You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘George Frideric Handel’ tag.
David McVicar added to his repertoire of Handel operas this season with his production of Handel’s Orlando (1733), which has been co-produced by three French opera companies who are each showing it in quick succession: Opera de Lille last month, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris last week, and Opera de Dijon on 20, 23 & 25 November – so in theory you could still see it if you moved quickly… And certainly, if you were going to get obsessed with any Handel opera, Orlando would be the one, with its Ariosto-inspired story of the knight Orlando driven completely bonkers by his misplaced love for the ever-so-slightly narcissistic Queen Angelica (who prefers Medoro), while the shepherdess Dorinda looks on, making witty yet poignant asides. In the course of his breakdown Orlando has a mad scene, which stands out as one of the more extraordinary moments in music drama from this period. This is an opera that is slowly catching on, with an excellent production shown recently at the Royal Opera House in London, as well as ones by Zürich Opera (available on DVD) and Opera Theatre Company in Ireland. After the symbolic/emblematic approach taken in London, and the World War I settings chosen by both Zurich and OTC (a curious coincidence), McVicar does the classic thing and sets it in Handel’s time, with Orlando looking like some disaffected redcoat. It’s gets an interesting review from Opera Cake (a blogger well worth following), including pictures, and here’s a short preview video:
Opera Cake suggests that McVicar and his team are beginning to get a bit formulaic in their approach to material from this period – a fair complaint, but also curiously ironic given the usual attitude to baroque opera as being, well, formulaic. That’s a myth that is slowly being undone, but the dramaturgical and box-office problem remains: how to connect an early opera with a modern audience? There’s only so much postmodern gloss one can take, after all….
Alcina meets Ruggiero - painting by Niccolò dell'Abbate, c1550
Alcina, opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel [1735], anonymous libretto based on L’isola d’Alcina (set by Broschi [1728]), after cantos VI-VII of Orlando furioso by Ludovico Ariosto [1516]. New edition by Clifford Bartlett for Early Music Company, with English libretto translated by Amanda Holden.
Touring production by Opera Theatre Company, given at Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray, Co. Wicklow, on 24 October 2009.
Cast: Sinead Campbell-Wallace (Alcina); Doreen Curran (Bradamante); Stephen Wallace (Ruggiero); Jane Harrington (Morgana); Ed Lyon (Oronte) and Julian Hubbard (Melisso).
Directed by Annilese Miskimmon with design by Nicky Shaw, lighting by Tina MacHugh and ensemble conducted by Christian Curnyn.
OTC rounded of its Handel year with this production of Alcina. There was much to enjoy here, with lovely ensemble playing from the orchestra, excellent singing with no weak links in the cast, and an elegantly simple production that made this otherwise ambitious opera a viable touring show. The music – especially in the second act – is beautiful, with some of it (the aria ‘Verdi, prati’ especially) justly well-known on its own. The English translation is clear and, combined with Miskimmon’s 1920′s Noel Cowardesque production, makes for a fun night out. It is touring Ireland until November 7, so if you are able to make a performance it is worth seeking out. Michael Dervan’s review in the Irish Times of October 20 is here (scroll down to the foot of the page).
I’m glad I saw it, but I can’t think of much more to say of the performance itself. As with Orlando, Handel presents us with a shard of Ariosto’s epic poem, elaborating a moment in the tortuous history of love, adds humour without losing pathos, uses magic as an elegant way of symbolising the dance of desire and power. Any modern production of an early performance piece like this inevitably compromises the original, though that in itself isn’t a problem. After all, plenty of 18th-century productions made alterations to works so as to fit with what was possible – I was just reading how the score of Rameau’s Hippolyte et Aricie [1733] was never performed according to the original text, and further revised for each revival. But still, it is interesting to see what is retained and what is chopped out – what are our priorities in staging this material now?
In the case of this Alcina, the dances (originally choreographed by Marie Sallé) have vanished completely, as has the chorus, and most of the orchestra, not to mention the original elaborate staging effects. So the dramaturgy – the way of telling the story on stage – is completely changed. The orchestral instruments that DO play however, are authentic models of what would have been played by musicians in the 1730s, and the musicians strive to emulate the playing styles of their forebears. This curious dichotomy is now the standard – indeed, expected – situation for modern revivals of early opera, which makes you wonder what is actually being revived here? The only concession to the original staging conditions is the substitution of a countertenor in the castrato role (Ruggiero), so at least the cross-dressing is kept to a minimum, though this is again a compromise, and presents only a musical approximation (pace all my countertenor friends!).
