Canadian Opera Company
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The conductor Juri Lebidev understands singers and instruments with a sense of justice obsessed with detail. His almost telepathic presence becomes an indispensable prerequisite for the trust between the stage and the pit, which made this blissful operatic event possible in the first place. The premiere and the performance the following afternoon were enthusiastically celebrated by those who had come and subscribers with unusual persistence.In "La clemenza di Scipione" all the singers have a parade number or at least a better stage coup thanks to Wilgenbus. Sara-Maria Saalmann asked for kind indulgence before the second performance. Unfounded. In addition to all the other requirements, she mastered her great aria with solo instruments in concert with bravura. In terms of structure, melos and ornamentation, this huge piece is amazingly similar to Konstanze's dreaded martyrdom aria from "Die Entführung aus dem Seraglio". Alexandra Scherrmann, as Arsinda's sister Idalba, proceeds even more confidently with coloraturas of emphatic lightness and physical frivolity, even when the powerful Marzius swings the raw leg of meat. Johannes Mooser finds the right vocal compromise between hero and poltergeist.With a tenor that is minimally throaty in the depths and clearer and clearer towards the top, Martin Lechleitner recommends himself as a Scipio who appreciates love more than war for larger tasks in the Mozart repertoire. It is astonishing this time how Onur Abaci as Luceius lets all difficulties of the soprano castrato part be forgotten. In the large duet, Saalmann's soft entrances merge with Abaci's virile and at the same time flexible, nuanced intonation in such a way that the two voices can hardly be distinguished. A deluxe plea for Johann Christian Bach! Hopefully this is only the prelude to further discoveries of operas in Eisenach.