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Mozart - Mitridate / Bartoli, Dessay, Sabbatini, Asawa, Piau, Flórez, Les talens lyriques, Rousset
from: Decca
Our Price: $50.98 Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0028946077221
Label: Decca
Manufacturer: Decca
MPN: 460772
Number Of Discs: 3
Publisher: Decca
Release Date: April 13, 1999
Studio: Decca
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Editorial Review:
This full-length opera seria--written by Mozart at age 14--has had some strong recorded exposure in the past, but this set may bring it to a broader public than ever before. Now that Handel's operas in the same genre are much more in evidence, what once might've seemed like the work of an underdeveloped dramatist is only Mozart maintaining the status quo, which is a long, expository, musically conservative first act followed by two shorter acts with much more individualistic arias, some of them exquisite and among the composer's very best. Conductor Christophe Rousset is perfect for finding the dramatic center of every moment. But the set is worth buying just for its passionate cast, which features Cecilia Bartoli, Brian Asawa, Natalie Dessay, and Sandrine Piau firing on all vocal cylinders. The biggest surprise is tenor Giuseppe Sabbatini's account of the title role. It may not be graceful but it sure is electrifying. There's only one disappointment: Mozart wrote several versions of some arias to please his star singers, and this recording leaves one hungry to hear his outtakes. --David Patrick Stearns
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Sheer brilliance!
Can't stop listening to this brilliant recording, no matter how some roles (particularly Mitridate) are spoiled, on the whole opera lovers will be happy with this outburst of fantastic vocal fireworks - especially those of Bartoli and Dessay. This is a serious test for the singers - take it or leave it, those 2 brilliant divas TOOK it all over. Bravi!
Rating:  - Some Brilliant Moments, but Mismatch Elsewhere.
This set has some bright moments, but generally speaking the performance is uneven in a sense that some of the main roles are mismatched, despite the fact that most singers perform well in this recording in terms of singing.
The best-casted singers are Sabbatini as the King Mitridate, Piau as the bride-to-be of Farnace, and Florez as the Roman Mission.
Of the other three main protagonists, Asawa and Bartoli's performances do not balance out well - the rebellious son Farnace sounded ... Read More
Rating: - a voice teacher and early music fan
AH! MY DEAR MOZART!!!YOU NEED NOT HAVE WORRIED!!!!!
In the numerous letters exchanged from Mozart to his family there are several mentions of the opera "Mitridate" One such reference was made by Mozart in a letter written to his mother from Milan on October 20, 1770: "I cannot write much, for my fingers are aching from composing so many recitatives. Mama,I beg you to pray for me, that my opera may go well and that we may be happy together again.." As late as November 24, however, Leopold ... Read More
Rating:  - Expected better from such a starry cast
I agree with Skylim's assessment. This is an opera seria filled with wonderful arias. The thing to guard against in such a work is for the singers to take arias out of context and sing them like they might in a concert. That's precisely what happened with this production. No sense of where the story is going at all. Just a string of beautifully sung arias. Good for concert performance. Disastrous for a full opera disc!
All the singers are top-notch. Wonderful voices with wonderful techniques... ... Read More
Rating: - Beautiful but cold
I only knew a few of the arias from this opera before listening to this recording. While the singing here is beautiful, I was left in the cold by the lack of emotion shown by many of the singers. Ever heard Kasarova sing "Venga pur"? There's nothing to match that in this recording.
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