Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio) is a Singspiel opera in three acts, inspired by the 18th century vogue for all things eastern. It is considered Mozart’s first fully mature opera and boasts some of his most spectacularly virtuosic vocal music, in particular for its brave heroine. The opera’s humane and surprising resolution defies all expectations and its explorations of cultural collisions between East and West retain startlingly contemporary resonance.
The opera tells the story of the young Spanish noblewoman Konstanze, who, along with her maid Blonde and her betrothed's valet Pedrillo, has been abducted by pirates and sold as slaves to Pasha Selim. The Turkish despot soon falls in love with Konstanze, and his guard Osmin falls in love with Blonde, who has been given to him as his personal slave. Belmonte arrives to attempt a rescue, joining forces with the equally lovesick Pedrillo to try to outwit the fearsome Osmin. Their plans however quickly fall through, and the two are captured, their fates at the mercy of the Great Pasha.
Photo: © Richard Hubert Smith
