Mozart! The Gem of European Musical Theatre

Dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the musical Mozart!

Contains fragments of the exclusive interviews with the creators of the show – Michael Kunze and Sylvester Levay

 

The premiere of the musical Mozart!, based on the life story of the famous composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, took place in 1999 at the Theater an der Wien.

The main idea of the dramatist and lyricist Michael Kunze and composer Sylvester Levay was to showcase the obvious contradiction between Mozart’s dissolute life and his divine music. They wanted to try and explain the apparent paradox.

The mystical character of Amadeus (Amadé in the musical) – the genius composer – is presented to us in the form of a little boy prodigy in a powdered wig, who has an external resemblance to little Mozart. Amadé follows the composer, remaining invisible to the other characters. According to the authors’ idea, it is he who composes brilliant works and “puts” them into Mozart’s head and ears, he also pushes Mozart toward death, being the embodiment of not only talent but also fate. Thanks to the presence of an evil genius, the authors answer the question: who composed the brilliant music: Wolfgang or his Alter Ego – Amadé?

Director Harry Kupfer boldly combined Mozart’s era with modern times.  The costumes of most of the characters can be described as a deliberate mixture of styles, colors, and materials, which altogether resemble a carnival. The set design is enigmatic: the moving floor and wings create the effect of constantly changing and transforming scenery. During the scenes set in the 17th century, the set mainly consists of video installations that are projected onto the large backdrop of the stage.

Michael Kunze wrote wonderful lyrics, which included many ingenious rhymed verses, couplets, nicknames, and words, that were peculiar to Mozart in life. The high poetry of the lyrics of the songs should be noted, as, in Wie Wird Man Seinen Schatten Los?/ My Shadow Always Follows Me , and ‘Was Für Ein Grausames Leben/ What a Cruel Life.

We asked one of the main founders of the European drama-musical, – the lyricist and librettist, Michael Kunze himself, to tell us how the musical Mozart! was created and how it became such a landmark production for all German-speaking countries.

 

Lisa Monde: Mozart! The Musical celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. I know the original German production very well and recently I heard some singles from the musical translated into English. Did you create a full English version of the musical? And if you have the fully translated libretto of Mozart! in English – are you planning on taking it to the English-speaking countries anytime soon?

Michael Kunze: Not right now. There are always people interested in the show, but it takes a while for things to work… There is no official English adaptation of the show out there yet. Whoever decides to produce the musical in an English-speaking country will have the right to decide who does the English translation. The way I do it is – I create an English version and then I work with an established English or American writer to finalize it.

LM: How did you come up with the idea of bringing Mozart’s alter ego, his younger self, onto the stage? 

MK: Easy, I wanted to tell a story of a very gifted “star”, as we would call him today, and the main point is that his talent is pushing him in a certain direction, but he is a young man who wants to live, enjoy life and experience it to its fullest. However, he can’t because his talent is too big. And I had to find someone to represent his talent on stage – it was pretty obvious I could use “Amadeus – the miracle child,” who in the musical is not just the sweet little kid but also a demon. That makes the story interesting. There is a scene in the show where the demon is about to kill Mozart, and that is what talent does – it kills. I mean, look at Michael Jackson… Such gifted people are all slaves of their talent. They owe everything they have to their talent. The talent makes them into stars of course, but it is also a burden.

LM: Do you believe Mozart would have been able to run away from his “shadow,” had he lived longer?

MK: No. It is impossible. One simply can’t.

LM: To follow up on that, do you believe in the speculations on the reason for his death? Medical reasons? Or do you believe in fate and that it was just his time to go since he had accomplished everything that he was meant to accomplish on this earth and was just taken as the bright star that he was early on?

MK: I think he was like a candle that burnt too bright and died down.

LM: Let’s talk about the English version of the show. You mentioned that if you move on to producing it in English-speaking countries, you would be working with another lyricist. In my understanding, this show is very difficult to translate – there are so many specific rhymes and so much wordplay, the nicknames between Mozart and Constanze and that special language of their own – for example, I thought right away of the song Sauschwanz von Drecken and wondered how would you translate that? There are no equivalents in English for most of the words there.

