Mitridate, re di Ponto

Opera (1770)
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Libretto by Vittorio Amedeo Cigna-Santi
Conductor: David Angus
Director: James Darrah
September 13-15, 2024

Production Designer: Hana Kim; Set Designer: Adam Rigg; Costume Designer: Molly Irelan; Lighting Designer: Pablo Santiago

With Lawrence Brownlee (Mitridate), Brenda Rae (Aspasia), Vanessa Goikoetxea (Siafe), John Holiday (Farnace), Angela Yam (Ismene), Charles Sy (Marzio), Alexis Peart (Arbate)

Mitridate (Lawrence Brownlee), king of Pontus, a domain of Persian origin set in what is now modern day Turkey, is away and gives the lie to his premature death to test out what is going on at home with his wife-to-be, Aspasia (Brenda Rae). It turns out she has fallen in love with Mitridate’s child – in this production a daughter, though in the original libretto a son, Sifare (Vanessa Goikoetxea) – and is being pursued by Mitriadate’s son Farnace (John Holiday), as well. Meanwhile, the son is supposed to be lined up with Ismene (Angela Yam) who is pretty pissed that Farnace is not getting with the program, and he is pissed at Aspasia and at his sister for getting it on. Mitridate comes home to discover things are in a state, at first thinking that Farnace has betrayed him, but then, with Farnace’s help cluing Mitradate in, realizing things are more complicated. Mitridate is not nice at all to Aspasia, who really doesn’t want to marry him, and there is a whole set of a druggings and potential poisonings that set things into a downward spiral. As well, the Roman army is out to get Pontus and its leader Mitridate, and things don’t look too good on that front as well. But, given what a mess things are, and that this is, despite the quite comedic cast of this production, an opera seria, despite that things don’t turn out so great for Mitridate, a humane resolution among the characters eventually seals the bill.

This production is superb in just about every way.

First of all, Mozart had no right producing a work of this sophistication as a fourteen year old. It belies nothing of immaturity whatsoever, and one can only marvel at the way in which the inventiveness, complexity and emotional depth of the music not only foretells what the more mature composer will attain, but demonstrates complete accomplishment in what for most mortal composers would be musical utero. It’s truly amazing. In some ways, the music, particularly for the vocalists, is so complex and ornate, it’s as though Mozart were, as this tender age, daring to write an entire opera for a bunch of Queen of the Night coloraturas. All the roles are incredibly demanding, and, despite what one might expect would be a tuneful little outing by an adolescent, this work turns out to be replete with major vocal challenges. No amateurs need apply!

And boy do the vocalists rise to the occasion. Not one of them is weak, and they all combine the mastery of the coloratura modality with a sharpness and assurance that continually shocks and amazes one with its purity. There is a good amount of solo work here – in fact, most of the work is composed of solo arias – and EVERYONE gets to hold forth with virtuosity in this regard. But there is, though scarce, also some beautiful ensemble, notably in the second half, the love duet between Aspasia and Sifare and the final vocal quintet of the opera. All of this exhibits first class vocal technique all around as well.

Stage direction under James Darrah and design of the production are inventive and first rate. The set by Adam Rigg is an interesting combination of a video template that holds several roman busts, and is complemented, on the right side of the stage, by some dramatic flood lights (Lighting Designer: Pablo Santiago). Onto the set are projected (Projection Designer: Hana Kim) all kinds of interesting patterns – some geometric abstractions, some cascades of naked bodies, some crashing waves. There is also a terrific use of ribbons, veils, strings of various colors that the actors pull out from behind the set and which they drag, or entangle themselves in and others with. It’s really an ingenious dramatic technique and colorful as well. The costumes by Molly Irelan are wonderful as well – modern dress, in a way, but varied, colorful and with a good deal of glamor.

Though Mitridate is an opera seria, this production casts it as having a considerable comic element, especially via the character of Angela Yam’s Ismene who is a total scream. It’s a clever angle for the production, which turns what could be a long and potentially tedious series of individual arias into a very dynamic interplay of characters. It is, to say the least, highly entertaining for an opera which is not really meant to be. And though that comic tone does not neatly square with the quite dramatic denouement, it doesn’t draw away from it either.

The orchestra under David Angus does a terrific job. I caught a few of the players on the street afterwards, and all of them were as jazzed as I was not only about the accomplishment of the fourteen year old Mozart, but about the great production itself.

All in all, this is an amazingly good and quite entertaining rendition of a little produced but accomplished work by the great young master. The only sadness is that it has only two performances, but what a treasure it is and what an emblem in the roster of typically wonderful work that the Boston Lyric Opera does.

– BADMan (aka Charles Munitz)