Axur, re d'Ormus is a tragicomic opera in five acts composed by Mozart's arch-rival Antonio Salieri. The libretto was written by Lorenzo da Ponte, the Italian-born poet and priest who was responsible for the texts of Mozart's Marriage of Figaro, Così fan Tutti, and Don Giovanni. Gifted with an hilarious sense of humor and comic timing, his operas were invariably a smashing success. Da Ponte based his libretto on a livret called Tartare by the equally talented writer Pierre-Augustin Beaumarchais. Da Ponte and Salieri wrote this opera for Joseph II's opera buffa troupe, so the humor of the original drama was expanded and broadened. However the new drama preserved the grandeur of the original livret by Beaumarchais, which contained many powerful dramatic moments. Da Ponte and Salieri also kept the tragic elements, such as the on-stage suicide of King Axur, and thus created a hybrid genre with strong theatrical impact. The score makes heavy use of choral writing and forms. The premiere took place in January 1788, in honor of the wedding of the Archduke Franz. It was highly successful, both with the royal family and the Viennese public, and was performed over 100 times between 1788 and 1805 in Vienna alone.

© All Music Guide