MK: Yes, but as a translator, you would have to come up with something similar. I don’t know if the “dirty rhymes” of Mozart have been translated but I would assume so. He wrote all of it, mostly what I used in those lyrics originally came from Mozart, from his letters and poems. I think it must have been already translated somewhere. As a translator, you can always find something that has a similar effect in a different language.

LM: Still, with Mozart! it is most difficult – finding something similar, preserving the rhyme that works with the music. The melody of the German language coincides with the melody of the original music of the show. And once you start translating it into other languages it is very complicated to keep those emphases and make them match with the music phrases. Now, you work with English and German languages, what happens when your shows are being produced in Asian countries (Korea, Japan, China), for example? When people translate your shows into Asian languages – you cannot control that part of the process. 

MK: I get to read the backward-translation.  You just have to trust people. Everyone involved in the creation of a show wants to make it happen and there must be a common feeling that the show is good – people working on it have the interest to keep the show as good as it is.

LM: As all good translators should…

MK: It’s always a risk though. But so far, I’ve been lucky.

LM: Mozart! runs in Germany, in Japan and in Korea, do you feel like those are three completely different shows you’ve got?

MK: Not at all. Actually, what happens is – I know the shows extremely well, I would just sit through a show in Korean or Japanese and I just forget that it is not in my language.

LM: I do want to ask you about the productions of your shows at the Takarazuka Theatre. In the musical theatre cast of Takarazuka company all performers are women. They’ve performed your musicals Elizabeth and Mozart! and when we talked about this with Sylvester [Sylvester Levay, the composer], he did mention that it was really strange seeing a woman sing for Ferdinand, for example. How did you feel about the productions of your shows at the Takarazuka Theatre? What was your experience like?

MK: I was surprised. But at the same time, it was like what I just said about the words in a language that I don’t know: when I’m watching their productions and see good actresses, I forget, I am willing to accept that the woman is playing a man and is a man. The performers of Takarazuka who play male parts are trained to be very masculine- the way they walk, and the way they behave. This is what good live theatre can do. You accept and believe anything if it is done well.

LM: In Takarazuka – because of the specifics of casting within that theatre company, did you ever have to change any lyrics?

MK: Not at all. There is a problem with the language itself because they need much more time to express something in Japanese. So, it is impossible to translate the lyrics fully. But the core of what the lyrics should say is in it. The meaning is preserved.

LM: Going back into the realm of Mozart!.. There were several musicals about Mozart – there was a French rock opera Mozart, Schikaneder the musical by Stephen Schwartz, and Rock Me Amadeus The Falco Musical. Have you seen those shows? If so, what do you think of their interpretation of Mozart’s story?

MK: Yes. Although Rock Me Amadeus has nothing to do with Mozart actually, it’s all about Falco. The French rock opera is totally different – it’s a spectacle more than anything else. Schikaneder is about Schikaneder. When Mozart’s music comes in – it is wonderful. But it is not about Mozart. I believe, that Mozart and Schikaneder wrote the first musical – which was The Magic Flute. To me, The Magic Flute is a musical.

LM: A very complicated musical.

MK: Complicated, but it has all the elements of a musical. I think all the shows that you’ve mentioned have their right to exist and their purpose, but they had nothing to do with our Mozart! The musical is more of a story of a modern pop star and his career. It’s a show about the drama of the lives of very talented people who are fighting other people that are trying to manipulate them. In Mozart’s case – starting with his father and ending with his mother-in-law.

     Michael Kunze’s poetics organically corresponds with the music by Sylvester Levay, who has also used the original compositions by Mozart in his work. In the music score, there are many rock ballads, arranged for a symphonic orchestra and a rock band. In some songs, the music is almost classical, and symphonic, while in others it has the distinctive sound of rock and pop-rock. Musical instruments intend to strengthen the emotional component with the help of alarming violins, roaring guitars, etc. The different styles of music correspond to different characters, for example, Constanze sings lyrical ballads (Irgendwo Wird Immer Getanzt/ Somewhere There’s Always Dancing), in which we hear the melodies from childhood: a tune of a lullaby or a music box. Mozart sings rock and rock-n-roll, and Schikaneder sings songs written in cabaret style (Ein Bissel Für’s Hirn, Ein Bissel Für’s Herz/Something for the Brain, Something for the Heart). It shows the versatility of the image of Mozart, who is the only one of all the characters who sings in almost all vocal styles.

