Handel: Opera arias

Discs with arias from operas (and sometimes oratorios) appear regularly. Every year a number of them land on my desk. I find it not easy to review them, for several reasons. First, I am not a great lover of opera, and that is the reason that I don't review opera recordings on a regular basis. Second, the isolation of arias from their dramatic context is unsatisfactory, even thoug the texts are mostly of such a general nature that they can be inserted in almost any opera. Third, I am not very happy with the modern trends in singing baroque music, as to often they have little to do with what we know about the aesthetic ideals of the time in which the music was written and performed.

Among singers who focus on baroque opera, Handel is one of the favourite composers. No wonder then that recitals which include (almost) only arias from his operas are very common. Four of them are the subject of this review. The first is by Sandrine Piau [1], who can be called a veteran in baroque opera and who has a special liking of Handel. Her recital has not avoided the danger of many such recitals: the inclusion of some 'evergreens'. We find here such frequently-performed arias as 'Piangerò la sorte mia' from Giulio Cesare in Egitto, 'Desterò dell'empia Dite' from Amadigi di Gaula and the inevitable 'Lascia ch'io pianga' from Rinaldo. A surprising choice is the aria 'Alla salma infedel porga la pena' from Lucrezia, not an opera but a cantata. The title is also the complete text, and it is an example of a piece which loses its meaning without its context: "And may it inflict its punishment on my faithless body". What is 'it'? The listener who does not know this cantata is left in the dark about the meaning of this aria. Piau is one of the stars of baroque opera, and that is understandable if one listens to this recital. Her ability in expressing the emotions of a character is brilliantly exposed in 'Piangerò la sorte mia' with its strongly contrasting A and B sections. One of the highlights is 'Ah! mio cor! from Alcina. This aria is a good specimen of a piece in which the use of the dacapo form doesn't make any sense. One understands why later some composers wanted to get rid of it. Piau is a singer I have to get used to; recently I admired her performances in a recording of Handel's Brockes Passion, but on other occasions I have had problems with her style of singing. That is the case her as well. She often uses more vibrato than is justifiable, but - unlike many of her colleages - she does not use it indiscriminately. The ornamentation and the cadenzas are also often overdone. In 'Desterò dell'empia Dite' her cadenza in the dacapo seems at odds with the tenor of the text. On balance, though, I have enjoyed this recital more than I expected, especially as Piau is more than most other singers able to explore the dramatic features of an aria. It helps that Les Paladins is not a chamber ensemble but a full-blooded orchestra and that the recording was made in a theatre.

The next disc is from a singer I had never heard before and even did not know by name. For her recital - which seems to be the soundtrack for a videostory of her own making (which I have not seen) - Héloïse Mas [2] selected arias of various characters, mostly female, but also some male, such as that of Orpheus from Parnasso in festa and that of Dardanus from Amadigi di Gaula. When I started listening I noted that she has dramatic talent, but little understanding of baroque singing. In the course of time I changed my views a little. In fact, her performances are less dramatic than I had expected. From that angle the cantata La Lucrezia is rather disappointing. Ms Mas is able to sing pretty loud, but that as such has little to do with a dramatic interpretation. I did not like her pretty wide vibrato, but my fear that she would use it indiscriminately, did not entirely come true, even though she uses it too often. She softens it in 'Ho perso il caro ben', the aria of Orpheus in Parnasso in festa. Scherza infida from Ariodante is also one of the better items in this recital. However, her performances are pretty far away from real baroque singing, but that is something that unfortunately is accepted these days, even by those who should know better. The orchestral contributions are not very colourful. I find the playing of the London Handel Orchestra rather bland. All in all, I can't see how this recital brings us closer to understanding and appreciating Handel's art in the department of dramatic music.

Eva Zaïcik [3] is a singer I first heard in a recording of Bach's Magnificat, under the direction of Valentin Tournet. I appreciated her singing, and that is the reason I was curious to hear her in very different repertoire. Listening to her voice, one does probably not expect her to perform opera, but the Alpha disc with the title "Royal Handel" reveals that she knows her way here too. The programme "is intended as a musical portrait of the first Royal Academy of Music", according to the liner-notes. This explains why arias by two other composers are also included: Attilio Ariosti and Giovanni Bononcini. However, it is Handel who is the main composer here. Eva Zaïcik has made a fine selection of arias which suit her voice well. I particularly liked 'Stille amare' from Tolomeo, 'Ah! tu non sai' from Ottone and 'Ombra cara' from Radamisto. These are pieces of a rather intimate character, and there Eva Zaïcik's qualities come to the fore most clearly. She has a lovely voice, flexible and warm, and it has a kind of intimacy of itself. The short aria 'Strazio, scempio, furia e morte' from Bononcini's Crispo is very different, and there are also more extroverted arias by Handel. She deals with them rather well, but avoids the yelling and screaming that some singers think are necessary to depict the feelings of the protagonist. It is also nice that Eva Zaïcik pays attention to the text; it is mostly clearly intelligible, not destroyed by a wide vibrato that is applied indiscriminately, as is so often the case. The orchestra is much smaller than what Handel had at his disposal, and that compromises the dramatic impact of these performances, but probably suits Zaïcik better than a larger ensemble. Another factor is here the recording venue: a church, with its reverberation, is not the ideal venue for an opera recital. That said, I have really enjoyed this disc, much more than most recordings of this kind.

