Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Mitridate, Re di Ponto, K. 87 (74a) (1770)
Mitridate: Pene Pati (tenor)
Aspasia: Ana Maria Labin (soprano)
Sifare: Angela Brower (soprano)
Farnace: Paul-Antoine Bénos-Dijan (counter-tenor)
Ismene: Sarah Aristdou (soprano)
Marzio: Sahi Ratia (tenor)
Arbate: Adriana Bignani Lesca (soprano)
Les Musiciens du Louvre/Marc Minkowski
rec. live, 2022, Staatsoper unter den Linden, Berlin, Germany
C Major 767908 DVD [2 discs: 161]
This is how I began my review of Erato’s 2020 recording of Mitridate, Re di Ponto. I think it worth reproducing, slightly amended, for my review of this DVD:
”Mozart’s early tragedy based on the subject of Racine’s play Mithridates was first premiered in Milan in December 1770, as part of the carnival season that year. The 14 year old composer already had his first full scale opera seria behind him with Lucio Silla. The opera has always struck me as a work of full-fledged dramatic achievement, every bit as worthy to stand by his later opera serie Idomeneo and La Clemenza di Tito. Racine’s play, along with his other great tragedy Phèdre, were desperate family dramas, sort of the I Claudius of their day. The unusually fine libretto for its time, written by Vittorio Amedeo Cigna-Santi, provided the teenage Mozart with a vehicle which reveals an astute ability to convey emotions and accumulate dramatic pace. This is something that he would build upon in his later operas, although it is worth noting that this one is not without its flaws. The disappointing death scene of the title character is a very lost opportunity indeed. However, this opera has the potential to be enormously rewarding when entrusted to the right hands.“
This DVD documents a new production of Mozart’s opera given in Berlin. The photos of this production look very impressive indeed. It is disappointing that this doesn’t translate to something equally impressive onto one’s home screen. Stage Director Satoshi Miyagi and Designer Junpei Kiz have envisioned this opera as being set among a Japanese feudal society, with some of the conventions of Kabuki Theater thrown in for good measure. The booklet notes that “Asian perspective brings a new dimension to the European art of this opera”. That may well be but not in the case of this particular production. The concept is not a new one; Graham Vick’s long standing production at Covent Garden has demonstrated just that same idea. The difference between the two is that Miyagi’s Berlin production is mostly static in a sort of stand-and-sing way, something that Vick’s older production, with its carefully choreographed movement of the principals managed to avoid. Choreography has been credited here but little of it involves the principals in any meaningful way. The Berlin scenery, while impressive in the photographs, is mostly monotonous on the home screen. The decision to have the sets and costumes all in shades of gold might have worked in the theater but doesn’t translate well on the small screen. In addition, the costumes are frequently quite elaborate, virtually engulfing the singers, who have to battle with the with headgear in particular for the viewer’s attention. The singers invariably loose the battle.
Samoan-born tenor Pene Pati has recently been garnering accolades from around the world. Only this summer I was impressed when I heard him sing in a radio broadcast of La Clemenza di Tito from Aix-en-Provence. Here he reinforces that good impression with a superbly vocalized reading of the title role. Mitridate’s lovely entrance aria suits Pati splendidly. In it he has to encompass several wide acrobatic leaps across the staff which Mozart used to convey the ruler’s unpredictable nature. Pati sings this aria with full, beautiful tone and with a sense of confidence which is most engaging. He keeps this highly-charged level of singing up throughout the rest of the opera. This is a winning performance that is virtually the equal of Michael Spyres spectacular achievement on the Erato recording.
Mitridate’s amorous attentions are focused on Ana Maria Labin’s Aspasia. She has an interesting sound and scores points for her formidable sense of attack, even in her most her challenging music. Alas she is one of the many performers who have to do battle with an unattractive costume that tends to take away from full enjoyment of her portrayal.
The two rival offspring of Mitridate are sung by Angela Brower and Paul-Antoine Bénos-Dijan, each of them singing roles originally composed for a high castrato singer. Brower sings Sifare with refulgent tone and she makes a stunning success of the entire role. However, she is especially challenged because of having to pitch a battle with a most hideous helmet for much of the evening, which makes her look as if her head is being swallowed whole by a serpent. It comes close to ruining her performance. In her lovely aria “Lungi da te mio bene” (one of Mozart’s most heavenly compositions) the director ruins the aria with some silly nonsense by bringing the solo horn player onstage, got up in some sort of Lamb of God allusion with a group of extras.
Bénos-Dijan triumphs as the nastier son Farnace. At times his uncommonly lovely voice has a striking tonal resemblance to the great Polish contralto Ewa Podles. His Farnace was one of the best things about the Erato recording and he completely replicates that success here.
Adriana Bignani Lesca as Marzio, the Governor of Nymphaea, also replicates her role from the Erato recording; however, she was in better voice for those sessions than she on this occasion. Her singing is somewhat rough at times, and her stage deportment shows a tendency to be overly emphatic, and not in a good way. She has a powerful voice and would artistically benefit from a strong guiding hand by a dramatic coach.
As the jilted Princess Ismene Sarah Aristdou sings with a multi-faceted vocal timbre. It is clear that the power and amplitude of her voice is already showing that she would be more suited to the dramatic role of Aspasia than that of the more sweetly lyric Ismene.
Marc Minkowski and Les Musiciens du Louvre could almost name this opera as their calling card. This is their third complete recording of the work (their first was a Salzburg DVD for Decca in 2006), each one has shown them at peak form. The previous Erato recording was so superbly managed by this team that it became my top choice for Recording of the Year in 2022. When Minkowski and the orchestra rip into the Overture it looks as if this performance will be every bit the equal to their Erato recoding. They tackle this music with an almost overwhelming urgency and passion yet there is also poise and delicacy where required. However, inevitably, in a live performance the concentration of the musicians eases off a little because of the demands of staging an opera. This is a fine achievement but the Erato recording is the preferable way to encounter this wonderful opera. What we really need is a new HD recording of Graham Vick’s still wonderful Covent Garden production.
Mike Parr
Production staff
Stage Director: Satoshi Myagi
Set Designer: Junpei Kiz
Costume Designer: Kayao Takahashi Deschene
Lighting designer: Irene Selka
Wall Designer: Eri Fukazawa
Choreography: Yu Otagaki
Dramatic Advisor: Detlef Giese
Video details
NTSC DVD
Picture format: 16:9 anamorphic
Sound format: LPCM 2.0 and DTS 5.1 Digital Surround
Region code: 0 Worldwide
Subtitles: English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean
