La Clemenza di Tito, de Mozart

After realizing that the Roman Emperor Titus intends to marry Bérénice, the noblewoman Vitellia— infatuated with the ruler—decides to conspire against him. She asks Sextus, a loyal friend of Titus who is also in love with her, to kill him—but he is arrested and condemned to death by Titus. The emperor, in an act of admirable clemency, ends the opera by pardoning all the conspirators, serving as a symbol of wisdom and goodwill.

Though not quite as well-known as The Magic Flute or Don Giovanni, Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito (The Clemency of Titus) remains a major work of the composer, beautifully brought to the stage by Cécile Roussat and Julien Lubek, who oversaw all aspects of the production. The excellent rapport between the orchestra and chorus of the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège (under the masterful baton of Thomas Rösner), the sumptuous set design, and the carefully crafted costumes transport us into the world of the characters, embodied by a world-class cast including the splendid Patrizia Ciofi in the role of Vitellia and the renowned Leonardo Cortellazzi as Titus.