Mozart in Prague

Dismissed in Vienna as a composer of excessively complicated music with little popular appeal, Mozart found complete recognition for his talents in Prague, likely as a byproduct of the exceptional musical literacy of the general population. Accounts of the affection lavished on Mozart by the people of Prague can be deeply moving for those acquainted with his bleak struggles for recognition in Vienna. Indeed, he was manhandled like a rock star at the concert in 1787 that featured the first performance of the "Prague" Symphony in a way that he never experienced anywhere else. And in contrast to the tawdry ceremonies that accompanied Mozart's burial in Vienna in 1791, his funeral in Prague, attended by thousands of mourners, brought life there to a standstill. It was the residents of Prague, not Vienna, who took responsibility to provide for Mozart's widow and children. Mozart in Prague tells the story of the amazing civic revival that was responsible for Mozart's unique personal and musical relationship with this beautiful city and the colorful characters who helped shape it, including Marie Antoinette and Giacomo Casanova.