Musical theater "AmaDeus. Foreign Literature of the 20th Century in Brief Participation in Events

The performance was staged with the support of the grant of the Head of the city "Inspiration" in the field of culture and art.

The themes of creativity, genius and divine destiny have excited artists at all times. The play "Amadeus" turns us to these issues through the prism of the life of two composers of the 18th century - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri.

... Salieri himself tells about the events at the court of the Austrian emperor Joseph II from the stage. The action takes place in Vienna in November 1823, and Salieri's memoirs refer to the decade 1781-1791. Thirty-two years have passed since the death of Mozart, and the surviving Salieri calls on distant descendants to become his confessors.

... Music is a gift from God, and Salieri prayed to God to make him a great composer, and in return he promised to lead a righteous life, help his neighbors and praise the Lord in his creations until the end of his days. God gave him the desire to sing it, but he also forced him to be silent. Hearing the music of Mozart, like a Demon, a fallen angel who loved God and was rejected by him, Salieri decides in despair: “From now on, we are enemies - you and me! Because you have chosen a boastful, vulgar boy as your instrument. And he gave me only the ability to recognize your incarnation!

The desire to destroy Mozart - not physically, as in the legend loved by many, revealed by Pushkin's fiction, but as a creator, as a phenomenal phenomenon in art - this is not the desire of a petty, envious little man! This is revenge for an insult to the exorbitant pride generated by the possession of "an understanding of the Incomparable, which is inaccessible to most people."

...Mozart. God's gift to our world. The gift is not entirely deserved - Mozart's harmony is much superior to the harmony of our world. And the world, unfortunately, is not too eager to match this harmony. The world is often disharmonious - Mozart is perfect. But there is always hope that someday the light of Mozart's music will illuminate our souls, and we will be able to rise to the realization of such simple things as beauty, goodness, eternity...

Worked on the show:

Stage director - Anne Cellier (France)

Conductor – Eduard Nam, Sergey Vorobyov

Set Designer - Alexey Votyakov

Costume Designers - Alexey Votyakov, Gulnur Hibatullina

Choreographer - Gennady Bakhterev

Choirmaster - Tatyana Pozhidaeva

Director's Assistant - Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Nadezhda Lavrova

Assistant director - Helga Weiser

Keywords: Amadeus 2018

The themes of creativity, genius and death have excited artists at all times. The play "Amadeus" turns us to these issues through the prism of the life of two composers of the 18th century - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri.

... Salieri himself tells about the events at the court of the Austrian emperor Joseph II from the stage. The action takes place in Vienna in November 1823, and Salieri's memoirs refer to the decade 1781-1791. The citizens of Vienna repeat to each other the latest gossip: "Salieri is a murderer!" Thirty-two years have passed since Mozart's death, so why is Salieri talking about it now? Nobody believes Salieri: he is old and probably out of his mind, but he calls on distant descendants to become his confessors.

What does the composer, who is living his life, want when he suddenly fills his house with confessions of repentance? "Attach" your fading name to the name of someone who will not be forgotten? This old man has a heavy gift not to lie to himself, not even to lie, to see himself - in his past and his present - as he is. According to his confession, he is "offended" by everyone: God, nature, fate - and, of course, Mozart ...

... Music is a gift from God, and Salieri prayed to God to make him a great composer, and in return promised to lead a righteous life, help his neighbors and praise the Lord in his creations until the end of his days. God heard his prayer, and the next day a family friend took the young Salieri to Vienna and paid for his music lessons. Soon Salieri was introduced to the emperor, and His Majesty favorably reacted to the gifted young man. Salieri rejoiced that his “deal” with God had taken place. But in the same year that Salieri left Italy, the ten-year-old genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart appeared in Europe ...

The production of "Amadeus" is not a story about "genius and villainy", but a story about the temptation of fame, about what envy is, and what it leads to in the end. Bliss of genius. And eternal bliss. In "Amadeus" it is about this. Mozart loves music, Salieri lusts for it: all other differences are not so significant.

