Tito

The goal: I’m working on reviewing every existing Tito recording and any live streaming or live production I can view/attend. If you know of a production/recording that I haven’t written about please feel free to alert me to it (it might already be in the works).

How I’m going about it: the 1001 musings on Wolfie’s last-ish opera gets a new looooooong post 1-2 times a month. I try to be as comprehensive as I can. I know that it sometimes adds to way too much detail at the detriment of concision so I’m thinking of a “cliff notes edition” as well.

Extra Tito: I sometimes write shorter bits on arias and such. All questions about arias, characters, productions etc. are much appreciated and answered to the best of my ability (or I’ll point you to a good review someone else wrote; I am also working on compiling a list of my favourite Tito reviews).

Completed reviews (in the order they were posted):

  1. Kate V | May 30, 2017 at 5:26 pm

    Garanča’s international breakthrough came in 2003 at the Salzburger Festspiele when she sang Annio in a production of Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito, conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Major engagements followed quickly… (from Garanča’s Wikipedia page). Clip of Ah perdona al primo affetto here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaX__C3Bn_w

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  3. Kate V | July 13, 2017 at 10:02 pm

    The fully staged opera will be performed at the the 2017 Aspen Music Festival, 8/15 & 19. Cost of tix ($50) offset the expensive lodging in Aspen.

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  4. Ilana Walder-Biesanz | August 6, 2017 at 4:23 pm

    There’s a video of the 2014 Fiesole one? Can you please share a link? That’s the only one here with video that I haven’t seen. (Also, it’s so exciting to encounter someone as mad about La clemenza di Tito as I am!)

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  5. Kate V | September 14, 2017 at 8:01 am

    From Opera News, Tito in 2018: Flanders Opera, May (Ghent), June (Antwerp); Dutch National Opera, May; Théâtre du Capitole (Toulouse), June.

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  6. Kate V | September 14, 2017 at 3:56 pm

    Uh-oh… I just went to DNO’s web site and see that it’s the Peter Sellars production from Salzburg. Same principals except Servilia, and Sesto TBD.

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  7. Kate V | September 14, 2017 at 5:17 pm

    Yes (sigh…): http://www.operaballet.nl/en/opera/2017-2018/show/la-clemenza-di-tito
    I didn’t like that production, and think you aptly named it “WTF Tito.”

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    • dehggial | September 14, 2017 at 10:07 pm

      I don’t like it either, I guess we just have to live with it. But we can hope the production evolves in some ways if they decide to run with it. I’m sure I’m not the only one who complained 😉

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      • Kate V | September 14, 2017 at 10:52 pm

        Perhaps the Flanders Opera production will be good. I can’t go to Europe for it, but maybe it will be available streamed, on DVD, or on YouTube.

        I wish the Santa Fe Opera would do Tito!

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        • dehggial | September 14, 2017 at 10:53 pm

          Is there anyway to get in touch with them and suggest?

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          • Kate V | September 15, 2017 at 6:57 pm

            I’m sure I could email the administrative office and plead for them to stage Tito, and have thought about doing that. But I read in the SFO’s program this summer that they start planning future productions about four years in advance! It’s not in the 2018 season, so I can only hope it will be by 2021.

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            • Ilana Walder-Biesanz | September 15, 2017 at 7:01 pm

              I saw “SFO” and thought you meant San Francisco Opera — I’ve already done lots of emailed (and in-person) pleading there! But if Santa Fe programmed any Mozart opera seria, that would get me back there for sure!

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              • Kate V | September 16, 2017 at 3:45 am

                I don’t need much of an excuse to go down to northern New Mexico, but if the Santa Fe Opera staged Tito, it would be icing on the cake! They did produce it in 2002 (with Joyce DiDonato)—before I became a Titohead.

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  9. Kate V | March 29, 2020 at 4:36 am

    Hello from Colorado (it’s been a while).
    Have you seen the Tito from Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège, May 2019? It’s available now for free on Culturebox (link below). I started watching and can’t even finish. The production design is just too weird. Strange, fantastical creatures; looks more like something for The Magic Flute. Of course, the stage directors (it was a team) must be very proud of their brilliance and creativity. Gawd. I think this one is the new “WTF Tito.”
    https://www.france.tv/spectacles-et-culture/opera-et-musique-classique/opera-royal-de-wallonie-liege/

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    • dehggial | March 30, 2020 at 5:57 pm

      Hi, Kate, I have actually seen it in person in Liege last year but I ended up not writing about it because last year was a terrible year in my personal life and my mind really wasn’t into writing about opera at all (I’m still not quite there yet). Thanks for the link, I will stash it away for future commenting 🙂 Bonitatibus was wonderful, though.

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      • Kate V | March 31, 2020 at 10:08 pm

        Yes, it sounded wonderful, and “Ah, Perdona” was kind of sweet. But regieoper sometimes gets just too bizarre, and this is a prime example. There was no point in watching it, just listening would have been quite enough. The emotions could not be expressed well visually with the singers wearing those goofy costumes and makeup—at the very least they should represent human beings! This was as “far out” (no pun intended) as the Paris Opera’s La Bohème set in outer space, and the ROH’s Carmen making her entrance in a gorilla suit. But back to Tito, I was SO looking forward to the Bergen National Opera’s production, which was to be on OperaVision; but, alas, it was canceled. 😦

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