Mozart in the Jungle

Last updated

Mozart in the Jungle
Mozart in the Jungle logo.png
Genre Comedy drama
Based onMozart in the Jungle: Sex, Drugs, and Classical Music
by Blair Tindall
Developed by
Starring
Theme music composer Roger Neill
Opening theme"Lisztomania" by Phoenix
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes40 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Production locationsNew York City
Venice, Italy
Camera setupSingle camera
Running time26–30 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network Amazon Prime Video
ReleaseFebruary 6, 2014 (2014-2-6) –
February 16, 2018 (2018-2-16)

Mozart in the Jungle is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman, Alex Timbers, and Paul Weitz for the video-on-demand service Amazon Prime Video. [1] It received a production order in March 2014.

Contents

The story was inspired by Mozart in the Jungle: Sex, Drugs, and Classical Music, oboist Blair Tindall's 2005 memoir of her career in New York, playing various high-profile gigs with ensembles including the New York Philharmonic and the orchestras of numerous Broadway shows. [2] The series stars Gael García Bernal as Rodrigo, a character based on conductor Gustavo Dudamel, [3] alongside Lola Kirke, Malcolm McDowell, Saffron Burrows, Hannah Dunne, Peter Vack, and Bernadette Peters.

The first season premiered in full on December 23, 2014. Three more seasons, each ten episodes long, followed in 2015, 2016 and 2018, before Amazon announced the show's cancellation.

Cast

Main cast

Recurring cast

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast released
1 10February 6, 2014 (2014-2-6)December 23, 2014 (2014-12-23)
2 10December 30, 2015 (2015-12-30)
3 10December 9, 2016 (2016-12-9)
4 10February 16, 2018 (2018-02-16)

Production

The many oboe solos played by the protagonist and other characters throughout the series are performed by Lelie Resnick, principal oboist of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, while the character of Rodrigo is loosely based on Gustavo Dudamel, the Venezuelan music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. [4] Dudamel coached García Bernal before the latter conducted, in the character of Rodrigo, for a real performance of the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, scenes of which were used for the second season opener. [5] Dudamel has a cameo in that episode, acting as a stagehand trying to convince Rodrigo to move to Los Angeles. Other musicians with cameos in the series are violinist Joshua Bell, pianists Emanuel Ax and Lang Lang, composers Anton Coppola and Nico Muhly, Broadway star Brian d'Arcy James and conductors Alan Gilbert and Bernard Uzan. Blair Tindall, oboist and writer of the book on which the series is based, also appears in a cameo. [6] Much of the original music for the show (most notably "Impromptu", and other work presented within the show's continuity as by Thomas Pembridge) is composed by contemporary composer Missy Mazzoli. [7] For Pembridge's more experimental music in Season 4, the show turned to another female composer, Laura Karpman. [8] Irish composer and conductor Eímear Noone served as Lola Kirke's real-life conducting coach in season four. [9] Interior shots of the home concert hall were filmed at the Performing Arts Center at SUNY Purchase. [10]

Focus on women composers and conductors

In addition to behind-the-scenes contributions from Mazzoli, Karpman and Noone, the theme of underrepresented, and unjustly forgotten and overlooked women composers and conductors in the world of classical music became central in the show's third and fourth seasons. Historical female composers who appear in the show include Vítězslava Kaprálová, Isabella Leonarda, Nannerl Mozart and Fanny Mendelssohn. The fourth season featured Pulitzer Prize-winning contemporary composer Caroline Shaw appearing as herself (and the characters perform one of her actual compositions). [9] Composer Paola Prestini also makes a brief cameo in season four, playing one of her own compositions. [11]

Reception

Critical response

Critical response of Mozart in the Jungle
Season Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic
191% (35 reviews) [12] 73 (20 reviews) [13]
288% (17 reviews) [14] 71 (5 reviews) [15]
3100% (16 reviews) [16] 84 (5 reviews) [17]
4100% (10 reviews) [18] 84 (5 reviews) [19]

The first season of the series received positive reviews. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the series a 'fresh' 91% rating based on 35 critic reviews, with the critical consensus "Though confined to the isolated world of classical music, Mozart in the Jungle's Gael Garcia Bernal makes this charming little show sing." [20] Metacritic gave the series a 73 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [21] Cory Barker, writing for TV.com , praised the series. "What works so well is that Mozart isn't afraid to throw you into a world you're likely unfamiliar with, but it doesn't swim so far into the deep end that you immediately drown in jargon and distanced dramatic stakes." [22] Robert Lloyd, writing for the Los Angeles Times , also lauded the first season. He stated that "Characters who were mouthpieces for attitudes start to seem like people, more complicated than a thumbnail description can accommodate. You grow interested in what will become of them without expecting or rooting for any particular outcome." [23] Kory Grow of Rolling Stone also praised the series: "Thanks to quirky scripts and a smart ensemble cast... it comes off whimsical without ringing off-pitch." [24]

Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter also gave the first season a positive review: "Bernal is both likable and magnetic, and makes the eclectic maestro surge on the screen. He alone is worth streaming the series, but, thankfully, there's a lot more going on here." [25] Brian Lowry, writing for Variety , also lauded the series: "While Mozart is surely a niche confection, the show generally shines by proving long on charm even when it's short on laughs." [26] In a more mixed review, Jeff Jensen of Entertainment Weekly gave the series a B−.