   The composer himself – Sylvester Levay, gave us the inside scoop on how he created such wondrous music for the show that simply shines with it like a diamond.

 

LM: Congratulations on Mozart!’s anniversary! How do you feel about your baby, your creation, reaching such a point in musical theatre history and turning 25?

SL: I’m not trying to avoid that fact, you know. [laughs]  I look at all these wonderful things that happen to my work and I’m enjoying it. Sometimes I look back at it, remembering how things were when we started and how everything developed from then on… But I am not “inhaling” the success, I don’t want to get too carried away. I enjoy looking back at the time when we created those shows, but I prefer to exist in the present. I’m so busy with my thoughts at work that, when I get to the theatre, be it in Vienna, Switzerland, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Tokyo, Seoul, or Shanghai…when I take my seat in the audience, at the theatre, before the performance- I feel nervous.

LM: There were four big productions of Mozart! – the original in 1999, the Japanese production in 2002, the Hungarian one in 2003, and the Vienna revival in 2015. Now, how did these productions differ? Were there many changes made between the two Austrian productions?

SL: Yes, the Hungarians came requesting the license for the show at the same time as the Japanese producers came. Now, the Japanese market and people, the producers, have, how should I say, opened up our eyes to the international market. You see, they have asked for certain modifications or even an additional song or two. They never interfered with our work, but they wanted to convey to us their thoughts or their worries concerning their audiences. We said if it was necessary, we could work things out and adjust, if those changes were not necessary, we would do a “replica production.”

LM: It seems like you’re open to making adjustments. Text and the music as well. I think it’s amazing when composers, lyricists – authors of the original shows allow for that to happen. There are way too many versions of musicals out there in the world where it’s just like the copy of the original, exact replicas. And many times, it doesn’t quite work, because you’re dealing with a different language and a different audience, is that right?

SL: Yes. Although, you know, any changes are contractually restricted- if the Japanese decide to change something and make a suggestion, they have to double-check with us- because the language may require additional music notes for additional syllables.

LM: So, you said that you make those adjustments together with Michael [Kunze] when it comes to the language, depending on the country, where the production is happening. How about the performers? Have you ever changed or adjusted anything musically to “fit” the performer or to make something sound better in the performer’s range, for example?

SL: Yes, but I’m going to be very honest here: if the performer, a female performer or a male performer, who would give a great performance asks for it – then Michael [Kunze] and I have a say, especially musically- we must give our approval. In case I know that the adjustments are going to make the performance even greater – absolutely. But if a singer asks me: “Can you do this?” and I disagree, if I know that on the stage it wouldn’t work – I won’t change anything.

LM: And what about the Takarazuka Theatre, where women perform all the male parts as well, how does that work? Do you have to change the keys in some cases?

SL: Yes. In Takarazuka I had to do some key changes not only for the male parts but for all the main parts.  And it took me a while… to grasp that Franz Joseph will sing in a higher range, you know? And so, I said: “Ok, this is how it’s going to be. Let’s see what we can do.” We didn’t know how it would work. It was not easy.

LM: Do you participate in the casting process usually?

SL: Yes, every time.

LM: For the male roles, as you said, it felt very strange hearing a woman sing a part of a male character who is supposed to have a low voice, for example. During the process of casting do you try to get a mezzo-soprano or an alto to sing for the male part? And are you looking for higher sopranos to sing female parts?

SL: In the case of Takarazuka Theatre Company, it’s a very different situation. They have a set cast already. Their performers not only have the experience needed, but also, they have four casts rotating – it consists of 400 girls and the directors select from the best.

LM: How about the Korean performers – how are they different from the Japanese performers?

SL: They speak loudly and have strong voices.  That’s why sometimes in Korean productions they may have too many voices that are too strong. It’s so different from the Japanese casting requirements – that’s why we are always involved in the casting process in both Japan and Korea.

