La clemenza di Tito

What does the traditional form of opera look like, or what is it supposed to look like? Does such a thing as a classical staging exist? Why do we keep dusting off an opera covered in dust? Why do we think something about everything? The production by the directing tandem of Veronika Kos Loulová and Jiří Havelka addresses the theme of the perception of a classical work in the present day and explores our ideas about ancient history.

The opera, composed on the occasion of the coronation of Leopold II as King of Bohemia, is translated as The Clemency of Titus. The work was commissioned by the Bohemian Estates and premiered for the first time at the Estates Theatre in Prague in September 1791. The libretto was written by Caterino Mazzolà based on the original template by Pietro Metastasio. The main character is the Roman Emperor Titus, whom Vitellia, the daughter of the former emperor, is trying to kill. The theme of the work is based on classical antiquity, and the story itself takes place in Rome in 79 AD.