Juan de Dios Mateos / Critiques

Juan de Dios Mateos, as Don Ottavio, makes the most of a role that can otherwise come across as rather insipid. In Act Two, he demonstrates exceptional control while holding extended and unwavering notes in “Il mio tesoro”. The aria was replaced by Act One’s “Dall sua pace” for the opera’s Viennese premiere, but here we have both. While this arguably elevates the role to an unwarranted level of importance, it provides an added opportunity to delight in Juan de Dios Mateos’ artistry.

Admittedly, there were moments where the music could be enjoyed in a way that took an audience-member out of the dramatic situation. One of those was the tenor aria “Il mio tesoro'' – Ottavio’s perhaps-redundant vow to avenge Donna Anna’s father the Commendatore’s death, but it was Spanish tenor Juan de Dios Mateos’s delivery of his earlier number “Dalla sua pace” (On her peace depends mine) which really impressed – a completely satisfying scena in itself, as Ottavio was left alone on stage in the wake of the Commendatore’s funeral cortège.