LM: I think it’s always very interesting to see how women transform into male characters. It’s happening more and more nowadays. 

SL: Yes, and it makes me very glad to witness such a movement.

LM: Now, since we’re talking about performers, going back to Mozart! I know it’s a trick question, but who has been your favorite performer in the role of Mozart throughout the years of the show’s existence?

SL: Well, that’s not a tricky question, but it’s a difficult question because I have many Mozarts that I like very much. But let me start with the Japanese production. Yoshio Inoue, who played Mozart this year just outside of Tokyo, is on a tour now with our musical Beethoven. He did Mozart, and he did Beethoven – played both leading parts. He performed in the musical Elizabeth as well! He is a very passionate actor. He doesn’t have the greatest voice, but I like him because at some point you can get over the fact that the voice may not be so great if you have a powerful actor in the role. The production in Vienna was my favorite, although we had a very tall and big guy playing Mozart, you know, Mozart actually was quite short… It didn’t seem to matter. We had a Dutch performer – Oedo Kuipers, and he is a great singer, also a great actor – so I like him. And my favorite singer in the whole world performs the part of Mozart in Korea. He sang in Elizabeth and Mozart also, now he performs in Beethoven. He was incredible in Mozart. His name is Lee Hae-Jun. He’s a famous pop star. You know, our Korean partners – there’s just two people, a woman and a man who own this big producing company, they selected young rock stars or pop stars for the leading roles in the show.

LM: It’s very interesting to see how one performer can change the whole “vibe” of the character, his or her style. I am a big fan of Yngve Gasoy Romdal, who played Mozart in the original production of the musical in 1999. I loved his voice. I loved the fact that he was very dramatic in his performance, which is perfect for Mozart. Yngve used various singing techniques in his performance, his rock ballads were simply out of this world. His Mozart was so nuanced. What are you personally looking for in your Mozart? What are the main criteria that you want your perfect “performer” in the role of Mozart to meet?

SL: I see the little-genius-Mozart as this “porcelain child” and the grown-up-Mozart is a guy who goes and gambles and goes after girls, burning his life.  I saw my best chance to showcase that difference – between Mozart – the prodigy kid and Mozart-the man, by having this kid represent Mozart’s genius. We used small excerpts of Mozart’s original music whenever we had the small Amadé on stage. But when the grown-up Mozart is on stage – he’s a rock’n’roll guy. He was a wild character. He was a genius. When someone is so intelligent and has so many talents, has a gifted brain, an amazing soul, and heart – he is walking on the edge of sanity and insanity. And that’s what we wanted to show- that Mozart was crazy in a way. Like a mad genius. Mozart was known to have written very sexy letters to his niece. You know, these letters are in exhibitions and it’s kind of all in there. But at the same time, he had a big heart and was a very emotional guy. First, I thought when we wrote the song, Ich bin Musik/ I am Music – that is where Mozart is in his own world.

LM: I think the way you’ve incorporated Mozart’s original music is beautiful and very smart. I can hear Mozart’s style in your music. For example, when I listen to the finale – Mozart! Mozart!– I hear Lacrimosa…

SL: I must tell you; I wrote this song just out of the blue. I was working on the show and suddenly this music came to me – that seemed to me like a sign from above. But then I reached the chorus and I knew it had to be big.

LM: When it comes to Mozart! The Musical, I was wondering if you’ve heard other musicals about Mozart- such as the French rock opera Mozart? And then there is also Schikaneder musical by Stephen Schwartz. I think Rock Me Amadeus, the Falco musical came out not that long ago… How do you feel about those shows? What do you think about their approach to Mozart’s music, and how they handled it? 

SL: First and foremost, I am a great admirer of Stephen Schwartz. But to me, his music in Schikaneder was too old-fashioned and it didn’t work stylistically, so let’s put that aside for now. Falco was a pop genius. For many decades, even before he recorded Rock Me Amadeus. And it was also high up in the charts in the USA. He was a huge hit. How he saw Amadeus as the character was perfect. I loved it. I can listen to his songs every day. Then with the French rock opera Mozart– I didn’t see it because I didn’t want to fly to Paris for that. But I’ve seen some scenes and listened to some songs, it was clearly a good stage production. When it comes to how they told the story and how they presented the character of Mozart on stage… First of all, it is not really a musical, it’s a spectacle. And in that genre, the way the story develops is completely different. You’re not telling a story; you sing songs and try to connect them with some dialogue – that’s not what I do. I cannot say much more because I haven’t seen the show, unfortunately.

