La clemenza di Tito (1993 TV Movie) User Reviews

The flying saucer is a mistake

[Gyran · 6/10 · 8 October 2004]

This is not the best version of Tito that I have ever heard, and I have only heard two. But, to be fair, that is probably two more than most people. It is not Mozart's most popular opera even though it is his last, postdating the Magic Flute. It was written quickly as an occasion piece for the celebration of the Bohemian King's coronation. As such, it had to say nice things about royalty, which is probably why audiences have not warmed to it. The Nastiness of Nero would probably have been better box-office than the Clemency of Titus. Even the King of Bohemia would probably have preferred it.

Still, I have a soft spot for this opera. I like the idea of an emperor who keeps on forgiving people when they try to kill him even when he knows that a more judicious response would be to throw them to the lions. I also have a great respect for Glyndebourne Opera. In live productions and also on film I have found them to be consistently the best company in the UK.

So what went wrong? Maybe one clue is in the billing: Nicholas Hytner's La Clemenza di Tito, suggesting based on an original idea by WA Mozart. (this is probably the fault of the Performance Channel rather than any self-aggrandisement on Nicholas Hytner's part) I really wanted to enjoy this production but my crapometer started to twitch during the first recitatives. My cat loves opera: she can quite happily sleep on my knee for 4 ¾ hours of Gotterdammerung but even she left in disgust after 20 minutes. Apparently the recitatives were written by a pupil of Mozart's and are not very good so Glyndebourne commissioned someone to rewrite them. Well, if they want to do that, fine but he did not have to make them sound like a fruit gum jingle.

This opera contains two of the best castrato roles in the repertory. Diana Montague sings Sesto as a mezzo rather than a castrato, which is good for her but bad for us. The diminutive Martine Mahé is cute and has a sweet voice. She makes a perfect man, providing that man is Dudley Moore. Ashley Putnam sings and acts the role of Vitellia as though she is auditioning for a role in Eastenders. Philip Langridge as Tito wears a bemused expression and a toga throughout. He looks like someone who is having a relaxing bath when he hears the doorbell ring; he wraps a sheet around himself and answers the door only to find that it is the Jehovah's Witnesses. Elzbieta Smytka as Servila and Peter Rose as Publius glow like tiny diamonds in this undistinguished cast. Andrew Davis, conducting, achieves the remarkable feat of making Mozart sound boring.

The design and costumes are a disaster. Why are the women in trouser roles wearing billowing red skirts? I also think that the flying saucer at the end of Act I is a mistake

An Unjustly Neglected Jewel

[haygraphics · 30 March 2004]

I don't think there are any SPOILERS here. If I'm wrong please accept my apologies.

This is a beautiful opera, one that lovely melodies and a concise story line make easy to appreciate. To be fair, there are signs that Mozart was rushed. Some of the secondary arias are shorter than what's found in the great comedies. Many numbers lack the musical variety found in even lesser pieces from Figaro, Don Giovanni and such. This isn't to say those works are without baggage-they aren't. Masetto's aria (for instance) is a second rate song at best. Mostly though, more attention seems to have given to the supporting roles in the larger works. The original secco recitatives for this opera are a sore point as well. Mozart assigned the work to a pupil, probably Franz Anton Süssmayr. They're a string of duds, and that's being nice. John Eliot Gardiner recorded Tito around the same time this production was filmed and trimmed most of them. The people in charge here found somebody who cared about what he was doing and paid to have a new set written.

