MITRIDATE, RE DI PONTO

Mozart was just fourteen when he composed his first fully-fledged opera seria – somewhat of a miracle, when you consider the work’s emotional and musical depth. Its libretto is based on Racine’s tragedy. Mitridate, king of Pontus, attempts to resist Roman domination of the Mediterranean region. In order to find out which side his two rival sons will choose, he spreads the rumour of his own death. Nothing goes to plan, however, as political interests come into conflict with amorous entanglements. The conductor Christophe Rousset approaches Mozart’s score as groundbreaking baroque music, while the directors, Jean-Philippe Clarac and Olivier Deloeuil (< le lab), take a strikingly topical view: Mitridate’s resistance calls to mind recent efforts by European leaders to exert pressure on the rules of the Union, while the 24 hours of Racine’s tragedy are the perfect timespan for a tense European crisis meeting, complete with backroom bilateral discussions and sensational declarations to the media. This is a production that is very much at home in the capital of Europe!

Dramma per musica in tre atti, KV .87
Libretto di Vittorio Amedeo Cigna-Santi, tratto dalla tragedia Mithridate di Jean Racine
Premiere Teatro Regio Ducale, Milano, 26/12/1770

http://www.lamonnaie.be/en/502/578/