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{{Short description|Opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart}}
{{Infobox opera
| name = {{Lang|de|Der Schauspieldirektor}}
| type = [[Singspiel]]
| composer = [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|W. A. Mozart]]
| image = Mozart drawing Doris Stock 1789.jpg
| caption = The composer, drawing by [[Dora Stock]], 1789
| translated_name = ''The Impresario''
| librettist = [[Gottlieb Stephanie]]
| language = German
| premiere_date = {{Start date|1786|02|7|df=y}}
| premiere_location = [[Schönbrunn Palace]] Orangery, Vienna
}}
'''''{{Lang|de|Der Schauspieldirektor}}''''' (''The Impresario''), [[Köchel catalogue|K.]] 486, is a comic ''[[singspiel]]'' by [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]], set to a German [[libretto]] by [[Gottlieb Stephanie]], an Austrian ''Schauspieldirektor''. Originally, it was written because of "the imperial command" of the [[Holy Roman Emperor]] [[Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor|Joseph II]] who had invited 80 guests to a private luncheon.<ref name=SMITH>{{harvnb|Smith|2001|p=608}}</ref>
It is regarded as "a parody on the vanity of singers",<ref name=SMITH /> who argue over status and pay.

Mozart, who describes it as "comedy with music"<ref  name=RUSH /> wrote it as his entry in a musical competition which was given a private performance hosted on 7 February 1786 by Joseph II at the [[Schönbrunn Palace]] in Vienna.<ref name=OPGL>[http://opera.stanford.edu/Mozart/Schauspieldirektor/main.html Opera Glass] on opera.stanford.edu</ref> This competition pitted a German ''singspiel'', presented at one end of the room, against a competing Italian opera, the Italian entry being [[Antonio Salieri]]'s [[opera buffa]], ''[[Prima la musica e poi le parole]]'' (''First the Music, then the Words''), which was then given at the other end of the room.<ref name=SMITH /> The premiere was followed by the first of three public performances given four days later at the [[Kärntnertor Theater]], Vienna, on 11 February.<ref name=OPGL/>

The autograph manuscript of the opera is preserved in the [[Morgan Library & Museum]].

==Composition history==
The work was written during a very creative period in Mozart's life, at the same time as his ''[[The Marriage of Figaro|Le nozze di Figaro]]'', which premiered later the same year, along with three piano concertos and "another dozen major works".<ref name=SMITH />

In addition to the [[overture]], there are only four vocal numbers in the score, and the musical content (about 30 minutes)<ref>[http://opera.stanford.edu/Mozart/Schauspieldirektor/libretto.html Libretto, in German (musical numbers only)] on opera.stanford.edu</ref> is surrounded by much spoken dialogue, typical in its day. One highlight, which [[Erik Smith]] describes as very funny, is where "each lady sings about the nobility of her art while trying to defeat her rival with ever higher notes".<ref name=SMITH /> Although it has been described as a "silly farce", Mozart appears to have taken the opportunity to write serious arias<ref name=RUSH>{{harvnb|Rushton|1998|p=214}}</ref> and thus the "audition" of Madame Herz includes her aria "{{Lang|de|Da schlägt die Abschiedsstunde|italic=no}}" ("There tolls the hour of departure"), while Mme Silberklang sings the elegant [[rondo]], "{{Lang|de|Bester Jüngling|italic=no}}" ("Dearest Youth").<ref name=RUSH />

==Performance history==

[[File:Highland Echo 1915-1925 (1915) (14598141739).jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Henry Edward Krehbiel]]'s translation of ''The Impresario'' toured the United States in 1921.]]
The opera was first presented in the United Kingdom on 30 May 1857 at the [[St James's Theatre]] in London and given its US premiere at the [[Stadt Theatre]] in New York on 9 November 1870.<ref name=SMITH />

In modern times, the text is usually completely rewritten for contemporary relevance, which was the case for the 2014 production given by the [[Santa Fe Opera]].  There it had "English dialogue by the British dramatist [[Ranjit Bolt]] and additional Mozart [[concert aria]]s folded into the score" with the action taking place in Paris in the 1920s.<ref>[http://www.santafeopera.org/tickets/production.aspx?performanceNumber=6340 Details of the 2014 production] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200614080003/http://www.santafeopera.org/tickets/production.aspx?performanceNumber=6340 |date=14 June 2020 }} on santafeopera.org</ref>
The cast included [[Anthony Michaels-Moore]], [[Brenda Rae]], Meredith Arwady, and [[Erin Morley]].<ref>James Keller, [http://www.santafenewmexican.com/pasatiempo/opera/songbirds-at-the-opera-the-impresario-and-le-rossignol/article_58852970-2716-524e-969b-7793e50393fe.html "Songbirds at the Opera: ''The Impresario'' and ''Le rossignol''], ''[[The Santa Fe New Mexican]]'', 18 July 2014</ref>