The play “Amadeus” (and in Latin this name means literally “beloved of God”) has all the components of a quality spectacle: win-win dramaturgy, interesting directorial finds, stylish set design (during the performance, it is planned to reconstruct authentic Baroque opera performances of the late eighteenth century), chic costumes and the widest opportunities for acting.

Of course, it is worth remembering that the story of Salieri's poisoning of Mozart is a myth: a long-standing legend links the name of Salieri with the name of Mozart as his alleged killer. In Russia, thanks to Pushkin's little tragedy "Mozart and Salieri" (1831), set to music by Rimsky-Korsakov (1898), the name Salieri became a household name for "envious mediocrity". The legend of Salieri's involvement in the death of Mozart is also current in some other countries, as evidenced by Peter Schaeffer's play Amadeus (1979) and the film of the same name based on it.

Worked on the show:

• Stage Director - Anne Cellier, France
• Conductor - Eduard Nam
• Set Designer - Alexey Votyakov
• Costume Designers - Alexey Votyakov, Gulnur Hibatullina
• Choreographer - Gennady Bakhterev
• Choirmaster - Tatyana Pozhidaeva
• Director's Assistant - Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Nadezhda Lavrova
• Assistant director - Helga Weiser
• Author of the idea - Maxim Kalsin

"Amadeus" Peter Schaeffer, performance-confession in two acts and four operas, 16+

• March 16, 2019, Saturday, beginning at 18:00

Pduration: 2h40min. with intermission

Ticket price: 200, 300, 400, 500, 700 rubles

Theater box office: 26-70-86
Collective applications: 26-71-50
Website: www.dramteatr.com

FOR REFERENCE:

March 2015 Drama Theater A.S. Pushkin celebrated his professional holiday - Theater Day with a skit, sparkling with humor, called "What does the artist bring home?". Kapustnik collected the best episodes from recently played performances. In the theater on the second floor, a photo session was organized with young artists, as well as trying on the luxurious dress of court ladies from the play “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka”.

And just a few days after the holiday, the main director of the theater Maxim Kalsin announced that the Theater was starting to implement the long-awaited project-performance "Amadeus". The team of the Drama Theater A.S. Pushkin became the proud owner of the Grant of the head of the city "Inspiration". Since 2011 a grant from the head of the city is awarded by a special commission, which includes the vice-mayor of the city, the head of the department of culture and other well-known persons for the implementation of cultural projects significant for Magnitogorsk.

At the press conference Maxim Kalsin noted that this would be a unique project for our city. It turns out that the idea of ​​creating a synthesis of opera and drama has been haunting the chief director for a long time. At the heart of the creative idea is the creation of a grandiose musical performance "Amadeus" based on the play by Peter Schaeffer and Pushkin's "Mozart and Salieri". Maxim Kalsin told journalists about his creative ideas in detail. More than 80 people will participate in this grand production. There will be a choir, a symphony orchestra and a theatrical performance. "Ours" will play, "opera" - they will sing, - Maxim Kalsin clarified, adding that one of the artists of the Magnitogorsk Opera will get one dramatic role.

Naturally, this grandiose project, uniting the efforts of the two Theaters, will require significant material costs. “Initially, we considered this project “to the maximum” and “to the minimum,” Kalsin said. - Serious lighting equipment was planned to the maximum. According to him, there is a difficult situation with light in the theater. But Grant closes just the minimum version, which includes scenery, costumes, the director's fee ... Therefore: "We will stage with our own light," Maxim Kalsin told reporters.

By the way, about the director of the project.. It was the French actress Anne Cellier. And first of all, the journalists were worried about the question of whether the French actress would be able to find a common language with the Russian theater troupe and realize the idea of ​​the project. Answering this question, Maxim Kalsin noted that the choice of the director was not accidental. Anne Cellier since 1990 to 1997 worked as an actress in the Magnitogorsk Drama Theater, in the troupe of the Dushanbe director V. Akhadov. Ann knows the actors of the "older generation" theater very well. She also, as it turned out, studied in France as a director and has extensive experience in productions in the drama theater.

