The scene from the musicleThe French musical “Mozart l'Opera Rock. Le Concert,” which premiered in Moscow on Thursday, depicts Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart not as a great composer, but as a “regular guy” suffering from misunderstanding and heartbreak.
Temptations, passion and intrigue reign as Mozart travels across Europe and encounters strange characters, including a demonic clown, who brings all his secret phobias to life.
The first of two acts tells the story of Mozart when he was 20 and living in Salzburg. When life becomes unbearable, he travels off with his mother in search of fame, ending up in cities such as Mannheim and Paris.
In the second act, Mozart's ambition proves dangerous. He comes into conflict with his rival Salieri, who envies the young composer's talent, and accepts a commission to compose "Requiem" from a mysterious stranger. Mozart is overtaken by premonitions of his own death, and the end of Act II finds him on his deathbed, his masterpiece unfinished.
The actors, who number over 100, sing with the accompaniment of the Kiev Choir and Symphonic Orchestra. Mozart is played by Michelangelo Loconte, with major supporting actors Florent Mothe, Maeva Meline, Melissa Mars and Diane Dassigny. The orchestra is headed by Guy St. Onge, who has worked in the past with major talents including David Bowie and Celine Dion.
Each appearance by one of the main characters was greeted with applause and a standing ovation.
The French musical, created by Dove Attia and Albert Cohen, was considered one of the most successful commercial projects of 2009-2010, with almost 800,000 tickets sold in France, Belgium and Switzerland.