Original subtitles

'The following programme contains strong language,

scenes of a sexual nature

and scenes which some viewers may find distressing.'

The Emperor commissioned another opera.

Fancy putting words to it?

SALIERI: But you're working for me! He played me some.

From this time on, we are enemies.

They don't see him much at church on Sundays any more.

He stole my librettist!

How's the Marriage of Mozart?

CONSTANZE: You're leaving Vienna? I saw you sing last year.

I still think about it.

You're writing it for your wife? Yes.

You could just talk to her. MOZART: This is how I talk.

SUESSMAYR: November is a long time to be alone.Yes, it is.

He's refusing to reveal what his opera is about.

You're Kapellmeister now, Salieri.

If the audience leave the theatre

and march on the palace demanding my head,

you've my permission to shut it down.

LEOPOLD: Our Emperor rides to war, and you incite a mob?

You couldn't hear it, could you?

SALIERI: He had secured greatness.

# "Don Giovanni, KV 527: Overture"

(BANGING AT DOOR)

Well, who could that be knocking at my door at this hour?

I had your footman call for a doctor on my way here.

A kindly physician come to administer a tonic?

Or rough men with rough hands, come to drag me away?

Perhaps your treatment will depend on what I say to them.

Ah...

I'd like you to finish your story, Kapellmeister. We still have time.

Do you know what always puzzled me?

That in the moments of my greatest wickedness,

I was never punished.

The more abhorrent my behaviour,

the more I waited for God's retribution,

and it... it never came.

In fact, the opposite was true. I was rewarded for it.

I watched Bonno die... I was given his position.

I committed infidelities... and nothing.

Nothing ever happened.

But there are always consequences.

There is always... a reckoning.

SALIERI: 'Figaro was shut down.

I had truly blocked Mozart for the first time.

And I awaited God's response to my challenge.

But he did not seem to defend his creature.

Amadeus lost more pupils.

Money became so tight, he had to downsize his apartment.

Even my introduction of Suessmayr had yielded more than I expected.'

Well, I love his music. I do.

Ever since I heard it through the floorboards

of my mother's house, I've loved it. But...

What?

It's not enough.

Wolfgang...

My leg has been troubling me, and the doctor thinks

some time away would be good for me.

Thinks I should take the waters in Baden.

Does he?

Just for a month or two, maybe.

Karl can stay with my mother and sisters.

I'll send for him later on.

And you can have one of these if you like?

Mm-hmm...

I'll send word to you when I get there.

OK, Karl, before you go, shall I show you a little magic trick?

# "Piano Concerto No.27 in B Flat, KV 595: Larghetto"

Are you listening?

One more time...

You see?

Now that's in your head,

when you go down for bed tonight, you might hear it.

And then you'll think of me, won't you?

Yeah...

Here we go...

There you go.

You might hear it, too.

Bye, Karl.

(KARL CRYING)

(DOOR OPENS AND SHUTS)

(TWEETING)

MAN: Fire! (VOLLEY OF GUNSHOTS)

(BARKED ORDERS)

Kapellmeister. Not interrupting, am I?

Yes. But no more than the soldiers.

What do you need, Johan?

I heard some news this morning from my Lodge.

The Masons - I'm a Brother there, you know?

Yes, I had heard that.

We'd be very keen in having you join us, by the way.

Bless you, but I... I serve only one master.

Yes, of course.

Well, this morning I heard

that one of our Brotherhood had passed away suddenly.

Oh, dear, who?

Who?

Antonio. They told me this was...

Well, they told me this is where you're living now.

Yes, what do you think?

Oh, well, er... I'm joking, it's a shithole.

I know it is. Don't worry, we'll be back somewhere nicer soon.

Is, er... Constanze here, no? She's in Baden.

Do you know Baden? It's a lovely spa town.

She gets this thing with her legs. The waters help, apparently.

Mozart...

Your father has died.

I received the news this morning from the Brotherhood.

Right.

I see...

Erm...

Er, when? When did he...?

Two days ago.

I wanted to be the one to tell you.

I thought it might help

to have the news delivered by a friendly face.

Is that what you are?

Mozart...