At a press conference, Ann Sellier admitted to Magnitogorsk journalists that she had not lost touch with the Russian theater all these years, talked about how she received a director's education and managed to raise a child. But she has never worked on opera productions before, so she hopes for the support of the conductor and the director of the opera house. "Amadeus" is the story of Salieri, - the director explained her vision of the performance. - The most important role is Salieri, the person who hears Mozart's music. And we, the audience, will listen to this music like Salieri. Therefore, music has a very important role in the production. Salieri is like us. We, unfortunately, are not all like Mozart.”

As planned by M. Kalsin, it is the music of the great Mozart that will become the main "character". It will play throughout the performance. Replacing each other, the Magnitogorsk audience will be presented with fragments from various musical works by Mozart, parts of concertos and symphonies, rehearsals and pieces of operas that the great composer demonstrates to the emperor. Amadeus will not be an ordinary musical play, included in the list of productions of the Drama Theater, it will run in blocks like Broadway musicals. “I immediately thought of this performance as a gift to our city. Maxim Kalsin noted. The fact that such a project is being implemented in Magnitogorsk, which everyone can see, will become a real holiday for connoisseurs of the city’s culture and art.” Live symphonic music by Mozart, performed by the orchestra of the Magnitogorsk Opera and Ballet Theatre, costumes and scenery representing Austria in the 18th century, the tragedy and confession of Salieri, a brilliant dramatic basis (in 1985 the film "Amadeus" based on the script by Schaeffer won 8 Oscars) - all this, undoubtedly, will cause the strongest response in the hearts of Magnitogorsk residents and guests of the city. The premiere will take place in autumn 2015. and the production is planned to be held until everyone who wants to visit this amazing performance. So, let's look forward to autumn ... ..

ENGLISH LITERATURE

Peter Shaffer R. 1926 Amadeus (Amadeus) -Play (1979)

