Mozart: La clemenza di Tito

Finally on the 16, of September 1791 Mozarts opera "La clemenza di Tito" had its premiere with the composer himself at the podium - and with a modest success. But things were much better, when he made the popular kastrate singer, Domenico Vedii, perform the great role of Sestos. - Here the charakter is performed by the contralto Jochen Kowalski and in the very end everything is smothesly taken over by the soprano Helen Donath. -
Carl Vendler

[@blumedersahara]

I absolutly admire him!

[@operviva]

Wow damn ........he is amazing
i love this amazing aria.

[@Taslisasulynn]

Thank you very much for uploading that!!
And also thanks a lot for calling Jochen Kowalski beeing a contralto, cause he´s it really and not at all a countertenor, most people do. (btw. Kowalski is written not with an y at the end )

[@serenaluce]

Great!

[@1968KWT]

The premiere took place on the 6th (not 16th) of September 1791.

[@LaBohemienne8]

She's singing a prayer; I could only make out the first two words on the melody of 'Guardami'. She sang 'Iesus, Iesus', and then went on in Latin for sure. Can't make out what she's singing exactly. As soon as I know I'll post it here with a translation.
Kowalski's great of course! As ever

[@catrynn]

She is not singing a prayer. She has persuaded Sesto to kill his good friend the Emperor Tito and then she will love him. He says he is going 'Parto parto' but asks that she turn and look at him and give him a smile. She does so and he - or she in this case - sings how wonderful is the power of her beauty 'Quel belta' and that he will do what she asks thinking of her look at him. It actually makes no sense with the soprano singing that bit. But perhaps Kowalski couldn''t manage the trills.

[@podkivanok]

Here is the exact text which she is singing:
Jesu, dulcis memoria,
dans vera cordis gaudia,
sed super mel et omnia,
eius dulcis praesentia.
Nil cogitatur dulcius
quam Jesus, Dei Filius.
Such using of the music with another text is called "parody" and was often done by the composers themselves.

[@olympicfreak678]

The lyrics, i am guessing, would remain the same. I am going off of an eralier guess of Latin and saying that this would be an appropriate translation for this aria. The setting was in early Rome, which --of course-- spoke Latin. No idea y they're doing this. But if they're using a castrato for this role, i'm guessing they wanted to remain true to the text. But it was actually not until recently they saw Sesto was a castrato, not a mezzo. The cadenza at the end was kinda odd 4 me. outa place!

[@user-ql8qz9rh4u]

Who is singing this aria?