Amadeus Mozart Performed on Three Guitars

Some readers may recall that near the end of last month the Omni Foundation for the Performing Arts released an Omni on-Location video of guitarist Giulia Ballaré playing her own transcription of “In a Landscape,” one of the early solo piano compositions by John Cage. This morning saw the premiere of the latest video to be released. The music could not be more distant (in both space and time) from Cage. Instead, the composer is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; and the music is a transcription for three guitars of the overture to his K. 492 opera, The Marriage of Figaro.

I have to confess that I first encountered this opera at an early age (which was a time when the only operas that interested my parents were by Mozart). So it may well be that this was the first opera overture I ever heard. It was a good start with the string section hustling and bustling to prepare the opera-goer for all the twists and turns in the libretto’s narrative.

Zuzanna Bonarska, Wiktoria Bloch, and Wojciech Niemotko playing Niemotko’s transcription of the Overture for Mozart’s K. 492 opera

That said, I was more than a little impressed that all of that hustling and bustling could be distilled down into three guitars. Those familiar with the overture will probably appreciate the agility of the three guitarists (Zuzanna Bonarska, Wiktoria Bloch, and Wojciech Niemotko, who prepared the transcription). Mind you, in most productions of Mozart’s opera Susanna accompanies Cherubino on guitar when he sings “Voi che sapete che cosa è amor;” but this trio is only interested in Mozart’s music, rather than the narrative of his opera! My guess is that opera lovers will be impressed with how this guitar trio works its way into the setting for K. 492.