LM: I believe that show represents what the French musical theatre is all about – they always have a lot going on stage. It’s always a big spectacle, you know, it’s kind of Cirque du Soleil inspired. And they have the pop stars on stage. Also, from what I’ve noticed with the French musicals, it’s not just one composer but a bunch of people who each write a couple of songs for the show. So, it’s just a whole different genre. It was interesting to watch it, but honestly speaking, I think that in your Mozart! you were able to incorporate the “spirit of Mozart” into the show.

   Let’s discuss the English version of Mozart! The Musical. I’ve heard some of the songs in English, they are available online. Sounds very different from what we’re used to in German.  I’m personally a big fan of the original German version, because it just makes sense for Mozart, and the melody of the German language works beautifully with the music. How do you feel about Mozart! in English?

SL: I cannot tell you for sure, because I have not experienced it in many songs. But I know one thing: when we have our shows in Korea and Japan, they do the shows in their own language, and it works! The show is a big hit in both countries.

LM: So, when it comes to composers and musicals about composers, it is a very interesting area in musical theatre. And you have written two musicals about composers: Mozart and Beethoven. It’s very educational for the public because I think a lot of people have heard Mozart’s music and Beethoven’s music, but they don’t know much about them. Do you think “musicals about composers” as a sub-genre of musicals have a chance to develop into something more in Europe and maybe hopefully come to the US?

SL: Well, I’ll tell you quite honestly, I was kind of hoping 10-15 years ago that Mozart! would come to London, to West End. I mean, I sure hope to see my musical on Broadway or off-Broadway maybe some day. But we are happy with what we’ve achieved so far. We have decided to do Beethoven, based on his original music. But this was a tough cookie because Beethoven was mainly an instrumentalist as a composer. We wanted to educate the young audiences and tell them more about classical music, and Beethoven’s life, so we cast a classical opera singer in the musical to show that the gernes can blend in together. It was hard work, but I enjoyed it. I felt as if Beethoven was looking over my shoulder all the time.

 LM:  Beethoven premiered in December 2023. And it’s still running. Are you planning on translating the show into English and German and bringing it to European countries as well?

SL: Well, that is one of the hopes and dreams that Michael and I share, you know. Especially since we wrote Beethoven in English originally. Michael [Kunze] usually collaborates with a Native American or English lyricist or poet on such projects. They rework the lyrics together. Michael always writes English lyrics that work with my music so well.

LM: Is there another composer that you would like to write a musical about after Beethoven?

SL: Oh, if I could choose just one person – it would be Chopin – he had a very dramatic life. But also, I love his music. He was a revolutionary! But I’m not planning on doing anything about that right now. Not yet…

Musical Mozart! was translated into Japanese, Hungarian, Czech, Korean, Swedish, Chinese, and French languages, which allowed to majorly expand the musical’s popularity. Japanese viewers especially liked the musical: after the original run in 2002, the musical returned eight more times since then and the new revival has just opened in Tokyo. In 2015 the Viennese revival of the musical took place, after which the interest in the project emerged with renewed vigor: it has now become accessible to the Chinese spectators and thanks to its translation into French – to the French-speaking European audiences as well.

   In the US the musical Mozart! is not known to a wide circle of admirers of this type of theatrical art.  So far, just like the musical Rebecca written by Michael Kunze and Sylvester Levay, the appearance of which has been awaited on Broadway for many years, it has not been able to cross the distance between Europe and America.  But I want to believe, that one day American spectators will be able to watch the musical Mozart! and share rave reviews. Like millions of grateful viewers who watched it over a quarter of a century. Even if this doesn’t happen soon, the exciting story of the life and mysterious death of the great Mozart will still excite the minds of our contemporaries and his music will belong to eternity.