Will Amadeus attract a new generation to Mozart?
Forty years ago, the film Amadeus captivated audiences worldwide, winning eight Oscars, four Baftas, and four Golden Globes. It introduced millions to the music of the 18th century, with the Mozart soundtrack becoming one of the best-selling classical music albums ever, selling over 6.5 million copies and earning 13 gold discs. The film's impact was so profound that it inspired a novelty hit, Falco's 'Rock Me Amadeus', the first German-language song to top the US Billboard chart.
Now, on December 21, Sky is releasing a miniseries based on Peter Shaffer's 1979 play, which formed the basis of Miloš Forman's 1984 film. In an era dominated by streaming, short-form content, and shrinking attention spans, will this new adaptation bring fresh listeners to Mozart's music? The production team hopes so.
"The music is like a character in the show," says the musical director, Benjamin Holder. "One version of Mozart's voice is delivered through Will Sharpe's performance as Amadeus, and another through the music itself."
The miniseries features approximately 115 works by Mozart, scattered across its five episodes. While the musical passages are short, they are authentic Mozart, recorded on instruments as close as possible to those used in the late 18th century.
"We wanted to stay true to the period," explains music supervisor Chantelle Woodnutt. "We didn't want to set the show in a specific era with modern music. We included other classical composers like Salieri, Haydn, and Bach, as well as contemporary folk music from Turkey and Hungary, to showcase Vienna's cultural diversity and the influence of various musical traditions."
Holder adds, "Everyone involved in the series understood that Mozart's music was already cool. What becomes clear is that Mozart was a rock star."
To prepare for his role, Sharpe had to learn to play Mozart's music himself. "We started the piano stuff months ahead," says Holder. "Will spent weeks and weeks just playing scales."
Sharpe admits, "I had never had my opera epiphany before, but making this series helped me understand Mozart's music better."
"The music is extraordinary," he continues. "Some of it is playful, light, mischievous, and dainty, while other parts are dark and grand."
Rory Kinnear, playing the music-loving Joseph II, faced a different challenge. "He is extremely musical and a brilliant pianist," says Holder. "The difficulty was making it look plausible that he keeps missing the notes when playing Salieri's piece in the first episode."
Simon Callow, who played Mozart in the original National Theatre production of Shaffer's play in 1979, reflects on Shaffer's impact: "Peter Shaffer broke the image of Mozart as a perfect, unchanging figure and helped define the Mozart we know today. He opened the ears of many who didn't care for Mozart or didn't understand his music."
Martin Cullingford, editor of Gramophone magazine, welcomes the new show. "Anything that makes classical music a compelling part of the story is a good thing," he says. "It might simply be that many people haven't encountered Mozart, and if they watch this and think, 'Wow, that's extraordinary,' it will make a difference."
Does Cullingford see Generation Z embracing Mozart the way Generation X did? "Borders between genres are more fluid than ever, partly due to the ease of streaming," he notes. "I'm hopeful that if people want to respond to this, they no longer have to go into a specialist record shop, which might feel intimidating, and spend £15 on a CD. Instead, they can explore the music via streaming services."
Holder agrees. "A short-form version of the Queen of the Night's aria from The Magic Flute features in episode five," he says. "I'd like to think that watching that will make people go, 'Wow, that's pretty epic.'"
These sentiments echo those of the late conductor Sir Neville Marriner, who, with his Academy of St Martin in the Fields orchestra, recorded the 1984 film's music. He welcomed how the film introduced Mozart to a large audience.
In a 2015 podcast, Marriner shared his memories of working with Forman and actor Tom Hulce, and the importance of the film. "Young people sometimes feel uncomfortable with classical music's grand occasions," Marriner said. "The film was like going in the back door."
"Going around the world, it doesn't matter whether it's in China or America," Marriner continued. "One of the first things people want to talk about is Amadeus and how much it influenced their lives."
However, the return of Amadeus won't be welcomed by the Salieri team. Despite valiant attempts to rehabilitate Salieri's reputation over the years, Cullingford warns, "This will undo all the good work."
