A new six-episode historical drama, “Mozart/Mozart,” has wrapped production in Latvia and Lithuania, promising to restore Maria Anna “Nannerl” Mozart to the centre of the classical canon. Story House Pictures is making the €30 million series with German broadcasters ARD (WDR, SWR, Degeto) and Austria’s ORF, joined by Swiss partner The Dreaming Sheep Company.
Director Clara Zoë My-Linh von Arnim guides scripts by showrunner Andreas Gutzeit and Swantje Oppermann that present what Gutzeit calls “a loud, wild tale told with a lot of fun and thrilling music.” Emerging talent Havana Joy plays Nannerl opposite Eren M. Güvercin’s Wolfgang, with Peter Kurth as the formidable Leopold and Sonja Weißer as Constanze. Bavaria Media International is pitching the show for global sales, targeting a December 2025 rollout on Das Erste and ORF 1.
The plot places Nannerl in disguise after Wolfgang’s collapse, forcing her to tour Europe under his name while outwitting court composer Antonio Salieri and the Habsburg elite. Composer Jessica de Rooij told the Seriencamp TV conference she is blending original themes with snippets of Mozart to make the music “a character in its own right.” Costume designer Daiva Petrulyte and production designer Algirdas Garbaciauskas, both Emmy-nominated for “Sisi,” aim for a palette closer to Gen Z pop videos than powdered-wig nostalgia.
Producers say the timing is right: streaming hits such as “The Great” have proved that irreverent period pieces can break out internationally, while research published this week in BBC Music Magazine argues that Nannerl’s teenage performances “astonished Europe.” Historians have long noted that her touring career ended when social convention barred adult women from the stage, a disparity The Guardian once called “the lost genius of Mozart’s sister.”
Annabella Trinzen’s trade report for PR Agent says the series’ €5 million marketing push will include TikTok collaborations with classical-music influencers to reach viewers who discovered orchestral soundtracks through gaming and anime.
ARD fiction chief Alexander Bickel believes that approach could “spark the streaming-savvy audience’s curiosity” and reframe Mozart for a generation accustomed to mash-ups. If successful, “Mozart/Mozart” may do for Nannerl what “Bridgerton” did for the Regency ball: turn a footnote of cultural history into appointment television.
