“Mozart Mozart,” an opulent glam rock-tinged vision of the genius and his maybe more talented sister backed by Europe’s biggest broadcaster, Germany’s ARD, has been sold by Beta Film and Bavaria Media across the world.
In earliest licensing pacts, AMC Networks has closed Latin America, while Canal+ and SBS have secured deals for Austria and Australia. Austria’s ORF co-produces the new series.
In Europe, further early buyers take in public broadcast network RTP, Latvian TV and Tet+ in Latvia and 1TV Armenia.
When Wolfgang Mozart and Maria Anna Mozart toured Europe’s royal courts as child prodigies, she got top billing. She married and dedicated her life to raising her widower husband and own children.
“Mozart Mozart” is “the story of the Mozart siblings. Not how history tells it but the imagination,” a preface notes.
Turning on the Mozarts’ sibling love wrapped in a tale of rebellion, rivalry and romance, “Mozart Mozart” packs two shocks in early Episode 1 with a now adolescent Maria Anna being thrown out of a performance with her younger brother Wolfgang.
Years later, in Austria’s Salzburg, a now late teen Wolfgang Mozart performs a piece which is one part period piano, another part glam rock with a swelling modern orchestra, a powerful Freddie Mercury-esque choir and Mozart slamming his piano.
In the series, when Anna Marie faces an arranged marriage, she and Mozart flee Salzburg for Vienna, aiming to score a position at the court of Emperor Joseph II. Wolfgang has little problem scoring a performance before the Emperor, and his position is almost in the bag thanks to the support of Joseph II’s sister Marie Antoinette who is at court to party. When Wolfgang overdoses on laudanum, however, Anna Marie performed disguised as Wolfgang donning a dramatic red costume and face paint, captivating the court and drawing the envy of Mozart’s greatest rival, Antonio Salieri.
“But her bold stunt quickly gets out of control,” the synopsis runs. “When Maria Anna convinces the Emperor to commission the first German-language opera, she must protect her charade, juggle her brother’s unpredictability, and keep her secret from the love of her life – who happens to be none other than Antonio Salieri,” it adds.
The six-hour drama stars as Maria Anna Havana Joy, who broke out in ZDFNeo vampire series “Love Sucks.” Eren M. Güvercin (“Skam Germany – Druck”) plays Wolfgang Mozart.
“Mozart Mozart” marks the latest series from Andreas Gutzeit, creator of smash hit “Sisi,” which has run to four seasoos. He serves as executive producer, showrunner and head-author. Together with Swantje Oppermann (“Dignity”), he wrote the scripts for the series. Clara Zoë My-Linh von Arnim, director of Canneseries top winner “The Zweiflers,” serves as director, Simon Dat Vu as director of photography and Jessica De Rooij (“Sisi,” “Blood & Gold”) as the composer.
“The team didn’t want to copy other famous takes on the composer – least of all ‘Amadeus,’” von Arnim has said. “Instead, they decided to show the siblings when they are young.”
“We convinced our partners we wanted to make this show also for young people – one that could bring them close to these characters. We wondered: ‘What would Mozart sound like today, if he was a superstar?” Gutzeit told Variety.
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