Audio CD
SPARS Code: DDD
Number of Discs: 2
Format: FLAC (tracks+cue)
Label: Elektra / Wea
Size: 652 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Lucio Silla, opera, K. 135
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Vienna Concentus Musicus
with Cecilia Bartoli, Peter Schreier, Yvonne Kenny, Dawn Upshaw, Edita Gruberova, Herbert Tachezi
Conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Disc: 1
01. Lucio Silla KV 135: Overtura: Molto allegro
02. Lucio Silla KV 135: Overtura: Andante
03. Lucio Silla KV 135: Overtura: Molto allegro
04. Lucio Silla KV 135: Atto Primo: Recitativo ‘Oh ciel, l’amico Cinna’ (Cecilio, Cinna)
05. Lucio Silla KV 135: Atto Primo: No. 1 Aria: ‘Vieni, ov’amor t’invita’ (Cinna)
06. Lucio Silla KV 135: Atto Primo: Accompagnato: ‘Dunque sperar poss’io’ (Cecilio)
07. Lucio Silla KV 135: Atto Primo: No. 2 Aria: Il tenero momento (Cecilio)
08. Lucio Silla KV 135: Atto Primo: Recitativo: ‘A te dell’ amor mio’ (Silla, Celia)
09. Lucio Silla KV 135: Atto Primo: No. 3 Aria: ‘Se lusinghiera speme’ (Celia)
10. Lucio Silla KV 135: Atto Primo: Recitativo: ‘Sempre dovrò verderti’ (Silla, Giunia)
11. Lucio Silla KV 135: Atto Primo: No. 4. Aria: ‘Dalla sponda tenebrosa’ (Giunia)
12. Lucio Silla KV 135: Atto Primo: Recitativo: ‘E tollerare io posso’ (Silla)
13. Lucio Silla KV 135: Atto Primo: Accompagnato: ‘Mi piace! E il cor di Silla’ (Silla)
14. Lucio Silla KV 135: Atto Primo: No. 5 Aria: ‘Il desio di vendetta’ (Silla)
15. Lucio Silla KV 135: Atto Primo: Andante
16. Lucio Silla KV 135: Atto Primo: Accompagnato: ‘Morte, morte fatal’ (Cecilio)
17. Lucio Silla KV 135: Atto Primo: No. 6 Coro: ‘Fuor di queste urne’ (Giunia, Coro)
18. Lucio Silla KV 135: Atto Primo: Accompagnato: ‘Se l’empio Silla’ (Giunia)
19. Lucio Silla KV 135: Atto Primo: No. 7 Duetto: ‘D’elisio in sen mi’attendi’ (Giunia, Cecilio)
20. Lucio Silla KV 135: Atto Secondo: Recitativo: ‘Io ti scopro’ (Silla, Celia)
21. Lucio Silla KV 135: Atto Secondo: Accompagnato: ‘Cecilio, a che t’arresti’ (Cecilio)
Disc: 2
01. Lucio Silla, KV 135: Atto Secondo: No. 9 Aria: ‘Quest’improvviso trèmito’ (Cecilio)
02. Lucio Silla, KV 135: Atto Secondo: Recitativo: ‘Silla m’impone’ (Giunia, Cinna)
03. Lucio Silla, KV 135: Atto Secondo: Accompagnato: ‘Vanne, T’affretta’ (Giunia)
04. Lucio Silla, KV 135: Atto Secondo: No. 11 Aria: ‘Ah se il crudel periglio’ (Giunia)
05. Lucio Silla, KV 135: Atto Secondo: Accompagnato: ‘Ah si, scuotasi omai’ (Cinna)
06. Lucio Silla, KV 135: Atto Secondo: No. 12 Aria: ‘Nel fortunato instante’ (Cinna)
07. Lucio Silla, KV 135: Atto Secondo: Recitativo: ‘Giunia? Qual vista!’ (Silla, Giunia)
08. Lucio Silla, KV 135: Atto Secondo: No. 13 Aria: ‘D’ogni pietà mi spoglio’ (Silla)
09. Lucio Silla, KV 135: Atto Secondo: Recitativo: ‘Che intesi eterni Dei?’ (Giunia, Cecilio)
10. Lucio Silla, KV 135: Atto Secondo: Accompagnato: ‘Chi sà, che non sia questa’ (Cecilio)
11. Lucio Silla, KV 135: Atto Secondo: Recitativo: ‘Perchè mi balzi in seno’ (Giunia, Celia)
12. Lucio Silla, KV 135: Atto Secondo: No. 15 Aria: ‘Quando sugl’arsi campi’ (Celia)
13. Lucio Silla, KV 135: Atto Secondo: Accompagnato: ‘In un istante’ (Giunia)
14. Lucio Silla, KV 135: Atto Secondo: No. 17 Coro: ‘Se gloria il crin ti cinse’ (Coro)
