Mozart Mithridates King of Pontus. W. A. Mozart. Opera "Mithridates, King of Pontus"
| Opera | |
| Sorochinskaya fair | |
|---|---|
| “Kum” (costume design), art. Boris Kustodiev, 1919 |
|
| Composer |
M. P. Mussorgsky Ts. A. Cui (edition 1916) N.N. Tcherepnin (1922) V.Ya. Shebalin (1931) |
| Librettist | Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky And Arseniy Arkadyevich Golenishchev-Kutuzov |
| Language of the libretto | Russian |
| Plot Source | story of the same name by N.V. Gogol |
| Genre | comic opera |
| Actions | 3 |
| Paintings | 4 |
| Year of creation | 1881 (Acts I and II, fragment of Act III), 1911 (edited by C. Cui), 1930 (edited by V. Shebalin) |
| First production | October 13 (26) And |
| Place of first production | Moscow, Free Theater |
| Duration (approx.) |
2 hours |
| Media files on Wikimedia Commons | |
Sorochinskaya fair- opera by M. P. Mussorgsky in 3 acts, 4 scenes. The plot of the libretto is borrowed from the story of the same name by N. V. Gogol. Mussorgsky wrote this opera in the 1880s, but did not finish it.
History of creation
The opera was first completed by C. A. Cui and in this version was performed on October 13 (25). From the preface to this edition of the opera (October 1916):
The comic opera “Sorochinskaya Fair” was begun by Mussorgsky in 1875, was composed slowly and fragmentarily, and after the composer’s death in the city, remained unfinished. Initially, only five excerpts from it were published: Introduction to the opera (processed from rough sketches by A.K. Lyadov), Dumka Parobka (edited by Lyadov), Gopak, Scene of Khivri in anticipation of Afanasy Ivanovich and Dumka Parasi (orchestral edition of all five numbers belongs to Lyadov). Mussorgsky's manuscripts, however, also provided a significant amount of musical material, namely the “Fair Scene” with which the opera begins, and the first half of Act 2. This material was processed by V. A. Karatygin, supplemented and instrumented by Ts. A. Cui. Everything else, namely the scene of Cherevik with Khivrey and the scene of Parobok with the Gypsy in the 1st act, the 2nd half of the 2nd and all 3rd, with the exception of Dumka Parasi and Gopak, were completed and orchestrated by Ts. A. Cui and Thus, Mussorgsky's posthumous work is completed.
In addition to Cui, they worked on completing Mussorgsky's opera (in different time) A.K. Lyadov, V.A. Karatygin, N.N. Cherepnin (edition 1922), P.A. Lamm and V.Ya. Shebalin (edition 1931). The Lamm-Shebalin edition has become standard for performers in Russia.
Characters
- Cherevik - bass
- Khivrya, Cherevik's wife - mezzo-soprano
- Parasya, daughter of Cherevik, stepdaughter of Khivri - soprano
- Kum - bass-baritone
- Gritsko, boy - tenor
- Afanasy Ivanovich, popovich - tenor
- Gypsy - bass
- Chernobog - bass
- Tradewomen, merchants, gypsies, Jews, boys, Cossacks, girls, guests, demons, witches, dwarfs.
Summary
The action takes place in the village of Velikiye Sorochintsy near Poltava at the beginning of the 19th century. Hot sunny day. A noisy fair is in full swing. Cherevik came here to sell wheat and a mare. With him is his daughter, the beautiful Parasya. Wanting to intimidate the merchants and lure them out of cheaper goods, the Gypsy tells the crowd that the Red Scroll has settled nearby in an old barn; it belongs to the devil and brings damage to people. Meanwhile, the boy Gritsko talks tenderly with Parasya, whose beauty has won his heart. Cherevik is initially dissatisfied with the boy’s bold advances, but having learned that Gritsko is the son of his old friend, he does not object to the matchmaking. Now you need to go to the tavern...
From there Cherevik returns home late in the evening along with Kum. He greets hubby Khivry unkindly. But there is no limit to her anger when it turns out that the groom is the same boy who recently mocked her. Gritsko, who heard this conversation, was greatly saddened. However, Gypsy volunteers to help on the condition that the boy sells his oxen to him cheaply.
