In the modern world there is unprecedented access to the international world of opera. Opera is exciting and fun, and newcomers can take advantage of this to learn about what is happening in opera today. I am gathering together material from all my writings.
Though operas in English were composed, Venus and Adonis (1684-85) by John Blow (1647-1708) and Dido and Aeneas (1689) by Henry Purcell (1658-96), more important from the English view was incidental music written for plays: Purcell's Dioclesian (1690), King Arthur (1691), The Fairy Queen (1692), The Tempest (1695) and Indian Queen (1695).
Hit tune
Here is the famous lament from Purcell's Dido and Aeneas,
And here is the complete opera.
Here is another example of Purcell's extraordinary song writing.
It's an homage to this:
I had heard of Andreas Scholl, of course, but all the rest was new to me. It is two renditions of "The Cold Song" from Henry Purcell's King Arthur.
This is what they are saying:
What power art thou
Who from below
Hast made me rise
Unwillingly and slow
From beds of everlasting snow
See'st thou not how stiff
And wondrous old
Far unfit to bear the bitter cold
I can scarcely move
Or draw my breath
I can scarcely move
Or draw my breath
Let me, let me,
Let me freeze again
Let me, let me
Freeze again to death
Let me, let me, let me
Freeze again to death...
This is all unbelievably weird and of course cool.
I notice that Scholl has done a whole album of Purcell. There can never be too much Purcell.
Early operas were basically of two types: serious operas written primarily to entertain the upper classes, and commercial operas written for the general public, seen first at Venice. When one attends a concert in the Pitti Palace in Florence, one might well remember that one of the earliest operas ever composed was presented in this same courtyard as entertainment for a Medici wedding.
Commercial opera developed in a chaotic way, as one probably would have expected. Whatever might interest the paying customer appeared on the stages of Venice. These operas were characterized by small casts and no chorus. It was like Shakespeare where comic scenes and characters would appear in a serious story.
Then arrived Neapolitan Opera in the city of Naples.
Said to have begun with Francesco Provenzale (d.1704), the style was brought to international attention by Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725). Trained in Venetian style, he gradually adopted the fashion of Naples, characterized by:
(a) Italian Overture,
(b) secco (with continuo only) and accompagnato (with orchestra, for tense dramatic situations) recitative,
(c)
aria forms: arioso (between aria and recitative accompagnato),
siciliana (melancholy 6/8 or 12/8) and the grand da capo aria,
(d) clearly established tonality in recitative and aria,
(e) frequent use of the Neapolitan sixth chord,
(f) downward fourth cadence in recitative, and
(g) vocal virtuosity in the singing of improvised ornaments, especially by castrati.
Operas by Scarlatti were Eraclea (1700), Mitridate (1707), Tigrane (1715) and Telemaco (1718).
Da capo Aria
"From
the top," the da capo aria consisted of a large A section, usually with
Motto beginning, a contrasting B section in a related key and a
complete repeat of A, altered by extemporized ornaments.
The most obvious features were the strictly theatrical ones. Comedy and drama became strictly separated. A drama, called opera seria, would feature castrati as the featured performers plus natural voices. A comedy, called opera buffa, would have only natural voices, and usually feature a buffo bass. Both styles used secco recitative, recitative with only chords accompanying on the harpsichord, and not any spoken dialogue.
This is not written for professional musicians. Otherwise one would go on and on about extemporizing to a figured bass, one of the defining features of the Baroque. Composers of opera seria used the same libretti over and over.
In Paris opera also developed contrasting styles, but this had to do with which building it was to be performed in. Perhaps this was true in Naples as well. Comedies in Paris appeared at the Opera Comique and had spoken dialog, while serious operas played at the Opera. Something originally from the Opera Comique had to have recitative composed before it could appear at the Opera.
From our modern perspective we notice that in instrumental music it is considered admirable when music develops a strict formal structure, but this isn't the case for opera. We leap into the argument against an opera with endless strings of very formal da capo arias. It is important to be aware that it is Neapolitan Opera that swept the world and became a prominent art form in many European cities.
Artaserse, Prince and then King of Persia; friend of Arbace, in love with Semira--Philippe Jeroussky Mandane, Sister of Artaserse; in love with Arbace (en travesti) -- Max Emanuel Cencic Artabano, Prefect of the Royal Guard; father of Arbace and Semira-- Juan Sancho Arbace, Brother of Semira; Friend of Artaserse; in love with Mandane-- Franco Fagioli Semira, Sister of Arbace; in love with Artaserse
(en travesti)--Valer Barna Sabadus Megabise, General of the Persian Army, confidant of Artabano; in love with Semira --Yuriy Mynenko
This is a film of the opera Artaserse by Leonardo Vinci on a libretto by Metastasio which was first performed in Rome in 1730. It was the last opera for Vinci who died that year, and the first for Metastasio. Vinci is one of the great Baroque Italian composers whose operas are only now being revived. Women were not allowed on the stage in Rome, so all the characters were originally sung by castrati except Artabano who is a tenor and
the villain. This performance exists to remind us that opera is an Italian art form.
