La Clemenza di Tito - Glyndebourne

[Dave2002]

Did anyone else go? Somewhat dark production - at least visually - strong black emphasis. Also many of the characters were dressed in black, though some later on sported military "flashes" - not for any very obvious good reason. The upper and lower stage sets were an interesting concept. The projected video films were somewhat disconcerting, though finally the sequence with the two boys did make some sense, though the bird at the end was not so clearly relevant.

I've never seen this opera before, so had relatively little to judge it by. For me I'd say I enjoyed it, but with some fairly strong reservations. It might also be near sacriligious to say it, but I didn't feel the music was up to Mozart's best - though it was written at around the same time as the Magic Flute.

[David-G]

Have to disagree with you about the music. I have loved it since I first heard it on LP as a student. One of Mozart's finest. In fact, I have a friend for whom it is his finest. Saw Janet Baker in it years ago - unforgettable.

Of course, the recitatives are not by Mozart. But this has never worried me.

I am going later this week, so am reserving judgement on the production. That said, it seems that dressing characters in black - and indeed, having sets in black - is very fashionable these days. I have to say that I am finding this fashion increasingly tiresome.

[Dave2002]

Have to disagree with you about the music. I have loved it since I first heard it on LP as a student. One of Mozart's finest. In fact, I have a friend for whom it is his finest. Saw Janet Baker in it years ago - unforgettable.

Of course, the recitatives are not by Mozart. But this has never worried me.

I'd be happy to revise my opinion of the music, and perhaps greater familiarity with the work will cause me to change my view. I have a few CD sets and play them occasionally. The nearly all black theme perhaps didn't help for the overall enjoyment, and one persion commented that since everyone was dressed more or less the same (not quite true - Vitellia wasn't - but ...), it was really hard to figure out who was who, which does not help understanding the plot.

I did say I enjoyed it - and I didn't actually say I disliked the music. The singers were very good, though there have been cast changes recently. Alice Coote as Vitellia is superb.

I hope you enjoy it - just ignore my comments.

It's on in cinemas on Thursday and also online via the link here - http://www.glyndebourne.com/tickets-...menza-di-tito/

[aeolium]

[spoiler alert for anyone yet to see the production either at Glyndebourne or via the online stream which is still available for another 6 days]

I thought this was a seriously misconceived and dreary production, staged throughout in a kind of Stygian gloom for which there is no real justification - only the finale of Act 1, and perhaps the scene in Sesto's cell in Act 2, warrant staging in partial darkness. The dominance of the foreground reed swamp was just a mess, literally and conceptually. Apparently it required laborious effort to recreate each night (and indeed partial recreation during each interval) and it clearly caused the poor singers all manner of difficulty navigating in the darkness - as mentioned in this review. According to the director, from the brief introduction preceding Act 2 of the online stream, the reed swamp was supposed to symbolise the predominance of the passions, love, jealousy, remorse, etc with the emperor's clemency also emanating from this level, while the upper "palace" level represented officialdom, ceremony, the law, reason, etc. Apart from the ponderous symbolism which was probably obscure (in every sense) to many in the audience, this just seems to be a false representation of late C18 thinking, in which the enlightened, merciful monarch would combine reason with feeling. And in the conclusion to Act 2, with the supposed acclamation of Tito's clemency, the director clearly intended the audience to infer that Tito - in the swamp below - was abdicating, while Publius on the upper level took over and received the plaudits of the crowd. This just seems at odds with the intentions of composer and librettist.

Musically there was much to admire, especially Anna Stephany as Sesto and Richard Croft as Tito. Alice Coote was superb in Non piu di fiori - as was the basset-horn player - though at times seemed a bit strained in the upper register. The orchestral accompaniment was generally excellent.

Despite a lot of glorious music, this opera is difficult to present to a modern audience: the idea of an enlightened, merciful despot is, post C20, simply too unbelievable (rather as demonic spirits in the Wolf's Glen make Der Freischutz hard to take). The secco recitatives which were not composed by Mozart are a problem since they are in several cases simply too long and lacking in musical drama. Erik Smith in the Decca recording of the opera with Istvan Kertesz and the Vienna State Opera sought to remedy this with cuts to some of the recitatives and I think this works well. Given the care with which Mozart attended to the dramatic impact of the scenes in his earlier opera seria Idomeneo (as attested in letters to his father), I cannot believe he would not have improved and pared down the recitatives had the composition not been so rushed.