Second act. Khivrya, having expelled her husband from the house for the whole night under a plausible pretext, is looking forward to her beloved Afanasy Ivanovich. Finally, Popovich appears, generously scattering high-flown compliments. Khivrya treats the guest. But Popovich’s courtship is interrupted by a knock on the gate - it’s Cherevik and Kum with their guests. Khivrya hides his beloved, shaking with fear, on the floor. The unexpected aliens are scared to death by the Red Scroll, rumored to have appeared at the fair. Only after drinking something intoxicating do they gradually calm down. The godfather starts a story about the devil who pawned his red scroll to the shinkar and now, in the guise of a pig, is looking for it throughout the fair. A pig's snout suddenly appearing in the window fills everyone with indescribable horror. Guests and hosts flee.
Third act, first scene. The boys, led by Gypsy, seize and mate Cherevik with Kum, allegedly because they stole the mare. According to Gypsy’s cunning plan, Gritsko acts as the deliverer. As a reward, the boy demands an immediate wedding, to which Cherevik happily agrees. Dreaming of Paras, the happy groom falls asleep. He dreams that Chernobog and his retinue are celebrating a Sabbath, which ends only with the sound of a church bell.
Third act, second scene. Parasya misses her sweetheart. The more joyful the meeting of lovers. Taking advantage of Khivri's absence, Cherevik blesses the young people. Khivrya, who arrived at the wrong time, tries in vain to stop them. The gypsies and the boys carry Khivrya away amid general laughter. The crowd is dancing hopak.
Posts
| Year | Organization | Conductor | Soloists | Publisher and catalog number | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Slovenian National Opera and Ballet Theater | Samo Khubad | Cherevik- Latko Koroshetz, Khivrya- Bogdana Stritar, Parasya- Vilma Bukovetz, Godfather- Friderik Lupsha, Gritsko- Miro Branjnik, Afanasy Ivanovich- Slavko Shtrukel, Gypsy- Andrey Andreev, Chernobog- Samo Smerkolj | Philips A 00329-00330 L (2LPS); Philips ABL 3148-3149 (1957) |
Libretto of Mussorgsky's opera Sorochinskaya Fair
Sorochinskaya Fair (M.P. Mussorgsky)
Comic opera in three acts (four scenes)
The libretto was written by M. P. Mussorgsky based on the story of the same name by N. V. Gogol.
The opera remained unfinished. First production completed
October 21, 1913 Free Theater in Moscow. Missing scenes
performed without music, according to Gogol.
Characters:
Cherevik......................................................... ........................... bass
Khivrya, Cherevik’s wife... ...................................mezzo-soprano
Parasya, daughter of Cherevik, stepdaughter of Khivri................... soprano
Godfather........................................ ....................... . bass-baritone
Gritsko, boy................................................... ............... tenor
Afanasy Ivanovich, popovich............................................ tenor
Gypsy................................................. .................................... bass
Chernobog........................................................ ........................... .bass
Tradewomen, merchants, gypsies, Jews, boys, Cossacks, girls,
guests, demons, witches, dwarfs.
The action takes place in the town of Sorochintsy at the beginning of the 19th century.
Act one.
Fair. The sun is shining, the hubbub of traders is cheerful and
crowds. The song of the Cossacks and boys on a spree can be heard. Appear
Cherevik and his daughter Parasya. Cherevik is worried: he needs to sell
wheat and mare. Parasya happily looks at her surroundings.
An old gypsy captures the attention of the crowd. He tells
the mysterious story of the red scroll, allegedly sought by
damn. Meanwhile, the young boy Gritsko is being nice to the young woman
Cherevik’s daughter, whom he liked at first sight. Very
Inopportunely, Cherevik appears in front of them. He's ready to start
scold, but the boy turns out to be the son of an old friend
Cherevik, Okhrim Golopupenka. What objections can there be now?
against Gritsko's matchmaking! Friends go to tavern
celebrate good luck.