All the castrati are here countertenors and some of the
most famous countertenors of our time. These guys are amazing. The opening pair are Cencic and Fagioli, both incredible, and the music is gorgeous. The range of colors in our 5 countertenors is pretty fascinating. It remains to be seen if the fascination will wear off before the opera ends. So far 6 Rossini tenors pales in comparison. They have been assembled in Nancy in the west of France.
At the start there is some breaking of the fourth wall in case you missed that these are all guys. Some start out in their modern clothing, for instance. Stagehands appear, and all of them are girls. Hmmm. These are theatrical stagehands--when the real stagehands appear, they are all men.
There is an attempt here to present Baroque costumes, though they seem to suddenly appear and disappear. Now that Artaserse is king he appears in an incredible white wig with horns and a white outfit. Then Artabano appears in the same outfit. Jeroussky has the most beautiful voice, but there is much to admire here. The most spectacular is probably Fagioli, but they're all pretty amazing.
Plot. There is an offstage murder of the present king, Artaserse's brother. This makes Artaserse king and causes a lot of accusations. Artabano is probably to blame. He and Megabise plot to marry Semira to Megabise instead of Artaserse. Since the male characters all wear the same white outfit, it's very hard to keep track of who is who. Some visual help would have been good. Artabano tries to poison Artaserse, but when it appears that Arbace will drink the poison, Artabano confesses. It has a happy ending, as do almost all opera seria.
What it is actually about is singing, of course. If you are at all curious to know what Baroque opera was really like, this is probably your best opportunity. This is the Italian Baroque opera and not the French version which had no castrati. These guys belt it out in a way that is surprising. It is a unique experience, unlike anything I have seen in all my years of going to the opera.
Jaroussky removes his hats and wigs as soon as possible, giving the impression that he doesn't much care for dressing up. The tenor is banished. All six characters return for a song at the end. One of the "girls" brings out the conductor. The music is spectacular, not just the singing. Find a way to add this to your experience of opera.
Handel was born in 1685 in Halle, Duchy of Magdeburg. He received his education there where he learned to play the harpsichord, organ, violin and oboe. He began composing in Halle and held regular musician jobs. Part of his education involved copying the compositions of other composers. It is important to know that Rossini also did this, and probably others. Today we just put it on the copy machine. His skills at orchestration may come from this.
From 1705-1709 He traveled to Italy, initially at the invitation of one of the Medicis. In this period he composed Agrippina for Venice and Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno for Rome.
Each of these is in the style of the city where he stayed. Agrippina was recently performed at the Metropolitan Opera to great success.
In 1710 Handel moved to London where he initially composed Italian operas in the Neapolitan style. Eventually he settled in England where he worked primarily as a composer of Neapolitan Opera. He brought castrati with him from the continent. Giulio Cesare is for our ears his best opera.
In 1728 the hit theatrical work in London was John Gay's The Beggar's Opera, a much lighter and sillier work than any Neapolitan opera. Interest in Italian opera diminished, leading Handel to adopt a far more English form: the oratorio. An oratorio differs from an opera primarily in the extensive use of chorus. The most famous example of any piece from the entire Baroque period is Handel's Messiah.
An oratorio often performed as an opera is Semele.
Belezza: Malin Hartelius
Piacere: Anna Bonitatibus
Disinganno: Marijana Mijanovic
Tempo:
I was in Zurich so I bought a ticket to see Handel's Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno at the Zurich Opera. It's an Italian oratorio that has been staged like an opera. Beauty and pleasure form a pair set off against time and disappointment. This quartet are idling away their time in a bar, like one in Zurich where the rich and elegant congregate, when time challenges beauty with a claim: time always beats beauty. Where are the beautiful in the graveyard? While they are arguing, the clientele changes constantly. People in evening clothes are replaced by members of the Salvation Army, altar boys, sailors, and four men who bring in a dummy and set him up at the bar. At the end the dummy bursts into flame. (In Germany fire is not allowed on the stage. Here they constantly burn things up.)
Disappointment, sung by Marijana Mijanovic, warns that when beauty leaves, it never returns. I was fascinated by this woman who sounds remarkably like a falsettist, but isn't one.
