Vocal and Choral

Handel – Giulio Cesare in Egitto
Marie-Nicole Lemieux; Karina Gauvin; Romina Basso; Emoke Barath;
Il Complesso Barocco; Alan Curtis
Naïve OP30536

Still remembering the brilliant pairing of soprano Karina Gauvin and contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux with “Il Complesso Barocco” on the CD of Handel duets Streams of Pleasure, one is overjoyed at the prospect of hearing them together as the main characters of a full (over three hours) Handel opera. This is one of Handel’s best and the performance is nothing short of glorious! Lemieux is superb at portraying Julius Caesar’s commanding presence as is Gauvin with Cleopatra’s seductive wit and bravado. The two handle the characters’ romantic moments equally well. For example, Lemieux is a veritable cyclone spewing Caesar’s fierce vengeance in “Quel torrente,” but demonstrates such playful tenderness in “Se in fiorito,” where the composer provides a delightful interplay between the singer and the violin (as a little bird). Gauvin captures Cleopatra’s sensual nature beautifully in “Tutto puo donna”and “Venere bella” while her controlled and softly sustained tones characterize a sense of resignation in “Piangerò.”

There is some marvellous casting of the second leads, notably contralto Romina Basso who evokes the depth and regal bearing perfect for a noblewoman in mourning who is, nonetheless, pursued by no fewer than three suitors in her time of grief. Countertenor Filippo Mineccia displays an impishly evil tone in his portrayal of the murderous Ptolemy. The orchestra has some great moments, with sinfonias enhancing the sensuality of Cleopatra’s staged appearance in Act II as well as the triumphal entrance during the finale.

Haydn – The Creation
Amanda Forsythe; Keith Jameson; Kevin Deas; Boston Baroque; Martin Pearlman
Linn Records CKD 401

Although The Creation was a great success when it was first performed, it was almost forgotten by the end of the 19th century, outside Vienna at least. The first recording dates from 1949; now there are about 70 recordings available. They divide into two groups: those with modern instruments and symphony orchestras and, on the other hand, performances with period instruments that are attentive to late 18th-century performance style such as this CD. Tafelmusik recorded the work in 1993. I like the soloists on that recording (especially the soprano, Ann Monoyios) but the conducting by Bruno Weil is unimaginative.

By contrast, Martin Pearlman’s conducting has the right momentum. The soloists are very good. The tenor, Keith Jameson, has the right lyricism. The soprano, Amanda Forsythe, sings with lightness; yet her voice is full and warm. The bass-baritone, Kevin Deas, sings with a great deal of vibrato in a manner that might seem more appropriate for Porgy and Bess or the Brahms Requiem, bothofwhich are in his repertoire, but that is less important than the power and the sonority that he brings to the part. Just listen to his account of the dangerous creeping worm in Part II, a premonition of what will destroy the bliss achieved at the end of the work. If you are looking for a historically informed performance with period instruments which also shows passion and drama, I would recommend this version.

In Dreams
Philippe Sly; Michael McMahon
Analekta AN 2 9836

This is bass-baritone Philippe Sly’s first recording for Analekta. It’s a well-chosen program and presents him with several stylistic challenges that he handles impressively.

Every young singer needs to conquer the repertoire standards, so it’s no surprise to find Sly singing the Schumann Dichterliebe, Op.48. Here Sly captures the essence of Heine’s poems so well that we understand why they inspired Schumann and others to song writing. Wonderfully supported by accompanist Michael McMahon, Sly is free to engage his vocal line with the piano to create the kind of partnership the composer intended. The happy product of this is what every lieder performing duo seeks — those moments of indescribable oneness where separate parts cease to exist. Sly and McMahon achieve this many times throughout this 16-song cycle, but no more convincingly than in “Allnächtlich in Traume.”

The Guy Ropartz settings of six Heine poems call for a very different approach reflecting almost a century of art song evolution. Sly is very comfortable moving from Schumann into the more modern French style and honours the same poet’s muse with a new musical and textual language. Never demanding much of the chesty operatic voice, the Ropartz songs show the lighter, truly lovely mid and upper range of Sly’s voice.

