The Genius of Mozart 天才莫扎特

(Vienna 1785)

My son was hailed by all of Vienna not only as a great pianist, but as one of the greatest and most controversial composers of his time. But I saw it first. I nurtured¹ that talent in him. I had helped him become what he now was.

On a stormy evening in February 1785, the elite² of Vienna gathered to hear a new work from Austria's leading virtuoso³ pianist -- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The importance of what lay within this masterpiece was known to only one man -- Leopold Mozart, the composer's estranged⁴ father.

I believe Mozart is the greatest composer of all time. The popular view was that he was born a genius straight from his mother's womb. But in my opinion, his brilliance⁵ grew and developed from the loves and losses during his brief 35 years. Life was the driving force of his genius.

In this series I want to discover, helped by the true accounts of those who knew him firsthand and following his footsteps, how Mozart's own suffering and joy created music so powerful that it captivates the listeners today just as it did that first audience more than two hundred years ago.

hail: (v.) To greet or acclaim⁶ enthusiastically 喝彩，欢呼热情地问候或欢呼

virtuoso: (a.) Exhibiting the ability, technique, or personal style of a virtuoso 行家的

estranged: (a.) 疏远的, 不和的

1 nurtured   

养育( nurture的过去式和过去分词 )； 培育； 滋长； 助长

参考例句：

• She is looking fondly at the plants he had nurtured. 她深情地看着他培育的植物。
• Any latter-day Einstein would still be spotted and nurtured. 任何一个未来的爱因斯坦都会被发现并受到培养。

2 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

3 virtuoso   

n.精于某种艺术或乐器的专家，行家里手

参考例句：

• He was gaining a reputation as a remarkable virtuoso.作为一位技艺非凡的大师，他声誉日隆。
• His father was a virtuoso horn player who belonged to the court orchestra.他的父亲是宫廷乐队中一个技巧精湛的圆号演奏家。

4 estranged   

adj.疏远的，分离的

参考例句：

• He became estranged from his family after the argument.那场争吵后他便与家人疏远了。
• The argument estranged him from his brother.争吵使他同他的兄弟之间的关系疏远了。

5 brilliance   

n.光辉，辉煌，壮丽，（卓越的）才华，才智

参考例句：

• I was totally amazed by the brilliance of her paintings.她的绘画才能令我惊歎不已。
• The gorgeous costume added to the brilliance of the dance.华丽的服装使舞蹈更加光彩夺目。

6 acclaim   

v.向…欢呼，公认；n.欢呼，喝彩，称赞

参考例句：

• He was welcomed with great acclaim.他受到十分热烈的欢迎。
• His achievements earned him the acclaim of the scientific community.他的成就赢得了科学界的赞誉。