Franz Welser-Most, Orchester der Oper Zürich - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: La Clemenza di Tito (2007)

Posted By: ArlegZ

Date: 18 May 2022 09:54:49

Franz Welser-Most, Orchester der Oper Zürich - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: La Clemenza di Tito (2007)

It was hard to muster much enthusiasm for Welser-Möst’s soft-grained, untheatrical approach to Mozart’s score and his careful avoidance of appoggiaturas, though it has to be admitted that the clarinet and basset-horn obbligatos — their players not credited in the program — sounded ravishing. Welser-Möst’s beat could certainly have been fueled by some extra zest, his syncopations by stronger incisiveness. Little was made of the explosive clashes of contrasting keys, Welser-Möst’s opera gentile dallyings replacing Mozart’s needed opera seria gravitas.
Tenor Jonas Kaufmann, earlier this season the highly sensuous Nero of Zurich’s L’Incoronazione, added another potentate to his fast-growing list of imperial vacillators. His Tito was half dandy, half macho-man, but wholly self-enamored, the music delivered with caressing sweetness of tone, wonderful tonal gleam and keen, shapely phrasing. The other male among the principals, Günther Groissböck, articulated his warmly sung “Tardi s’avvede” so well that one wished Mozart had provided Publio with another occasion to parade his well-oiled bass. But the darling of Zurich audiences on this occasion was certainly Vesselina Kasarova as Sesto, who created a youth of noble integrity, the purity of his mind perfectly reflected in the grand aria “Parto, ma tu ben mio,” topped by a poignant and profoundly moving A-major adagio–rondo, “Deh per questo istante solo.” Nonetheless, I found Liliana Nikiteanu’s Annio even more beguiling of tone — and certainly more boyish in appearance. As Vitellia, soprano Eva Mei fumed with appropriate venom, the even scale of her electric roulades most impressive, her attack on her high D fearless, her dives into low notes bold and sure. Mei’s serene “Non più di fiori” revealed unsuspected depths of compassion. The cast gained spring-like freshness and sunshine from Malin Hartelius’s Servilia.
–Horst Koegler

Performer:
Titus Vespasianus - Jonas Kaufmann
Sesto - Vesselina Kasarova
Vittelia - Eva Mei
Servilia - Malin Hartelius
Annio - Liliana Nikiteanu
Publio - Günther Groissböck
Chor des Opernhauses Zürich
Orchester der Oper Zürich
Conductor - Franz Welser-Möst

2007 Classical Classical Music DVD Eva Mei Franz Welser-Most Jonas Kaufmann Liliana Nikiteanu Malin Hartelius Mozart Opera Vesselina Kasarova Viennese School Zurich Opera