Mozart, despite illness, completed "La clemenza di Tito" on the eve of its premiere, arriving in Prague only nine days before the performance.
Critical Reception
The opera's initial reception was muted, but a later performance was reported to Mozart as a triumph, and it became one of his most popular operas for two decades.
Recording & Production
This complete performance of "The Mercy of Titus" is a BBC studio recording, broadcast on March 11, 1956, and is part of the 'Itter Broadcast Collection'.
Composition History
Mozart composed his opera, "La clemenza di Tito," between July and September 1791, for the coronation celebrations of Emperor Leopold II in Prague.
Compositional Technique
Mozart's collaborator, Caterino Mazzolà, significantly reduced the scale of the original libretto by Metastasio, reworking texts and inserting new ensembles and finales.
Critical Reception
"La clemenza di Tito" was the first Mozart opera to be heard in London, performed in March 1806, and was also performed in Naples, Paris, Milan, and St Petersburg.
