Handel – Serse
Stéphany; Joshua; Daniels; Summers; Harvey; Sherratt; Wolf; Early Opera Company; Christian Curnyn
Chaconne CHAN 0797(3)
Serse (aka Xerxes Great King of Persia) was first performed in 1738, at a time when Handel still believed he could win London audiences over to the Italian dramma per musica. For this he drew on Venetian poet Nicolò Minato’s libretto and Pier Francesco Cavalli’s music, originally performed back in 1655.
Xerxes attempted to invade Greece, but was defeated, not least when attempting to cross the Hellespont. After his first bridge was washed away, he beheaded the engineers and gave the Hellespont waters 300 lashes for good measure. Little wonder Minato and Handel were so focused on the volatility of Xerxes.
From the start one notices the carefree nature of this new performance; during Handel’s lifetime Serse was only performed five times and contemporaries commented on the lacklustre quality of the original singers.
This time, however, the interpretations are outstanding. Anna Stéphany, in the title role, is enchanting as a ruler subject to all manner of events, notably the unexpected over which he has no control, and the almost whimsical, which reflect his own character. This is not, on the face of it, a king setting out to conquer the known world.
Throughout Serse all the performers maintain this lighthearted quality. For example, Elviro, a servant of Xerxes’ brother Arsamene, is depicted as a panicky and nervous individual. Bass-baritone Andreas Wolf takes full advantage of this in his singing. There is definitely a liveliness to this version of Serse – over all 94 (!) of its tracks.
