When one thinks of the operas by Mozart, the first ones that come to mind are usually Don Giovanni, The Magic Flute and The Marriage of Figaro. Amongst his lesser-known and less-frequently produced operas is The Clemency of Titus. LA Opera has a new production directed by Thaddeus Strassberger and starring Russell Thomas as “Titus.” The Clemency of Titus opens on Saturday, March 2nd with five other performances through March 24th.
Though set against a historical background (Rome in 79 A.D.), like many operas The Clemency of Titus has a love story at its core. The emperor of Rome, Titus, is in love with Berenice. But another woman, Vitellia (Guanqun Yu), is in love with Titus. She hatches a plot with his best friend, Sesto (Elisabeth DeShong), to kill Titus. Sesto, of course, is in love with Vitellia. When the plot is foiled, Titus has to figure out how best to deal with the actions of the perpetrators.
Strassberger, who directed the 2017 LA Opera production of Nabucco, also is the set designer of The Clemency of Titus. James Conlon conducts. Russell Thomas appeared with the LA Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl in a concert production of Verdi’s Otello.
Mozart wrote this opera at the same time he was working on The Magic Flute and his Requiem. The libretto is by Caterino Mazzolà. The Clemency of Titus is considered an “opera seria.” That term refers to a noble and serious style of opera. It is a rarely used term that was primarily applied to certain operas in the 1700s.
We will have an interview with Thaddeus Strassberger later this week. Check back for his thoughts on The Clemency of Titus.
Production photo by Cory Weaver/Courtesy of LA Opera