Evening. The fairground is empty. Cherevik and
godfather To cheer yourself up, - Khivrey is not to be trifled with, - Cherevik
draws out the song. Having finished the first song and having gained courage,
Cherevik, and with him his godfather, start singing another song. Khivrya appears; wedding
She is not at all happy with her stepdaughter. Well, how can you argue with her! Sad
Gritsko: everything went so smoothly - and it wouldn’t happen at your wedding. Gypsy
undertakes to settle everything if the boy sells his oxen to him cheaply.
Act two.
The godfather's hut, where the one who came to the fair stayed
Cherevik. Khivrya is busy by the stove, occasionally scolding her sleeping husband. She
expects Afanasy Ivanovich, a popovich, to visit, and the presence of her husband
may interfere. The cunning Khivrya starts a quarrel with the awakened Cherevik
and drives him out to guard the mare and the wheat. And no matter how lazy the Cossack is, how
I’m not afraid of the red scroll, but I have to leave the house. It takes a long time
wait for Khivre, but then the popovich’s voice is heard from the yard. Where did it go?
grumpiness! Khivrya - just an angel in the flesh - carefully treats
guest. Having tasted the delicacies prepared by Khivrey, Afanasy Ivanovich
begins to look after her. There is a loud knock on the gate. Popovich
and Khivrya rush around the house in confusion. Finally Khivrya hides the guest
on the floors and opens the gate. The godfather and Cherevik enter with their guests. They
excited by rumors - a red scroll appeared between the goods, and
some saw a devil with a pig's snout looking for her on the carts. Eggplant
with wine restores the confidence of godfather and Cherevik. They are chanting
songs, and Cherevik, having become brave, invites the red scroll into the hut.
The frightened guests force him to “shun away.” But no one really knows
terrible story, and the godfather, when the panic subsided, begins in detail
talk about the devil and his red scroll. The story has just finished
as the window swings open, glass falls and a terrible
pig's face. There is a commotion. Popovich falls off the floor.
Cherevik, grabbing a pot instead of a hat, rushes out of the hut, and behind
him and everyone else.
Act three.
Picture one. Cherevik, with a pot on his head, and
godfathers are running down the street. They are exhausted from fatigue; stumbling
fall on top of each other. The boys, led by the gypsy, tie them up,
accusing him of theft. Gritsko appears. He offers to release
Cherevik, stipulating a wedding with Parasya. Cherevik promises to arrange
the wedding is tomorrow. Everyone goes home, but Gritsko remains
here under a spreading tree. Drowsiness closes his eyes. AND
The boy is having a fantastic dream: a chorus of hellish voices is heard,
fiery snakes, dwarfs and witches are imagined - orgy and celebration
Chernobog. The sound of the morning bell and the sounds of church singing
stop the rampant evil spirits. The demons and witches hide with groans.
Gritsko awakens.
Picture two. Parasya comes out of the godfather's hut. She yearns for her sweetheart
lad. But the gentle rays of the sun drive away sadness, - Parasya begins to sing
a cheerful song and, carried away, begins to dance. Approaching
Cherevik admires his beautiful daughter from afar, and then he himself
starts dancing. The godfather and Gritsko appear. The lovers are surrounded
girls and boys. Everyone is cheerful. Cherevik, taking advantage of the absence
Khivri blesses the young. And when the enraged Khivrya
returns, the gypsies and the boys grab her and carry her away amid general laughter.
The gypsy offers to dance the hopaka. The crowd was singing and dancing
moves away, the sounds fade into the distance.
There is a libretto for this youthful opera by Mozart (Lord, what a youthful - children's opera it is!), which is practically a masterpiece worthy of Metastasio. Vittorio Amedeo Cigna Santi composed a dynamic, interesting and vibrant text and a skillfully conceived libretto, very reminiscent of the imperishable Metastasio. It has everything the Master has except the florid rants: heroic rhetoric, a complicated love affair and an interesting historical background.
