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Who's Who in Mozart's Operas:
From Alfonso to Zerlina

It's a wonder no one thought of this before. In this brief but thoroughly informed volume, Joachim Kaiser examines, one by one, most of the characters from Mozart's "seven consummate masterpieces," from Idomeneo, rè di Creta (K. 366) to La clemenza di Tito (K. 621). Curious about what makes Tamino tick? What are Don Alfonso's true motives? And who is this Klass fellow, anyway? The characters are all here, 56 of them, arranged in alphabetical order for easy reference.

In his introduction, Kaiser writes: "My aim has been to compile a kind of Who's Who including more than merely the 'important' individuals in the seven major operas. Of course, the parts were not intended to be exhibited in isolation, as though in a portrait gallery. But they can take it! It is fun and it affords a lesson in astonishment to invest Mozart with god-like creative powers and then -- laying the results, as it were, on the music-psychiatrist's couch -- to see whether these dozens of souls really do differ in the womb of this operatic world." It is fun, and Kaiser carries it off with perception and insight.

The minor characters turn out to be the most entertaining subjects for Kaiser's couch. Who would have guessed that, for example, the Third Lady (in Die Zauberflöte, K. 620) "seems to be the most serious of the Three Ladies." And regarding the aforementioned Klass (Belmonte's boatman, a speaking part in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, K. 384): "He urges haste and carries ladders without contributing anything else to the success of the operation. Why should he sing?"

Of course, Kaiser spends more time with the major characters: Figaro, Susanna, Don Giovanni, Dorabella, Fiordiligi, etc.

In the front of the book, the characters are listed both alphabetically and by opera. In the back, Kaiser provides brief synopses of the operas themselves. Obviously, you don't have to read this book from start to finish; its 212 pages are meant for browsing. Spending even a few minutes with it will leave you informed, enlightened and entertained.