Some socially-minded critics have praised the show's push for gender equity, while others have critiqued the "almost all-white orchestra and main cast" as unrealistic, given the prevalence of East Asian musicians in real-life orchestras. [27]

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryRecipientsResultRef.
2015Imagen Foundation AwardsBest Actor – Television Gael García Bernal Won [28]
2016 Golden Globe Awards Best Television Series – Comedy Mozart in the JungleWon [29]
Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy Gael Garcia BernalWon
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation Thomas Varga, Andy D'Addario, Bill Higley, Chris Navarro (for "Nothing Resonates Like Rhinoceros Foreskin")Won [30]
Imagen Foundation AwardsBest Actor – TelevisionGael García BernalWon [31]
2017 Golden Globe Awards Best Television Series – ComedyMozart in the JungleNominated [32]
Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or ComedyGael Garcia BernalNominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour) Tobias Datum (for "Now I Will Sing")Nominated [33]
Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Program (Half-Hour or Less) Tommaso Ortino, Susanna Codognato, Letizia Santucci (for "Now I Will Sing")Nominated
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and AnimationAndy D'Addario, Gary Gegan, Marco Fiumara (for "Now I Will Sing")Won

References

  1. ↑ Gans, Andrew (March 12, 2014). "Amazon Studios Picks Up Mozart in the Jungle Pilot Starring Bernadette Peters". Playbill . Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  2. ↑ Burton, Louise (December 11, 2013). "Amazon's TV Pilot 'Mozart in the Jungle,' with Joshua Bell and Malcolm McDowell, Is a Tale of Sex, Drugs and…Classical Music?". Classicalite. Archived from the original on January 21, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  3. ↑ Ramey, Corinne (December 6, 2013). "Amazon Studios' 'Mozart in the Jungle' Offers New View of Music World". The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  4. ↑ Ng, David (February 10, 2014). "'Mozart in the Jungle': Is 'Rodrigo' a parody of Gustavo Dudamel?". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on December 28, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
  5. ↑ Swed, Mark (July 31, 2015). "L.A. Phil, Dudamel dive into the 'Mozart in the Jungle' act at the Bowl". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on December 28, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
  6. ↑ Midgette, Anne (December 30, 2015). "Mozart in the Jungle finds its feet". The Washington Post . Retrieved January 26, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Missy Mazzoli: About Missy". Archived from the original on August 7, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  8. ↑ "'Mozart in the Jungle' tackles gender disparity in music". Archived from the original on December 28, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  9. 1 2 "How Mozart In The Jungle Joined Time's Up". Archived from the original on December 28, 2020. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Amazon's Mozart In The Jungle Films At SUNY Purchase". Harrison Daily Voice. September 8, 2016. Archived from the original on December 28, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2017.
  11. ↑ Michael Cooper (February 18, 2018). "Hear How Mozart in the Jungle Became a New-Music Showcase". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 28, 2020. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Mozart in the Jungle: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Mozart in the Jungle". Metacritic . Archived from the original on December 28, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Mozart in the Jungle: Season 2". Rotten Tomatoes . Archived from the original on December 28, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Mozart in the Jungle". Metacritic . Archived from the original on December 28, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Mozart in the Jungle: Season 3". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  17. ↑ "Mozart in the Jungle". Metacritic . Archived from the original on December 28, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Mozart in the Jungle: Season 4". Rotten Tomatoes . Archived from the original on December 28, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Mozart in the Jungle". Metacritic . Archived from the original on December 28, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Mozart in the Jungle: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on December 28, 2020. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Mozart in the Jungle – Season 1". Metacritic. Archived from the original on December 28, 2020. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  22. ↑ Barker, Cory (January 6, 2015). "4 Reasons Why You Should Binge-Watch Amazon's Mozart in the Jungle This Week". TV.com . Archived from the original on May 13, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  23. ↑ Lloyd, Robert (December 23, 2014). "Review 'Mozart in the Jungle' on Amazon gets good after woeful pilot". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on December 28, 2020. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  24. ↑ Grow, Kory (December 22, 2014). "Bittersweet Symphony: Inside the Sex and Drugs of 'Mozart in the Jungle'". Rolling Stone . Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  25. ↑ Goodman, Tim (December 23, 2014). "'Mozart In the Jungle': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on December 28, 2020. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  26. ↑ Lowry, Brian (December 17, 2014). "TV Review: Amazon's 'Mozart in the Jungle'". Variety . Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  27. ↑ "What We Love And Hate About 'Mozart In The Jungle'". NPR . Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  28. ↑ "2015 Imagen Awards Winners, Honorees & Nominees". The Imagen Foundation. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  29. ↑ "Winners & Nominees 2016". Golden Globes. Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Archived from the original on June 23, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  30. ↑ "68th Emmy Awards Nominees and Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  31. ↑ "Winners of 31st Annual Imagen Awards Announced". The Imagen Foundation. September 10, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  32. ↑ "Winners & Nominees 2017". Golden Globes. Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Archived from the original on January 8, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  33. ↑ "69th Emmy Awards Nominees and Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on September 9, 2019. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
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