Fact or Fiction? Amadeus and the Portrayal of an Artist with F. Murray Abraham

Thirty-five years after its premiere in 1984, Miloš Forman’s film adaptation of Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus stands as the most vivid, powerful, and controversial composer biopic of its time, one of the few times classical music was thrust into the American mainstream. The movie’s tagline was diabolically clever: “Everything You’ve Heard Is True!” While on one level it simply refers to the power of the film, it subtly reinforces the notion that viewers were engaged with a true story—a real docudrama—rather than fiction inspired by Alexander Pushkin’s 1830 play Mozart and Salieri.  Ahead of the Philharmonic’s presentation of Amadeus—Live (April 11–17, conducted by Richard Kaufman), Leonard Bernstein Scholar-in-Residence Michael Beckerman debates the issues, ideas, and ethics of Amadeus.

Michael Beckerman, speaker

F. Murray Abraham, speaker