- Mozart composed this Il Sogno di Scipione (The Dream of Scipio) K.126 in 1771 when he was about 15. It was first performed at the festivities surrounding the enthronement of Archbishop Colloredo in Salzburg.
- Mozart’s father Leopold was Colloredo’s deputy Kapellmeister, and Wolfgang entered the Archbishop’s service himself on August 21, 1772, as Concertmaster.
- Mozart would work for the Archbishop for some time before becoming frustrated with the situation and moving to Vienna to be a freelance performer and composer.
- This piece was adapted from the overture to Il Sogno, with a finale added to make it a standalone work. This version premiered in Salzburg in 1773 or 1774.1
- The plot revolves around Roman general Scipio Africanus the Younger having to choose in a dream between fortune and constancy.
Sources
- Cliff Eisen, and Stanley Sadie, “Mozart, (Johann Chrysostom) Wolfgang Amadeus,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed November 19, 2019, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-6002278233.
Cut IDs
44840