Lorenzo- The Man Who Wrote Mozart- is set to premiere off-Broadway on October 5, presented by Maximus Productions, as part of the 2009 New York Musical Theater Festival.
Lorenzo Da Ponte, (1749-1838) is best known as the librettist of Mozart's three great operas- Cosi Fan Tutti, Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni. He began life in Southern Italy in 1749 as the poor son of a Jewish tanner and ended life in New York City in 1838 as the esteemed first professor of Italian at Columbia University.Along the way Lorenzo:Entered the seminary to become a priest; Was assigned to Venice where he became a famous womanizer; Befriended Casanova before he was driven out of Venice by furious husbands; Became the court poet to the emperor of Austria; Wrote operas with many of the most famous composers of the time, including Mozart; Fled Vienna for being in the wrong political camp; Founded an opera company in London; Escaped from debtor’s prison in London after going bankrupt; Became a grocer in Elizabeth, New Jersey.Videos