Mozart: Overture to La Clemenza di Tito
October 21, 2010
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Overture to the opera "La Clemenza di Tito," K. 621
Sinfonica Heliopolis
Conductor: Peter Guelke
MP3 recorded in the Beethoven Hall, Bonn, on October 6, 2010 by Deutsche Welle (DW)
Sinfonica Heliopolis - the orchestra's name suggests the sun-bathed streets of its home city, Sao Paulo, Brazil. But Heliopolis is also the city's largest slum and home to many of Sinfonica Heliopolis' members. Among the works they played during the first stop of their first international tour was the overture to opera "La Clemenza di Tito" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
The work was one of the last that Mozart wrote before his death in 1791. Legend has it that the great composer finished the piece in eighteen days, just in time for its performance during the coronation festivities of Emperor Leopold of Prague. The exact amount of time Mozart required is contested, but it's generally agreed that the work was composed with remarkable speed.
Overtures in opera generally accompany the opening of the curtain and grab the audience's attention. Sinfonica Heliopolis set the stage for their concert, fittingly, with this overture. Right from the beginning, the orchestra's enthusiasm for playing music drew in the audience. Hear it for yourself in this recording from their second concert at the Beethovenfest 2010.
Author: Greg Wiser
Editor: Rick Fulker