Mozart is regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time, and his legacy is so great that his music has been often featured in film, advertising, and even pop songs. Artists from a variety of genres have been influenced by his genius, so ahead of the return of our production of The Marriage of Figaro, we’ve explored five artists who have found inspiration in the child prodigy.
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury saw no borders between musical styles and often sampled multiple genres in a bold way. His inspiration came from a variety of sources including opera, sea shanties, Bollywood and choral music. He particularly loved Pavarotti, and Queen’s album A Night at the Opera was groundbreaking upon its release, as was the lead single Bohemian Rhapsody. Freddie Mercury specifically named Mozart as one of the inspirations for his music, and even mentioned Figaro, a character from The Marriage of Figaro by name in Bohemian Rhapsody.
Clean Bandit
Clean Bandit often combine elements of classical music with those of electronic dance, and Mozart’s House is not only named after the composer but also features a direct sample of one of his pieces, String Quartet No 21 (Prussian) Allegretto fused into the upbeat dance track.
Paul McCartney
It’s no secret that much of the music from The Beatles draws inspiration from classical music. Penny Lane was inspired by a Bach concerto, Because by Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata and Eleanor Rigby by Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons and it seems Paul McCartney draws some parallels between Mozart’s harmonic choices and his own. In an interview on his website, Paul McCartney stated ‘I often remember something [Mozart] is supposed to have said: “I use the notes that love each other.” And I agree! In a great chord certain notes love each other.’
Evanescence
Evanescence’s Lacrymosa is almost entirely built over a sample of the Lacrimosa sequence from Mozart’s Requiem. It’s a conception of lead singer Amy Lee’s - a classically trained pianist whose favourite piece of music is Mozart’s Requiem. The singer fell in love with Mozart’s music as a child and was later inspired to turn the piece into “an awesome metal epic”.
Falco
In 1985, Austrian singer Falco released this biographical rock hit telling the story of Mozart’s popularity and debts. The music video that accompanies Falco’s hit blends elements of 18th century and 1980s culture, and it remains the only German language song to peak at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
If this has made you want to explore Mozart’s music in more depth, WNO has plenty of opportunities. Two of Mozart’s pieces will feature in our Opera Favourites at the Moviesconcert, and if you’re keen to see why Freddie Mercury loved a night at the opera, our beloved production of The Marriage of Figaro returns this Spring 2025 Season, a light-hearted, humorous opera with plenty of twists and turns.
Lights, camera, action… opera goes to Hollywood.
