Rating Wolfgang

Fred thinks Mozart is overrated.

I, on the other hand, do not.

Thus, I win!

Seriously, though, I find Fred's example of Mozart resorting to banality -- the final bars of the overture to Le Nozze di Figaro -- might not be the best example in the world. First of all, Mozart was still a product of his time, which meant that he trucked with Alberti bass lines and trills and "tonic-dominant-tonic-dominant-tonic-tonic-tonic" conclusions to works. But in the case of Figaro, well -- what always gets me about this opera is the way Mozart blends music of nearly sublime character with some of the most ridiculous subject matter ever. So I think that if Mozart closes out his overture with a bit of banality, he has some cause, since the very opera in question presses some absolutely gorgeous music into the service of banality.