Special: Antonio Salieri

Bringing Antonio Salieri to the stage in Mozart’s hometown of Salzburg offers the perfect occasion to open discussions on current and compelling questions in Salieri scholarship. This symposium invites audiences to engage with the insights of international experts and offers a unique opportunity to explore Salieri’s works and legacy—focusing in particular on the rediscovery of his opera "Il mondo alla rovescia".

In 1787, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed Don Giovanni, introducing the archetype of the seductive man in a way that few have rivalled since. Eight years later, another dramma giocoso took to the stage: Antonio Salieri’s "Il mondo alla rovescia"—a counterproposal to the patriarchal entrenchment of "Don Giovanni"? Or simply a reiteration of the same heteronormative archetypes, only with gender roles reversed?

With contributions from leading Salieri scholar Dr. Timo Jouko Herrmann, conductor and university professor Christoph U. Meier, Anja Morgenstern of the Mozarteum Foundation, musicologist Bernardo Ticci (who prepared the new critical edition of the opera), as well as a panel discussion enriched by musical excerpts featuring director Alexandra Liedtke, conductor Carlo Benedetto Cimento, and dramaturge Anna N. M. Lea—this symposium opens a wide spectrum of perspectives. Topics include the new edition of the opera, Salieri’s relationship with the Mozart family, representations of femininity and masculinity on stage, and more.

An additional highlight: prior to the premiere, audiences will have the rare opportunity to hear the world premiere of a rediscovered serenade for mandolin from "Il mondo alla rovescia".

Programme:

13:00 Lecture by Dr. Timo Jouko Herrmann
Antonio Salieri: Repressed – Denied – Misunderstood

13:30 Lecture by Dr. Anja Morgenstern
The Relationship between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri

14:15 Moderated Concert with Univ.-Prof. Christoph Ulrich Meier
Salieri’s Influence on Mozart’s Operas

15:30 Lecture by Anna N. M. Lea, MA
Why We Find Men in Skirts Funny: Gender Representations on Stage

16:00 Lecture by Bernardo Ticci
Raiders of the Lost Scores

16:30 Panel Discussion with Musical Excerpts
(Moderation: Anna N. M. Lea, MA)

A detailed programme is available here.