How erotic is
Mozart's music? Creator of timeless music, Catholic composer, master of melancholy introspection,
Mozart also belonged to the Rococo age, a courtly culture that regarded eroticism as a game of hidden messages, unwritten rules, and hidden symbols, a game whose purpose was pure pleasure. While
Mozart, whose death in 1791 coincided with the end of the Rococo age, which was swept away by the murderous fury of the French Revolution, believed in love, much of his music celebrates the spirit of pure eroticism. For example, the enigmatic opera Così fan tutte, represented in this interesting album of
Mozartian eroticism by an instrumental arrangement of a tender aria, describes what modern parlance would call partner swapping. While the Così fan tutte goes beyond eroticism to explore the more serious subjects of love and faithfulness, this album's best selections capture the spirit of a pastoral, untroubled, and gentle eroticism beautifully illustrated by the exquisite paintings of
Watteau. For example, the Andantino from the Concerto for flute and harp suggests the golden languor of an afternoon in Arcadia, with the flute, an erotic instrument par excellence, singing a melody of vague amorous yearning. As this afternoon turns into evening, night -- with its promises of mystery and erotic adventure -- finds its herald in the delightful "Eine kleine Nachtmusik" represented in this selection by the atmospheric Andante. Listening to this movement, the intoxicating enchantment of a summer's night wafts in as a time when nocturnal spirits reveal a world of charm, unexpected encounters, and secret pleasures. Of all the selections that include powerfully dramatic music exemplified by the first movement of Symphony No. 25 and the Finale of the Symphony No. 40, the Andante from "Eine kleine Nachtmusk" most beautifully embodies
Mozart's illuminating conception of the erotic.