The 25-year old Mozart composed his comic opera, The Abduction from the Seraglio, in 1781-2, shortly after his move from Salzburg to Vienna. The opera is set in a Turkish harem. Belmonte, a Spanish nobleman, seeks to free his fianceé, Konstanze, and their servants from the harem where they are imprisoned after having been captured by pirates and sold into slavery. In keeping with the opera’s oriental theme, Mozart added a number of “Turkish-style” instruments to the orchestra — bass drum, cymbals, triangle and piccolo. The Overture is witty and sparkling, with alternating loud and soft passages and a short reflective interlude in the middle.
Overture to "The Abduction from the Seraglio"
K. 384
Composed in 1782
By Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
