Grosser Saal, Mozarteum
Mozart: Lucio Silla, KV 135: Overture
Monteverdi: L’incoronazione di Poppea, SV 308: ‘Disprezzata Regina’
Mozart: Mitridate, re di Ponto, KV 87: Overture
Handel: Ariodante, HWV 33: ‘Scherza infida’, ‘Dopo notte, atra e funesta’
Mozart: La clemenza di Tito, KV 621: Overture and ‘Parto, ma tu ben mio’
Mozart: Symphony no.40 in G minor, KV 550
Emily D’Angelo (mezzo-soprano)
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| Images: Wolfgang Lienbacher |
It is as ever a joy to return, however briefly, to Salzburg for its Mozartwoche. Temperatures at considerably sub-zero throughout the day, let alone the evening, do not dim the spirit, though they may have one grateful to enter the concert hall, in this case the old Mozarteum. Where many arts organisations, even beyond Brexit-Insel, seem through no fault of their own to be in periods of retrenchment, the Stiftung Mozarteum and Intendant Rolando Villazón are having none of that. The programme seems to become, if anything, ever fuller and the varying themes are interesting if necessarily broad. In this, the festival’s seventieth year, the decision has been made to focus on Mozart’s last year, 1791, though it is simply a focus, nothing all-encompassing.
In his enthusiastic spoken introduction,
Villazón explained that he also wished to draw connections with earlier years
of his intendancy, such as last year’s presentation of ‘destination Mozart’,
with Bach, Handel, and the dawn of opera (more or less) with Monteverdi, hence
the presence here of two of those three composers. Ottavia’s aria ‘Disprezzata
regina’ from L’incoronazione di Poppea was barely conducted, if at all,
Emily d’Angelo and a small continuo group (harpsichord, archlute (I think!)
and cello) giving an involving performance to which Ádám Fischer offered
occasional, perhaps involuntary encouragement, remaining onstage, as did the
rest of the Danish Chamber Orchestra. D’Angelo and her companions communicated
in vivid fashion so as not only to create character in a single aria, but to
imply dramatic context too. Although so much lies in the libretto, one almost
felt her performance was so communicative one barely needed words at all: a
paradox that exaggerates no doubt, but no less an impression for that. The same
might be said of two arias from Ariodante, in which the DCO and Fischer
were equal partners, bassoonist Ignas Mazila offering gorgeous playing on the
extraordinary obbligato part in ‘Scherza, infida’. Strings, rightly or wrongly,
were low on vibrato, but at least did not eliminate it entirely, such
flourishes all the more welcome. The very different context of ‘Dopo notte’
registered immediately, d’Angelo’s stage experience readily transferring to the
concert platform in a regal account, coloratura not only brilliant but deeply
expressive. Here was a richer, more ‘mezzo-like’ mezzo: quite irresistible.
On either side of Monteverdi lay overtures to two of Mozart’s three operas for
Milan. Both likewise fizzed with a sense of theatre, lacking little in
tenderness in response. That to Lucio Silla offered not only fitting
contrasts but also sensitive gradations, the relationship between the two
rightly at the heart of Mozart in performance. Both incorporated (relatively)
brief switches to solo string playing, a practice that will be familiar to
those acquainted with Fischer’s Haydn recordings. There was none of that – a
good decision, I think – in the Clemenza di Tito Overture, though some
string articulation struck me as a little exaggerated: all very well
despatched, but to my ears not quite right for Mozart. Its grand scale was
welcome, though: this was not a Mozart to be condescended to, as far foo often
one hears nowadays. A relatively broad approach was adopted for the same opera’s
‘Parto, parto…’. So relished was its reality as duet between voice and clarinet
that the outstanding second soloist Jonas Lyskjær Frølund made his way, whilst
playing, towards the front of the stage to address Sesto directly. In a trouser
(strictly castrato) role, d’Angelo sounded and indeed looked notably more
masculine—which certainly did not preclude, but rather offered dramatic
foundation for, passages of great tenderness and near-stillness.
To close, we heard Mozart’s great G minor Symphony. There was much to admire in Fischer’s reading, though ultimately, at least until the fourth movement, I felt a distinct lack of harmonic underpinning. It was not so much lightness in the bass line, though that was certainly, oddly the case to my ears, as that crucial sense for any Classical symphony worth its salt of harmonic grounding. It was not disjointed or arbitrary, after the like of Nikolaus Harnoncourt, far from it; rather, line seemed conceived of more melodically than anything else. The first movement was taken as a proper Molto allegro, urgent, even driven, but not unduly so. It was welcome to re-encounter friends from earlier works, not least in further outstanding bassoon playing (often missed here). Fiery and tender, there was unquestionably a tragic line to the performance. The Andante was taken briskly by historical if not contemporary standards. It was especially welcome for turning tragedy in another direction, rather than merely letting it abate; this was no time for repose. The Minuet was possessed of an almost Beethovenian brusqueness and would surely have sounded still closer to Beethoven had it been more harmonically grounded. There was much to glean, though, in the working through of melody and counterpoint. Its trio relaxed considerably, with an oddly tentative opening that must have been by design, since it sounded much the same the second time around. Horn playing was nothing less than delectable. The finale attained duly tragic proportions, not only through balancing harmony with other elements, but by also bringing such relationships into conflict where necessary. The development’s harmonic shocks registered with great force, heralding implacable wind and string counterpoint. The close burned with all the fire of minor-mode Mozart. All fell into place. As two generous encores, we stayed with the Viennese Mozart, to hear lively, colourful, and directed accounts of the overtures to Der Schauspieldirektor and The Marriage of Figaro.
The concert will be broadcast on 27 January 2026 at 19.30 (CET) on Austrian
Radio Ö1.