[zola]

Anyone wishing to compare and contrast can catch the Peter Sellars production from Salzburg, conducted by Teodor Currentzis, that is being streamed live this evening.

http://www.medici.tv/en/operas/mozart-la-clemenza-di-tito-salzburg-festival/

[french frank]

Anyone wishing to compare and contrast can catch the Peter Sellars production from Salzburg, conducted by Teodor Currentzis, that is being streamed live this evening.

http://www.medici.tv/en/operas/mozar...burg-festival/

Good find, zola, but - 5 hours and 2 minutes …

[zola]

Good find, zola, but - 5 hours and 2 minutes …

That's the countdown to when it starts Three hours and fifty minutes now !

[David-G]

Originally Posted by aeolium - my thoughts in red

I thought this was a seriously misconceived and dreary production YES!, staged throughout in a kind of Stygian gloom for which there is no real justification - only the finale of Act 1, and perhaps the scene in Sesto's cell in Act 2, warrant staging in partial darkness. The dominance of the foreground reed swamp was just a mess, literally and conceptually. A mess indeed. Apparently it required laborious effort to recreate each night (and indeed partial recreation during each interval) and it clearly caused the poor singers all manner of difficulty navigating in the darkness - as mentioned in this review. According to the director, from the brief introduction preceding Act 2 of the online stream, the reed swamp was supposed to symbolise the predominance of the passions, love, jealousy, remorse, etc with the emperor's clemency also emanating from this level, while the upper "palace" level represented officialdom, ceremony, the law, reason, etc. The director might have supposed that, but I didn't perceive anything of the kind. It was just a mess. Apart from the ponderous symbolism which was probably obscure (in every sense) to many in the audience, this just seems to be a false representation of late C18 thinking, in which the enlightened, merciful monarch would combine reason with feeling. And in the conclusion to Act 2, with the supposed acclamation of Tito's clemency, the director clearly intended the audience to infer that Tito - in the swamp below - was abdicating, while Publius on the upper level took over and received the plaudits of the crowd. This just seems at odds with the intentions of composer and librettist. I agree.

Musically there was much to admire, especially Anna Stephany as Sesto and Richard Croft as Tito. Alice Coote was superb in Non piu di fiori - as was the basset-horn player - though at times seemed a bit strained in the upper register. I agree. The orchestral accompaniment was generally excellent. Absolutely excellent! Musically, the whole thing was superb.

Despite a lot of glorious music, this opera is difficult to present to a modern audience: the idea of an enlightened, merciful despot is, post C20, simply too unbelievable (rather as demonic spirits in the Wolf's Glen make Der Freischutz hard to take). I'm afraid I can't agree with this - don't people have imagination nowadays? The secco recitatives which were not composed by Mozart are a problem since they are in several cases simply too long and lacking in musical drama. Erik Smith in the Decca recording of the opera with Istvan Kertesz and the Vienna State Opera sought to remedy this with cuts to some of the recitatives and I think this works well. Given the care with which Mozart attended to the dramatic impact of the scenes in his earlier opera seria Idomeneo (as attested in letters to his father), I cannot believe he would not have improved and pared down the recitatives had the composition not been so rushed. The recits have never bothered me.

I must just add that the previous Glyndebourne production, by Nicholas Hytner, was superb, and was a fine setting for Mozart's opera. Such a pity they had to replace it.

[kernelbogey]

[...]It's on in cinemas on Thursday and also online via the link here - http://www.glyndebourne.com/tickets-...menza-di-tito/

I couldn't make the time this was streamed at our local Screen cinema, and there was no repeat broadcast; I hope the cinema chain will revive it anon.

[Dave2002]

If you have the right browser and kit, that link should enable you to watch the production. It's free - if you can get it to work.

[Stanfordian]