There is also the music of a young child prodigy who understood who he should follow. This applies, first of all, to the composers of the so-called “Neapolitan” school: Giuseppe Sarti, Pietro Guglielmi, Niccolò Piccinni and, especially, Johann Christian Bach. These are all very talented, prolific and, most importantly, lucky guys. They wrote opera seria. That is, serious operas on historical subjects, with a “number” system (aria, recitative, overture, duet, etc.).
A fourteen-year-old teenager composes music with luxurious lyrics and a good libretto, keeping certain “performance standards” in mind.
In principle, it could have been a true vocal and dramatic masterpiece if the composer were not 14, but at least 30 years old. But Mozart simply did not mature spiritually to the task set by the librettist. All he had was his indescribable musical talent. Something sublime and exceptionally spectacular - that’s what happened. This is not much, but it completely coincided with what the public of that time wanted. And we are not talking about any “end-to-end” dramatic development yet!
The rather cold pathos that erupts everywhere both in the wayward eastern king Mithridates and in the “martyrs of love” Aspasia and Sifar would be completely boring if not for the naivety and spontaneity of Wolfgang Amadeus. Already in Aspasia’s very first aria, the composer’s own talent is felt. A simple plea, but what music:
Diana Damrau sings http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIIhbfxibY0
So... Mithridates, the king of Pontus, foolishly entrusted his beautiful bride Aspasia to his adult sons Sifar and Pharnaces for the duration of the military campaign against the Roman Empire.
False news about the death of Mithridates - and Pharnaces is the first to harass her. The girl seeks salvation and protection from Sifar, with whom she herself is secretly in love. The brothers quarrel and everyone is saved from the massacre by the suddenly returned alive and well Mithridates! He came not alone, but with a young bride for Pharnaces - Ismene, the daughter of the Spartan king. After conducting an investigation, Mithridates learns that both of his sons love Aspasia. But that’s not so bad: Pharnaces secretly communicates with Rome. What to do? - Kill them all and that’s the end of the matter!
Mithridates decides to poison his sons along with Aspasia. But Sifar saves his beloved by knocking the cup of poison out of her hands. And Pharnaces, having served time in prison, suddenly comes to his senses, repents and, together with his father and brother, leads a military campaign against Rome. They are destroying the enemy fleet!
In the battle, Mithridates was mortally wounded. And dying, he gives Aspasia to Sifar. Pharnaces himself “takes” Ismene. Everyone is happy and determined to take revenge on the harmful Romans.
Grand opera: 24 numbers + overture! Of these, there is only one duet and one, final, quintet. And so - all arias, arias, arias... Big, beautiful, but somewhat monotonous. Insanely complex. This rule is! After all, singers were kings back then. They "made" success. They "built" politics. There are as many as four different sketches for the first aria of Mithridates! Here she is:
The incomparable Bruce Ford sings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wx4HUnVW14E
It must be said that in his youthful imitations of the Italians, Mozart is noticeably behind them. You can hear that, for example, coloraturas do not always dramatically “get” the meaning of the words. Sometimes you can hear coloraturas at the beginning of a theme, when the “melodic building” has not yet been built, etc.
His father insistently asked little Mozart to “hold back” his symphonic gift when composing operas. This is felt in Mithridates, although not in the entire opera. Already closer to the middle of the second act, you can hear amazing things: the instruments begin to “move” more and more to the foreground.
The opera was staged in Milan, at the Teatro Reggio Ducale, on December 26, 1770, under the direction of the author, and was a great success. The prima donnas and the premieres sang and listened the mighty of the world this. Everyone was happy.
For a long time, "Mithridates" was exotic. The opera was staged and sung, but extremely rarely. What can I say! They haven’t staged or sung at all for almost 200 years! Conductor and Mozart scholar Leopold Hager staged the opera in 1971 as part of the Salzburg Mozart celebrations. Like this!
The first complete recording, made by the same Hager, appeared only in 1977. But it immediately became a sensation - the best singers, the vocal elite of that time, took part in the recording.
