Thursday Opera Matinee 10.4.14 - La Clemenza di Tito

[aeolium]

Not perhaps 'a night at the opera', unless you listen later on iplayer, but R3 are broadcasting a production of Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito from La Monnaie this afternoon. I think it's an underrated opera with some very beautiful music, and possibly as convincing in a concert performance as on the stage. Imv it benefits from cuts to the lengthy recitatives (which are not even by Mozart, it seems) as was done in the Erik Smith recording for Decca with Kertesz and the Vienna State Opera. Veronique Gens sings the role of Vitellia, who has the glorious aria with obbligato basset-horn in the finale to Act 2.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04007gr

[vinteuil]

... thanks for this. One of my favourite Mozart operas - not least for the obbligato basset horn!

The egregious Ms Derham referred to Titus's renowned "clemency" as Emperor. Anyone with an awareness of history and of Titus's involvement in the Siege of Jerusalem and the Destruction of the Temple will have shuddered... [ though - to be fair to Ms Derham this preceded his time as Emperor... ]

But it's a glorious work - and we have Veronique Gens!

Lots of good CD versions - Jacobs, Kuijken, Gardiner, Harnoncourt, Bohm...

[Nick Armstrong]

The egregious Ms Derham ...to be fair to Ms Derham

She's getting worse. Travelling around today enabled me to hear her for the first time in a while - it's remarkable how she effortfully manages to trivialise everything she's talking about!!

And her 'egregiously' exaggerated "Teeeetoooo"....

[Cockney Sparrow]

Mrs CS has called me into the garden ("I thought it might be you, you sometimes play music very loud..") to listen to a builder a few houses away listening to Clemenza (at the time an extended recit) whilst attaching exterior cladding. A builder listening to radio 3 - a first for me.....
(Hang on a minute, this might support the "reaching out to the non-elitist, wider audience" argument of the W1A mob - better ask him how long he's been a listener !)

[aeolium]

Lots of good CD versions - Jacobs, Kuijken, Gardiner, Harnoncourt, Bohm..

Yes (not so keen on Jacobs' way with Mozart operas myself), it's certainly improved a lot since I first got to know the work in the 1970s, when there were only about 3 versions available. I'm still fond of the Kertesz recording, which has a great cast and lovely orchestral playing - and those damned Sussmayr* recitatives don't go on for ever and ever thanks to Erik Smith's judicious cuts.

As so often with Mozart, there is a somewhat poisoned ending, with the Emperor facing marriage to someone who has plotted to kill him....

* or whoever it was who wrote them

[Richard Tarleton]

One of my favourite Mozart operas - not least for the obbligato basset horn!


Lots of good CD versions - Jacobs, Kuijken, Gardiner, Harnoncourt, Bohm...

I bought the Colin Davis version after attending an electrifying WNO/Mackerras performance in Cardiff (my intro to the opera) - I've always been rather disappointed with the set, and the obbligato is very backwardly placed. In the theatre it was very much a duet with Vitellia, who was quite rabid beside Janet Baker's rather staid performance on disc.

[David-G]

Just listening to the Overture. It seems very lackadaisical, particularly compared with the recent "Clemenza di Tito" given by "Classical Opera" at the Cadogan Hall, where the whole thing simply fizzed with energy, to the work's great benefit.

[aeolium]

Just listening to the Overture. It seems very lackadaisical, particularly compared with the recent "Clemenza di Tito" given by "Classical Opera" at the Cadogan Hall, where the whole thing simply fizzed with energy, to the work's great benefit.

I agree. I thought the orchestral accompaniment generally sounded leaden and sluggish and some of the singing, particularly in the title role, was not that distinguished. It was a disappointing performance on the whole.

I've sometimes wondered how the lovely first act duet between Annio and Servilia, "Ah perdona il primo affetto", would sound if arranged for soprano and tenor, where there would be a greater contrast of voices.