Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The Abduction from the Seraglio was the earliest of Mozart's five most famous operas, which include The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, Cos#65533; Fan Tutte and The Magic Flute, and the first work he was to write for the Viennese stage, where it was successfully premiered in the summer of 1782. Written in the comparatively unsophisticated form of "Singspiel" -- in which most of the action takes place in spoken dialogue, followed by songs in which the characters express their inner feelings -- it does not rely for its effects on Mozart's genius for dramatic music, revealed more fully in his later works. Rather, it radiates an abundance of musical charm, youthful high spirits, and spontaneous good humor, evergreen qualities that have made it one of the most engaging and least pretentious masterpieces in the history of opera.
It is an extremely challenging work for singers, technically beyond the vocal means of many of even the finest operatic performers. Because it has been difficult to assemble ideal casts, worthy productions of The Abduction from the Seraglio have been fewer than for Mozart's other major operas. By means of excellent recordings, however, modern audiences have come to appreciate fully its truly superlative qualities.
This fine edition has been reproduced from an authoritative Breitkopf & H#65533;rtel edition, printed on durable paper and sturdily bound for a lifetime of pleasurable use. With it, students and lovers of classical music can study the score intimately, increasing their enjoyment of performances of this splendid comic opera.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

In 1769, at the age of only 13, Mozart was made concertmaster at the court of the Archbishop of Salzburg. By 1781 he had become unhappy in Salzburg and quarreled with the Archbishop. As a result, he was dismissed from his position and left for Vienna. In 1782, while in Vienna, Mozart married Constanze Weber. Although plagued by troubles, including the deaths of four of his children and his wife's ill health, he composed some of his finest works in Vienna. These included the operas The Abduction from the Seraglio (1782) and Cosi fan tutte (1790), his famous last three symphonies, several piano concertos, and many other works.

By 1788 Mozart was seriously in debt. One reason was that audiences began finding some of his latest music difficult and stayed away from his concerts. In the summer of 1791, he began suffering from fever and severe headaches. Later that year he fell into a coma and died on December 5, leaving behind his last great work, the Requiem mass, which was left unfinished. Because he was so poor, his coffin was dumped into an unmarked pauper's grave, and his place of burial remains unknown.

Mozart's talent as a musician was tremendous. He could compose whole symphonies and operas in his head, needing only to write them out for performance. His gifts as a composer of endless streams of melodies, beautifully harmonized, are astounding. His symphonies and concerti are brilliant; his chamber music, stunning. His operas Don Giovanni (1787), The Magic Flute (1791), and The Marriage of Figaro (1786), are among the best-known and beloved operas performed today. His brief life has produced nearly two centuries of deserved adulation from the trained musician, the music scholar, and unsophisticated listener.

(Bowker Author Biography)