The action takes place in Vienna in November 1823, and Salieri's memoirs refer to the decade 1781-1791. An old man sits in a wheelchair with his back to the audience at the forefront. The citizens of Vienna repeat the last gossip to each other: Salieri is a murderer! Their whispers are getting louder. Thirty-two years have passed since the death of Mozart, why did Salieri talk about this right now? No one believes Salieri: he is already old and, of course, out of his mind. Salieri gets up from his chair, looks into the auditorium. He calls on distant descendants to become his confessors. He says that he has been sweet all his life, and asks not to judge him too harshly for this. In addition, he dreamed of fame. He wanted to become famous by writing music. Music is a gift of God, and Salieri prayed to God to make him a great composer, and in return he promised to lead a righteous life, help his neighbors and praise the Lord in his creations until the end of his days. God heard his prayer, and the next day a family friend took the young Salieri to Vienna and paid for his music lessons. Soon Salieri was introduced to the emperor, and His Majesty reacted favorably to the gifted young man. Salieri rejoiced that his deal with God had taken place. But in the same year that Salieri left Italy, the ten-year-old genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart appeared in Europe. Salieri invites the public to watch a performance called "The Death of Mozart, or Am I Guilty". This is his last work, dedicated to distant descendants. Salieri throws off an old robe, straightens up and appears before us as a young man in a full dress of the eighties of the XVIII century. The Salieri String Quartet sounds. 1781 Salieri is thirty-one years old, he is a famous composer, he is known at court. He is in love with his student Katarina Cavalieri, but remains faithful to his wife, remembering the vow given to God. Salieri dreams of becoming a bandmaster. Suddenly, he learns that Mozart is coming to Vienna. The director of the Imperial Opera, Count Orsini-Rosenberg, receives an order to order a comic opera in German from Mozart - the emperor wants to create a national opera. Salieri is alarmed: it seems that the dominance of Italian music is coming to an end. Salieri wants to see Mozart. At the evening at the Baroness Waldstaten, he retires to the library to calmly eat sweets, but Constance Weber suddenly runs in, depicting a mouse, followed by Mozart, depicting a cat. Without noticing Salieri, Mozart knocks Constance to the floor, jokes rudely with her and, even proposing to her, cannot resist obscene gestures and words. Salieri is shocked by Mozart's vulgarity. But when the concert begins and Salieri hears his music, he realizes that Mozart is a genius. It seems to him that in Mozart's Serenade he hears the voice of God. Salieri plunges into work, begging the Lord to instill his voice in him. He jealously follows the progress of Mozart, but the six sonatas composed in Munich, the Paris Symphony, and the Great Litany in E-flat leave him indifferent. He rejoices that the serenade was a stroke of luck that can befall any musician. In Schönbrunn Palace, Salieri asks Emperor Joseph II for permission to play a welcome march in honor of Mozart. March sounds. The emperor introduces the musicians to each other. Mozart says he has already written the first act of the commissioned comic opera. Its action takes place in a seraglio, but the opera is about love and there is nothing obscene in it. The main part will be sung by Katarina Cavalieri, Salieri's favorite student. Mozart thanks Salieri for the welcome march and repeats it from memory, then plays with variations, gradually groping for the theme of the famous march from The Marriage of Figaro - "The boy is frisky, curly, in love." He rejoices in his improvisation, completely oblivious to the insult that Salieri inflicts. Salieri wants to write a tragic opera and put Mozart to shame. "Abduction from the Seraglio" does not make much of an impression on Salieri. Hearing Katharina's singing, he immediately guesses that Mozart had an affair with her, and suffers from jealousy. The emperor restrainedly applauds: in his opinion, there are "too many notes" in this opera. Mozart objects: there are as many notes as necessary - exactly seven, no more and no less. Mozart introduces Salieri, whom he considers a friend, his bride, Constance Weber. Salieri wants to take revenge on Mozart for seducing Katarina and take Constance away from him. Mozart marries Constance, but he lives hard: Mozart has few students, and he has made many enemies with his intractability. He openly opposes the dominance of Italian music, scolds Salieri's opera "The Chimney Sweep" with the last words, calls the emperor a miserly Kaiser, rudely makes fun of