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Tracing the footsteps of J. Mysliveček and W. A. Mozart: The Estates Theatre
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is inextricably linked with the history of the Estates Theatre. He performed at the theatre on his very first visit in January 1787 to direct a performance of his opera The Marriage of Figaro. The opera had been a flop in Vienna, but completely captivated Prague. With a new opera, Mozart returned to Prague in August of the same year. Even while rehearsing the opera with the orchestra and soloists, he was still making changes, crossing out and re-writing. The première of Don Giovanni, an opera that Mozart dedicated to Prague and the people of Prague, took place on 29 October 1787 and was an extraordinary success.
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It was reprised many times right up to Mozart’s departure from Prague on 16 November, and continued to be performed long afterwards. In 1791, to mark the coronation of Emperor Leopold II as King of Bohemia, another Mozart opera, in which he returned to the serious genre, was performed at the Nostic Theatre, La clemenza di Tito (The Benevolence of Tito) However, it did not match the success of his previous operas. The same libretto had previously been set to music by Josef Mysliveček in an opera with an identical title.
One of the most beautiful historical theatres in Europe was built by the enlightened patriot Count František Antonín Nostic-Rieneck. At that time, the theatre capacity was almost 1000. It opened on 21 April 1783 with Lessing’s tragedy Emilia Galotti.
It survives to this day as the only remaining theatre where Mozart had been active. 200 years later, Forman’s film Amadeus, which won eight Oscars, was filmed here.
Contacts
- Tracing the footsteps of J. Mysliveček and W. A. Mozart: The Estates Theatre
- Železná / Ovocný trh
- Praha 1 – Staré Město
Information source: Prague City Tourism