Mozart - Mitridate / Augér, Baltsa, Cotrubas, Gruberova, Weidinger, Hollweg, Kübler; Hager by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Leopold Hager, Arleen Auger, Ileana Cotrubas, and Agnes Baltsa (Audio CD - 1991)
The title role was performed by the wonderful Mozart singer Werner Hollweg. The most difficult, “tessitura” part of the wayward king is sung gracefully and beautifully. Graceful coloratura and richness of voice are the main qualities of Hollweg's singing. His voice can sound both pathetic and poetic. Heroics are enough. The only caveat is that this king is young! But maybe that’s how it’s needed? Hollweg, being a famous and honored vocalist, does not sound so beautiful in all of his recordings.
Sifar and Aspasia - Edita Gruberova and Arlene Auger. Two virtuoso sorceresses! Gruberova sings the “trouser” part, which is funny in itself! Auger is divine! And how they merge in a duet!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxYNgoaBKmQ
Farnaca is sung by Agnes Baltsa. The singer “presents” her hero in a stylish and bright way. It is also interesting that during this period Baltsa was already actively mastering the “strong” repertoire in the form of Amneris, Eboli, Carmen, Delilah.
Ismena - Ilyana Kotrubas. The melancholic beauty of her singing suits the character of the heroine perfectly.
In the small part of Governor Nymphaeum we can hear the interesting singer Christine Weidinger. She made a career in opera, performing very complex roles: Rossini's Armida, Norma... Her voice is surprisingly well focused and she is quite capable of graceful technique. Weidinger, unfortunately, does not have many studio recordings.
Hager conducts the Mozarteum orchestra with enthusiasm and passion. We hear Mozart! This is a very good recording.
And the second “complete” recording of “Mithridates”, made in the heyday of the era of authenticism.
Mozart - Mitridate / Bartoli, Dessay, Sabbatini, Asawa, Piau, Flórez, Les talens lyriques, Rousset by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Christophe Rousset, Les Talens Lyriques, Sandrine Piau, and Cecilia Bartoli (Audio CD - 1999)This is also a sensational recording. The famous French harpsichordist and conductor Christophe Rousset assembled a stunning team of vocalists.
Cecilia Bartoli sings Sifar in love. She sings brightly and completely differently from Gruberova. There is no trace of cold detachment here. The phrasing is so illustrative, the diction is clear that there is no need to translate - it is clear what he is singing about:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCUqvTnnDyU
But here they are together, Sifar and Aspasia, merged, so to speak...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoGZrrKlsK8
And in the role of Aspasia we hear Natalie Dessay. Sings enchantingly. Her Aspasia is much more active than the heroine Arlene Auger. Dessay is just a hurricane. In lyrical moments, the singer’s voice sounds very soulful: in some places I even guess Lucia and Amina! It’s hard to find fault with coloraturas!
Mithridates himself is sung by an Italian. This is cool! In this music, as I already said, there is a lot of Italian.
Giuseppe Sabbatini is good, although he is in no way ahead of Hollweg.
Countertenor Brian Azawa sings Pharnacas. A good performance, which, however, did not find a response in my soul. Baltsa's singing is freer, more beautiful and bolder. And her character turned out to be... more masculine, or something. Azawa has good technique, a beautiful timbre and a certain “countertenor” instability. And this in this context is not for me.
Maybe Scholl would be better? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vl7cmIjyiG4
Recordings include Juan Diego Flores as Marzio, Sandrine Pio as Ismene and Helen Le Corre as Arbat. Well what can I say? Class!
Rousset's ensemble "Le Talens Lyriques", like Rousset himself, is not "Mozartian". They always performed baroque music. And here is Mozart. Close to Baroque, but Mozart! I can't say that Rousset's interpretation is what I need. But it's very interesting.
There are probably some other records of "Mithridates". But these two, complete and of high quality, will satisfy the highest and most varied requirements!
This production of Mithridates by French directors Jean-Philippe Clarac and Olivier Deloeuil is a rare case when modernizing a classic work improves the opera, makes it logical, removes the patina of centuries-old history from it and convinces viewers that what is happening today happened then, or vice versa - we see what happened then with our own eyes today.
