W.A.Mozart Il sogno di Scipione K.126 1772

Mozart’s Il sogno di Scipione: A Triumph of Wit and Youthful Ingenuity in Klagenfurt and Salzburg The 2006 staging of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Il sogno di Scipione (K. 126), born as a unique collaboration between the Salzburg Festival and the Stadttheater Klagenfurt, remains one of the most delightfully subversive and intellectually refreshing operatic rediscoveries of our time. Based on Pietro Metastasio’s allegorical azione teatrale—composed in 1771 when the teenage Mozart was barely fifteen—the piece has long suffered from a reputation as a static occasional work, devoid of genuine theatrical conflict. Yet, under the inspired direction of Michael Sturminger and the remarkably assured musical leadership of a 23-year-old Robin Ticciati, this production completely upended expectations, transforming an academic historical curio into a sparkling, boulevard-style comedy of high conceptual intelligence. Sturminger’s masterstroke lies in his refusal to treat Metastasio’s rigid moral framework with reverential solemnity. Instead of misty clouds and pallid classical antiquity, the director transports the Roman hero Scipio into the slick, hedonistic ambiance of a luxury hotel suite. Here, the eternal philosophical tug-of-war between duty and desire becomes an upscale domestic farce. The allegorical figures of Fortuna and Costanza are stripped of their marble-cold solemnity: Fortuna is reimagined as a vampish, seductive siren draped in revealing evening gowns, while Costanza assumes the role of a hyper-efficient, sharp-tongued mother and homemaker who knows precisely how to keep her man anchored. Blagoj Nacoski portrays the title hero with a charming, slightly bewildered vulnerability, caught helplessly in the comedic crossfire as these two formidable women—and later, an intrusive extended family—invade his private sanctuary. The production gleefully dismantles the traditional sequence of recitatives and da-capo arias through rapid costume changes, knowing winks, and brilliant physical slapstick that ranges from sandbox games to moments of genuine theatrical surprise. Musically, the performance is nothing short of a revelation. The Kärntner Symphonieorchester, under the baton of Robin Ticciati, delivers an interpretation that is astonishingly luminous, flexible, and texturally transparent. Eschewing heavy-handed romanticism, Ticciati coaxes a fleet, breathing Mozartian sound from the orchestra, perfectly tailored to the delicate, yet sharply demanding architecture of the early score. Vocally, the cast soars far above the standard expectations for a regional touring production. Louise Fribo commands the treacherous coloratura and demanding vocal leaps of Costanza with sparkling brilliance and a commanding, radiant timbre, while Bernarda Bobro injects Fortuna with sultry warmth and dazzling technical assurance. Anna Kovalko adds a pristine sheen as Licenza, and the male contingent—featuring Iain Paton as a dignified Publio and Robert Sellier as Emilio—anchors the ensemble with polished solidity, supported by the pristine choral contributions from the Chor des Stadttheaters Klagenfurt. Ultimately, this Il sogno di Scipione succeeds precisely because it embraces the youthful, experimental exuberance of Mozart’s early writing without sacrificing musical integrity. By wedding baroque vocal pyrotechnics with razor-sharp contemporary wit, the Klagenfurt-Salzburg partnership proved that even the most neglected corners of the master’s output can be brilliantly illuminated when approached with fearless imagination and uncompromising artistic rigor.