At the age of 25, young W.A. Mozart, disgruntled with his employment under the Archbishop Colloredo, was eager to leave his native provincial town of Salzburg and pursue loftier projects in the imperial city of Vienna. Once there, he quickly became acquainted with important figures in the city’s musical scene and within a year secured a commission for a new opera. The Abduction from the Seraglio premiered at the Burgtheater to great success on July 16, 1782. This landmark work secured Mozart’s reputation as the finest composer of his time. The score is brimming with musical innovation which still astounds to this day. In the hopes of trying to shed some light on the devices and techniques Mozart used to construct this musical drama, I decided to set out and describe five of my favourite moments from the opera.

On Friday, February 9, the Canadian Opera Company was thrilled to announce the appointment of COC General Director Alexander Neef as Artistic Director of Santa Fe Opera by incoming SFO General Director Robert K. Meya. English conductor Harry Bicket, a frequent COC collaborator, was also named Music Director. 

Although Alexander will take on this exciting new role, he will continue his position as COC General Director, which remains his core priority and primary professional responsibility.