copyist meets them, already aware of Wolfgang's musical prestige, and offers to copy all of his compositions free and help him distribute them for a small condition – coming to visit his family.
The copyist is Fridolin Weber – Cecilia's husband – and they intend to have Wolfgang help them prepare their daughter, Aloysia, for a ball for the Princess of Orange to boost her fame. Anna Maria and Wolfgang visit the Webers at their home, where Wolfgang is introduced to Sophie, Josepha, and Constanze. Upon the appearance of Aloysia (Bim Bam Boum), Wolfgang falls head over heels and forgoes his other commissions to help her prepare for her showcase to the Princess. He and the other members of the Weber family are unaware that Constanze has already started to fall in love with the young composer (Ah! Vous dirais-je maman).
Anna Maria, seeing that her son is prepared to throw away his musical career over his love of Aloysia, writes home to Leopold in the hopes that he will be able to snap Wolfgang out of his enamored state. She attempts to do this by telling Wolfgang that his commissions have been dropped and he's been rejected for employment, but Wolfgang insists that Aloysia is his future and displays no worry.
At the ball, Wolfgang and Aloysia display their respective musical talents, while Fridolin and Cecila attempt to get the Princess of Orange to take an interest in their daughter. While Wolfgang discusses music with the Princess, Aloysia discovers Constanze's jealousy over her relationship with Wolfgang (Six pieds sous terre). Wolfgang returns to announce that Aloysia will, indeed, be employed with the Princess of Orange and seems prepared to dedicate his life to her when Anna Maria arrives with a letter from Leopold (J'accuse mon père). He instructs Wolfgang to go to Paris to find work, and only then may he return to Aloysia. Aloysia, who intended to work with Wolfgang to bolster her success, proclaims that she hates him in response to Wolfgang's confession of love (something that Wolfgang does not hear).
After arriving in Paris, Wolfgang attempts to distribute his music and find a job (Tatoue-moi), but finds that Paris's doors have closed to him as well. When his mother suddenly falls ill and passes away (la Procession), he is left alone and jobless. In this state he imagines a grand and mocking display (la Mascarade) before Aloysia appears again. Still in love with her, he tells her that he has written an aria for her, which she ignores. She tells him that she is involved in the opera now, and far too busy for him. With lingering hatred she mocks his mourning clothes, seeming unaffected by the death of his mother, and when Wolfgang confesses that he wants to marry her she tells him that she is engaged to the actor Joseph Lange.
Realizing how alone he is, and that all doors have closed to him, Wolfgang reflects on the humiliation, betrayal, and suffering he has gone through (Je dors sur des roses). Seeming defeated by his losses and hopelessness, Wolfgang rejects everyone who has attempted to bring him down and decides he will believe in his old dreams and aspirations, regardless of who or what stands in his way.
Act II Wolfgang has returned to Salzburg under the service of Colloredo and is preparing to leave for Vienna with the archbishop to pay homage to the newly crowned Joseph II. He tells his father that he plans to make a new life for himself in Vienna, which his father scoffs at, reminding him that his previous carelessness resulted in the death of his mother. He instructs Wolfgang to do as the archbishop tells him and return to Salzburg when he's done, but Wolfgang insists that he'll do what he has to as it's his life, and his music.
After leaving the company of his father, he is confronted by Colloredo, who reiterates his father's message of doing as he's told. When Wolfgang attempts to reason with him, Colloredo will hear nothing of it and tells him to go join the other servants – who proceed to mock him alongside a clown-like representation of his own doubt (Comédie-tragédie). The badgering mounts to a crescendo and he informs Colloredo that he quits and he is free to do as he pleases from now on. He proceeds to pass out his music throughout all of Vienna, where it is well received, and he finally begins to make a name for himself (Place je passe).
The scene moves to Antonio Salieri, walking with Rosenberg, the Steward to Emperor Joseph II, and Gottlieb Stephanie, a librettist who has recently finished his piece The Abduction from the Seraglio. Rosenberg tells Salieri of the newcomer, Wolfgang, and his aspirations of composing a German opera, which Rosenberg then proceeds to mock for its lack of eloquence. Upon the appearance of the Emperor, Rosenberg attempts to discourage him from choosing Wolfgang as the composer for his commission on the basis of his desire to use German instead of the more traditional Italian.
Rosenberg explains that Wolfgang insists on writing in nothing other than German, though the idea of an opera in Vienna's native language appeals to the Emperor. He asks for the opinion of Salieri, already a well-known composer of the court, who appears to agree with the idea that Wolfgang is foolish, but also concedes that he is infinitely talented. In the end, Joseph decides that Mozart will do the music for their opera, much to the glee of Stephanie and the disdain of Rosenberg.
At the height of his dispute with Colloredo, Wolfgang takes up board with the Webers, who have moved to Vienna after the death of Fridolin and are taking in boarders to make ends meet. It is here he is re-introduced to Constanze, who has apparently decided to give up on love as she puts far too much into her relationships and is left heartbroken when they do not work out (Si je défaille). While Josepha and Sophie are excited to see him again, Cecilia is less than pleased with how he left Aloysia. Though she happily tells him that Aloysia's now married, doing well, and expecting a child. She also tells him that she doesn't want Wolfgang getting any ideas about her other daughters (or her, for that matter). After she leaves, Josepha and Sophie bombard him with questions about his newfound success in Vienna until Constanze intervenes and leads him to his room to get some rest.
Moving ahead, it has come time for Salieri and Rosenberg to check on the progress Wolfgang has made with his opera. When they arrive, Monsieur Stephanie attempts to dissuade them, but they press on anyway and discover that Wolfgang is distracted from his work, instead chasing Constanze and demanding a kiss. Rosenberg is appalled by the display while Monsieur Stephanie attempts to get Wolfgang's attention. Wolfgang ignores him, and the diva, La Cavalieri, goes so far so to tease the latter with a kiss when she attempts to get him to focus.
It is ultimately Salieri who gets his attention with a simple recitation of his name. He explains that they are there on behalf of the Emperor and, by what they've seen, he will be disappointed. Annoyed at the treatment, Wolfgang demands to know how they can judge without hearing a single note, to which Rosenberg replies that there are too many notes. After a brief argument, Rosenberg tells Salieri that they're leaving and exits. Salieri, believing Wolfgang's behavior was a display to prevent them from discovering how little he's achieved, commends him for the clever plot. He remarks that he hopes Wolfgang's apparent confidence is not a front for a lack of real talent.
However, before he can go, Wolfgang passes him his sheet music, saying that he would not need it as he begins to conduct. Salieri stays behind to listen and is overcome by the beauty of Wolfgang's work and the skill he displays (Le bien qui fait mal). Startled and unnerved by the immeasurable talent, Salieri tells Wolfgang that if he remembers his place, all will be well between them. Salieri leaves and, pleased with his victory, Wolfgang returns to his game with Constanze. Unfortunately for the young lovers, Cecilia catches them and explains that she has had an agreement written up (a "promesse de mariage," in French, or "promise of marriage"): If Wolfgang does not marry Constanze within three years, he will have to pay Cecilia 300 florins. With no way out, Wolfgang signs the agreement despite knowing his father will not approve, and Constanze, upset with her mother's trap, runs off.