Il Re Pastore, Mozart
Playhouse, Wednesday 20th June 2001

Written specially for the Archduke's visit to Salzburg in 1775 by a nineteen year old Mozart, Il Re Pastore is one of the composer's lesser known works. Despite his youth, Mozart produced a highly accomplished opera, which includes hints of the themes which were to be developed in his later, more celebrated operas.

Alexander the Great frees Sidon from tyranny and successfully finds Aminta, the heir of the deposed king, with the help of the nobleman Agenore. Since this heir is a shepherd and in love with a peasant girl, Elisa, persuading him to take up his rightful place is difficult. Moreover, not knowing of Agenore's love affair with the tyrant's daughter Tamiri, Alexander decides that Tamiri should marry Aminta, thereby uniting the kingdom. He follows this decision, which torments all the other characters, with a superb celebration of his own wisdom and skill in the wonderful aria 'Se vicendo vi rendo felici'. All is eventually sorted out, of course, and the two couples are reunited. Aminta and Elisa will rule this kingdom, and Agenore and Tamiri the next that Alexander conquers.

The Classical Opera Company did the piece full justice. The young cast members imbued every aria with vitality, and a revolving stage and small waterfall added interest to the design. Initially I thought the lack of subtitles would mar my enjoyment of the Italian opera, but I had underestimated the quality of the acting, which was outdone only by the quality of the singing. The first act, which gives us an aria from every character (each complete with cadenza), ended with a beautiful duet for Aminta (Deborah Norman, in what was originally a castrato part) and Elisa (Sally Matthews). This left the audience wanting more, and it was not disappointed by the wider emotional range of the second act and finale. Here Christopher Saunders and Darren Abrahams (as Agenore and Alessandro respectively) truly excelled. Sally Matthews, however, was the performer of the night, journeying through joy, selflessness, despair and anger with a technically accomplished and beautifully sounding soprano voice.

Il Re Pastore is yet another reminder of the brilliance of Mozart's early works, and a very enjoyable opera in its own right. I only hope that the Classical Opera Company will return to Oxford again soon.

Kathleen Rice-Oxley, 20 / 6 / 01