Mozart: The Mercy of Titus

The opera was sung in English by a solid cast. The Welsh tenor Richard Lewis sings the title game of Tito. He made his professional opera debut with the Carl Rosa Opera Company in 1939 and sang from 1947 at the Glyndebourne Festival and at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London. Lewis sings Tito with authority and an excellent Jugendlich-heroic sound. His “Se all’impero” from the second act has been placed before the last trio. Joan Sutherland, 29, is a loving Vitellia full of love, guilt and worry. She does not hear the fierce, avenging Emperor's daughter. She is more intelligible here than later, always pure and with fantastic phrases and tight coloratures. Monica Sinclair is a resplendent Sexto, credible in his doubt, faithfulness and infatuation. The British mezzo Anna Pollak spent her childhood in the Netherlands and is here a "butch" Annio. During the Second World War she sang for the British troops. From 1945 she sang at the Sadlers Wells Opera and gave guest appearances at the English Opera Group, in Glyndebourne (ao Dorabella) and the Royal Opera House (ao Cherubino). Jennifer Vyvyan is Servilia and Thomas Hemsley is Publius.

With the London Mozart Players British conductor John Pritchard gives a majestic reading of the score with calm tempi. The recitatives are accompanied by harpsichord. An interesting and special edition!

- Opera Nederland

Opera is characterized - perhaps by the tight working period - by modest arias, unicoloured choirs and transparent orchestration.

The BBC made a radio recording of "La Clemenza di Tito" on 11 March 1956. The registration was in the Itter Broadcast Collection of the Lyrita Recorded Edition Trust and has now been released for the first time by the Nimbus label in the Prima Voce series.

The opera was sung in English by a solid cast. The Welsh tenor Richard Lewis sings the title game of Tito. He made his professional opera debut with the Carl Rosa Opera Company in 1939 and sang from 1947 at the Glyndebourne Festival and at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London. Lewis sings Tito with authority and an excellent Jugendlich-heroic sound. His “Se all’impero” from the second act has been placed before the last trio. Joan Sutherland, 29, is a loving Vitellia full of love, guilt and worry. She does not hear the fierce, avenging Emperor's daughter. She is more intelligible here than later, always pure and with fantastic phrases and tight coloratures. Monica Sinclair is a resplendent Sexto, credible in his doubt, faithfulness and infatuation.

The British mezzo Anna Pollak spent her childhood in the Netherlands and is here a "butch" Annio. During the Second World War she sang for the British troops. From 1945 she sang at the Sadlers Wells Opera and gave guest appearances at the English Opera Group, in Glyndebourne (ao Dorabella) and the Royal Opera House (ao Cherubino). Jennifer Vyvyan is Servilia and Thomas Hemsley is Publius.

There was already a "La Clemenza di Tito" on the Gala label under the direction of British conductor John Pritchard from 1976 in the Royal Opera House of London, where he had made his debut in 1951. With the London Mozart Players he gives a majestic reading of the score with calm tempi. The recitatives are accompanied by harpsichord. An interesting and special edition!

- Opera Nederland (translation)