The other challenge for producers is what to do during the long da capo arias – the temptation being nowadays to fill them with all sorts of stage business. Interestingly, as this production progressed the business in the arias decreased as we got to know the characters and situations better, so that by the time we got to Alcina’s “Ah! mio cor!” (midway through Act 2) the arias were being delivered with a stillness – and that actually drove the intensity of the drama even further.
Charlotte and Werther: image courtesy of Opera North
As there’s no established opera company (or house) in Ireland producing work through the year, we have to make do with the short seasons of Opera Ireland, and the valiant work of touring companies, leading to months where very little happens and then times, like the next month or so, when there’s almost too much to see. Given that access to opera is now under threat more than ever before in Ireland (for details of the Irish Arts Council’s plan, read Michael Dervan’s reports here and, more recently, here), October and November might be the busiest for a while, so enjoy it while you can…
First out of the blocks on October 17 is Opera Theatre Company, with the last of its three productions for the Handel anniversary year. After Xerxes and Acis & Galatea, it’s time for one of his greatest operas, Alcina – quite possibly an Irish premiere. Directed by Annilese Miskimmon with design by Nicky Shaw, lighting by Tina MacHugh and conducted by Christian Curnyn, the cast includes Irish sopranos Sinead Campbell-Wallace (Alcina) and Doreen Curran (Bradamante) with Steven Wallace (Ruggiero), Jane Harrington (Morgana), Julian Hubbard (Melisso) and Ed Lyon (Oronte). The touring dates are as follows:
October 17 – Navan; October 20 – Derry; October 22 – Carlow; October 24 – Bray; October 27 – Armagh; October 29 – Tallaght; November 1 – Limerick; November 3 – Galway; November 5 – Dundalk; November 7 – Cork. Booking details for each of the venues is here. A good thing to note is their first date in Carlow, following the opening of the new Shaw Theatre in Carlow town – will this be the first staged opera in the county not under canvas?
Next up, on October 21, is the opening of this year’s Wexford Festival, which carries on through to November 1, with mainbill productions of The Ghosts of Versailles (John Corigliano), Maria Padilla (Donizetti) and a double-bill of Une éducation manquée (Chabrier) and La cambiale di matrimonio (Rossini). As noted earlier, the dates of the festival were cut back to reduce costs, so the whole season is pretty much sold out at this stage, but returns are always possible….
The Grand Opera House in Belfast hosts Opera North‘s touring programme on October 28-31, with productions of Così fan tutte (Mozart) and Werther (Massenet) – sadly we don’t get to see their new production of The Adventures of Mr Brouček (Janáček). Still, the Werther has attracted a lot of interest and good reviews over in Britain (such as Rupert Christiansen in the DT), in particular for Alice Coote’s performance of Charlotte, so it should be well worth seeing.
Finally, of course, there is Opera Ireland, which opens its Winter season on November 14 with Verdi’s Macbeth, with performances on Nov 16, 18, 20 & 22 as well – all at 8pm in the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin. Directed by Dieter Kaegi, designed by Ferdia Murphy, and conducted by Marco Zambelli, the cast includes Bruno Caproni in the title role, with Michele Capalbo (Lady Macbeth), Valarian Ruminski (Banco) and Kamen Chanev (Macduff). Thanks to funding uncertainties, they have shelved doing a second staged production this season (and the next), and instead will present a concert performance of Wagner’s Das Rheingold on November 19 & 21 in the Gaiety. Roman Brogli-Sacher conducts, with a cast that includes plenty of Irish singers, including Paul McNamara (Froh), Orla Boylan (Freia), Imelda Drumm (Fricka) and Gerard O’Connor (Fafner), along with Louise Walsh, Catherine Hegarty and Vicky Massey as the Rhinemaidens. The other main roles are sung by Vitalij Kowaljov (Wotan), Rainer Zaun (Alberich) and Arnold Bezuyen (Loge). You can book for these shows through Opera Ireland or the Gaiety Theatre.
Acis, Galatea and Polyphemus - image courtesy of Opera Theatre Company
Acis and Galatea, a masque by George Frideric Handel [1718], libretto by John Gay and others
Touring production by Opera Theatre Company, given at Sean Hollywood Arts Centre, Newry, Co. Down, on 20 June 2009
Cast: Nicola Mulligan (Galatea), Dean Power (Acis), Gavan Ring (Polyphemus), Aoife O’Connell & Christina Whyte (Nymphs) & Ciaran Kelly (Swain)
Accompanied and lead by Andrew Synnott (piano). Production designed by David Craig and directed by Annilese Miskimmon.
Opera Theatre Company continued its year-long tribute to Handel with Acis & Galatea, in a touring production that wended its way through Northern Ireland in June (after its sold-out opening in Dublin in April) and which will also form part of OTC’s programme for Blackstairs Opera in Kilkenny Castle and Russborough House later in the summer. This pastoral masque began life as a summer entertainment for Handel’s patron, before its popularity spawned newer and bigger adaptations (by Handel himself in 1732, and later Mozart), but this production clearly aimed more to recapture the homespun simplicity of the first, country-house version that Handel had originally put on at his patron’s home back in the summer of 1718.
There was much to enjoy here, from the straightforward set design (four giant polystyrene mountains for the performers to scamper around) to the infectious enjoyment of the singers themselves. This was a very young cast, and indeed with all but one (Christina Whyte) still studying at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, this could have been classed as a student production. Clearly this follows on from director Annalise Miskimmon’s work with RIAM students earlier this year when she directed their production of Mozart’s La finta giardiniera, and it’s funny to reflect on how relationships between the professional companies and conservatories here seem to ebb and flow – just a few years ago all the talk was of Opera Ireland’s collaboration with the DIT Conservatory, and now it seems the pendulum has swung the opposite way completely. Rather than pushing young voices onto mainstream repertoire, however (as the DIT Opera Studio tended to do), here the balance between voices and material was appropriate. There was very occasionally some roughness of both tone and ensemble, but nothing significant. The star of the evening was most definitely the Galatea of soprano Nicola Mulligan, who combined an easy stage presence with a warmth and clarity of tone, drawing the audience to her in a way you don’t often get with such a young singer. Dean Power as Acis was an enthusiastic and energetic performer, while Gavan Ring’s Polyphemus showed real promise, and I’d say we’ll be hearing more from all three.
What was also gratifying was simply the opportunity to see an imaginatively staged pastoral. The influence of pastoral dramas (especially Tasso’s Aminta, Guarini’s Il Pastor Fido and D’Urfé’s Astrée) were central to the early development of opera – and romantic stories generally – but they’ve tended to be ignored or misunderstood for the past century or so. I’m not predicting a comeback any time soon, but who knows?
Xerxes (Serse) by Georg Frideric Handel [1738], anon libretto (adapted from Sivlio Stampiglia’s libretto for Bononcini’s opera of 1694), translated into English by Nicholas Hytner.
Touring Production by Opera Theatre Company, given at the O’Reilly Theatre, Dublin on 14 February 2009.
Cast: Imelda Drumm (Xerxes), Mark Chambers (Arsamenes), Natasha Jouhl (Romilda), Rebekah Coffey (Atalanta), Alison Cook (Amastris), Giles Davies (Ariodates) & Brendan Collins (Elviro).
Ensemble (led by Anita Vedres) conducted from the harpsichord by Andrew Synnott. Directed by Michael Moxham.
Feature in The Irish Times (including cast photos)
Hats off to OTC for an excellent production of Xerxes, which is now on a national tour. Do see this if you can – everything is good!
Using the translation that Nicholas Hytner made for ENO in 1985, I actually preferred this to Hytner’s production (available on DVD) with all its chair-moving and so on. Befitting our lean times, here OTC dispenses with the chorus, and the action is accompanied by just a string quartet + harpsichord, much as would have been the case in smaller theatres of the time. Keeping the action focused on the seven characters (who only appear on stage together for the final scene) reminds you of how concentrated Handel’s dramaturgy can be, hinting not so much at a return back to classical unities as instead a look forward to something else entirely. Having read somewhere of how Handel himself probably re-drafted some of the libretto to Rodelinda, it’d be interesting to see how his Serse libretto differs from Stampiglia’s original of 40 years earlier. I think there’s still a lot to be learned about 18th century theatre.
One area they didn’t skimp on was costuming and an interesting artistic decision on the director’s part was to set Xerxes in the Napoleonic era (a great time for men’s fashion). I didn’t get around to reading the director’s note until the interval, so I instead thought that they’d set it in the 1770s/1780s, just a generation after Handel, which got me thinking, perversely enough, of Rosenkavalier, of all things….
Recent Comments