Mozart’s opera, The Abduction from the Seraglio, was not well-received by one especially influential critic, the Emperor Joseph II. How did the emperor sum up his negative reaction to the work?
A) Indistinguishable from last year’s B) Like sitting for a portrait C) Not “Viennese” D) Too many notes ü
Although Joseph’s cutting remark is often presented as particularly unperceptive, it was actually a common reaction to much of Mozart’s music in his lifetime. While recognizing his genius, many contemporaries felt the composer was too much inclined towards radical innovation and compositional excess.
