By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
Sometimes portrayed as a prodigy with a high-pitched laugh, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has been consumed as the genius whose gifts were coveted by the mediocre. But his inner struggle to live as a genius musician has often been lamented.
The musical “Mozart!” brings the Austrian musician into the spotlight once again but this time he is a suffering human seeking a freer life and hoping to get away from the haunting shadow of being a child prodigy.
The story is set in 1768 in Vienna where the Salzburg conductor Leopold Mozart (Seo Beom-seok), his father, introduces his brilliant five-year-old son to the Viennese society on an open-air stage. Leopold is a headstrong man obsessed with his son’s extraordinary ability. The child prodigy (Park Eun-tae) grows and under his father’s wishes, he composes music for the ruler of Salzburg, Archbishop Colloredo (Yoon Hyeong-ryeol).
But Wolfgang’s arrogance angers the impatient ruler Colloredo. The Archbishop tears up the score Wolfgang gives him and throws it away. Wolfgang quits and leaves Salzburg with his mother.
After wandering around Vienna, Paris and London, he returns to Salzburg but with no substantial success. Wolfgang meets theater writer and producer Schikander out of desperation, who suggests that he write an opera to suit public taste. Colloredo who thinks himself as the perfect man is seized with a sense of inferiority toward Wolfgang as Salieri did in the film, ``Amadeus,” and attempts to thwart Mozart’s success.
Wolfgang clashes with his father over his music which drives him to live his life away from his father and he marries with Constanze. Colloredo is fascinated by the music of his former favored court musician and summons Leopold to offer Wolfgang a new position at court.
Leopold goes to Vienna to see his son at the request of Colloredo. But Leopold is again disappointed by his son’s arrogant attitude and returns to Salzburg. After the death of his father, Wolfgang is driven to confusion and is approached by a masked man who asks him to write a requiem. After the successful opera, “The Magic Flute,” he starts to compose the requiem.
From the start to the end of the musical, the child prodigy who embodies his fears actually shadows the grown-up Wolfgang, showing his mental suffering, from the strong pressure of being a genius in his childhood.
Wolfgang’s conflict with his father is the central tension in the musical, while the young Mozart suffers from the solitude as an artist who has to satisfy his father and the Archbishop.
The two main characters are pertinent in their inner struggles and outbursts of conflict. Colloredo’s inferiority complex adds to the already intensive tension of the two protagonists. Yoon with his rough but soulful baritone vocals are suited for depicting the loneliness behind the powerful man.
However, Park’s Mozart seems inexperienced and unstable in his acting although he has a good command of singing the high-pitch rock-tinged songs. Park’s shortage of acting skills is ably supported by veteran actor Seo who has a stable tone of voice and puts in a solid performance.
The musical composed by Sylvester Levay and written by Michael Kunze mostly relies on modern, haunting melodies from ragtime and rock songs to ballads rather than Mozart’s classical pieces. The young Mozart clad in torn jeans dresses like a rock star, a distinct contrast from the other characters that sport 18th-century costumes.
The Austrian musical is showing for the first time in Korea. For the Korean rendition, musical heartthrobs Im Tae-kyung, Park Gun-hyung and Kim Jun-su better known as Xiah, a member of idol group TVXQ, alternate playing Mozart. The musical will be on stage through Feb. 21 at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets cost from 30,000 to 130,000 won. For more information, call (02) 6391-6333 or visit www.musicalmozart.co.kr.