One of the most successful acts at the Metropolitan Opera House this season "La Clemenzo di Tito" produced by Jean-Pierre Ponelle who according to critics did an excellent job but the star of the show is undoubtedly was mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca who has gotten rave reviews for her roles as Sesto.
The New York Times wrote:
"As Sesto, Elina Garanca sang with her expected authority and luster. Composed almost to the point of aloofness in the first act, she lashed out at Tito in the second, to genuinely gripping effect."
For the first time Garanca talks about her role as Sesto when she opened up to the Met's Philipp Brieler in an interview in October and gives readers an insight to the Mozart's oddball play.
Brieler asked what drew the mezzo soprano to "La Clemenza di Tito."
Elina Garanca:
"It's a very powerful opera, one of those dramatic opera seria pieces that really hit you in the stomach. Sesto, of course, is very popular with young singers. "Parto, parto," his famous aria with clarinet solo, is sung at every competition and audition, and it's a wonderful piece to draw attention for a young artist. It's part of the "golden repertoire." It's ironic, really, because this will probably be the last time I'm singing the role, and I also did "Barbiere" and "Cenerentola," for the last time at the Met."
Garanca was asked to describe the character of Sesto in which plays in the piece.
Elina Garanca:
"He's very easily influenced and he has his demons that he fights-his friendship, his loyalty, his love, his feeling of guilt and also surprise at himself of being capable of killing somebody, and then realizing it and completely giving himself up as a human being, as a lover, as a friend, as everything. He's really badly haunted by the outside world and caught in the middle of all those crazy wheels that are going on around him."
