Mozart was the first composer whose operas have never left the international repertoire and for many he remains one of the finest vocal composers who ever lived. In a sense all of his music is vocal music depending as it does on arresting singable melodies but in his great operas single arias and sacred works Mozart put his melodic gift to work revealing the subtleties and expressive potential of a wide range of texts in languages ranging from Italian to Latin to German. In every case he created masterpieces from operas such as ÊThe Marriage of Figaro Don GiovanniÊ and ÊThe Magic FluteÊ to the sacred choral motet ÊAve Verum CorpusÊ and of course the unfinished ÊRequiemÊ his final project.ÞÞThis second ÊGetting the Most Out of MozartÊ volume in our Unlocking the Masters series focuses on Mozart's great operas and other vocal works but also discusses numerous lesser-known compositions from operas he wrote as a child to insertion arias for favorite singers or operas by other composers. In each case David Hurwitz describes how the musical setting and choice of instruments supports the text. He takes readers through the seven major operas aria by aria showing how Mozart uses vocal style and orchestration to create believable and moving characters that remain the standard for characterization in music to which all composers and dramatists aspire.ÞÞThe accompanying CD from Telarc Records includes 14 works.