The disc’s most interesting tracks are the Three Tennyson Songs by British composer Jonathan Dove. Written for Sly after their first meeting in Banff in 2009, Dove’s songs seem perfectly suited for Sly’s voice, which sounds more at home in these contemporary works than anywhere else on the disc. They are, among other things, a reminder of how wonderfully suitable the English language can be for art song.

Strauss – Arabella
Emily Magee; Genia Kuhmeier;
Tomasz Konieczny; Michael Schade; Vienna State Opera; Franz Welser-Most
Electric Picture EPC03DVD

The creative spark between a composer and a librettist can result in masterpieces and lasting and memorable collaborations. Da Ponte and Mozart, Piave and Verdi, Gilbert and Sullivan; and, of course, Hofmannsthal and Strauss. The two hit it off after Strauss saw Hofmannsthal’s Electra in 1906. “Your style is so very similar to mine!” enthused the composer. “We were born for each other.” There were magical projects for the two men, who corresponded frequently until Hofmannsthal’s death. The obvious one is Der Rosenkavalier, easily the duo’s best opera and their most lasting legacy. In Arabella, the somewhat familiar device of a young, beautiful aristocrat trying to marry the right man to prop up the family’s sagging fortunes gets complicated by a bit of “Shakespearean” cross-dressing and lover-swapping. This particular staging is worth seeing not just for the fine singing, but also superb acting by the principals. Tomasz Konieczny as Mandryka is every director’s dream of a singing actor and Emily Magee as Arabella successfully defies stereotypes of youth and beauty — no suspension of disbelief is needed. Genia Kuehmeier is particularly touching as the younger sister Zdenka, forced to appear dressed as a man. For the writing duo, with Arabella the Viennese magic was back. As Strauss wrote in his condolences to Hofmannsthal’s widow, “No one will ever replace him for me or for the world of music!”

Verdi – I Lombardi alla Prima Crociata
De Biasio; Pertusi; Theodossiou; Meli; Orchestra e Coro del Teatro Regio di Parma; Daniele Callegari
Cmajor 720608DVD

In glorious sunshine over the city of Jerusalem and in the background a row of devout Orthodox Jews praying at a Wailing Wall that extends full width across the stage, a rapt chorus in the foreground sings one of Verdi’s most inspired choral creations – Gerusalemme! Gerusalemme! Thus begins the third act of I Lombardi, young Verdi’s fourth opera for La Scala, from 1843.

The core of the story is the tragic love between a Moslem man and a Christian girl elevated by some of the most beautiful singing the not yet 30-year-old Verdi had written so far. The youth, the tenor, unfortunately only sings in two acts of the four, but the role is so rewarding that both Pavarottiand Domingoshone in it. Here, a young Italian, Francesco Meli provides some enchanting moments while the girl (daughter of the leader of the Crusade), Giselda, the dramatic-soprano lead, sung by the formidable Dimitra Theodossiou,soldiers magnificently through all four acts from breathtaking pianissimo solos to fortissimo outbreaks with shattering high notes as in the finale of the second act. To top it all she displays such vocal acrobatics in her fourth act cabaletta that even the brilliant conductor, Daniele Callegariseems visibly delighted.

Choruses feature heavily in this opera, more so than in Nabucco. To my mind Verdi impresses most by these early efforts at ensemble writing he later perfected in Macbeth, Rigoletto and La Traviata, etc. Most notable here is the supremely beautiful trio at the end of Act Three that gives me shivers of pleasure every time I hear it. The underpinning voice in the trio is the lead baritone, Michele Pertusi,the evil brother turned hermit (sung at the Met by Samuel Ramey) whose voice of stentorian power and great sensitivity is so magnificent that all I can say is: “Oh, brother, can he ever sing!!” Overall a memorable production, worthy of Verdi.

