Mozart
Don Giovanni, Requiem, symphonies
The most naturally gifted musician who ever lived. His operas — particularly Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro, and Così fan tutte — achieve a perfection of dramatic characterization that opera would never quite reach again. The late works darken into profundity without losing an atom of grace.
Key works
- Don Giovanni1787— Opera's greatest anti-hero
- The Marriage of Figaro1786— Comedy as human revelation
- Requiem1791— Unfinished — death interrupted
- Symphony No. 41 'Jupiter'1788— The fugal finale — counterpoint reborn