the courtiers who can be useful to him. Princess Elizabeth needs a music teacher, but no one wants to please Mozart. Having met Salieri at a ball at the Baroness Waldstaten, Constance asks him to help Mozart get the coveted place. Salieri invites her to his place for a conversation. He also wants to look at Mozart's scores to see for himself his talent. When Constance arrives secretly from her husband, Salieri declares that he is ready to put in a good word for Mozart in exchange for her favor. Constance leaves. Salieri understands his baseness, but blames Mozart for everything: it was Mozart who brought the “noble Salieri” to such vileness. He immerses himself in reading the scores. The 29th symphony in A major is heard. Salieri sees that Mozart's rough sketches are completely clean, almost without blots: Mozart simply writes down the music that sounds in his head, in an already finished, perfect form. Louder and louder is the theme "Kegue" from the Mass in C minor. Salieri is smitten. He rebels against God, whose favorite - Amadei - is Mozart. Why is Mozart so honored? And Salieri's only reward for a righteous life and hard work is that he alone clearly sees in Mozart the incarnation of God. Salieri challenges God, from now on he will fight him with all his might, and Mozart will become their battlefield. Unexpectedly, Constance returns. She is ready to give herself to Salieri, but he does not give free rein to his lust: after all, he is fighting not with Mozart, but with the Lord God, who loved him so much. The next day, Salieri seduces Catarina Cavalieri, thus breaking her vow of chastity. He then resigns from all charitable committees, breaking his oath to help others. He recommends to the emperor a very mediocre musician as a music teacher for Princess Elizabeth. When asked by the emperor about Mozart, Salieri replies that Mozart's immorality is such that he should not be allowed close to young girls. The simple-hearted Mozart is unaware of the intrigues of Salieri and continues to consider him his friend. Salieri's affairs are going uphill: in 1784 and in 1785. the public loves him more than Mozart, although it was during these years that Mozart wrote his best piano concertos and string quartets. The audience applauds Mozart, but immediately forgets his music, and only Salieri and a few other initiates know the real value of his creations. Meanwhile, Salieri's operas are staged everywhere and everyone likes them: both "Semiramide" and "Danaids" have gained a resounding success. Mozart writes The Marriage of Figaro. Baron van Swieten, prefect of the Imperial Library, is shocked by the vulgarity of the plot: the opera should elevate and perpetuate the deeds of gods and heroes. Mozart explains to him that he wants to write about real people and real life events. He wants the bedroom to have linen on the floor, the sheets to keep the warmth of the female body, and a chamber pot under the bed. He says that all serious operas of the 18th century. terribly boring. He wants to merge the voices of his contemporaries and turn them to God. He is sure that the Lord hears the world in this way: millions of sounds that arise on earth ascend to him and, merging in his ears, become music unknown to us. Before the premiere of The Marriage of Figaro, the director of the Imperial Opera, Count Orsini-Rosenberg, after reviewing the score, tells Mozart that the emperor forbade the use of ballet in operas. Mozart argues: the emperor banned the insert ballets, like the French, and not the dances, which are important for the development of the plot. Rosenberg tears out the dance sheets from the score. Mozart is furious: two days later the premiere, and a conspiracy was staged against him. He scolds the courtiers with his last words. He wants to invite the emperor himself to the rehearsal. Salieri promises to help him, but does nothing. And yet the emperor comes to the rehearsal. Mozart, thinking that this is the merit of Salieri, expresses his gratitude to him. During the performance, dances are performed without musical accompaniment. The emperor is confused. Mozart explains what the matter is, and the emperor gives the order to restore the music. Premiere of the opera Le nozze di Figaro. Salieri is deeply moved by the music, but the emperor yawns, and the audience accepts it with restraint. Mozart is upset, he considers his opera a masterpiece, and is mortified by the cold reception. Salieri consoles him. Mozart would like to go to London, but he has no money. The father refuses to help him, he cannot forgive his son that he turned out to be more talented than him. Mozart receives news of his father's death and reproaches himself for his disrespectful attitude towards him, Salieri explains to the audience that this is how the vengeful ghost of his father appeared