Mozart and Mannheim

Mozart was in Mannheim four times, especially because of the famous orchestra. Here he wrote numerous works and experienced his first love with Aloysia Weber, the sister of his later wife Constance.

W.A. Mozart first traveled to Mannheim in July 1763 together with his parents and his sister Nannerl. A caesura in the life of the young artist was, of course, his five-month stay in the years 1777 and 1778, when he came to Mannheim accompanied only by his mother. This was the beginning of his emancipation from his father, and it was here that he made human experiences that affected the rest of his life. For a time he also found his private happiness: although he first fell in love with the young singer Aloysia Weber, he also met her sister Constance here, whom he later married.

In March 1778, Mozart and his mother went to Paris, from where the composer returned alone to Mannheim in the late fall of 1778, since his mother had died unexpectedly in the meantime. The city gave him comfort: "...in a word, as I love Mannheim, so Mannheim loves me," he wrote to his father. In the fall of 1790, Mozart and his brother-in-law Franz de Paula Hofer roamed the square city for the last time. It is assumed that on this occasion, on October 24, he also conducted the Mannheim premiere of his opera "The Marriage of Figaro" himself.

Every year, the Mannheim National Theater maintains the Mozart tradition by performing Mozart operas in its repertoire. In 2022/23, this is the opera "La Nozze di Figaro”, which will be performed in February and March 2023. The performances will take place at the Schloss Theater Schwetzingen.

Dates: February 26/28 and March 2/4/9/11

Photos: copyright National Theatre Mannheim