La Clemenza
di Tito

Opera seria in two acts 
Libretto: Caterino Mazzolà after Pietro Metastasio
World premiere: 6 September 1791, Estates Theatre, Prague
Premiere of this production: 10 October 2013, Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Brussels
Premiere at the Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera: 16 January 2016
Co-produced with: Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Brussels

In the original Italian

'Do not give up hope, Maestro, place your hand on your brow,' sang Bulat Okudzhava in his Song about Mozart. La clemenza di Tito – Mozart’s last opera, finished two months before his death – speaks of hope. 'We live in a society threatened by fear, and Mozart shows us how to free ourselves from it,' says Ivo van Hove, who directed the show. Van Hove, who has created shows on the subject of power in various periods – such as William Shakespeare’s Roman Tragedies or Tony Kushner’s Angels in America, sees in La clemenza di Tito as a contemporary story about government. The elegant, restrained staging, as well the performance of singers, devoid of any signs of gushing, allows us to focus on the reflection concerning not only modes of wielding power, but also performing power. Is there an alternative to the world depicted by the creators of the TV show The House of Cards? Is there a place for an idealistic ruler? La clemenza di Tito is also a voice on the topic of immigration: Tito is forced to renounce the love of his life, Berenice, because she is the Princess of Judea, and the Roman people will not stand for a foreigner becoming the Empress of Rome. 'In the depths of our souls we are all immigrants, no one is rooted in one country only,' notes Ivo van Hove. Mozart must have felt that way too, as he lived and worked in numerous places, and travel was an important part of his life.

Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera
Extras