Album Choices: Mozart, The Hunter, Robin, Alune Wade
Let's Hear Mozart's Tenor Arias, Man to Man
Se di lauri il crine adorno (excerpt from Mitridate, re di Ponto). Va, dal furor portata KV 21/19c. Si mostra la sorte KV 209. Misero ! o sogno KV 431/425b. Se al labbro mio non credi KV 295. Per pietà, non ricercate KV 420. Con ossequio, con rispetto KV 210. With the ensemble A Nocte Temporis, Reinoud Van Mechelen (tenor and direction).
Mozart's tenor arias run the gamut from his early years to his mature Vienna period. Mostly "baggage arias" ("arie di baule"), they were composed for a performer to insert into an opera by another composer. Belgian tenor Reinoud Van Mechelen, leading the ensemble A Nocte Temporis (founded in 2016 with flutist Anna Besson), serves up an album that leaves no doubts about his talent.
From the opening Se di lauri il crine adorno, composed by a 14-year-old Mozart for the 1770 opera Mitridate, Van Mechelen showcases his dramatic abilities. Five years earlier, Metastasio's verses for Va, dal furor portata bear witness to Mozart's precociousness. At the album's heart - not arranged chronologically - the magnificent Se al labbro mio non credi (met with praise by Metastasio) is dedicated to Anton Raaf, creator of the role of Idomeneo. For his Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Mozart wrote the heart-rending Per pietà, non ricercate. Van Mechelen's powerful vocal delivery and regal demeanor differentiate him from predecessors like Christoph Prégardien and Rolando Villazón, with a stunning balance between voice and instruments.
"Se al labbro mio non credi" (K. 295)Written in 1778 for Anton Raaf, a leading German tenor of the time, this aria illustrates Mozart's knack for adapting his compositions to the vocal talents and style of his performers. Raaf, infamous for his rigid acting and aging voice, wielded considerable influence in Mannheim and Munich. The aria's technical demands - challenging phrases and intricate lines - demonstrate Mozart's flexibility in accommodating Raaf's bel canto training under Bernacchi. This aria aided Mozart in securing his commission for Idomeneo (1781), where Raaf premiered the title role.
"Se di lauri il crine adorno" (K. ???)While the specific circumstances surrounding this aria are unclear, it likely stems from one of Mozart's early Italian operas, such as Mitridate or Lucio Silla, where lavish tenor arias were common.
"Va, dal furor portata" (K. 21 / K. 19c)This aria, likely a early composition (c. 1765), precedes Mozart's most significant operatic works. If it refers to a later revision or mistakenly attributed composition, further context is needed. The Kochel number confusion (K. 21 is a symphony) suggests cataloging uncertainties or a fragmentary work.
"Per pietà, non ricercate" (K. 420)Penned in 1783 for Valentin Adamberger, the tenor who created Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail (1782), this aria embodies Mozart's mature style, blending lyrical sentiment with vocal agility. Even though Adamberger's technical prowess is not explicitly mentioned here, this aria reflects Mozart's development from an imitator of Italian opera conventions to an innovator of dramatic musical storytelling.
Takeaways
Mozart's tenor arias prove his talent for tailoring compositions to the vocal abilities of his performers while preserving dramatic integrity. Arias such as "Se al labbro mio non credi" expose Mozart's diplomatic navigations of court politics, while later works (e.g., those for Adamberger) underscore his deepening focus on integrating character psychology into vocal lines. Collectively, these pieces underscore Mozart's evolution from a prodigious imitator to a pioneer of dramatic musical storytelling.
- The album by the ensemble A Nocte Temporis, led by Belgian tenor Reinoud Van Mechelen, showcases Mozart's tenor arias from his early years to his mature Vienna period, demonstrating his talent.
- Reinoud Van Mechelen's performance of "Se al labbro mio non credi" (K. 295), written in 1778 for Anton Raaf, showcases his ability to adapt compositions to performers' vocal talents.
- "Se di lauri il crine adorno", likely from one of Mozart's early Italian operas, is anexample of the lavish tenor arias common in such works.
- "Per pietà, non ricercate" (K. 420), penned in 1783 for Valentin Adamberger, embodies Mozart's mature style and his focus on integrating character psychology into vocal lines.
