Creative Team

Music Director | Marcin Sompoliński
Staging, Direction, and Dialogues | Michał Znaniecki
Set, Costume, and Lighting Design | Paweł Dobrzycki
Choreography | Inga Pilchowska
Scenography | Katarzyna Gabrat-Szymańska

JUST AS MANY NOTES AS NEEDED

“I would say that in opera, poetry must be the obedient daughter of music,” wrote Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in a letter to his father, Leopold, on October 13, 1781. At the time, he was working intensely on his new work — the singspiel The Abduction from the Seraglio, to a libretto by the poet Gottlieb Stephanie, who was born in Wrocław.

“Why are Italian comic operas so popular everywhere, despite their poor librettos?” Mozart asked in the same letter — and promptly answered himself: “Because in them, music reigns supreme, and when you listen to it, everything else is forgotten. An opera is destined for success when the plot is well constructed, the words are entirely subordinate to the music, and not crammed in here and there to fit some unfortunate rhyme. The best scenario is when a good composer, skilled and persuasive in his suggestions, meets a capable poet — a true phoenix. Then there’s no need to worry about applause, even from the ignorant,” claimed the composer.

The Abduction from the Seraglio had a subtly national subtext from the beginning. In accordance with Emperor Joseph II’s vision — a great proponent of the singspiel as a national artistic form (a kind of counterpoint to Italian opera buffa) — operas were to be performed in the German language. As often happens, after a few years of unsuccessful attempts led by poorly chosen kapellmeisters, the emperor himself turned to Mozart and poet Gottlieb Stephanie to create a work that would embody his idea of a German response to the all-dominant opera buffa.

The work also tapped into the contemporary fascination with the Orient and all things associated with the Ottoman Empire. The markets of Vienna and Berlin were full of colorful fabrics, spices, and exotic goods — anything tied to a distant land, particularly with a distinct religious and cultural identity, sparked public curiosity.

In The Abduction from the Seraglio, the audience received exactly what they expected from such a theme. The characters were even somewhat caricatured — such as Pasha Selim, a fearsome and despotic ruler, or Osmin, a libertine and lighthearted overseer of the harem. The music, modeled on Janissary bands, was Westernized and adapted for a classical orchestra, enriched with distinctive percussion instruments.

Originally, The Abduction from the Seraglio was intended to premiere in honor of the visit of Prince Paul I Romanov — the future Tsar of Russia — to Vienna. However, due to a lack of time, one of Christoph Willibald Gluck’s operas was performed instead, giving Mozart more time to complete his work. It paid off. Mozart took his time refining the final form of the piece, rearranging ensembles and arias with care.

The opera’s premiere on July 16, 1782, at the Burgtheater in Vienna, was an overwhelming success. It even earned Mozart a special invitation to perform at the emperor’s court at the Hofburg. There, the monarch is famously said to have remarked, “Too beautiful for our ears, dear Mozart. And too many notes!” To which Mozart reportedly replied, “Just as many notes as needed.”

Perhaps the best review came from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe himself:
“All our efforts to stick to what is simple and unpretentious were in vain when Mozart appeared. ‘The Abduction from the Seraglio’ conquered everything, and our attempts to write a theatrical piece as perfect as his were futile.”

The Abduction from the Seraglio was the most frequently performed stage work during Mozart’s lifetime.

Piotr Iwicki