Mozart in Prague

Mozart in Prague tells the story of Prague's progressive and early embrace of one of the world's greatest composers-and of his reciprocation. Often dismissed in Vienna as a composer of excessively complicated music with little popular appeal, Mozart found complete recognition for his talents in Prague, likely as a byproduct of the exceptional musical literacy of the general population. Regardless, accounts of the affection lavished on Mozart by the people of Prague can be deeply moving for those acquainted with his bleak struggles for recognition in Vienna. Indeed, he was manhandled like a rock star at the concert in 1787 that featured the first performance of the "Prague" Symphony in a way that he never experienced anywhere else in his lifetime. And in contrast to the tawdry ceremonies that accompanied Mozart's burial in Vienna in 1791, his funeral in Prague, attended by thousands of mourners, brought civic life there to a complete standstill. It was the residents of Prague, not his home city of Vienna, who took full responsibility to provide for his penniless widow and orphaned children. Mozart in Prague tells the story of the amazing civic revival that was responsible for Mozart's unique personal and musical relationship with this profoundly beautiful and cultured city. It is nothing if not compelling-and the colorful cast of characters who helped shape it includes such unexpected names as those of Marie Antoinette and Giacomo Casanova.