Vienna had enjoyed Le nozze di Figaro, but it was Prague that adored it. Prague – a fast-growing, energetic city with a distinctly Bohemian spirit – embraced the opera with enthusiasm I had never encountered before. The music seemed to be everywhere. Its lively melodies echoed through theaters and salons and drifted even through the street.
In the markets, vendors hummed its tunes. Women drooled over the young and hormone-driven pageboy Cherubino. Men attempted to become Figaro – with varying degrees of success.
Prague did not merely admire my music, it claimed it. Seizing the moment, the Prague opera house promptly commissioned a new opera. I accepted without hesitation. The result was Don Giovanni[i].
The story follows the final day of Don Giovanni, an arrogant and unrepentant libertine, as his relentless pursuit of pleasure finally catches up with him. The drama begins with the accidental murder of the Commendatore, father to Donna Anna, one of Don Giovanni’s many victims. From there, the opera moves briskly toward its inevitable conclusion.
True to form, the libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte was sharp and layered, balancing humor with darkness so deftly that even as Don Giovanni faces eternal punishment, the audience is never entirely certain whether to laugh or shudder. The premiere was a triumph. Prague rose as one, applauding with an intensity that left little doubt where its loyalties lay.
Then, a dreaded letter arrived from Salzburg. Father was gravely ill.
I hurried to reach him, but I did not arrive in time. He was already gone. There were no final words, no last reconciliation, no opportunity to resolve what pride had left unfinished. Father had been my teacher, my guide, and above all, my fiercest advocate. We had argued, disagreed, and disappointed one another, but beneath everything lay a bond shaped with love, adoration, and shared purpose.
With both my parents now gone, I felt a loss so complete that it seemed to redraw the shape of my life. Applause still echoed in my ears. But it sounded different now.
[i] Don Giovanni (K. 527) is an opera in two acts and regarded as one of the greatest operas of all time. The opera was supposed to premiere on 14 October 1787 for Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria’s visit, but it was not ready in time and Le nozze di Figaro was substituted. Mozart recorded its completion, finally, on 28 October, the night before the premiere (29 October).