Publisher's Synopsis
Goethe, Mozart and Mayr: Illuminati Brothers reveals the esoteric connections that bind these three pivotal figures of the Enlightenment. At the heart of the book is the rediscovery of a hitherto unknown musical work--Werther, composed around 1794 by Johann Simon Mayr, Gaetano Donizetti's teacher. In this piece, references to the musical themes of Mozart's The Magic Flute offer a fresh interpretation of both Goethe's celebrated novel and Mozart's Singspiel. The authors examine the cultural and political resonances of Werther and The Magic Flute. Their analysis ranges from the music to the libretto, from the controversial portrayal of suicide to the notorious "diamond necklace affair", a scandal involving Cagliostro that helped spark the French Revolution. Mayr's work highlights the close connection between Goethe and Mozart, as well as the fact that all three artists belonged to the secret society of the Bavarian Illuminati. Goethe was so captivated by The Magic Flute that he even wrote a sequel to it. This book demonstrates that The Magic Flute is, in truth, a thinly veiled political satire. Through meticulous historical research and rigorous musical analysis, the authors present a new interpretation of major works from the latter half of the eighteenth century--works that came to define an entire era.