15. Lucio Silla, KV 135: Atto Secondo: Recitativo: ‘Padri coscritti’ (Silla, Giunia, Cecilio)
16. Lucio Silla, KV 135: Atto Secondo: No. 18 Terzetto: ‘Quell’oroglioso sdegno’ (Silla, Giunia, Cecilio)
17. Lucio Silla, KV 135: Atto Terzo: Recitativo: ‘A lui t’affretta’ (Cinna, Celia)
18. Lucio Silla, KV 135: Atto Terzo: No. 19 Aria: ‘Strider senta la procella’ (Celia)
19. Lucio Silla, KV 135: Atto Terzo: Recitativo: ‘Più non mi resta’ (Cecilio, Cinna)
20. Lucio Silla, KV 135: Atto Terzo: Aria: ‘De’ più suberbi il core’ (Cinna)
21. Lucio Silla, KV 135: Atto Terzo: Recitativo: ‘Ah nò, ch’I fato estremo’ (Cecilio, Giunia)
22. Lucio Silla, KV 135: Atto Terzo: No. 21 Aria: ‘Pupille amate’ (Cecilio)
23. Lucio Silla, KV 135: Atto Terzo: Accompagnato: ‘Sposo, mia vita’ (Giunia)
24. Lucio Silla, KV 135: Atto Terzo: No. 22 Aria: ‘Fra i pensier più funesti’ (Giunia)
25. Lucio Silla, KV 135: Atto Terzo: Recitativo: ‘Roma, e il senato’ (Silla, Giunia, Cecilio, Cinna, Celia)
26. Lucio Silla, KV 135: Atto Terzo: No. 23 Finale (Silla, Giunia, Cecilio, Cinna, Celia, Coro)
Dramatic, beautiful, virtually a dream cast of Mozart’s great opera seria
Mozart – Lucio Silla / P. Schreier · Gruberova · Bartoli · Upshaw · Kenny · Harnoncourt
There are times when one may not entirely like Nikolaus Harnoncourt’s idiosyncratic conducting, but more often than not, he serves up exciting and intelligent performances from his forces. His conducting of the Bach Brandenburg Concerti is one such recording (I own 8 recordings of the Brandenburg Concerti, including the splendid Il Gardiano Armonico’s, yet Harnoncourt’s is the one that I find most satisfying in every respect).
And this? His conducting of Lucio Silla?
Very, very close to sheer perfection.
The ONLY caveat I have is the casting of Dawn Upshaw. I find her performance a little too bland and sugary, yet I have heard her sing utterly wonderfully in modern French repertoire. I just do not think that Mozart suits her (not every light lyric soprano is an ideal Mozart singer). In preference… oh, if we’d been given Barbara Bonney here instead! It would have been the final touch to a superb recording.
This IS a superb recording. With the astonishing Edita Gruberova, one has only to imagine her singing this great Mozart coloratura role to know she is perfect in it. To hear her on this recording is to know that Mozart is weeping with the delight of it. Yvonne Kenny is sweet-toned (not TOO sweet) and ravishing with that lovely silvery voice of hers which is so very beautiful in Mozart. Bartoli is agile, remarkable, velvet-toned, full of heartbreakingly sincere character – she has always been one of the great Mozartian mezzos from the first moment she began to record. Her voice is so beautiful that it almost defies description. And Peter Schreier, that veteran lyric tenor, shows exactly why he has been one of the top tenors in this sort of repertoire for years. It’s such a smoothly beautiful voice, so capable of drama and sensitivity.
In all, this is by far the best recording of Lucio Silla that exists. The opera itself is magnificent – a grand and very beautiful work that exemplifies Mozart’s genius with endowing even characters in an opera seria with real and moving personality.
Thanks