Who composed Mitridate, re di Ponto?
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed Mitridate, re di Ponto in 1770 while touring Italy at the age of fourteen. The opera is officially catalogued as K. 87 (74a).
Questions about Mitridate, re di Ponto
Short answers, pulled from the story.
When did Mitridate, re di Ponto first premiere?
Mitridate, re di Ponto premiered on the 26th of December 1770 at the Teatro Regio Ducale in Milan, during the Milan Carnival. It ran for 21 performances despite doubts about Mozart's youth, and no company revived it again until the 20th century.
Who influenced Mozart's composition of Mitridate, re di Ponto?
Musicologist Daniel E. Freeman showed that Mozart composed Mitridate, re di Ponto with close reference to Josef Mysliveček's opera La Nitteti. The two composers met in Bologna in March 1770, and Mysliveček visited the Mozarts frequently that summer while Wolfgang worked on the score.
What is the plot of Mitridate, re di Ponto?
Mitridate, re di Ponto is based on Jean Racine's tragedy Mithridate and is set around the Crimean port of Nymphaeum in 63 BC. Mitridate is falsely believed dead, his sons Sifare and Farnace both love Aspasia, his intended queen, and the opera ends with Mitridate's suicide after defeat by Rome, followed by his forgiveness of his sons.
How many ensemble numbers are in Mitridate, re di Ponto?
Mitridate, re di Ponto contains only two ensemble numbers. One is the Act 2 duet between Aspasia and Sifare, "Se viver non degg'io", and the other is a brief quintet that closes the opera.
Who sang in the original 1770 cast of Mitridate, re di Ponto?
The premiere cast of Mitridate, re di Ponto included Antonia Bernasconi as Aspasia and Guglielmo d'Ettore as Mitridate. Other roles were sung by Pietro Muschietti as Arbate, Giuseppe Cicognani as Farnace, Gasparo Bassano as Marzio, and Anna Francesca Varese as Ismene, with Mozart himself conducting.