Baron Franz von der Trenck: The Glass-Coffined Prisoner

Baron Franz von der Trenck (Reggio di Calabria, Italy, 1st January 1711 - Brno, Czech Republic, 4th October 1749)

Baron Franz von der Trenck, 1742

This is not the first time we have met a chap who goes by the name of von der Trenck but this is not a return trip to the adventurous world of Friedrich von der Trenck, but an audience with his cousin, Baron Franz. The Baron was a professional soldier with a reputation for a hard line and a bad temper and, unsurprisingly, he made many enemies in his near forty year life.

Trenck's undoing came during the War of Austrian Succession when he was charged with providing military support to Maria Theresa of Austria. However, his band of irregulars lost sight of the main aim somewhat and went on a bit of a spree, looting and plundering as they wished. As a result, once peace broke out in 1745, the Baron was called to account for the actions of the men under his command. 

He was charged with permitting and ordering atrocities against civilians, insubordination and fraud. Trenck did not only have powerful enemies to contend with, he was loathed across Austria and Silesia, and the court martial handed down the sentence of death. An outraged Trenck argued that he had not been given a fair trial and the Empress took mercy on her one-time protector and had the sentence commuted to life imprisonment.

Accordingly, the prisoner was taken to Špilberk Castle and locked away. Unsurprisingly for a man who always seemed to land right side up, his time behind bars was not particularly unpleasant and the Baron was able to enjoy a relatively good standard of living. In fact, Trenck had not been in prison for long when he fell ill, slipping into a long and slow decline.

Baron Franz von der Trenck died in his prison at Špilberk Castle In his will he left a fortune behind and asked that it be used to rebuild one of the towns his men had sacked; in accordance with his wishes, he was laid to rest in the Capuchin Monastery Crypt at Brno. Here he has remained ever since, his remains displayed in a glass coffin that visitors are welcome to view!

The Premiere of Don Giovanni

On 28th October 1787, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart put the last touches to the score of the now-legendary Don Giovanni, finally declaring the monumental work finished. The notes and directions he added could hardly have come any later in the process and within 24 hours of the composer setting down his pen, the opera was to receive its world premiere at the Stavovské Divaldo (Estates Theatre) in Prague.

Detail of the face of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart by Johann Nepomuk della Croce, 1780

In truth Mozart was concerned for the opening night of his opera but, having already been postponed twice, there was no way that the performance could be set back again. Frantically making adjustments and amendments right up until the moment that the overture began, even Lorenzo da Ponte's libretto was subject to improvisations, tweaks and changes even as was being performed. The composer struggled with unprepared performers and an orchestra who would not see the full score until the night of the premiere and yet, when it came to the moment of truth, the pieces fell effortlessly into place seemingly effortlessly, giving no hint of the frantic rush to complete the work.

Lorenzo da Ponte by Nathaniel Rogers (engraving by Michele Pekenino)

Tickets for Il Dissoluto Punito ossia il Don Giovanni (The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni), were the hottest of the year and anybody who was anybody gathered at theatre on that autumn evening, anticipation at a height for what promised to be a sensational show. With Mozart's composition seemingly all the chattering classes could think about for weeks before curtain, crowds had turned out in force to besiege the box office in the hope of securing one of 800 tickets, creating a tide of people through which those lucky enough to have a seat were forced to pick their way.

Mozart himself was due to conduct the opera and when he took up position in the orchestra pit the cheers went on and on, the composer rapturously received before so much as a note had been played or sung. Eventually the performance began on schedule at 7.00pm amid all the ribaldry and excitement that we Georgians were known for when visiting the theatre, creating what must have been a heady night indeed. The show ended at around 9.30pm to an ovation and the delighted audience went their merry way, some stopping at the box office to purchase a copy of the libretto, a shrewd bit of early merchandising!

The Stavovské Divaldo (Estates Theatre) in Prague

Reviews for Don Giovanni were rapturous and Mozart was once again the toast of Prague as tickets flew from the box office. Mozart eventually left the city for Vienna and a new project but Prague remained dear to his heart and the city, to this day, celebrates its links with the legendary composer.


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