Mozart and Salieri

work by Pushkin

Also known as: “Motsart i Salyeri”

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Last updated

July 1, 2026

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The subject of "Mozart and Salieri" refers to a short dramatic work by Aleksandr Pushkin. This piece is based on a legend that Antonio Salieri poisoned Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The work explores the nature of creativity and introduces the theme of metaphysical rebellion against God.

Antonio Salieri was an acclaimed Italian composer in late 18th-century Europe, known for his operas. While there has been speculation about Salieri's relationship with Mozart, historical evidence for Salieri's supposed intrigues against Mozart is scarce. The idea of Salieri poisoning Mozart is a legend that has been dramatized in various artistic works, including an opera by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov and Peter Shaffer's play Amadeus.

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Russian literature
Aleksandr Pushkin
…remarkable, Motsart i Salyeri (Mozart and Salieri), based on a legend that Salieri poisoned Mozart, meditates on the nature of creativity while introducing, in brilliantly compressed speeches, what was to be one of the important Russian themes—metaphysical rebellion against God.
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…remarkable, Motsart i Salyeri (Mozart and Salieri), based on a legend that Salieri poisoned Mozart, meditates on the nature of creativity while introducing, in brilliantly compressed speeches, what was to be one of the important Russian themes—metaphysical rebellion against God.
Read More