Review: ‘Mozart and Salieri’ pits two musical greats against each other

Sidney Outlaw (left) stars as Salieri and Simon Barrad as Mozart in Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Mozart and Salieri” at Opera San José. Photo: Ian Fullmer

Whatever “Amadeus” and other similar projects might like us to believe, there’s no evidence that there was any particularly toxic rivalry between Mozart and his composing colleague Antonio Salieri. Perhaps a little friction, probably only of the sort that arises between two pre-eminent figures in the same field.

But poison? No.

Which only means that “Mozart and Salieri,” the one-act opera available for streaming starting Thursday, Sept. 30, in a fine filmed production from Opera San José, isn’t a documentary. The piece has something else on its mind, and the contrast between these two composers — one who became successful through hard work, the other through natural talent — serves as an apt vehicle for that, historical accuracy be damned.

Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera premiered in 1898, based on a play by Pushkin. It’s a compact undertaking (just two singing roles, with a run time of barely 45 minutes), but it covers its bases with admirable efficiency.

Salieri lays out his grievances in the opening monologue: He’s devoted his life to music, with all the industrious single-mindedness of a religious acolyte, and his efforts have brought him success. Then comes Mozart, for whom labor seems almost an afterthought. The younger composer merely has to sit down at the keyboard — as he does in one brief, affecting episode — for divinely inspired music to flow forth.

How could Salieri respond with anything but murderous resentfulness?

Sidney Outlaw (left) and Simon Barrad in “Mozart and Salieri.” Photo: Ian Fullmer

The thematic similarity to “Amadeus” is no accident; Peter Shaffer’s 1979 play, like the Oscar-winning 1984 film based on it, drew inspiration directly from this source. Yet the extreme compression of Pushkin’s drama (and Rimsky-Korsakov’s faithful adaptation) gives the piece a distinctive flavor.

That effect, in turn, is underscored by Opera San José’s nimbly claustrophobic production, staged by director Fenlon Lamb in the company’s Heiman Digital Media Studio. Turning the space’s constricted dimensions into a virtue, Lamb plunges the viewer directly into Salieri’s sweaty, aggrieved consciousness.

In his drawing room, he’s hemmed in on all sides by musical manuscripts lining the walls (the deft set design is by Steven C. Kemp). The camerawork is busy and unsettling, constantly whipping around for a new angle on Salieri’s pain.

Baritone Sidney Outlaw takes this star assignment and makes it something at once eerie and noble. His singing is broad, fluent and full of vivid expression. In Outlaw’s rendition, Salieri is all too keenly aware that he’s lost the moral thread, but is unable to steady his course.

As Mozart, baritone Simon Barrad makes a marvelous foil — still, centered and sleek of tone. Whatever injustices Salieri may feel are made all the more maddening by Mozart’s blithe unconcern. Rimsky-Korsakov’s elegant chamber score, punctuated by direct Mozartean quotations and convincing pastiche, is winningly rendered by the Opera San José Orchestra under conductor Donato Cabrera.

The Heiman Studio was created during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic as a way for the company to present online offerings in a safe setting. As the arts world returns at last to live performances — the company plans to raise the curtain on Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas” on Nov. 13 — this production demonstrates that it was an investment that continues to pay artistic dividends.

“Mozart and Salieri”: Opera San José. $40-$65. Available for streaming 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 30. Through Oct. 31. 408-437-4450. www.operasj.org

  • Joshua Kosman
    Joshua Kosman Joshua Kosman is The San Francisco Chronicle’s music critic. Email: jkosman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JoshuaKosman