The 1966 recording by the [[English Chamber Orchestra]] (conducted by [[André Previn]]), was performed with an English libretto penned by Previn's then wife [[Dory Previn]], who transplanted the amusing tale to the 20th century.<ref name=AP>[https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8361512--mozart-der-schauspieldirektor-k486 Mozart: ''The Impresario''], Presto Classical</ref>

[[Bronx Opera]] performed it in 1972, 2008, and in 2021, due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], as a video version in [[Zoom (software)|Zoom]] format.<ref>[https://www.bronxnet.org/your-bronx/articles/sunday-night-opera-bronx-opera-company-impresario/ "Sunday Night at the Opera with Bronx Opera Company: ''The Impresario''"], [[BronxNet]], 8 September 2021</ref>

==Roles==
{| class="wikitable"
|+{{sronly|Roles, voice types, premiere cast}}
!Role
![[Voice type]]
!Premiere cast, 7 February 1786<ref name=OPGL />
|-
|Frank, ''an impresario''
|spoken role
|[[Gottlieb Stephanie|Johann Gottlieb Stephanie Jr.]]
|-
|Eiler, ''a banker''
|spoken role
|{{ill|Johann Franz Brockmann|de}}
|-
|Buff, ''a buffo singer''
|[[Bass (voice type)|bass]]
|[[Giuseppe Weidmann]]
|-
|Monsieur Vogelsang, ''a singer''
|[[tenor]]
|[[Valentin Adamberger]]
|-
|Madame Herz, ''a singer''
|[[soprano]]
|[[Aloysia Weber]]
|-
|Mademoiselle Silberklang, ''a singer''
|soprano
|[[Caterina Cavalieri]]
|-
|Herz, ''an actor''
|spoken role
|[[Joseph Lange]]
|-
|Madame Pfeil, ''an actress''
|spoken role
|[[Anna Maria Stephanie]]<ref>Spouse of [[Gottlieb Stephanie]]</ref>
|-
|Madame Krone, ''an actress''
|spoken role
|[[Johanna Sacco]]
|-
|Madame Vogelsang, ''an actress''
|spoken role
|[[Maria Anna Adamberger]]
|}

==Synopsis==
:Place: Vienna
:Time: 1786

Frank, the impresario (along with the buffo singer, Buff, who assists him) auditions two actresses to be part of his new theatrical company. While both are hired, they then argue over who will get the prime role and who will be paid the most. To illustrate their strengths, each sings a striking aria to back her claim (Herz: "{{lang|de|Da schlägt die Abschiedsstunde|italic=no}}", Silberklang: "{{lang|de|Bester Jüngling|italic=no}}"). An agreement is reached when the tenor, Vogelsang, intervenes, in what [[Julian Rushton]] describes as a hilarious trio, "{{Lang|de|Ich bin die erste Sängerin|italic=no}}" (I am the [[prima donna]]) compromise is agreed to with each receiving "large salaries and star billing".<ref name=RUSH /> The work ended with the quartet "{{lang|de|Jeder Künstler strebt nach Ehre|italic=no}}" (Every artist strives for glory).

