USC Thornton Opera delivers with Tito
The USC Thornton Opera presented the second performance of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s opera-seria La Clemenza di Tito Friday. The production was held in Bing Theatre.
La Clemenza di Tito is an ambitious undertaking, especially for singers still in their collegiate studies, as the opera contains some of Mozart’s most demanding vocal music. Set in 79 A.D. within the Roman Empire, the plot centers around the fictional assassination attempt of Emperor Titus — changed to the Italian spelling Tito in Caterino Mazzola’s libretto — plotted by the noblewoman Vitellia and carried out by the patrician Sesto, under Vitellia’s seductions and manipulations. True to the motifs of opera-seria, which deals with subject matter that involves characters of noble antiquity, the show toys with themes of love, desire, betrayal and revenge.
All principal roles were sung by graduate students within the Thornton School of Music’s Vocal Arts program, which, when considering the difficulty of the score and the enormous amount of stamina that is required of the singers, is already an accomplishment in itself. Brent McMunn, conductor and resident music director of the USC Thornton Opera, was able to attain the tricky Mozartean precision required of his musicians. In the program notes, McMunn stated, “Large spans of secco recitative, speech-like scenes accompanied by keyboard, alternate with a series of virtuoso arias … Using contemporary subject matter, [Mozart develops] far more complex musical forms and ensembles.”
Resident stage director Ken Cazan did a fine job directing the young singers, though his staging was not as risqué as one would normally come to expect or hope from his productions. Cazan, who worked double duty as the show’s principal set designer as well, opted to omit major set pieces for visual projections, a notoriously hit-or-miss technique which worked well in this case, as the images were tastefully executed — with the discernible exception of the unintentionally comical “fall of Rome” at the end of Act I that drew untimely laughter from the audience.
Furthermore, there were some continuity errors between the set and costumes; the projections displayed images of antiquated Rome, though the singers were garbed in costumes that looked very much inspired by 18th-century French rococo. And though the costumes were glamorously achieved and exquisitely tailored by resident costume designer Jacqueline Saint Anne, they seemed far more Versailles than Vesuvius.
Regardless of the historical confusion present in this production’s aesthetics, the performance was superbly sung, particularly by mezzo-soprano Katie Beck as Sesto. Beck, a second-year master’s student, was terrific, performing with all the fervent valor required of the betrayed patrician. She possesses a Federica von Stade-like shimmer to her voice that is balanced with solid technique and florid musicality. All in all, it was a first-class interpretation.
Other standouts include soprano Yelena Dyachek, who made a malevolent Vitellia — though she was created to look like Marie Antoinette, thanks to Saint Anne’s opulent costuming. Dyachek, who made headlines earlier this month after her triumphant win at the Western Region’s Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, has a voice that is both delicate and forceful, and lends itself well to Mozart. She is certainly en route to a successful career.
Tenor Hui Jin tackled the role of Tito with faultless technique without sacrificing any of the sweetness in his tone. Mezzo-soprano Lesley Baird was an ardent Annio and was paired nicely with soprano Laura Smolik, who sang a dulcet-toned Servilia. Baritone Nick Martorano, as Publio, sang with a well-placed voice that carried easily over the orchestra.
More information regarding future performances and productions by the USC Thornton Opera can be found online.