Many composers view the Kapellmeister as an adversary,

but I'm not. I'm really not.

Of course.

Well... thank you for letting me know.

I prefer to be on my own now, though, I think.

Of course. Absolutely.

If you need anything...

Anything...

My condolences, Wolfgang.

(DOOR CLOSES)

(STRINGS PLAYING SOMBRE TUNE)

Here rests a bird called Starling, a foolish little darling.

He was still in his prime when he ran out of time.

And my sweet little friend came to a bitter end.

CROWD: Ahh...

Gentle crowd, shed a tear, for he was dear.

I bet he is now up on high,

praising my friendship to the sky.

For when he took his sudden leave...

..which brought to me such grief.

(CROWD MURMURING)

To a good companion.

(CHEERING)

(LIVELY TUNE ON STRINGS)

That's the first time I've been to a bird's funeral,

that's for sure.

Well, he was quite a creature.

(FOLKSY DANCE TUNE)

(MUSIC DISTORTS)

(MUSIC ENDS)

(LONE CLAPPING)

(CLAPPING CONTINUES)

(WOMAN LAUGHING)

(CRESCENDO WITH DISTORTED VOICES AND KNOCKS)

(ALL FADE)

(EXHALES)

(CLATTERING)

Ugh...

(EXHALES)

("DON GIOVANNI OVERTURE" ON FORTEPIANO)

(SINGING ALONG)

It's not one to listen to on a hangover.

What is it? Our next opera.

Our next opera? Our next opera.

And what's it about?

(SINGING IN ITALIAN)

(INDISTINCT CHATTER, LAUGHTER)

What do you think of it so far? I think we rather get the point.

The man's an unrepentant fornicator.

A thousand women in Spain? A thousand and three.

A thousand and three. Well, there you go.

Have you, er... spoken to the Emperor yet?

Er, not yet, erm...

I was advised that he wasn't in the mood for conversing.

How long has he been back from the front? So to speak.

Two weeks. He didn't want to leave,

but his health has been poor.

Does anyone know if we're winning?

Winning what? The war.

Of course we're winning!

Yes, of course. Emphatically!

Well, that's a relief. (CHUCKLES)

What did you think?

I thought he looked pale. Mozart.

See him swaying at the podium? He doesn't look well.

Probably been drinking. Mm.

That's how he spends most of his time these days.I'm enjoying it.

I found it rather erm... tuneful.

Tuneful? Yes. Tuneful.

Antonio, wouldn't you agree? No, I wouldn't.

I'd say the whole thing's rather thin so far.

Let's hope the second half gives us something more to chew on.

(MUSIC RESUMES)

SALIERI: 'I watched that performance on opening night.

I heard those words, I listened to that music,

and I knew: he'd opened himself up.

Revealed the darkest parts of his being.

I saw it then,

his damaged mind, the naked ugliness of his grief and guilt.

There in that demonic figure on the stage

was his own father.

And in that poor, wretched philanderer,

Mozart himself, punished for his sins,

his puckish ebullience, his insolent virility.

(CRIES OUT)

'I saw his open wound, and through it...'(MUSIC ENDS)

'..his barely beating heart.'

And I knew exactly where, in time, I would place the final blade.

(CLAPPING)

SALIERI: Bravo, Maestro. It's...

Well, it's a triumph.

Thank you.

You don't seem well, sir, if you don't mind my saying.

Oh, I'm fine.

I...

I didn't see your wife in the audience.

No. She's, er... still away.

Well, she's been gone a long time.

Well, I hope you're looking after yourself.

The, er... Brotherhood has been looking after me.

The Freemasons? Yes.

They've been keeping me afloat since Father died.

A few commissions. It's all charity, really, but, er...

I'll pay them back when I can, obviously.

Well, I'm just glad to see

you still have old friends looking out for you.

That's... That's wonderful.

You really liked it?

It was as though I were looking into your soul.

'He'd written a masterpiece, again.

And I was nothing but a spectator.'

But my power was undiminished.

My influence remained.

And I used it to ensure

that Don Giovanni played only five times.

Of course, I saw every one of those five performances.

(MUSIC RESUMES)

I wasn't the only one.

Your Majesty.

