'La clemenza di Tito' is an opera of intense passions, woven through love, betrayal, and forgiveness
“To forgive is of gods; to forget, only of truly noble souls”
Stoic anonymous
La clemenza di Tito is an opera of intense passions, woven through love, betrayal, and forgiveness. David McVicar’s production at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence stands out for its visual power and for its profound psychological portrait of the characters. At the helm, maestro Jordi Savall brings a reading of exceptional elegance and poetic depth. With a transparent, incisive, and richly coloured direction, Savall reveals the full dramatic modernity of Mozart and rekindles the moral energy that runs through this work.
Composed in just six weeks for the coronation of Leopold II in Prague in 1791, La clemenza di Tito presents a solitary emperor, wounded by the betrayal of those around him, yet capable of responding with a clemency that makes him a symbol of a higher political ethic. The contrast with Vitellia’s manipulative darkness and with Sesto’s torment, torn between loyalty and desire, creates a drama of exceptional intensity.
Its musical architecture heightens this depth: Tito’s noble arias stand in contrast to Sesto’s inner turmoil —such as the virtuosic Parto, parto— and to the penitential tension of Deh, per questo istante solo. Mozart moves between turbulence and elevation, between human weakness and moral strength.
Premiered three months before the composer’s death, the opera fascinated the nineteenth century and remains a dramatic miracle in which sex, power, and political ambition are combined with a radical commitment to mercy. With a first-rate cast —Jack Swanson (Tito), Marianne Crebassa (Sesto), and Karine Deshayes (Vitellia)—, McVicar’s reading emerges with a contemporary intensity that reinforces the message.
If the Enlightenment places its faith in reconciliation, Mozart sublimates it in a work that raises forgiveness into a transformative force. A luminous and visionary ending that anticipates Beethoven and consecrates Mozart’s last opera seria as a moral and theatrical triumph.
Opera seria in two acts
Libretto by Pietro Metastasio and Caterino Mazzolà
World premiere: September 6, 1791 at the National Theatre in Prague
Barcelona premiere: December 14, 1963 at the Gran Teatre del Liceu (in German)
Last performance at the Liceu: February 27, 2020
Total performances at the Liceu: 31
With the support of:
Dates and tickets
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General public sale on Monday 15 June 2026 at 10h.
Artistic profile
- Stage direction
- David McVicar
- Set design
- Bettina Neuhaus and David McVicar
- Costume design
- Jenny Tiramani
- Lighting design
- Jennifer Tipton
- Production
- Gran Teatre del Liceu (created by the Festival d’Art Lyrique d’Aix-en-Provence 2011)
- La Capella Nacional de Catalunya
- Director Lluís VIlamajó
- Le concert des Nations
- Director Jordi Savall
Special sessions
Breathing the Opera
Breathing the opera is a 30-minute guided session, led by coach Mònica Arús, with the soundscape of music therapist Núria Andorrà, in which we will practice simple breathing, relaxation, and mindfulness exercises to enter a state of calm and openness that helps us enjoy the performance with presence and awareness.
Friday November 27
18:30 h (Access via the entrance on Carrer Sant Pau 15 minutes before the session starts)
Buy the complete experience here: mindfulness session + opera performance.
Audiodescription
Live audio description service in one performance of each staged opera that provides information about key visual elements, for the benefit of blind and visually impaired spectators. The service consists of two parts: an audio introduction fifteen minutes before the start of the performance, and simultaneous audio description during the performance.
LiveVoice app
To listen to the audio description, simply click on Audiodescripción al Liceu, or enter the LiveVoice app and type in the code: 075177
Tuesday November 1
19:30 h
COMING SOON