Amadeus
by Peter Shaffer
April 2005
Thirty years after Mozart's death, a rumour is spread throughout the
whole of Vienna: Salieri, court composer to the Emperor Joseph II, is
said to have poisoned Mozart, this brilliant and yet so infantile
composer. The source: the Italian himself. Feeling embittered by age
and his past, Salieri addresses the audience to confess all sins he has
ever committed. In an extended flashback, he takes us back to the most
beautiful and most devastating moments of his life and career.
Forgiveness is impossible, but is understanding? How did all this come
to pass? And did Salieri really murder Mozart?
Peter Shaffer's Amadeus was first performed in 1979. It has been a
theatrical hit ever since. The popularity of the piece was taken even
further by the impact of Milos Forman's film adaptation in 1984, which
won 8 Oscars.