Mozart meets Casanova on Patmos

The international musical theatre production ‘Summer Seduction’ returns for its 11th year, bringing leading artists from across Europe to the island.

For the eleventh year running, Patmos is hosting a unique musical theatre production that has now become a fixture of the island’s cultural summer. Every August, international artists gather on Patmos to create performances that combine music, theatre and literature. The core of the production features Greek pianist Vasilis Tsatsianis and Italian tenor Luca Lombardo, whilst each year the stage is graced by a different distinguished soprano. This year, the audience will have the opportunity to enjoy the internationally acclaimed Armenian coloratura soprano Tehmine Schaeffer.

This year’s production, entitled ‘Summer Seduction – Mozart Meets Casanova’, brings together two of the 18th century’s most charming figures in an imaginary dialogue. Although Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Giacomo Casanova never met, the performance highlights their striking similarities and contrasts through narration, theatrical scenes and music. Mozart’s arias alternate with Italian songs for soprano and tenor, whilst authentic excerpts from the writings of the two men are brought to life on stage, accompanied by the narrator Alexander König. At the same time, the staging links Mozart’s world with contemporary Austrian literature, creating a creative dialogue between the past and the present.

Set against the backdrop of Patmos, the performance explores timeless themes such as love, desire, freedom and human charm, reaffirming the international character of the island’s cultural summer and offering the audience an experience of the highest aesthetic quality.