==Recordings==
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Cast:<br />Madame Herz,<br />{{Abbr|Mlle|Mademoiselle}} Silberklang,<br />Vogelsang,<br />Buff
!Conductor,<br />Opera house and orchestra
!Label<ref>[http://www.operadis-opera-discography.org.uk/CLMOSCHA.HTM Recordings on operadis-opera-discography]</ref>
|-
|1966
|[[Judith Raskin]],<br />[[Reri Grist]],<br />[[Richard Lewis (tenor)|Richard Lewis]],<br />[[Sherrill Milnes]]
|[[André Previn]],<br />[[English Chamber Orchestra]]<br />[[Leo McKern]] as Impresario<ref name=AP />
|CD: Sony<br />Cat: 88985470422<br />Sleeve notes by [[George R. Marek]]
|-
|1968
|[[Sylvia Geszty]],<br />Rosemarie Rönisch,<br />[[Peter Schreier]],<br />[[Hermann Christian Polster]]
|[[Helmut Koch (conductor)|Helmut Koch]],<br />[[Kammerorchester Berlin]]
|CD: Berlin Classics<br />Cat: 9136. Complete recording of 10 scenes including those spoken.<br />Also used in [[Brilliant Classics]]' ''Mozart – Complete Works''.
|-
|1974
|[[Reri Grist]],<br />[[Arleen Auger]],<br />[[Peter Schreier]],<br />[[Kurt Moll]]
|[[Karl Böhm]],<br />[[Staatskapelle Dresden]]
|CD: Deutsche Grammophon<br />Cat: DG 429 877-2 (+ ''[[Die Zauberflöte]]'')
|-
|1975
|[[Ruth Welting]],<br />[[Ileana Cotrubaș]],<br />[[Anthony Rolfe Johnson]],<br />[[Clifford Grant]]
|[[Sir Colin Davis]],<br />[[London Symphony Orchestra]]
|CD: [[Philips Records|Philips]]<br />Cat: 422 536-2 (+ ''[[Zaide]]'').<br />Also used in Philips' ''[[The Complete Mozart Edition|Complete Mozart Edition]]''
|-
|1986
|{{ill|Magda Nádor|de||hu|Nádor Magda}},<br />[[Krisztina Laki]],<br />[[Thomas Hampson]],<br />[[Harry van der Kamp]]
|[[Nikolaus Harnoncourt]],<br />[[Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra]]
| CD: Teldec<br />Cat: 8 43336 (+ Salieri's ''Prima la musica, poi la parole'')
|-
|1990
|[[Edita Gruberová]],<br />[[Kiri Te Kanawa]],<br />Uwe Heilmann,<br />[[Manfred Jungwirth]]
|[[John Pritchard (conductor)|John Pritchard]],<br />[[Vienna Philharmonic]]
| CD: Decca,<br />Cat: 475 7049 (+ concert arias)
|-
|
|{{ill|Eva Mei}},<br />[[Patricia Petibon]],<br />[[Markus Schäfer]],<br />[[: Oliver Widmer]]
|[[Nikolaus Harnoncourt]],<br />[[Concentus Musicus Wien]]
| CD: belvedere <br />Cat: 08035 (+ Salieri's ''Prima la musica, poi la parole'')
|-
|2001
|[[Cyndia Sieden]],<br />Sharon Baker,<br />[[John Aler]],<br />Kevin Deas
|[[Martin Pearlman]],<br />[[Boston Baroque]]
|CD: Telarc<br />Cat: 80573 (+ ''{{Interlanguage link multi|Der wohltätige Derwisch|de}}'' by [[Benedikt Schack]])
|}

== References ==
'''Notes'''
{{Reflist|30em}}

'''Sources'''
*{{cite book|last=Rushton|first=Julian|author-link=Julian Rushton|year=1998|chapter=''Der Schauspieldirektor''|editor=Stanley Sadie|editor-link=Stanley Sadie|title=[[The New Grove Dictionary of Opera]]|volume=4|location=London|publisher=Macmillan|isbn=0-333-73432-7}}
*{{cite book|last=Smith|first=Erik|author-link=Erik Smith|year=2001|chapter=''Der Schauspieldirektor''|editor=Amanda Holden|editor-link=Amanda Holden (writer)|title=The New Penguin Opera Guide|location=New York|publisher=Penguin Putnam|isbn=0-14-029312-4|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780140514759}}

==External links==
* [https://www.themorgan.org/music/manuscript/115408/ ''Der Schauspieldirektor'']: Mozart's autograph manuscript in the Morgan Library & Museum
* {{NMA|63|-99|64|-99}}
* [https://dme.mozarteum.at/dmedata/libredition/single.php?idwnma=5633 Libretto], [[critical edition]]s, [[diplomatic edition]]s, source evaluation (German only), links to online DME recordings; Digital Mozart Edition
*[http://opera.stanford.edu/Mozart/Schauspieldirektor/main.html Synopsis] from [[Stanford University]]
*{{IMSLP|work=Der Schauspieldirektor, K.486 (Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus)|cname=''Der Schauspieldirektor''}}
*[http://dme.mozarteum.at/DME/nma/nmaolrecs.php?vsep=63&p1=3&idwnma=5633 Extensive list of recordings (1938–2006) and some audio], [[Mozarteum]]'s digital ''[[Neue Mozart-Ausgabe]]''
*{{YouTube|X9T-Srt3syc|"Da schlägt die Abschiedsstunde"}}, Judith Howarth; [[Colin Davis]] conducting (1991)
*{{YouTube|sPH198Nyx9M|"Bester Jüngling"|link=no}}, [[Yvonne Kenny]]; Colin Davis conducting (1991)
*{{YouTube|0uBWVwAEwos|"Ich bin die erste Sängerin"|link=no}}, Kenny, Howarth, [[Barry Banks (tenor)|Barry Banks]]; Colin Davis conducting (1991)
*{{YouTube|r1cgz3U9t8A|"Jeder Künstler strebt nach Ehre" (finale)|link=no}}, Kenny, Howarth, Banks, [[Matthew Best (conductor)|Matthew Best]]; Colin Davis conducting (1991)

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[[Category:Operas by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]]
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