Christie's has announced that it will auction a letter in London next month, indicating that Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was feeling "complete panic" regarding his romantic life. Thomas Venning, head of the books and manuscripts department at Christie's, stated, "We were about to call the police to recover his letter as it poses serious consequences for his reputation," noting that he was in a significant crisis, expressing himself with great transparency.
The two-page letter was written by the composer in the summer of 1782, and it appears he was seeking advice from a close friend after a "misunderstanding" arose with the woman who would soon become his wife. Mozart wrote many letters, but Venning emphasized that offering any of them for sale at auction is rare, and it is uncommon to reach this "degree of depth in his character and emotions at a critical time in his life."
Mozart wrote this letter at the age of 26 shortly after his arrival in Vienna. While his career was just beginning with immense success in his first opera, his romantic life was "getting somewhat complicated," and he was eager to proceed with his marriage to Constanze, which would later take place.
The letter is set to be displayed as part of Christie's week of exceptional classical exhibitions in July and is expected to attract a record price for a letter from Mozart, with estimates ranging between £300,000 and £500,000 ($380,490 to $634,150).
