Venice, late 18th century. Men wearing wigs, women showing décolletées, masked balls, forbidden love-making and gambling with disastrous consequences.

Welcome to the life of Lorenzo da Ponte, the genius librettist of Mozart's most famous operas, Casanova's bosom friend, eternal optimist, eternal unfortunate and eternal bon vivant.

Presented by Rosanne Philippens and Jeroen Sarphati, you will get an insight into his colourful life. Passages from his - probably not entirely truthful - autobiography will be read, you will hear excerpts from Casanova's equally imaginative memoirs, and you will be introduced to Mozart's scandalous erotic letters to his presumably not too innocent niece.

Together, in a villa in Prague, Messrs Mozart, Da Ponte and Casanova wrote the libretto of Don Juan, that other womaniser, and together they had one passion in common: the pursuit of women.

In addition to pieces from Mozart’s String Quintets, his opera’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Cosí fan Tutte and Don Giovanni, you will hear unknown gems by Salieri and Martin y Soler, interlaced with scandalous letters from Mozart and the equally indecent memoires from Da Ponte and Casanova.

All while sipping delicious Venetian wine and munching on homemade Italian bites.

The Amsterdam Salon is Rosanne’s concert series at Amsterdam. It’s all about the comfortable and intimate atmosphere in combination with high level playing. The music goes hand in hand with delicious wine and homemade bites. When you arrive early you can experience the concert from one of the salon couches.
Very accessible also for people who never went to a classical concert before (we know from experience!).