The dynamism of the coloratura in this work is extreme. Perhaps Handel worked with some incredible singers in Rome in 1707. The most incredible of all is pleasure, a role that was sung by Cecilia Bartoli in the opera's last mounting here, and whose arias form the framework for her Opera Proibita tour. In this mounting it was sung very well indeed by Anna Bonitatibus, a personal favorite.
Time wins all arguments. It hardly seems an argument worth having. Beauty, sung by Malin Hartelius, begins as a blond, bejewelled and evening gowned woman and ends as a nun in full habit who has seen the error of her ways. Pleasure is driven out.
The star of the evening was unquestionably Marc Minkowski, the conductor. His work is remarkable.
Other side of the argument from one whom beauty has long abandoned: because it is fleeting, all the more reason to flaunt our beauty while we still possess it. Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. Should we hide all the flowers because they bloom only for a day?
Agrippina.............Joyce DiDonato
Nerone, her son.........Kate Lindsey
Claudio, her husband the emperor.....Matthew Rose
Poppea, her rival..........Brenda Rae
Ottone..................Iestyn Davies (countertenor)
Narciso.................Nicholas Tamagna (countertenor)
Pallante................Duncan Rock
Deborah Voigt announced that Handel's Agrippina, 1709, was the oldest opera ever presented at the Met. As I mentioned after the last time I saw it, it was composed for Venice early in the era of Neapolitan opera. That means lots and lots of da capo arias and a happy ending. What is more Venice than Naples is the mixing of comic and serious elements. The Venetians weren't fussy about that stuff.
This is the most I have enjoyed a Baroque opera maybe ever. This is regie, of course. The clothes are modern with lots of WWII military uniforms. There is a bar scene where all the characters seem to meet by accident. Maybe it's on the frequently mentioned Campidoglio. When Rome conquers England, they return with Elizabeth II's crown. One of the scenes showed the ceiling of the Pantheon which brought some character to the mostly abstract sets.
What makes this a great opera is the well designed plot. No matter how difficult the complexities are for our heroine, she conquers them all.
I was going to say there is no hit tune until Nerone sang "Come nembo" while snorting cocaine. This is known because Bartoli recorded it. The most unusual thing about this production is the staging of the character Nerone. I think we are to presume that he is a very athletic, well-tattooed juvenile delinquent. He loves his mother and acts up continuously. Kate Lindsey said she had to train for this role. We believe her. Her rendition of "Come nembo" was excellent.
The music was always excellent, but no one topped the magnificent Joyce DiDonato who created a wonderful, perfectly believable evil character and topped it with gorgeous singing.
Giulio Cesare -
Sarah Connolly, mezzo
Curio -
Alexander Ashworth
Cornelia, Pompei's wife -
Patricia Bardon
Sesto, Pompei's son -
Angelika Kirchschlager, mezzo
Cleopatra
- Danielle de Niese, soprano
Nireno
- Rachid Ben Abdeslam, countertenor
Tolomeo, Cleopatra's brother -
Christophe Dumaux, countertenor.
Achilla -
Christopher Maltman, baritone
This performance of Handel's Giulio Cesare, 1724, took place at Glyndebourne in 2005. This is the David McVicar version that ran at the Met with David Daniels and Natalie Dessay in 2013. I called it Julius Caesar the Musical. I enjoy remembering that Natalie was ill for one of the performances, and Danielle de Niese was in town. Naturally she took advantage of the opportunity and stood in for Natalie. That would have been fun to see.
We are projected in time into the British Empire. The Egyptian servants wear the Fez, and the Roman Army are dressed in the red uniforms of the British Army. There is no evidence of Islam, I guess. Cleopatra looks like a modern woman. There are WWII ships and dirigibles.
In the real time of Julius Caesar the rulers of Egypt were descendants of one of the generals of Alexander the Great but still called themselves Pharoahs. This is the original and in my opinion is better than the Met version.
I think I prefer this cast. They are sincere in their change from Roman to British empire. Angelika Kirchschlager is maybe the best trouser singer I have ever experienced. It's worth it to see her alone.
I'm never really wild about countertenors, so I am happy to see that Giulio Cesare is sung by the great Dame Sarah Connolly. She even sort of looks like Caesar and carries herself like a great general. This is Danielle de Niese's first big success, indeed this is her masterpiece. She sings, she dances, she brings us joy.
I notice that the two dead guys, Tolomeo and Achilla, come back to life. I also noticed this in Cecilia Bartoli's version. The characters must have singing in the finale. Here it is staged, but we're not sure what it should mean. #ad
