Transformation of Turkish images in Mozart’s Zaide Opera in contemporary interpretations

Abstract

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart began composing the opera Zaide based on a libretto written by Johann Andreas Schachtner between 1779-1780, but did not complete the work. For the first time, Mozart showed Turkish culture and Ottoman palace life on stage by including Turkish images in his opera Zaide. The plot of the work takes place in the palace of Suleiman the Magnificent in the 16th century. The characters chosen are slaves who were captured for various reasons and brought to the palace. The work is an escape story with love in it, starring Zaide, the Sultan’s favorite, Gomatz and Allazim, who are enslaved laborers. This work was left unfinished by Mozart at the part where the escaped slaves are captured, brought to the palace and plead for forgiveness from the Sultan. Researchers suggest that Mozart may have designed a scene of forgiveness for the unfinished finale. The missing parts of the opera were gradually completed by musicians and publishing companies and then published over time. The final version of Zaide that has survived to our time was first staged on January 27, 1866, in Frankfurt. In this study, the portrayal of Ottomans, Turks, and Muslims in Zaide by the composer will be analyzed to understand how these images are approached in the 21st century through the Zaide productions of Peter Sellars and Pierre-Alexandre Jauffret. In his contemporary interpretation, Sellars has made a reading of Zaide through a much broader social issue, the migrant and refugee crisis. Jauffret’s staging was more faithful to the original Zaide in terms of time, place and costume design. The manner, the images of Turks in Mozart’s original libretto were addressed and transformed in Sellars and Jauffret’s contemporary interpretations, was examined to reveal with which dramaturgical preferences the missing parts of the original libretto were completed and interpreted in terms of content, lyrics, themes and music. Thereby, an attempt is made to gain an understanding of how Ottoman, Turkish and Muslim images are approached and perceived in the current age. In order to acquire this information, the aforementioned directors’ interpretations of Zaide have been comprehensively analyzed in terms of location, setting, time, acting, characters, set design, light design, costume design, music, chorus and the final scene.

Keywords

• Mozart
• Zaide Opera
• Turkish Images
• Peter Sellars
• Pierre-Alexandre Jauffret

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