Mozart and Salieri (opera)

Mozart and Salieri
Opera by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Vasiliy Shkafer as Mozart and Fyodor Shalyapin as Salieri in the premiere
Native title	Russian: Моцарт и Сальери
Language	Russian
Based on	Mozart and Salieri by Alexander Pushkin
Premiere	1898 (1898) Solodovnikov Theater, Moscow

Mozart and Salieri (Моцарт и Сальери, Motsart i Salyeri) is a one-act opera in two scenes by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, written in 1897 to a Russian libretto taken almost verbatim from Alexander Pushkin's 1830 verse drama of the same name.

The story follows the apocryphal legend that Antonio Salieri poisoned Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart out of jealousy over the latter's music. Rimsky-Korsakov incorporated quotations from Mozart's Requiem and Don Giovanni into the score. Richard Taruskin has placed this opera in the historical context of the development of the realistic tradition in Russian opera.

The first performance took place at the Solodovnikov Theater in Moscow, presented by the Moscow Private Russian Opera, Moscow on 7 December 1898 (O.S. 25 November). The conductor was Iosif Truffi and scenic designer was Mikhail Vrubel.

Feodor Chaliapin, who originated the role of Salieri, claimed to have often sung the piece as a monodrama, as the role of Mozart goes no higher than g and was within his range.

In Britain the first UK performance was presented on 11 October 1927, again with Chaliapin as Salieri, while the first U.S. one took place in Forest Park, Pennsylvania, in 1933.

A recent UK revival took place in August 2016 at the 10th Grimeborn Festival at Arcola Theatre in London, the stage director was Pamela Schermann and musical director was Andrew Charity.