Clemenza Di Tito
Jean-Pierre Ponnelle’s dramatic production brings ancient Rome to life for this gripping tale of revenge, terror, and attempted murder. Giuseppe Filianoti is the Emperor Tito who chooses Servilia (Lucy Crowe) to be his Empress. But when she tells him she is already in love with Annio (Kate Lindsey) he decides to wed Vitellia (Barbara Frittoli) instead. Unaware of the honor about to be bestowed on her, Vitelllia, daughter of the deposed emperor, is determined to seek revenge on Tito and ensnares her lover Sesto (Elīna Garanča) in her dark plot. Early music specialist Harry Bicket conducts.
Full SynopsisPerformance Info
La clemenza di Tito Alt ernative. Title Composer Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus: Opus/Catalogue Number Op./Cat. K.621 I-Catalogue Number I-Cat. IWM 117 Movements/Sections Mov'ts/Sec's: 2 acts Year/Date of Composition Y/D of Comp. 1791 First Perf ormance. 1791-09-06 in Prague, Estates Theatre: First Pub lication. 1809 - Leipzig: Breitkopf und. Mozart was commissioned to create the coronation opera: “La clemenza di Tito”, which had to be finished in the space of four weeks. Mozart struggled with the composition. Weak, depressed and now under tremendous time pressure, he composed night and day. La Clemenza di Tito was commissioned by the Estate of Bohemia to celebrate the coronation of Leopold II. Domenico Guardasoni accepted this commission to put on an opera and contracted Mozart in the summer of 1791. La Clemenza di Tito premiered on September 6, 1791 at the Estates Theatre in Prague. La clemenza di Tito – power, intrigue and ultimate mercy The story is set in ancient Rome. Vitellia hates the Roman Emperor Tito because he has not chosen her as his wife. Tito wants to marry the sister of his friend Sesto, Servilia.
La Clemenza Di Tito Libretto
Performance Date
Dec 1, 2012
Composer
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Librettist
Libretto by Caterino Mazzolà, after Pietro Metastasio
Run Time
2 HRS 35 MIN
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus
Cast & Creative
- Dec 1, 2012Wolfgang Amadeus MozartLibretto by Caterino Mazzolà, after Pietro Metastasio2 HRS 35 MIN
- Harry BicketBarbara FrittoliElīna GarančaKate LindseyGiuseppe Filianoti
At-A-Glance
Listen to audio:
Composed: 1791
Length: c. 5 minutes
Orchestration: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, and strings
First Los Angeles Philharmonic performance: October 7, 1984, Rachael Worby conducting
Clemenza Di Tito Imslp
About this Piece
Among the works Mozart produced within the 35th and final year of his life were three operas, each from a different category of the genre: Così fan tutte, an opera buffa (comic opera); The Magic Flute, a Singspiel, or German opera; and La clemenza di Tito, an opera seria — a form in which the characters are usually drawn from ancient history. The latter work was composed on commission for the festivities attendant upon the coronation of Leopold II as King of Bohemia on September 6, 1791. Mozart had barely a month in which to complete the opera, but, accustomed as he was to rush jobs, the first performance took place at the appointed time.
Clemenza was not a success, either with the Imperial Highnesses or with the public. In fact, the Empress assumed the role of music critic and gave her judgment in an extremely brief review, to wit, “German rubbish.” Later performances did indeed win public approval, and Mozart was to enter in his catalog: “La clemenza di Tito, made into a real opera by Signore Mazzola (after a libretto by Metastasio)...” However, in present-day opera houses, where Figaro, Giovanni, Così, and Magic Flute are standard fare, Clemenza is still an infrequent visitor.
Even the Overture to Clemenza has not found a conspicuous place in the concert hall but has remained on the fringes of the repertoire — a fate it does not deserve. Its music is fresh and vital, having both sinew and elegance and that flair which seemed as natural to Mozart as breathing.