olivia laing: 1 post

In Tribute to Lviv: Lonely Mozart in Lemberg and Reflections on Solitude

On Thursday, Russia launched a missile attack on Lviv, a city in western Ukraine, about 60 km from the Polish border. A jewel of Renaissance art, Lviv has a long history. Today it stands in mourning, grieving over the lives lost in the bombardment. Some of its beautiful buildings are in ruin. A few years ago, I spent a memorable time in Lviv with my mother and fell in love with the city. Below is my tribute to its fin-de-siècle allure–and the nostalgic beauty that unities Lviv with another gorgeous city on the other side of the border, Kraków.

In 1808 Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart, the youngest son of the famous composer, traveled to Lemberg. Today it’s Lviv, a city in western Ukraine, but when the eighteen year old pianist was packing his sheet music and books and setting off on his journey, it was located in Galicia, an entity created by Joseph II after the partition of Poland in 1772. (It was the same Joseph that commented about the Marriage of Figaro, “too many notes, Mozart.”) While young Mozart was aware that he was trading Vienna for the provinces, he was in dire straits. Lemberg seemed like a promising place for a pianist to build his career and return to the capital. Mozart ended up staying for more than two decades.

Young Mozart’s early letters to his family were filled with mentions of his “loneliness [Einsamkeit].” He acutely felt the Galician isolation and complained that his inspiration was deserting him. He envisioned all of the brilliant conversations he could have experienced in Vienna society, the music, the books, the arts, and despaired of finding anything similar in Lemberg. Franz Mozart’s output over his lifetime was indeed small, yet, what becomes obvious is how much he drew on the local surroundings and how creatively he interpreted them.

Continue reading →

Latest Comments

  • Heather Chase in Chanel No 22 Perfume Giveaway: 1. Nuxe’s Woman Perfume Prodigieux warms up chilly fall mornings. Carthusia’s Geranio has a spiciness that smells like sunny autumn afternoons when the leaves are turning orange and red. Tom… November 2, 2024 at 7:05pm

  • OnWingsofSaffron in Chanel No 22 Perfume Giveaway: I am aware that my recommendation might be a bit controversial: Serge Noire by Serge Lutens. But the dark incense and clove brew with a hint of cinnamon and burnt… November 2, 2024 at 5:40pm

  • Cris in Chanel No 22 Perfume Giveaway: Wow! 1. Diptique Tam Dao edt and Eau Duelle edt. I find Hermes 24 very elegant for a woman (or man). Chanel Coco edt for special occasions… 2. Yes. Chanel… November 2, 2024 at 2:46pm

  • Roxann in Chanel No 22 Perfume Giveaway: How kind of Linda to pass this on. For fall I love L’air des Suisse Alpes by Andy Tauer. It is such a crisp beauty that I only wear in… November 2, 2024 at 12:27pm

Latest Tweets

Design by cre8d
© Copyright 2005-2024 Bois de Jasmin. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy