User Reviews

Mitridate Re Di Ponto mayn't be one of my favourite Mozarts, although the music is gorgeous some of the libretto is static. As with all Mozart opera though, it is well worth hearing or seeing at least once. This 1993 production is excellent especially on the musical and dramatic front. It is for me not quite perfect, I personally found the quality of the costumes uneven, some are striking and regal but others are garishly coloured and over-sized. The sets though are very opulent, and the video directing does nothing to detract from that. Graham Vick's stage direction is very witty- with the dancing- and compelling especially in the Act 1 finale and Mitridate's second act entrance. It does lack the intimacy of the Ponnelle production but is more spontaneous.

On a musical front, the performance is outstanding. The orchestral playing is stylish and beautiful, allowing the music and drama to flow and speak for themselves with no incongruous ideas. The horn obbligato in Lunge Da Tei is wonderfully played. The conducting is assured and subtle, which is always an ideal approach for Mozart. The performances are on the most part on the money. Bruce Ford manages to make the fiendishly difficult role of Mitridate seem easy, with spot on high notes and great style. Dramatically he is very moving and refined. Ann Murray is not as fresh in voice as in Ponnelle's production, with a top that sounds strident at times, but her Sifare is very deeply felt and loyal. Jochen Kowalski is a superb Farnace, scheming yet affecting with a flexible counter-tenor voice. Luba Orgonasova struggles at times with the colouratura the role of Aspacia requires, but her overall performance is one of lyrical pathos. Jacquelyne Fugelle is solid as Arbate, while Lillian Watson's Ismene is bitter and poignant.

All in all, an excellent production. 9/10 Bethany Cox

The most immediately striking thing about this production is the amusing and colourful costumes, designed by Paul Brown. The characters wear costumes that are supported around the waist on long, narrow frames. The effect is to make them look as though they have ironing boards stuffed up their skirts. Graham Vick directs wittily, although I do think he misses the opportunity to have the characters do a spot of ironing during the da capos. Instead we get lots of stylised movement and dancing. All the characters have white faces so the effect is rather like a Noh play recreating a remote and exotic land.

The remote and exotic land is in fact 1st century BC Asia Minor where King Mitridate is trying to evict the Romans. He has a faithful son Sifare and an evil son Farnace who is secretly trying to do a deal with the Romans. Actually Sifare is not so faithful because, while his father is in hiding both he and Farnace make a play for the king's fiancée, Aspasia. Mozart wrote this opera seria at the age of 14 and it is based on a play by Racine, hence the intelligent and interesting libretto. I found this production stunning when I first saw it but, on second and third viewing I have some slight reservations. Mozart's arias are brilliant but they punctuate long passages of not very interesting recitative. Also, this being opera seria, there are no ensembles and few duets.

The opera features three trouser-roles, or, in this case, trouser press roles: parts that were originally written for castrati. Jacquelyne Fugelle is a solid Arbate. Ann Murray, in the important role of Sifare, is dramatically impressive but I feel that she struggles a bit with some of the coloratura. The best of the three is the counter-tenor Jochen Kowalski as Farnace. He is comfortable with the tessitura and makes the evil brother an interesting and rounded character. He is, after all, the only realist in the family with everyone else pushing for a suicidal conflict with the Romans.

As Aspasia, Luba Orgonasova is an unlikely object of everyone's lust. She struggles sometimes in her solo arias but her rare duet with Ann Murray is one of the highlights of the entire piece. My favourite character, however, is Ismene, the jilted fiancée of Farance. This is an extreme high-note role played by the beautiful and tiny soprano Lillian Watson in a stunning yellow floral dress. She looks like the last Russian doll in the set. As she sings she has a dancer on either side of her giving the effect of a vocal trio such as the Ronnettes.

The best choreography is reserved for the Fascistic Roman Army. For me, it was reminiscent of Springtime for Hitler but I had just recently watched the Producers. Bruce Ford has an impressive range as Mitridate. He too has dancers shadowing him as he sings so that they look like the Four Tops. I was, however, disconcerted by his red gauntlets: they look like rubber gloves. Maybe he was planning to do some washing up after he finished the ironing.