Mozart:Mitridate

by Dessay / Bartoli / Asawa / Talens Lyriques / Rousset

This full-length opera seria--written by Mozart at age 14--has had some strong recorded exposure in the past, but this set may bring it to a broader public than ever before. Now that Handel's operas in the same genre are much more in evidence, what once might've seemed like the work of an underdeveloped dramatist is only Mozart maintaining the status quo, which is a long, expository, musically conservative first act followed by two shorter acts with much more individualistic arias, some of them exquisite and among the composer's very best. Conductor Christophe Rousset is perfect for finding the dramatic center of every moment. But the set is worth buying just for its passionate cast, which features Cecilia Bartoli, Brian Asawa, Natalie Dessay, and Sandrine Piau firing on all vocal cylinders. The biggest surprise is tenor Giuseppe Sabbatini's account of the title role. It may not be graceful but it sure is electrifying. There's only one disappointment: Mozart wrote several versions of some arias to please his star singers, and this recording leaves one hungry to hear his outtakes. --David Patrick Stearns