大象传媒

Donald Macleod explores the themes of honour and duty in Mozart's operas Don Giovanni, Lucio Silla, Mitridate and La clemenza di Tito.

Born in 1756, the theatre was a life-long passion for Mozart. Starting at the tender age of just 11, in the space of 22 years he produced an astonishing 24 theatrical works. His destiny was to follow in his father鈥檚 footsteps, as a court musician. Instead, by 1781, after a disagreement over his frequent absences from court, Mozart parted ways with his employer, the Elector of Cologne. He left Salzburg and servitude behind, to set himself up in Vienna, a thriving centre for music. The following year he triumphed with his comic singspiel, Die Entf眉hrung aus dem Serail. The succession of works that followed include many of the mainstays of operatic repertory, among them The Magic Flute, which was completed in the year of his death, at the age of 35 in 1791.

This week Donald Macleod finds connecting points between the characters Mozart created for the stage and the composer's own experiences in life. He examines how Mozart struggled to be a dutiful son, and how he tackles honour and duty in Idomeneo, Lucio Silla and Mitridate. The ideas of enlightenment that influenced Mozart's own views find expression in the balance of power he depicts between servants and the ruling classes in The Marriage of Figaro. The composer鈥檚 thorny path to marriage with Constanze also finds him examining the complexities of love in Die Entf眉hrung aus dem Serail and Cos矛 fan tutte. The series ends with Mozart's masterly representation of temptation and evil, as characterised by the ultimate bad boy Don Giovanni and the scheming and manipulative Queen of the Night.

Today, Donna Anna identifies the man who sullied her honour. In ancient Rome, honour is put to the test by the unscrupulous behaviour of the Consul Lucio Silla. Aspasia and Sifare decide to suppress their feelings for each other for the sake of their honour. In the face of temptation Sextus finds himself straying from his principles, while his friend Titus is torn between friendship and duty.

Don Giovanni (Act 1)
O sai che l鈥檕nore
Diana Damrau, soprano, Donna Anna
Mahler Chamber Orchestra
Yannick N茅zet-Seguin, conductor
Lucio Silla 鈥� Overture
Danish Radio Sinfonietta
Adam Fischer, conductor

Lucio Silla (Act 1)
Dall sponda tenebrosa
E tollerare io posso
Il desio di vendetta
Simone Nold, soprano, Giunia
Lothar Odinius, tenor, Silla
Danish Radio Sinfonietta
Adam Fischer, conductor

Mitridate, R猫 di Ponto (Act 2)
Lungi da te, mio bene
Miah Persson, soprano, Sifare
Swedish Chamber Orchestra
Sebastian Weigle, conductor
horn Bengt Oler盲s

La clemenza di Tito (Act 1)
Come ti piaci imponi
Bernarda Fink, mezzo, Sesto
Alexandrina Pendatchanska, soprano Vitellia
Freiburg Baroque Orchestra
Ren茅 Jacobs, conductor

La clemenza di Tito (Act 2)
Deh per questo istante solo
Ove s鈥檌ntese mai pi霉 contumace
Se all鈥檌mpero, amici Dei
Bernarda Fink, mezzo-soprano, Sesto
Mark Padmore, tenor, Tito
Sergio Foresti, bass, Publio
Freiburg Baroque Orchestra
Ren茅 Jacobs, conductor