Originally Posted by aeolium - my thoughts in red

I thought this was a seriously misconceived and dreary production YES!, staged throughout in a kind of Stygian gloom for which there is no real justification - only the finale of Act 1, and perhaps the scene in Sesto's cell in Act 2, warrant staging in partial darkness. The dominance of the foreground reed swamp was just a mess, literally and conceptually. A mess indeed. Apparently it required laborious effort to recreate each night (and indeed partial recreation during each interval) and it clearly caused the poor singers all manner of difficulty navigating in the darkness - as mentioned in this review. According to the director, from the brief introduction preceding Act 2 of the online stream, the reed swamp was supposed to symbolise the predominance of the passions, love, jealousy, remorse, etc with the emperor's clemency also emanating from this level, while the upper "palace" level represented officialdom, ceremony, the law, reason, etc. The director might have supposed that, but I didn't perceive anything of the kind. It was just a mess. Apart from the ponderous symbolism which was probably obscure (in every sense) to many in the audience, this just seems to be a false representation of late C18 thinking, in which the enlightened, merciful monarch would combine reason with feeling. And in the conclusion to Act 2, with the supposed acclamation of Tito's clemency, the director clearly intended the audience to infer that Tito - in the swamp below - was abdicating, while Publius on the upper level took over and received the plaudits of the crowd. This just seems at odds with the intentions of composer and librettist. I agree.

Musically there was much to admire, especially Anna Stephany as Sesto and Richard Croft as Tito. Alice Coote was superb in Non piu di fiori - as was the basset-horn player - though at times seemed a bit strained in the upper register. I agree. The orchestral accompaniment was generally excellent. Absolutely excellent! Musically, the whole thing was superb.

Despite a lot of glorious music, this opera is difficult to present to a modern audience: the idea of an enlightened, merciful despot is, post C20, simply too unbelievable (rather as demonic spirits in the Wolf's Glen make Der Freischutz hard to take). I'm afraid I can't agree with this - don't people have imagination nowadays? The secco recitatives which were not composed by Mozart are a problem since they are in several cases simply too long and lacking in musical drama. Erik Smith in the Decca recording of the opera with Istvan Kertesz and the Vienna State Opera sought to remedy this with cuts to some of the recitatives and I think this works well. Given the care with which Mozart attended to the dramatic impact of the scenes in his earlier opera seria Idomeneo (as attested in letters to his father), I cannot believe he would not have improved and pared down the recitatives had the composition not been so rushed. The recits have never bothered me.

I must just add that the previous Glyndebourne production, by Nicholas Hytner, was superb, and was a fine setting for Mozart's opera. Such a pity they had to replace it.

Hiya David-G,

I thought you might be interested in the headline to Hugh Canning's review of the Glyndebourne 'Tito' in today's Sunday Times:
"It's flaming brilliant"... "La Clemenza di Tito is the best of a hot Glyndebourne bunch. Unmissable." With regard to John Allison's review in Opera magazine he was surprisingly non-committal.

[Dave2002]

Hiya David-G,

I thought you might be interested in the headline to Hugh Canning's review of the Glyndebourne 'Tito' in today's Sunday Times:
"It's flaming brilliant"
"La Clemenza di Tito is the best of a hot Glyndebourne bunch. Unmissable."

I think that several of us here would completely disagree.
Personal opinions come in here, but of the ones we saw this year as a production I'd say that Hamlet was easily the best. Whether the music will last is an open question, and of course Mozart's music has survived a long while.

[french frank]

If you have the right browser and kit, that link should enable you to watch the production. It's free - if you can get it to work.

Until 11.59 pm Thursday 10 August.

http://www.glyndebourne.com/tickets-and-whats-on/events/2017/watch-la-clemenza-di-tito/

[Bax-of-Delights]

Visited Glyndebourne last night and like David-G and Dave2002 I was mightily unimpressed by the production. I could see no reason for setting it in some dark 30's/50's/70's fascist bunker beneath which reeds and straw beds were randomly strewn. The fact that there were two trouser roles and most of the singers and chorus were dressed in identical black and grey suits made for an added dimension of puzzlement of who was who. Sesto and Tito were boyhood friends but at last night's performance the age difference as adults was something like 30 years. This was possibly because Steve Davisilim (to judge by his bio, a younger man) was replaced by Richard Croft (of more mature years).
Glyndebourne's "Poliuto"(Donizetti) of some years ago was similarly darkly produced and set in some fascist dictatorship in the 30's. I may not be alone in getting ever so slightly bored with this meme to judge by some of the comments heard afterwards. We met a friend there before the performance who had come along primarily on the Sunday Times review. I didn't see him afterwards but as he is only a very occasional visitor to opera I can only imagine he may not have been duly impressed. I certainly wasn't.

Next year looks to be a corker with
Handel Saul
Debussy: Pelleas and Melisande (sadly not the stunning Vick production but one by Stefan Herheim whose work I don't know)
Barber: Vanessa
and revivals of Der Rosenkavalier and the GTO's Madame Butterfly.

[kernelbogey]

Concert performance at Prom 59, 28 August, 1900h.