in the opera Don Juan. Salieri decides to resort to the last resort: to starve Mozart to death, to expel the divine from his flesh with hunger. He advises the emperor, who decided after the death of Gluck to give Mozart the place of the imperial and royal chamber musician, to give him a salary ten times less than Gluck received. Mozart is offended: you can't even feed a mouse on such a salary. Mozart receives an offer to write an opera for ordinary Germans. He comes up with the idea to reflect the ideals of the Freemasons in popular music. Salieri says that it would be nice to show the Masons themselves on stage. Mozart understands that this is impossible: their rituals are kept secret, but he thinks that if they are slightly changed, then this can serve as a sermon of brotherly love. Salieri approves of his plan, knowing full well that it will anger the Freemasons. Mozart lives in poverty. He often sees a ghost in gray. Constance thinks he's out of his mind and leaves. Mozart tells Salieri that a man in a mask came to him, like two drops similar to a ghost from his nightmares, and ordered him a Requiem. Mozart has finished work on The Magic Flute and invites Salieri to the premiere at a modest country theater, where none of the courtiers will be. Salieri is shocked by the music. The audience applauds, but van Swieten sneaks through the crowd to the composer, he accuses Mozart of betraying the Order. From now on, the Masons refuse to take part in Mozart, influential people stop communicating with him, Schikaneder, who ordered the Magic Flute from him, does not pay his share of the fees. Mozart works like a man possessed, waiting for the arrival of the masked man who ordered the Requiem for him. Salieri admits to the audience that he got a gray cloak and mask and every night passes under the windows of Mozart to herald the approach of his death. On the last day, Salieri stretches out her arms to him and calls for him, like a ghost from his dreams. Mozart, having gathered the rest of his strength, opens the window and pronounces the words of the hero of the opera Don Giovanni, inviting the statue to dinner. A passage from the overture to the opera "Don Giovanni" sounds. Salieri climbs the stairs and enters Mozart. Mozart says that he has not yet finished the Requiem and asks on his knees to extend the deadline by a month. Salieri rips off his mask and throws off his cloak. Mozart laughs piercingly in a fit of overwhelming horror. But after the confusion comes an epiphany: he suddenly realizes that Salieri is to blame for all his misfortunes. Salieri confesses his atrocities. He calls himself the killer of Mozart. He explains to the audience that the confession escaped him so easily because it was true: he really poisoned Mozart, but not with arsenic, but with everything that the audience saw here. Salieri leaves, Constance returns. She puts Mozart to bed, covers him with a shawl, tries to calm him down. Sounds the seventh part of the Requiem - "Lacrimosa". Constance is talking to Mozart and suddenly realizes that he is dead. The music is cut off. Salieri says that Mozart was buried in a common grave, with twenty other dead. Then it turned out that the man in the mask, who ordered Mozart's Requiem, did not dream of the composer. It was a lackey of a certain Count Walzega, who secretly ordered a composition from Mozart, so that later he could pass it off as his own. After Mozart's death, the Requiem was performed as a work by Count Walsegh, with Salieri as conductor. Only many years later, Salieri understood what the punishment of the Lord was. Salieri enjoyed universal respect and bathed in the rays of glory - and all this thanks to compositions that did not cost a penny. For thirty years he listened to praise from the lips of people who knew nothing about music. And finally, Mozart's music was appreciated, and his music was completely forgotten. Salieri puts on his old bathrobe again and sits in a wheelchair. 1823 Salieri cannot accept obscurity. He himself spreads the rumor that he killed Mozart. The louder the glory of Mozart, the stronger his shame will be, so Salieri will still gain immortality and the Lord will not be able to prevent this. Salieri tries to commit suicide, but fails. In the notebook where visitors write to the deaf Beethoven about the news, there is an entry: “Salieri is completely crazy. He continues to insist that he is to blame for Mozart's death and that it was he who poisoned him." The German Musical News in May 1825 also reports the madness of old Salieri, who blames himself for the early death of Mozart, which no one believes. Salieri gets up from his chair and, looking into the auditorium, absolves the sins of mediocrity of all times and peoples. The last four bars of Mozart's funeral march are played. O. E. Grinberg

