I saw the opening night of Mozart’s La Clemenza Di Tito last night. This is a Mozart opera I’ve never seen before, so I was very interested in its story of mercy, revenge and forgiveness. The opera has a small cast of six singers, with a chorus. The opera was first performed in Prague in 1791. The plot involves the Emperor Tito (well sung by Andrew Haji), Vitellia (Tracy Cantin, the best voice of the evening), her consort Sesto (Taylor Raven), Sesto’s sister Servilia (Julia Dawson), Annio, Servilia’s betrothed, and Publio, Tito’s aide.

I was surprised by the number of ‘pants’ roles in the opera, with two of the six roles played by women (Sesto and Annio). The plot involves Vitellia plotting against Tito, because her father was deposed by Tito’s father, and she sets Sesto to assassinate Tito. The plot fails, but Sesto is arrested and charged with sedition against the throne. Meanwhile, Tito has changed his mind about marrying a foreign princess and instead chooses Vitellia as his bride. The plot thickens! Tito gives his permission for Annio and Servilia to marry. Following Sesto’s betrayal, Tito meets with him to find out why he has betrayed his Emperor. Sesto doesn’t hide his guilt and Tito seems set on having him executed. Instead, he tears up the death decree. And when Vitellia enters and confesses that she was behind the assassination plot, Tito’s response is one of remarkable forgiveness. He chooses mercy over violence, a message we all need more of in our world.

I really liked the set, designed by Camellia Koo as a series of rings looping around the stage, like a stylized sextant. The costumes were less successful, as it was unclear what time period we were in. The lighting by Kimberly Purtell was effective and conductor Giuseppe Petraroia led members of the Victoria Symphony with aplomb. Overall, this was a lovely evening of opera. Recommended. Tickets are available here: https://www.rmts.bc.ca/production-detail-pages/2024-royal-theatre/la-clemenza-di-tito/