Parker Burton Iii Countertenor

THE LITTLE OPERA THEATRE OF NEW YORK PRESENTS MOZART'S MITRIDATE ...

Street). Led by conductor Richard Cordova and directed by Philip Shneidman , the double-cast principals include tenors Andrew Drost and Luke Grooms in the title role, sopranos Erica Miller and Jennifer Moore (Aspasia), sopranos Serena Benedetti and Jennifer Tiller (Sifare), and countertenors Nicholas Tamagna and Jeffrey Mandelbaum (Farnace).  Additional singers include sopranos Cláudia de Azevedo and Heather Hill, countertenors Eric S. Brenner and Parker Burton III, and tenors Blake Friedman and Steven Sanders. Lighting design is by Natalie Robin , projection designs by Alex Koch, and costume designs by Sara James .

This important but rarely performed first opera seria was written by Mozart in 1770 when he was just fourteen years old.  Mozart and his librettist, Vittorio Cigna-Santi, based the opera on a popular play by Jean Racine about the legend of Mitridate, a celebrated warrior who ruled over the kingdom of Pontus, in what is now modern day northern Turkey.  Historically based, Mitridate was engaged in a brutal war against Caesar’s Rome. The opera enlivens history with the added tale of a palace intrigue where the loyalty of Mitridate’s two sons is tested through a battle over a seemingly empty throne and a bitter contest to win the affections of a conflicted future queen. Mitridate was first performed at the Regio Ducal Teatro, Milan, on December, 26, 1770 (at the Milan Carnival) and enjoyed great success with twenty-one performances despite doubts because of Mozart’s extreme youth.  No revival of the opera took place until the 20th century, and no fully staged production has ever been presented in New York City.