The result was well worth the effort. Stephen Oliver's recitatives provide this opera with something that compliments it and carries the action well. Having something like this done was long overdue. Tito contains some of the most beautiful music Mozart wrote. Yes, many numbers are shorter than usual. That's fine as they fill the psychological needs of their characters while also preventing their musical phrases from being overplayed. There isn't a weak link in the cast. Yes, Titus is a one dimensional paragon of goodness. Yet when you watch Philip Langridge perform "his music" it's easy to believe a man can be like that. Diana Montague and Martine Mahé are superb as Sextus and Annio. There's one complaint and it's a minor one. These ladies look too feminine to forget that they're a pair of (very) attractive women. Peter Rose does well in the role of Publius. Elzbieta Szymytka is ravishing as Servilla. Her voice has that lovely crystalline quality so well suited to Mozart's work. Ashley Putnam is great! The role of Vitellia contains an emotional kaleidoscope and she delivers one. She is jealous and passionate, loving and ruthless, proud and then humbled all at once. Her music, particularly "Non Piu di Fiori, is fiendishly difficult. Some passages almost call for a soprano with mezzo-soprano's lower range. There are two instances where the music finds her limit but in both instances she recovers quickly. The sets are odd as are some of the camera angles. They suit the action though, and better yet, don't interfere with it. The subtitles are clear (though sometimes off centre) and contain a few typos ("epress"?) but give far more detail than what's found in most productions. New viewers will appreciate that.

This is an excellent production, one that's great for lovers of opera and for those new to opera.

Ah, Perdona Al Primo Affetto

This duet deserves mention on its own merits. It is one of the most perfect and beautiful gems imaginable. The first recording I heard was sung by Frederica von Stade and Lucia Popp under the baton of Sir Colin Davis. The emotional reaction it set off then was uncontrollable. To this day it usually has that effect. This is one of those pieces where beauty doesn't fade or wither with familiarity. Each time you listen there's a new detail to appreciate. The vocal lines are sublimely gentle, each note a caressing touch. The scoring is a miracle of transparent clarity. When performed as it is here, this is a model for what music can be. It touches the heart, caresses the emotions and makes you think about the beauty man can be capable of. To have it performed the way Martine Mahé (Annio), Elzbieta Szymytka and Andrew Davis have done it is, by itself, good reason to look at this production.

great production.

[felindq · 10/10 · 29 March 2001]

Sets and costumes complement the great music of Mozart. Not a weak link in the cast. This opera is an often overlooked masterpiece of the Mozart's last year. It is the story of the Roman emperor titus and the treasons directed against him.

Underrated treasure

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 11 January 2012]

This Clemenza Di Tito is perhaps not my first choice, the Ponnelle production with Troyanos and Neblett is for me. However, this is an underrated treasure, with my only complaints being the minimalist and sometimes unappealing sets and some awkward staging particularly the slanted stage and the saucer. The opera is wonderful, other than some parts that sound rushed it does have a concise story with some beautifully explored themes such as love, passion, despair, seduction, redemption and of course mercy and Mozart's gorgeous music.

I did love the costumes, they were well suited to when the opera was set, I was initially put off by everybody being barefoot but I learnt to live with it, and the camera work(mostly anyway, some were odd but not all), picture quality and sound are very good. Some of the numbers are shorter, but the orchestra perform beautifully with the highlight being the wind accompaniment in Parto Ma Tu Ben Mio and the conducting is brisk and never too broad and seldom rushed. The recitatives I do agree compliment the opera and serve the action well, and that is no easy feat.

Phillip Langridge was a very versatile artist, and his Tito with such refined technique, a beautiful voice and an overall moving performance is no exception. Peter Rose is very good as Pubilius, Diana Montague and Martina Mahe are superb and Elzbieta Szmytka has a tone as clear as crystal and it sounds lovely. Other than Langridge, the standout is Ashley Putnam who is amazing in perhaps the most difficult role of the entire opera in terms of range both vocally(soprano and mezzo quality, which Putnam meets) and dramatically(Vitellia is shown as passionate and ruthless yet loving and humble).

Of the production, the best performed and staged are Non Piu Di Fiori, which is a real emotional roller-coaster of a performance and I mean in a good way and the duet Ah Perdona Al Primo Affetto, which is exquisite in every way possible. All in all, an underrated treasure, both the opera and the production. 8.5/10 Bethany Cox