Mozart

Mozart by Wolfgang Hildesheimer (1916-1991) was met with a great response when it was first published in 1977. The uniqueness and novelty of the book lies in the perspective with which it observes Mozart’s music genius. This view sets it apart from other biographies. Wolfgang Hildesheimer is not only a great expert on Mozart’s music but also a magnificent writer and a brilliant stylist capable of formulating both general questions regarding the purpose of art and questions that lead us to its understanding. By combining a historical, analytical and psychological approach, he enables us to understand the music genius at a level that has heretofore been unimaginable. He uses traditional biographical methods not only to reconstruct the image of the person and artist but also to find answers related to Mozart’s art. Hildesheimer smashes the sentimental “legend” of the perfect genius, shows the structure of society in Mozart’s time, the tragicallity of his destiny and comes up with some new and surprising findings. Our edition is accompanied with a large Mozart iconography and an essay by Ivan Vojtěch.