Source: All the masterpieces of world literature in brief. Plots and characters. Foreign literature of the XX century. In 2 books. Encyclopedic edition. - Book I (A - I): - M .: "Olympus"; LLC "Publishing House ACT", 1997. - 832 p.; Book II (I - I). – 768 p.

The amateur association of musical theater "AmaDeus" is a community of musicians who are united by the idea of ​​​​embodiing a simple theater, close classical music, opera for everyone. To create an opera performance understandable to any viewer, to reveal the beauty of chamber vocal music, to bring the charm of baroque music to every listener, even an unprepared one, is our main task. Our theater has taken on a difficult mission - to educate the listener, instill in him a taste for classical music and opera singing. Our goal is to interest the viewer who first came to a concert where classical music, opera arias or baroque canzones are performed, so that he wants to return and plunge into the endless and wonderful world of classical vocal music again.

Schedule:

Tuesday - 13:00 - 18:00 (room 214, GZ or room 311 until 15:30)
Thursday - 12:00 - 18:00 (room 214, GZ or room 311 from 14:00-16:00)
Saturday - 12:00 - 17:30 (room 214, GZ)

Achievements

All-Russian, interregional reviews, competitions, competitions

October 2017: V International Open Competition-Festival "Petersburg Style". 1 prize.3rd place Vladimir Proskurin.

November 2016: V Open City Creative Festival-Competition "Primorskaya Star". 2nd place.

International competitions, reviews, competitions

December 2015: III Christmas Music Festival "Le Stelle Di Natale" - 1st place.

2014: 17th Pietro Argento International Music Competition. Diploma student in the solo vocal and opera duet nominations.

2014: 16th International Music Competition "Euterpe". Winner of 2 awards in the solo vocal category.

• Christmas Gala Concert "Opera for All" at the Exhibition Center "Petersburg Artist"
• Lyubov Kudinova and Vladimir Proskurin, I. Kalman, "Silva", Duet of Silva and Edwin
• Concert-monograph of the Musical Theater "AmaDeus", dedicated to the work of the Italian composer Gioacchino Antonio Rossini

Participation in events:

6 titles of Laureates and 5 special diplomas from the jury of the students of the Youth House of the Vasileostrovsky District at the City Festival of amateur creativity of institutions for youth affairs of St. Petersburg

On May 17, 2019, the Oktyabrsky Big Concert Hall hosted the Gala Concert of the Festival of Amateur Creativity of St. Petersburg Youth Affairs Institutions, organized by the State Budgetary Institution "House of Youth of St. Petersburg", the Committee for Youth Policy and Interaction with Public Organizations...

Concert of vocal music "Welcome to the opera!"

April 13, 2019 at 16:00 in the Blue Hall of the St. Petersburg State Budgetary Institution "Youth House of the Vasileostrovsky District of St. Petersburg" will host a concert of vocal music "Welcome to the Opera!". Soloists of the musical theater "AmaDeus" will perform arias and duets...

The victory of the studios of the DMVO at the Festival of Amateur Creativity of Institutions for Youth Affairs.

OUR WINNERS And we are again talking about the winners of the Festival of Amateur Creativity of Youth Affairs Institutions. Nomination "Stage vocal. Small Ensembles»

PETER SCHEFFER

A M A D E Y

A PLAY IN 2 ACTS

Characters:

Antonio Salieri

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Constance Weber, Mozart's wife

JosephII, Emperor of Austria

Count Johann Kilian von Streck, royal chamberlain

Count Franz Orsini-Rosenberg, director of the Imperial Opera House

Baron Godfried Van Swieten, prefect of the Imperial Library

majordomo

Two venticelli(First and Second)- “Little breezes, messengers of rumors, gossip and news, also play two gentlemen at the ball in the first act.

Mimic roles:

Bandmaster Bonnot

Footman Salieri

Chef Salieri

Catarina Cavalieri, student of Salieri

Priest

Citizens of Vienna also play the role of servants who move furniture and bring props.

The action takes place in Vienna in November 1823 and in the form of a memoir during the decade 1781-1791.

STEP ONE

VEIN

In complete darkness, the theater is filled with a frantic and furious whisper, reminiscent of the whistling hiss of snakes. At first, nothing can be made out, except for one word - "SALIERI", which is repeated in all corners of the theater. And then another, barely distinguishable - "KILLER!"

The whispers build up, getting louder, creating an angry heated atmosphere. A small stage is gradually illuminated, on which silhouettes of men and women in top hats and crinolines appear. XIX century. These are CITIZENS OF VIENNA, vying with each other repeating the latest rumors and gossip.

Whisper.

An old man sits downstage in a wheelchair with his back to us. We see only his head in a shabby red cap and, perhaps, a shawl thrown over his shoulders.

Whisper. Salieri!.. Salieri!.. Salieri!..