Antonio.

I wondered when you were going to come and say hello.

I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I...

I didn't know if you'd want to be disturbed.

It's all right.

How, er... How is the war?

How is the war?

I have all the music manuscripts sent to me at the front.

All the new work.

I, erm...

I sit and try and read and...

and hear the music, as I know you can, but, er...

..my ear is... (CHUCKLES)

I'd love to be able to have your ear.

Be able to sit and hear the music and truly understand it.

Yeah.

My great regret. (CHUCKLES)

What about this boy?

My God, Antonio, listen to this.

Do you ever marvel how lucky we are,

out of all of human history, to have...

shared our time with music such as this?

I do. (COUGHING)

Will you promise me one thing?

That you'll continue to commission new work.

For the people left behind and the men who return.

Let there be music for them at least.

Of course, Your Majesty.

There was so much I wanted to do, Antonio.

SALIERI: 'That was the last time I ever saw the Emperor.

He returned to the front

and died six months later in his bed.

And with him went your husband's most powerful ally.'

Mozart, we have to shut down.

We love it, we believe in it, I advocated for it, but...

..with budgets as tight as they are,

I'm afraid it's just more cost effective to scrap it.

Well...

The next one will be even better.

The next one? Yes.

Wolfgang...

Figaro, Don Giovanni...

Er... your work is strong, we both know that.

But the Imperial Opera, it's not for everyone.

These big old halls, they can be unforgiving.

It's not just you.

Everything's being cut. I'm sorry.

Why can't they hear it?

These are dark times, Mozart.

Perhaps the people desire light.

(PLAYING SINGLE NOTES) Light...

Light... (BANGING AT DOOR)

Fuck off, please!

(BANGING CONTINUES) Fuck off!

(BANGING CONTINUES)

Ugh...

(DA PONTE CALLS OUT)

(BANGING CONTINUES)

(CHEERING)

Maestro! We would like to formally invite you

to the wake of Don Giovanni.

Thank you for inviting us in.

(LAUGHTER)

Thank you!

Down, gentlemen, please.

Oh! Thank you.

To another dead darling.

(CHEERING)

To another dead darling.

(CHEERING)

(MUSIC STRIKES UP)

Excuse me? Herr Mozart? Erm...

I'm sorry.... I'm sorry to be bothering you.

Well, why are you doing it, then?

Er... Erm, I'm a huge, huge, er... admirer of yours.

He doesn't write the words, you know?

Sorry, who are you? Yeah, sorry. I'm Gregor, sir.

I'm... I'm, erm... Gregor Braun. I work backstage.

So, we've never spoken.

Please...

So, which of my works have you seen?

Er... (LAUGHS) All of them.

I mean, as many as I've been able to.

And I've bought all of the pieces I can...

that I could find. So, I've bought, erm...

the... the six piano sonatas published in Paris...

er... and the Twelve Variations on La Belle Francoise,

erm... and then the Turkish March,

the piece from the A Major Sonata... Er...

Wow, you really are an expert on him.

What... What did he have for dinner last night?

Oh! How low do his balls hang?

(LAUGHING)

Er... I don't, I don't know everything about you, Maestro.

I...

I just really, erm...

I really dream of emulating you. Oh.

I was 10 years old when I first heard your work.

And it just felt as though...

Yes?

It felt as though the heavens were talking to me.

As though God was speaking through me.

Yes.

Well, let's see if you can speak back, shall we?

Be rude not to. What did you say your name was again?

Er, Gregor. Ah, Gregor!

My father had a dog named Gregor. Can you do tricks, too?Er...

Make yourself comfortable. Show us what you can do. Gather round!

This is Gregor. He's gonna play us some tunes.

(APPLAUSE)

Please, don't be shy, come forward.

Come forward!

In your own time...

(PLAYS PIANO PIECE WITHOUT EMOTION)

Gosh. Well, there it is.

What did everybody think? I'll tell you what I made of that.

I recognised the notes, but little else.

As if the soul had been ripped out of it.

Go on, please, let's try another one. Surprise me.

Er...

OK, I, er... Actually, this one's quite fun.

I just, erm... I did an arrangement

of one of your, er... serenades for fortepiano.

