Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Everyone knows this musical maestro from the movie Amadeus, which gave a brilliant insight into the man, who apart from writing seventeen operas, also completed 46 symphonies and 26 piano concertos. This fact is made even more remarkable with the knowledge that he died aged 34 years ! This Shakespeare of opera was born in Salzburg in 1756, to a world then dominated by Italian opera. Writing under commission (a necessity at those times), his mastery of orchestration and creativity has left a legacy of unsurpassed distinction. 

Le nozze di Figaro, or as it is more well known, The Marriage of Figaro, is probably the place to start with the operas of Mozart, although Cosí Fan Tutte, The Magic Flute and Don Giovanni are equally compelling. This opera, in Italian, was first performed in 1787 and is of the classic farce, mistaken identity, all ends well type. But between the first note of the overture and the conductor putting down his baton, lie a host of aural aphrodisiacs that are the magic of Mozart. For many this is opera at its best. 

Source: Opera Goodies Website