Dear Amadé,

Greetings on your 250th birthday! Do you remember how we celebrated your 21st birthday at that chocolate shop in Mannheim? It has been so long…

After so many years apart, I had trouble finding the right gift for you.
I thought we could give a masquerade ball in your honor, but I don’t know what happened to your favorite Harlequin costume that used to belong to your father. Snuff boxes & pocket watches were entirely out of the question, don’t worry. I know you received one from nearly every prince, countess & emperor in Europe. I considered writing you some riddles, because I remember that you enjoyed playing with words, but perhaps the best birthday gift would be to help a new generation of listeners learn to love you & your music. Since everyone knows you as a wunderkind, I thought I would tell them the story of your adult life through my favorite arias from your 7 most famous operas…

P.S. I found a box full of letters I never sent to you, so I included them as well…

♥Aloysia Weber

(Exerpts from Letters to Mozart © 2006 Kristin Serafini.)