Upper Austrian Abbey Concerts - Friday Academy - Stefan Suske

Program

W. A. Mozart "The Abduction from the Seraglio"
KV 384 - Excerpts from the Donaueschingen Harmoniemusik for two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two French horns and double bass

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Die Entführung aus dem Serail", first performed in Vienna in 1782 under the direction of the composer, can be heard at this concert in a version for eight wind instruments and double bass created by the composer himself. Enchanting melodies that unfold their full magic in this version.

The actor Stefan Suske tells the adventurous story of love in times of fanaticism. At a time when the Ottoman attacks on Vienna had not yet been forgotten, the play must have had a very provocative effect. Even today, Mozart's point of showing a Muslim ruler to be more human than his Christian counterpart is still astonishing. Mozart's "The Abduction from the Seraglio" is and remains a highly political, highly moral piece about the tensions between the Orient and the Occident.