Description

Mitridate by Nicola Porpora, opera in three acts (1736)<div> Libretto by Colley Ciber based on Racine's play of the same name</div><div><br></div><div> Michael Spyres | Mitridate</div><div> Arianna Vendittelli | Laodice</div><div> Chelsea Zurflüh | Tigrano</div><div> Sophie Rennert | Oronta</div><div> Alex Rosen | Arbate</div><div> Distribution to be completed</div><div><br></div><div> Andrea Buccarella | Director</div><div> il Pomo d'Oro</div><div><br></div><div> The Neapolitan composer Porpora was one of the leading figures of the Baroque period and Handel's main rival on the London stage, each heading his own theatre: the Royal Academy for Handel and the Opera dell'Nobility for Porpora. Master of the castrati Farinelli, Caffarelli, and Porporino, and a close friend of Senesino, these star performers did much for his success in England... but also ruined him with their exorbitant fee demands.</div><div><br></div><div> Mitridate is the last opera he wrote for London, with a stellar cast (including Senesino and Farinelli). While we are familiar with the version composed by the young Mozart a few years later, it is essential to (re)discover this masterpiece of the Neapolitan school.</div><div><br></div><div> Théâtre des Champs-Élysées Production</div><div><br></div><div> Sung in Italian, with French/English surtitles</div>