Please.

(PLAYS SOULLESS VERSION OF "EINE KLEINE NACHTMUSIK")

No, no. No, no, no!

If you're going to play that one...

(PLAYS INDIFFERENTLY) It's not like that.

It's like this. (PLAYS NOTES GENTLY)

Hear the difference? Mm.

Start again. Why don't we...

Start again!

(PLAYS WITHOUT EMOTION)

Gregor, you tell me that you want to be a musician?

And then you embarrass us both with this half-baked shit.

I didn't say stop! Keep playing!

But for fuck's sake, Gregor! Do it properly!

I thought you liked my music! Why are you butchering it?

Not like that! You get distracted!

You have to focus on the music!

(CROWD GASPING)

Do you want my advice, Gregor?

Find another dream! Find something you can actually do.

And find some other composer to fawn over.

Maybe you can waste his time instead.

(KARL GRIZZLING)

Did it make you feel good

humiliating that poor boy in front of everyone?

When did you get back? This afternoon.

So, did you see it? What?

Don Giovanni. My opera. Did you see it?

Yes.

And? What did you think?

"A thousand and three in Spain"?

Well, Lorenzo writes the words, so...

Well, I know how you inspire him.

Your leg seems much better.

How was Baden? Good.

How was Franz?Oh, so I'm the subject of gossip, am I?

You make yourself the subject of gossip.

Do I? How? By carrying on... like a...

Like a what? Like a whore!

Like a cheap... fucking whore.

A cheap fucking whore is the only kind you'd be able to afford!

Mother said you haven't been to see Karl once.

She said she saw you one morning,

and you were too drunk to recognise your own son.

I'd see more of my son if his mother didn't run off to moisten the balls

of every inadequate fucking student musician to look her way.

Well, yes, Franz did! He did look my way.

He looked at me. Yeah. He saw me.

He spoke to me, he...

He bothered to ask my opinion on things

beyond, "What did you think of my fucking opera?"

What did you think of my fucking opera?It was too fucking long!

It made me sad.

Like I was intruding on something I wasn't supposed to see.

It made me realise everything I know about you

I've had to learn through your characters.

And I wondered if you...

if you could ever open up to me, or...

just be stuck hoping that...

Figaro or Don Giovanni will tell me the things you won't.

You are supposed to see it.

You're supposed to see it.

(SNIFFS)

You can't stay with me.

It isn't good here.

(GASPS)

DA PONTE: We'll go again.

We'll write something else. You'll write something else.(SIGHS)

You shouldn't do this, keep working with me. I'm cursed.

Oh, please, don't be a fucking martyr.

Go write for Salieri, or fucking Righini, or anyone else.

We're having a small run of bad luck, I'll give you that.

Look, I don't want to write for any of them.

I want to write for you.

It's different with you. You know that.

And that's as much of a compliment

as you'll get out of me, so don't look for any more.

I hate this.

What?

The end of a party.

I'd be delighted to have you put something on here.

I assumed you'd stage your next at the Burgtheater again.Too stuffy.

I feel like I need something more... alive.

Ah! Well, that's us!

We're alive, all right. We're packed every weekend.

Wolfgang, I can guarantee you a full house of excited music lovers

desperate, desperate to be entertained.

They won't just sit there like aristocrats.

No, they... No, they sing along! They dance.

They laugh.

And on the takings, I can give you half.

Oh? (CHUCKLES) Well, if that's the best you can do,

I suppose we'd better shake on that.

Oh. I'm so pleased.

He's very excited. Sure it's going to be a hit.

Between you and I, the Brotherhood owns the lease on the place,

so it gets a cut of the takings as well.

Everyone's doing very nicely.

Mozart might be able to pay off his debts.

Get back into the city.

You're very quiet this morning, dear.

Oh... Just in my thoughts.

And what are you thinking about?

The Masons.

Wolfgang! Kapellmeister!

I wanted to find you

and congratulate you on your new commission.

Thank you. You were right by the way.

To get away from the Burgtheater.

Well, I think it's wonderful news. Let's celebrate.

Yes. So, tell me...

What have you got so far?

Love, sire. Excuse me?

