Amadeus

"Amadeus" the Movie vs. Amadeus the Composer

Many know Mozart through his music: serene, organized, ingenious, beautiful. But did his real life persona personality match the character in Amadeus?

1. Mozart was a prankster. TRUE.

A famous example occurred during a performance of The Magic Flute. A character is required to pretend to play a glockenspiel. At one performance, Mozart sneaked backstage to actually play a glockenspiel, later writing: "As a joke, I played music when he was speaking. … He was forced to hit the glockenspiel, mumbling 'Stop it!' Everybody laughed."

2. Mozart conducted his pieces from the podium. FALSE.

The movie shows Mozart conducting several of his pieces from the podium in front of his orchestra. The concept of a conductor leading an orchestra didn’t really take off until the nineteenth century. In Mozart’s day, tempo and volume decisions were primarily decided by the concertmaster and keyboardist.

3. Salieri killed Mozart. FALSE

Mozart’s death is still mysterious. His death record listed "severe military fever," but dozens of theories have been proposed, including influenza, mercury poisoning, a kidney ailment, and acute rheumatic fever. The movie inferred that another composer, Salieri, did him in. Salieri did “confess” to killing Mozart while out of his mind later in life, but musicologists consider this unlikely.

Give to the
Annual Fund

Gifts to the Annual Fund ensure that Sarasota Orchestra can continue to share the gift of music with our community through concerts, education and outreach programs. Please join us by making a donation today. Together, we can keep the music playing, now and always.

Don't Miss These
Special Events

Deepen your connection and make great memories with Sarasota Orchestra at these delightful happenings.


Masterworks Dinner
March 28, 2023

Contact Us

 Address

709 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota, FL 34236

 Phone

Box Office: 941.953.3434
Administration: 941.953.4252

 Box Office Hours:

Our staff is here to help by phone, email, or in-person Monday-Friday from 10am-4pm.

Box Office Information
 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

About Us

Our mission is to engage, educate, and enrich our community through high-quality, live musical experiences.

Review the Orchestra

Review the Sarasota Orchestra on TripAdvisor Review the Sarasota Orchestra on Facebook