Day 053: Mozart's magical opera
36yearsago.com
Vienna 1971—A Student Journal
A year of music, study, travel, sightseeing &
friends.
Day
53 — Mozart’s magical opera
24-September-1971
(Fri.)
TRANSCRIPT
In preparation for Komposition, began to practice
piano [in] the morning. I will need a lot of
practice.
Jeff, the English roommate, left today—to travel back
to England. So are many of the other people who were
here for the course. Jeff, was another “bloody nice
bloke”—a “jolly good roommate.”
Realized Monday is audition for Komposition. ???
Went to Volksoper: Mozart’s “Die
Zauberflöte”—Magic Flute. Excellent as usual. Very
light, comic, and delightful.
One day, I think I would like to write an opera. If
that would be a good name—multimedia, film,
orchestra, electronic tape—story line could be about
a “musician genius” going through school, getting
involved in many philosophies (war, etc.) and such.
Comedy-with drama and meaning.
When I read this back, it seems pretty corny, and
stupid. But who knows—??
REFLECTIONS
Photo.
Vienna
pays tribute to it's favorite composer, Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart, with this statue of him in the
Burggarten near the Ringstrasse.
Magical opera. After
seeing the Magic
Flute by Mozart
at the Volksoper, with all of the music and stage
action, I enjoyed it so much that I was imagining how
an avant-garde or contemporary multimedia performance
could be similar to an opera (though
opera
might not
be the right term). Contemporary composers have
created these types of multimedia works. So, although
I haven't written this opera as of yet, it’s nice to
be inspired by music, art, literature, movies,
photographs, or whatever, and imagine what
you
can do.
Regardless, the Magic
Flute is fun and
should be another opera that is in everyone’s
got-to-see bag. There is a very famous aria (with
very high notes) that I’m certain most people would
recognize if they heard it.
Life
things. Earlier in
the day, I’m busy with preparing for exams (there I
go again with the funkadelic “German” spelling
of Komposition)
and seeing friends off. The composition exam is this
coming Monday— Life is always moving on. It waits for
no one.
Sad to see roommate Jeff go.
John
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