Live broadcast of the opera " Mitridate, Re di Ponto » from the Royal Opera House Brussels La Monnaie will be available from 05/24/2016 to 06/13/2016
“Figaro here, Figaro there!” This can be attributed to the composer's operas by looking at the program opera performances in Europe. Over the past ten days, I have attended three premieres of Mozart’s works in three different cities and even countries: “Idomeneo” at the Antwerp Opera House, “Mithridates, Rex Pontus” at the Brussels Opera House La Monnaie, “Don Giovanni” at the Opera House Amsterdam. Of the three operas presented, the first two are the composer’s early operas, “Idomeneo” was created by Mozart at the age of 24, “Mithridates” - at the age of 14, and only “Don Giovanni” is the creation of a mature composer. It was interesting to see how the author’s skill grew, how his music became more dramatic, sounding more and more bold and tragic, how the composer, having learned the lessons of the Italian opera seria, the Baroque style, and using the results of Gluck’s opera reform, created his own synthesis. And even went further, laid the foundations romantic opera, operas of the 19th century.
Let's start with Mozart's early opera Mithridates, King of Pontus.
The young composer wrote an opera based on the libretto of Cigna-Santi “Mithridates, King of Pontus,” which responded to the canons of the opera series, such as the presence of a historical-mythological plot and the clash between obligations and the call of the heart, which leads to dramatic situations and gives the composer the opportunity to create dramatic music. The opera premiered in Milan in 1770. The 14-year-old composer was pleased, since the new opera was performed 21 times, and each time the theater was full. But the next time the opera was staged only 200 years later in 1971 at the Salzburg Festival. In Brussels, the La Monnaie opera house is closed for renovations until the end of 2016. In a temporary space called the Palais de La Monnaie, reminiscent of the Chapiteau theatre, the stage was too small to accommodate Robert Carsen's production of Mithridates. But the theater did not want to change the work, and director Peter De Calue found an original solution. A competition for the production was announced. Anonymously submitted applications were selected by a special jury. The last stage of the competition was a public master class, during which directors had to present a scene from the opera within two hours. The winners were two French directors, Jean-Philippe Clarac and Olivier Delay. They had a year to prepare the premiere. The musical director of the performance, French maestro Christophe Rousset, conducted the La Monnaie orchestra.
The directors presented the European Union and its capital Brussels on stage. Already entering the territory of Tour and Taxi, the former building of the tax office, turned into a Cultural Center, the public sees the flags of EU member states, then something like an altar - burning candles, scattered flowers and photographs, newspaper headlines “Mithridates is dead!” (set design by Anouk dell Iyer). In the auditorium, the walls are decorated with the same EU flags. On the stage there is a corridor fenced off by opaque glass walls from the offices of officials. Over the course of three acts, the set design does not change, giving the audience the opportunity to attend meetings of the European Union. Security guards, secretaries, photo reporters, automatic doors, views of Brussels on the screens, replacing announcers telling about the latest events. Sometimes slogans appear: “Save the Kingdom of Pontus!” or “Change Europe!” The European Union is moving from one crisis to another. In this case, a particularly heated debate is taking place over Greece. On the stage is the Pontic Kingdom, but you forget about this, and you see Brussels, the Luxembourg station area, where the center of the EU is located. This is the new Roman Empire. The overture gives time to get used to the unexpected interpretation of the opera's libretto and accept it.
In addition to the political component, the opera explores human passions. Mithridates has two sons, Sifare supports his father, Farnace conducts secret negotiations with Rome against him. All three are in love with Aspasia, a Greek woman whom Mithridates plans to marry. In his absence, he not only found out who was on his side and who was against him, but also learned about Aspasia's betrayal. The Pontic kingdom could not withstand the power of Rome, just as Greece could not withstand the pressure of the EU. As the production directors said: “In Mithridates we tried to show the political European oligarchy, which is one of the forms of democratic despotism.” It explores the following issues: rivalry between brothers and father, forbidden love, the attraction of hereditary power and forgiveness. An opera is an opera, therefore in the finale Mithridates forgives Aspasia, Farnace leaves to fight the Romans, the King of Pontus stabs himself, not wanting to surrender to his enemies.