Two elderly men in long raincoats and top hats of that time rush towards us from behind the scenes from different directions. These are VENTICHELLI - messengers of rumors, gossip and news, acting in the play from beginning to end. They speak quickly, especially when they first appear, and the scene takes on the character of a quick sinister overture. Sometimes they turn to each other, sometimes to us, but always with the delight of gossips who heard the news first.

The first. I don't believe it!

Second. I don't believe it!

The first. I don't believe it!

Second. I don't believe it!

Whisper. Salieri!

The first. But they say!

Second. Yes, I hear!

The first. And I hear!

Second. After all, they say!

First and Second. I don't believe it!

Whisper. Salieri!

The first. The whole city is talking.

Second. Everywhere you go, they say.

The first. In the cafe.

Second. At the opera.

The first. In the Prater park.

Second. In the slums

The first. They say that even Metternich himself repeats.

Second. They say even Beethoven, his oldest student.

The first. But why now?

Second. When did so many years pass?

The first. In thirty-two years!

First and Second. I don't believe it!

Whisper. Salieri!

The first. They say he's been screaming about it all day.

Second. They say that at night.

The first. Sitting at home.

Second. Doesn't go anywhere.

The first. It's been a whole year now.

Second. No, even longer, longer!

The first. Is he under seventy?

Second. No, more, more!

The first. Antonio Salieri...

Second. The famous maestro...

The first. Shout it out loud!

Second. Screaming at the top of my lungs!

The first. No, It is Immpossible!

Second. Incredible!

The first. I don't believe it!

Second. I don't believe it!

Whisper. Salieri!

The first. I don't know who started this gossip!

Second. No, I know who blabbed!

Two old men - one skinny, the other fat - come out of the crowd to the forefront from different sides. This is the LACKEY and the COOK Salieri.

The first(pointing to one of them). Footman Salieri!

Second (pointing to someone else). Yes, cook it!

The first. The footman hears him yelling!

Second. The cook - how he cries!

The first. Well, what a story!

Second. What a scandal!

The VENTICHELLI move quickly into the back of the stage in different directions, and each silently takes one of the old men by the arm. FIRST quickly leads the LACKEY to the forefront. SECOND - THE COOK.

The first(to the lackey). What does your owner say?

Second(to the chef). What is the bandmaster yelling about?

The first. At home alone.

Second. All day and all night.

The first. What sins does he repent of?

Second. This old man...

The first. This hermit...

Second. What horrors did you hear about?

First and Second. Tell us! Tell us! Tell me now! What is he screaming about? What is he screaming about? Who does he remember?

THE SERVANT and THE COOK silently point to SALLERI.

Salieri(screaming loudly). Mozart!

Pause.

The first(in a whisper). Mozart!

Second(in a whisper). Mozart!

Salieri. Perdonami, Mozart! Il tuo assasino - ti chiede perdono!

The first(in amazement). Excuse me, Mozart?

Second(in amazement). Forgive your killer?

First and Second. Oh my God! Have mercy on us!

Salieri. Pieta, Mozart! Mozart, pieta!

The first. Have pity, Mozart!

Second. Mozart, pity!

The first. When he gets excited, he speaks Italian.

Second. When calm - in German.

The first. Perdonami, Mozart!

Second. Forgive your killer!

LACKEY and COOK go in different directions and stop at the wings. Pause. Deeply shocked, VENTICELLI cross themselves.

The first. You know, there have been rumors about this before.

Second. Thirty two years ago.

The first. When Mozart was dying.

Second. He said he was poisoned!

The first. He even named the killer!

Second. Chatted, Salieri is to blame!

The first. But no one believed!

Second. Everyone knew what he died of.

The first. From a bad disease, of course.

Second. It happens to everyone?

Pause.

The first(slyly). What if Mozart was right?

Second. What if someone actually killed him?

The first. And who? Our first Kapellmeister!

Second. Antonio Salieri!

The first. Can't be!

Second. Absolutely incredible!

The first. And why?

Second. For what?

First and Second. What could make him?