Thus, his early works follow the traditional forms of the Italian opera seria and opera buffa as well as the German Singspiel. He used this gift to break new ground, becoming simultaneously "assimilator, perfector and innovator". In a letter to his father, dated 7 February 1778, Mozart wrote, "As you know, I can more or less adopt or imitate any kind and style of composition". for seizing on and assimilating whatever in a newly encountered style (was) most useful to him". įrom a very young age Mozart had, according to opera analyst David Cairns, "an extraordinary capacity. His mature works are all considered classics and have never been out of the repertory of the world's opera houses. Three of the works were abandoned before completion and were not performed until many years after the composer's death. They range from the small-scale, derivative works of his youth to the full-fledged operas of his maturity. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's operas comprise 22 musical dramas in a variety of genres. The National Theatre Orchestra responded with a graceful performance, at once elegant and full-bodied.Playbill for the opening performance of Die Zauberflöte, 30 September 1791 She can even pull expression out of a harpsichord. Conductor Julia Jones is a veteran of Mozart in opera houses throughout Europe, and brought a fine balance to the score, with a bright, measured style that illuminated the music while supporting the singers. And the ensemble work was razor-sharp, especially the closing “A tutti contenti saremo cosi,” which gave the performance an electric finish.įortunately all the changes did not affect the music, which was marvelous. Adding nifty characterizations were Kateřina Jalovcová (Marcellina), Tomáš Šelc (Bartolo) and Josef Moravec (Basilio). Lukáš Bařák was a competent if lightweight Figaro, and Pavol Kubáň made for a compelling Count, offering a sly combination of swagger and buffoonery in both his acting and singing. Her subsequent duets with Krovateva were a delight. As Countess Almaviva, Barbora Perná nearly stole the show with a tender, glowing “Porgi amor” to open the second act. Ekaterina Krovateva was a vivacious Susanna, managing smart, sensitive vocals while darting around the stage. The cast in the premiere was uniformly strong, with outstanding performances in particular by the female leads. The “garden” in the fourth act is a phantasmagorical forest of giant mushrooms and other strange fauna in lurid colors, hardly conducive to romance but a surreal touch worthy of Dalí. The sets by Falko Herold are strikingly imaginative, even magical when Susanna calls for a room in the second act that materializes out of thin air. Choreographer Jan Adam keeps the constant running and coupling smooth and spot-on in the timing. Horáková likes to fill the stage with bodies in motion, giving the piece a kinetic quality ideally suited for comedy. Which is a shame, since most of the other elements work very well. One can only wonder, how exactly did we get here? But eventually they become a focal point rather than a supplement, epitomized by Barbarina (Marie Šimůnková) and Cherubino (Jarmila Balážová) teaming up in front of the curtain for a torch version of Tutto Nero, an Italian cover of the Rolling Stones’ Paint It, Black. These initially add variety and flavor, with the strolling accordion accompanist a particularly nice touch. Confusing matters further, Horáková and her team spice up those dull recitatives and interludes between scenes and acts with invented characters and additional music, modern snippets of disco, jazz and rock.
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