Mozart's first
opera seria, Mitridate, Rè di Ponto was first performed in 1770; according to
Stanford University's OperaGlass, no revivals are known to have taken place before the twentieth century. The run now beginning at
Little Opera Theatre of New York marks its first full staging in this city. For fuller information on the production and participants go
here; for a nice introduction to the piece, and a little background on Mozart's operas in New York, see
this article by Fred Plotkin. The
libretto and
score are available online. According to Jörg Krämer,
Mitridate was the opera which, using the highly respected
opera seria form, established Mozart as a force to be reckoned with, a
Berufskomponist rather than a
Wunderkind. Wednesday's performance certainly showed off Mozart's gift for expressive melody; the opera's emotional insights sometimes seem to be achieved against the contrivances of the plot, but there is much both to appreciate and to ponder.
