Scene 13

MOZART'S APARTMENT

Mozart and Schikaneder enter the apartment, very pleased with themselves and accompanied by
three actresses.
MOZART
(To Schikaneder)
Well?

SCHIKANEDER
(mock moved)
Sublime! Utterly sublime!

MOZART
That kind of music should be punishable by death.

Schikaneder laughs.Mozart sticks his head into the room,

MOZART
Oh. Everybody's here! We've got guests. Good. I've brought some more.

MOZART
We'll have a little party. Come in.
Come in. You know Herr Schikaneder?
(To a girl)
This is! A very nice girl

MOZART
Stanzi! Stanzi! Stanzi-Manzi!
The others laugh.
MOZART
Sssh!

SCHIKANEDER
(Imitating Mozart)
Stanzi-Manzi-Banzi-Wanzi!

MOZART
Sssh! Stay here.

MOZART
Stanzi!
He approaches the bed. Immediately she starts crying again, desperately.

MOZART
What's the matter? What is it?
Stanzi!

He holds her and she clings to him in a fierce embrace, crying a flood of tears.

MOZART
Stop it now. Stop it. I've brought
some friends to meet you.
Do we have anything to eat? They're all starving.

CONSTANZE
Tell them to go away. I don't want
to see anybody.

MOZART
What's the matter with you?

CONSTANZE
Tell them to go!

MOZART
Sssh. What is it? Tell me.

She starts crying again, throwing her arms around his neck.

CONSTANZE
(Standing up)
Wolfi.

MOZART
Yes, my love?

CONSTANZE
These gentlemen are from Salzburg.

MOZART
Salzburg. We were just talking about Salzburg.
(To the two men, jubilantly)

If you've come from my friend the Farts bishop, you've arrived at just
the right moment. Because I've got good news for him. I'm done with
Vienna. It's over, finished, done with! Done with! Done with!

CONSTANZE
Wolfi! Your father is dead.

MOZART
What?

CONSTANZE
Your father is dead.
I love you. Please stay with me. I'm frightened

The first loud chord of the Statue scene from Don Giovanni sounds. Mozart stares.

The second chord sounds. On stage we see the huge figure of the Commendatore in robes and helmet, extending his arms and pointing in accusation.


We see Mozart conducting, pale and deeply involved. Music fades down a little.

OLD SALIERI (V.O.)
So rose the dreadful ghost in his next and blackest opera. There on
the stage stood the figure of a dead commander calling out 'Repent!
Repent!'

And I knew - only I understood -that the horrifying apparition was
Leopold, raised from the dead. Wolfgang had actually summoned up
his own father to accuse his son before all the world. It was
terrifying and wonderful to watch

Music swells up again.

Now a madness began in me. The madness of a man splitting in half,
Through my influence I saw to it Don Giovanni was played only five
times in Vienna.
But in secret I went to every one of those five - all alone - unable to
help myself, worshipping sound I alone seemed to hear.

And hour after hour, as I stood there, understanding even more clearly
how that bitter old man was still possessing his poor son from beyond
the grave, I began to see a way - a terrible way - I could finally triumph over God, my torturer

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