The Quality of Mercy is not Strain'd: a revelatory La clemenza di Tito

By Charlotte Valori, 20 March 2014

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Reviewed at Cadogan Hall, London on 13 March 2014

Mozart, La clemenza di Tito

Classical Opera

Ian Page, Conductor

Gillian Ramm, Servilia, Vitellia

Hanna Hipp, Annio

Helen Sherman, Sesto

Robert Murray, Tito

Darren Jeffery, Publio

Weightless, spick-and-span Gluck from Classical Opera

Mark Valencia, 31st May

Classical Opera takes a break from Mozart with two short operas by Gluck.

**111

Youthful japes: La finta semplice at the QEH

Dominic Lowe, 6th June

Classical Opera’s performance of one of Mozart’s earliest operas throbbed with youthful energy; a strong cast brought the humour to life and made up for any weakness in the score.

****1

Early Mozart from Classical Opera

Dominic Lowe, 21st March

Mozart's first stage work was written when he was just eleven years old; in this performance by Classical Opera, the composer's youthful writing and touches of humour are brought to life by a solid cast and lively conducting.

****1

Unknown repertoire fizzles, but fades

Louise Flind, 19th September

Haydn's La canterina provides cheerful undemanding entertainment from Classical Opera.

***11

A worthy revival of J.C. Bach's Adriano in Siria

Nahoko Gotoh, 14th April

J.C. Bach's opera Adriano in Siria, set to a popular libretto by Metastasio, was first performed in London in January 1765 when the nine-year-old Mozart was in town.

****1

Youthful singing bring out the charm in Mozart's Il re pastore

Nahoko Gotoh, 12th November

Ian Page and the Classical Opera Company have made a specialty of performing early Mozart operas and at the weekend, they gave two performances of his two-act serenata, Il re pastore as part of the series “Mozart Unwrapped” at Kings Place.

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Charlotte Valori

Charlotte Valori read Classics at Christ Church, Oxford. As a classicist, her main interest is Greek tragedy and its reception by later cultures, which has led to a continuing passion for theatre and opera. Charlotte reviews for several online magazines, and won the Bachtrack Opera Award 2015 for Best Written English Review. Follow her on Twitter @operissima.