Mithridates - Michael Spyros; Aspasia -Lenneke Ruiten
Among the soloists I would like to mention the American tenor Michael Spyros, who plays the leading role. The soloist performed his dramatic part wonderfully. From the first minute of his appearance on stage, he dominated the ensemble of soloists, his beautiful velvety voice was equally beautiful in recitatives and in duets with his sons, reaching tragic heights in the final scene. Dutch singer Lenneke Ruiten sang the difficult role of Aspasia, Australian counter-tenor David Hensen played the role of Farnace and soprano Mirto Papathanesu played the role of Sifare. All soloists have a confident bel canto vocal technique.
Conductor Christophe Rousset, who is also a harpsichordist, is considered one of the leading experts on the Baroque repertoire, so it was a real pleasure to listen to the orchestral part, in which the conductor especially emphasized the instrumental solos.
Сrédit photo: La Monnaie, Bruxelles
“Mithridates, King of Pontus” (Italian Mitridate, re di Ponto) - musical drama (Italian dramma per musica) KV 87 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 3 acts, Italian libretto by V. A. Cigna-Santi based on the tragedy by G. Racine “Mithridates” translated by G. Parini. Premiere: Milan, Teatro Reggio Ducale, December 26, 1770, conducted by the author.
The story of Mithridates VI, King of Pontus, a courageous fighter against Rome, after Racine wrote the tragedy about him, inspired many composers. The play formed the basis of a large group of operas - F. Araya, A. Caldara, N. Porpora, D. Terradellas, A. Sacchini, C. Gasparini and others. The opera was staged on December 26, 1770 in Milan and was a huge success. The opera was sublime and very effective for such a young Mozart, because he could not convey all the tragedy.
“Mithridates,” written by 14-year-old Mozart in Italy and intended for production in the Italian theater, has all the features of an opera seria. The skill of the young composer is amazing, who in two months created a complex and rich score, in no way inferior to the works of famous masters.
(From Wikipedia)
From the book “Mozart” by Hermann Abert: “The birth of Mozart’s youthful stage works from Mithridates to The Shepherd King was predetermined by his father. Leopold Mozart destined for his son the path that he should pave. Leopold's only goal was to achieve fame and recognition through as much and lasting success as possible on the Italian opera stage. According to his principles, already known to us, this could only be achieved if Wolfgang, without looking back, joined the camp of the Neo-Neapolitans, who then held the reins of power in their hands. Wolfgang was all the more willing to do this because through Christian Bach he had already received his first solid impressions of this art. From the very beginning, he was aware that his task was to imitate the example of the then most modern and successful opera celebrities and, where possible, to surpass them. Consequently, the motives that led him to the opera seria were not ideal at all, much less reformist, but were purely practical in nature. Under these circumstances, only those who can understand Wolfgang’s attitude towards the Neo-Neapolitans and try to answer the question of whether (and to what extent) Mozart managed to equal them. Only by understanding this can one judge what significance these works had for his own development...”
The opera seria in three acts "Mithridates, King of Pontus" was written according to the libretto by Vittorio Amadeo Cigna Santi for the opera seria Quirinio Gasparini, which was staged three years earlier in Turin. The libretto by Cigna-Santi was, in turn, based on Jean Baptiste Racine’s tragedy “Mithridates.”
Brief summary of the opera
Mithridates fights Rome for the independence of his homeland. He entrusts his sons Sifar and Pharnaces with the care of Aspasia, whom he wants to marry. False news arrives about the death of Mithridates. Both sons come into conflict over Aspasia, who loves Sifar. Mithridates returns and learns of the betrayal of Aspasia and his sons. Pharnaces is also a double traitor: he conducted secret negotiations with Rome. Mithridates imprisons him, Aspasia must die from poison. Freed from captivity, Pharnaces atones for his guilt by fighting side by side with his father against the Romans. Mithridates commits suicide to avoid defeat. Dying, he gives Aspasia to Sifar. The inhabitants of Pontus vow to continue the war against the Romans.
