Mozart’s “La clemenza di Tito” back in Warsaw
“La clemenza di Tito,” or “The Clemency of Titus,” is a 1791 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, commissioned by the Habsburg court to celebrate Leopold II’s coronation as King of Bohemia. The premiere took place on September 6 of the same year in Prague. Mozart composed the work under significant time pressure, simultaneously working on “The Magic Flute” and the “Requiem.” For a long time, the opera remained in the shadow of his more famous works and was considered conventional, offering nothing revolutionary.
The libretto, written by Caterino Mazzolà, is based on an earlier text by Pietro Metastasio, one of the most important figures of 18th-century Italian opera. The titular Titus must confront an assassination plot orchestrated by Vitellia and her lover Sesto, a close friend of the emperor. Despite the betrayal, Titus – torn between disappointment and forgiveness – chooses the latter, demonstrating his clemency and moral greatness.
Critics often regard the opera as uneven, and it is not typically a first-choice title in opera house repertoires, either in Poland or internationally. The libretto is criticized for static dramaturgy and schematic characters, but the music, the vocal parts in particular, is highly praised. Interestingly, “La clemenza di Tito” survived in the repertoire mainly thanks to a resurgence of interest in Mozart during the second half of the 20th century. In Poland it premiered on March 20, 1806 in Poznań, where it was performed in German. Since 2000, productions of Mozart’s work in Poland have been rare. The Polish National Opera staged “La clemenza di Tito” in 2016, directed by Ivo van Hove, and the Baltic Opera presented Maja Kleczewska’s vision of Titus’ dilemmas in 2023. The most recent Polish production was part of the 2025 annual Mozart Festival, directed by Anna Sroka-Hryń, with conductor Benjamin Bayl – specialist in Baroque and Classical music – leading the musical side.
This September, the opera returns to the stage to mark the start of the new season at the Warsaw Chamber Opera.
Who? What? Where? When?
“La clemenza di Tito” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performances: 26, 27, 28 September 2025
Venue: Warsaw Chamber Opera