| Der Schauspieldirektor | |
|---|---|
| Singspiel by W. A. Mozart | |
 The composer, drawing by Dora Stock, 1789 | |
| Translation | The Impresario |
| Librettist | Gottlieb Stephanie |
| Language | German |
| Premiere | 7 February 1786 Schönbrunn Palace Orangery, Vienna |
Der Schauspieldirektor (The Impresario), K. 486, is a comic singspiel by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, set to a German libretto by Gottlieb Stephanie, an Austrian Schauspieldirektor. Originally, it was written because of "the imperial command" of the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II who had invited 80 guests to a private luncheon.[1] It is regarded as "a parody on the vanity of singers",[1] who argue over status and pay.
Mozart, who describes it as "comedy with music"[2] wrote it as his entry in a musical competition which was given a private performance hosted on 7 February 1786 by Joseph II at the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna.[3] This competition pitted a German singspiel, presented at one end of the room, against a competing Italian opera, the Italian entry being Antonio Salieri's opera buffa, Prima la musica e poi le parole (First the Music, then the Words), which was then given at the other end of the room.[1] The premiere was followed by the first of three public performances given four days later at the Kärntnertor Theater, Vienna, on 11 February.[3]
The autograph manuscript of the opera is preserved in the Morgan Library & Museum.
- ^ a b c Smith 2001, p. 608
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
RUSHwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Opera Glass on opera.stanford.edu