Arias for Marietta Marcolini (Rossini's First Muse)
Ann Hallenberg; Stavanger Symphony Orchestra; Fabio Biondi
Naïve V5309

Noted Swedish mezzo soprano Ann Hallenberg’s new disc on the French naïve label is an interesting collection of arias written originally for a great diva who “set Verona ablaze” with her artistry in the 1810s and 20s, Maria Marcolini. By a fortunate coincidence she entered the life of the teenage Rossini who was just beginning his career and provided such an inspiration and forward momentum that the mezzo-soprano lead became the raison d’etre of his early operas, first and foremost L’Italiana in Algeri, the comic masterpiece from his Venetian period. Marcolini however was an already established singer and she sang in many of the works of Rossini’s contemporaries who in hindsight were never as good as the master himself. Nevertheless, in order to a give a fuller perspective of the period Hallenberg has included a few arias from those operas as well.

Such names as Mayr, Weigl, Paer, Mosca and Coccia are likely to be totally unknown for most listeners but the selections are not without merit and sung with dedication, perfect intonation and technical brilliance.

Generally the same is true for the Rossini arias. In one of my favourites, Per lui che adoro (“The Man I love” – Rossini version), the beautiful espressivo, the lyrical vocal line, the coquettish charm and sensuality, so important in Isabella’s character in L’Italiana, come out well and certainly there is no lack of brilliance in the devilishly difficult Rossinian fioraturas either. Her power, especially in the high registers is glorious. She receives stylish accompaniment from the Norwegian ensemble under Fabio Biondi’s direction.

2013 is rapidly approaching and with it the 200th birthday of Giuseppe Verdi. To celebrate, the C Major label and the Orchestra e Coro del Teatro Regio di Parma have put together a worthy birthday present, DVDs of all his 26 operas plus the Requiem performed to perfection on Italian stages, by Italian singers, conductors and designers. According to critics: “this is how Verdi should be played.” So far from what I’ve seen and heard I definitely agree.

Un Giorno di Regno (C Major 720208) the 26-year-old Verdi’s second opera for La Scala was a total, unremitting failure. He not only failed miserably trying to write a comic opera, but at the same time lost his wife and two children and was near suicide. He decided never to compose again and the piece was almost ignored until recent years. Seeing this production from Teatro Regio di Parma, a regional theatre of architectural splendour, one is immediately taken by the wealth of catchy melodies, all original, no repeats, the irrepressible upbeat rhythms and hilarious comedy at its best. A connoisseur however would find the influences of Rossini and Donizetti, but at the same time hear premonitions of the master to come (e.g. echoes of the Su vendetta of Rigoletto). Conducted by Donato Renzetti, the production was designed by famous Italian Pier Luigi Pizzi with an elegant, symmetrical renaissance set with ingenious lighting changes following the progress of the day (giorno). Six major voices (four male, two female) mainly all young singers in top form carry the action that never for a moment stands still. It’s unfair to pick a favourite, but I was partial to the lead mezzo Anna Caterina Antonacciwhose vocal power in all registers, beautiful intonation, feeling for nuances and a comic talent could put any mezzo currently basking in glory to shame. The protagonist Guido Locansolois a radiant baritone,looks the part, elegant, regal but relaxed and charmant, a worthy foil for Antonacci.

The legend goes that Verdi, driven to near suicide, found a new libretto smuggled into his furnished room but in desperation threw it on the floor. The new libretto, Solera’s masterwork, fell open with the words “Va pensiero, sull’ali dorate” (Fly thought on golden wings) and the rest is history. His new opera Nabucco (C Major 720408) became a tremendous overnight success and firmly established his reputation. The opera is conducted with excitement and enthusiasm, beautifully pointed, with soaring melodies and upbeat tempi by a young Italian named Michele Mariottiand sung by youthful, strong voices so that even the lowliest chorister could be a soloist at any world stage. In addition there are two veterans in the principal roles. Leo Nucci as Nabucco is easily the world’s top Verdi baritone (succeeding the legendary Renato Bruson) who is larger than life, with a voice of immense power and touching lyricism. Dimitra Theodossiou takes one of the most murderous dramatic soprano roles in the entire opera repertoire, that of Abigaille, a role usually reserved for the Callases in the past, and simply astounds the audience to a thunderous ovation. A third principal, a stentorian basso with exceptional power even in the deepest registers, is Riccardo Zanellato as Zaccaria, the high priest of Israel. This is a production to cherish. It’s as good as can be and this bodes well for the rest of the series. I can hardly wait!