Do you remember...

the first time I went to the Emperor's palace,

he asked me what a good German virtue might be.

Ah, yes, yes, yes, you said "Love, sire."

Yes.

Love.

I want to write about love.

And light.

I think it's a wonderful idea.

Although, it strikes me there are different kinds of love.

There's romantic love, certainly.

But that feels pretty played out at this point.

But what of... maternal love, familial love?

Fraternal love? Fraternal love, brotherly love?

There's a thought, yeah. Brotherhood?

That's what the Masons are all about.

My father used to talk about it. The succour we got from them.

Perhaps... No, that's too... That's too much.

What? No, no, no, it's a bad idea.

What?

Well, I was just thinking, why not put them into it?

Into it?Show them in all their generosity.

Let people see the kindness of the Masons.

Well, the Brotherhood's rituals are a secret, of course.

You needn't copy them exactly. You could adapt them.

Change a few details here and there,

one step away, but... still recognisable.

Change a few details, but keep the intention.

I like it.

In fact, I'm gonna speak to Da Ponte.

Antonio!

What a surprise.

You've caught me at an inopportune time.

Well, it's hard not to.

Ah!

Entertaining?

Very! Erm...

Please, sit soft.

No, no, I think I'll come straight to the point, Lorenzo.

People were disturbed by your presence

when you first arrived in Vienna.

But I vouched for you. I saw something in you,

and the Emperor was moved by your work. We all have been.

But times are changing.

The Emperor is unwell. He won't recover?

His brother stands ready to take over when the time comes.

It will be a rude awakening for many of us.

He has none of Joseph's love of the arts.

I expect budgets to tighten.

I expect there to be a less...

..liberal outlook.

Formal notice that you are to be removed

from your position as Court Poet

and dismissed from Imperial Service.

With the loss of both your patron and your position,

questions have been raised

about your continued residence here in Vienna.

Figaro!

Politics.

How long do I have?

Oh, I wouldn't linger.

The mood is changing.

You're a man out of time.

(DOOR OPENS, THEN CLOSES)

(HUMS)

Lorenzo?

(BIRD TWEETING)

(SIGHS)

(GROANS)

Hello, Wolfgang. Hello.

Hello.

Mother took Karl up to Baden to see Stanze.

Oh.Would have told you but you haven't been to visit.

Would you like a seat, Wolfgang?

Thank you.

How is Karl?

He is well. He can basically talk now.

And Sophie's been giving him piano lessons.

He's very bad, but... so am I.

Have you heard from Constanze? She writes.

Is she happy?

She is.

(GENTLE TUNE ON PIANO)

# "The Magic Flute, KV 620: Overture"

(SINGING IN GERMAN)

(THUNDEROUS APPLAUSE)

Oh! (LAUGHS)

Bravo!

Bravo!

Bravo!

MAN: Bravo!

Mozart. Why are they so angry?

Mozart, I spoke to the Brothers.

I thought you'd only make a nod to the Masons?

I did! I changed all the symbols.

I called it the Order of Eternal Priests. I thought that'd be OK.

To hint at, yes! What were you thinking?

Listen to the audience. They love it! Listen! This can't happen again!

I need to talk to Schikaneder. The box office...

The Masons own the lease on the theatre and control the box office.

Now's not a good time to ask for more money.You told me to do this!

No! No.

This was your idea, Mozart.

This was you, remember?

Mozart... I would make haste for home. I'll find them.

I'll calm them down. There'll be a way, Mozart.No!

There'll be a way.

(VIOLIN PLAYING)

(DOG GROWLING, WHINING)

(GRUNTING)

(GROANS)

(GRUNTING CONTINUES)

Argh!

Oh!

MAN: For the Brotherhood.

(MOZART WAILING)

(BREATHING HEAVILY)

(GROANING)

A commission.

A Mass for the dead.

# "Requiem in D Minor, KV 626"

You have seven days.

SALIERI: 'The pieces had fallen into place.

He was weak...

..broken, and alone.

Teetering on the edge of a precipice.

And all that was needed was my hand to finally guide him over.'

So...

into the darkness we go.'

(BREATHING HEAVILY, SOBBING)

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