Mozart was already
at work with Die Zauberflöte
when he was contracted to write an opera
seria, based on and old Metastasio
libretto, La clemenza di Tito.
Since he was offered a substantial sum
of money he couldn’t turn down the project
and he finished the opera in seventeen
days; impressive indeed, considering
that it comprises an overture and 26
musical numbers. The recitatives, of
which there are many, were however composed
by someone else, presumably his pupil
Süssmayr, who also completed his
Requiem a few months later. After his
mature masterpieces this opera seria
is, in a way, a step backwards. However
it is so filled with lovely music that
it would be a shame not to perform it
and today it is heard and seen not infrequently.
There have also been a number of recordings,
Hogwood, Harnoncourt, Gardiner, Colin
Davis and back in the 1960s István
Kertesz [review].
The one that has for long been my personal
favourite is the DG recording by Karl
Böhm with Peter Schreier, Teresa
Berganza and Julia Varady in leading
roles. Now comes a brand new DG recording,
set down in August 2005 during preparations
for a concert performance at the Edinburgh
Festival. Presiding over the whole project
is Sir Charles Mackerras, who turned
eighty a couple of months later, but
there are no signs of an octogenarian
at work. On the contrary this is fresh
and youthful music-making with sprung
rhythms and a light touch. Böhm
in contrast feels slightly heavy-handed
although his longstanding familiarity
with Mozart’s work still lends his reading
authenticity. A great asset on this
new recording is the Scottish Chamber
Orchestra, playing with precision and
warmth, not always a self-evident combination.
There is an airiness and transparency
that brings out Mozart’s exquisite orchestration.
The important woodwind soloists are
excellent, not least the important clarinet
and basset horn solos expertly done.
The affiliated chorus are splendid too
– there is no mention of the number
of singers but they are a homogenous
body of voices, rhythmically alive.
Sir Charles paces the music expertly,
neither rushing it unduly nor lingering
over some of the admittedly beautiful
arias that can tend to cloy in less
sensitive hands. The secco recitatives
are accompanied by fortepiano and cello
and as always they sound overlong, less
the fault of the musicians than the
music itself. Since they are separately
banded it’s easy to skip them but one
always loses something of the continuity.
The cast is a strong
one, maybe lacking something in personality
as compared to the Böhm cast but
taken as a whole both singer teams are
winners. Magdalena Kožená’s
first Mozart role has been eagerly awaited
and she doesn’t disappoint as Sesto.
Her big set-piece is, of course, the
aria Parto, ma tu, ben mio
(CD1 track 19) with the clarinet
solo, played at the premiere by Anton
Stadler, for whom Mozart wrote the
clarinet concerto just weeks later.
I happen to have quite a number of recordings
of this specific aria with most of the
great latter day (and some not so latter)
mezzo-sopranos. Kožená is definitely
among the top contenders. Her voice
is smooth and beautiful and she
executes the difficult runs with ease.
A little later in the first act she
shows the full scope of her dramatic
expressiveness in the accompanied recitative
just before the quintet that ends the
act, Oh, Dei, che smania. In
the second act her rondo Deh, per
questo istante solo (CD2 track 13)
is equally fine. Vitellia is sung by
Hillevi Martinpelto, who has a longstanding
reputation as a leading Mozartean, even
though she today also sings more dramatic
repertoire. This spring she will be
Leonora in Verdi’s Il trovatore
in Stockholm. Her first recitative is
a bit fluttery and insecure but she
soon recovers and in the duet with Sesto,
Come ti piace imponi (CD1 track
3) the voices blend well and her first
act aria, Deh, se piacer mi vuoi
(CD1 track 5) shows her technically
perfect and with beautiful tone. Her
real set-piece, the second act rondo
Non più di fiori vaghe catene
(CD2 track 19), the one with the basset
horn obbligato, is heartfelt, but the
aria requires an enormous range of voice
and here the lowest notes are a bit
sketchy. But this is a worthy reading
of the part. As Tito, Rainer Trost surprises
with more heft than I had expected and
his voice may be growing in the same
direction as Gösta Winbergh’s did;
from being a light lyrical Mozartean
voice to the big dramatic Wagner roles
he sang with such conviction. Trost’s
smooth flexible voice has gained in
volume but lost something of its former
mellifluousness. He sometimes sounds
strained in the more dramatic moments
and he is a bit taxed by the runs in
his last act aria Se all’impero,
amici Dei. Nevertheless he is a
good actor with the voice and does much
with the text. Still he can’t quite
erase memories of Peter Schreier in
the Böhm set.
Of the other singers
John Relyea is a darkly imposing Publio,
singing with great authority, though
not wholly free from wobble. Christine
Rice, the other mezzo-soprano, in the
other trouser role as Annio, impresses
greatly. Lisa Milne, although born in
Aberdeen and having studied in Glasgow,
must still be able to feel Edinburgh
her home ground. She turns in a fine
Servilia, not always ideally steady,
but charming in the little second act
aria S’altro che lacrime.
DG offer a premium
class recording with ideal balance between
pit and stage and we get both synopses
and sung texts in four languages. The
hero of the performance is undoubtedly
Sir Charles and he is well served by
his leading singers, especially Kožená
and Martinpelto. This recording may
not outdo the competition completely
but it belongs up there among the best
and can be confidently recommended.
Göran Forsling
Scottish Chamber Orchestra Chorus 
