Mozart: Mitridate, Rè di Ponto (2004)

For a work of Mozart's childhood, Mitridate, Rè di Ponto has inspired more than its share of quality recordings. While that is certainly due in part to the completionist approach labels have taken toward major composers over the years, it is also a testament to the musical virtues of the opera, which has melodic spark and formal refinement in doses worthy of a great, albeit impressionable, young composer. It's no Idomeneo, but it's no slouch, either. Making every second count, and highlighting Mitridate's economical ... Read More

For a work of Mozart's childhood, Mitridate, Rè di Ponto has inspired more than its share of quality recordings. While that is certainly due in part to the completionist approach labels have taken toward major composers over the years, it is also a testament to the musical virtues of the opera, which has melodic spark and formal refinement in doses worthy of a great, albeit impressionable, young composer. It's no Idomeneo, but it's no slouch, either. Making every second count, and highlighting Mitridate's economical expressivity in new ways, Jed Wentz makes a good argument for the work's vitality with this recording on Brilliant. The textural transparency and rhythmic charge of Musica ad Rhenum and the compelling performances of a largely unknown cast make it sound better in many ways than the two big-budget offerings by Decca and Philips already on the market. It doesn't have their vocal star power, to be sure, and listeners who value that above all else may be disappointed. But it has a compact... Read Less