'Handelian Pyrotechnics' is the title of the fourth and last recital disc to be reviewed here. The singer is the male alto William Towers [4]. He is probably not the best-known representative of his voice type who participates in opera performances. I at least can't remember having heard them in opera. His modesty, as he shows in his liner-notes, is refreshing. Rather than recording a recital as "self-promotion and general career-advancement" he preferred to record arias from roles he had actually sung on stage. The result is this disc, which certainly does not include only arias with pyrotechnics, but also more introverted items. Unfortunately there are quite a number which one has to reckon among the 'evergreens', such as 'Ombra mai fu' which opens the disc. However, there is enough variety, and Towers also selected some lesser-known pieces. I like his voice, which is strong but can also be sensible. Overall I like his interpretations, and his ornamentation is tasteful. What I don't like is that in some arias he exceeds the range of his part, and goes to extreme heights. The pyrotechnics don't always come off that comfortably. The Armonico Consort plays with one instrument per part, which is not in line with what Handel would have used in the theatre, but in a recital like this that is probably acceptable. However, the Armonico Consort is not the most engaging ensemble I have heard in this kind of repertoire. In comparison, Le Consort in Eva Zaïcik's recital is doing a better job.

[1] "Enchantresses"
Sandrine Piau, soprano; Les Paladins/Jérôme Corréas
Alpha 765 (© 2020) details

[2] "Anachronistic Hearts / Les coeurs anachroniques - Haendel arias"
Héloïse Mas, mezzo-soprano; London Handel Orchestra/Laurence Cummings
muso mu-045 (© 2020) details

[3] "Royal Handel"
Eva Zaïcik, mezzo-soprano; Le Consort
Alpha 662 (© 2020) details

[4] "Handelian Pyrotechnics"
William Towers, alto; Armonico Consort/Christopher Monks
Signum Classics SIGCD658 (© 2019) details

Opera (4)

Francesco Cavalli: L'Ormindo (Jérôme Correas)

The history of opera begins in 1600, with performances of two operas on the same subject: Euridice, by Jacopo Peri and Giulio Caccini respectively. These operas and those which were composed in the first 35 years of the 17th century were performed at various courts, in Florence, Mantua and Rome. The first public theatre, San Cassiano, opened in Venice in 1637 with a performance of Andromeda by Benedetto Ferrari. Soon opera became big business. Here Monteverdi performed Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria (1640) and L'incoronazione di Poppea (1643). In Venice Francesco Cavalli performed nearly 30 operas; the first was Le nozze di Teti e di Peleo which premiered in January 1639 in the San Cassiano theatre.

Two of his next operas have become quite well-known: Didone (1641) and Egisto (1643). In 1644 L'Ormindo was performed; it was one of the Cavalli operas which was revived in the 1960s under the direction of Raymond Leppard, albeit in an modern arrangement. The recording under the direction of Jérôme Correas seems to be the first; I haven't found any other performance in the various databases which are available on the internet.

The plot is set in Fez, in the ancient kingdom of Mauretania in northern Africa. However, as Barbara Nestola points out in her liner-notes, "[this] far-off and exotic setting displays a number of points in common with the Serenissima [Venice] (...). An obvious analogy can be found in the Che città aria (Act 2, Scene 6), in which Nerillo the page describes, in trepidation and wonderment, the whirl of persons and situations that his passing inexplicably arouses. Venice is not only sung of and celebrated in opera; it is also described with great realism." The opera opens with a prologue in which Harmony (L'Armonia) expresses her admiration for the city and especially its theatres. "Now, by your leave O glorious city, thou that hast walls of crystal in which to behold thy beauty, which all the universe does admire, I come to throng once more thy theatres with the glorious reign of grace and love".

The libretto was written by Giovanni Faustini and is divided into three acts. "The foreign princes, Amida and Ormindo, who are assisting in the defense of Mauretania, are both in love with Erisbe who is unhappily married to Hariadeno, Mauretania's elderly king. The princes agree to remain friends while they test her love. During the course of the opera, there is much plotting by Amore, Princess Sicle (Amida's abandoned lover) and Erice (Sicle's nurse) to interfere with the contest. Erice stages a séance to communicate with the 'dead' Sicle who reproaches Amida for his inconstancy which had driven her to suicide. Amida, overcome with remorse, realizes that he still loves Princess Sicle and is overjoyed when it is revealed that she is actually alive and not a ghost. Meanwhile, Erisbe and Ormindo decide to elope to Tunis, where Ormindo must defend his homeland from attack. When King Hariadeno discovers their adultery, he orders his captain, Osmano, to have them poisoned. However, Osmano substitutes a sleeping potion for the poison at the urging of Mirinda (Erisbe's confidante) who has promised to marry him if he spares the lovers. All ends more or less happily when the King learns that Ormindo is actually his son from a youthful liaison. He forgives everyone and cedes his kingdom to Ormindo." (Wikipedia).

Cavalli has set the libretto in form of recitatives, ariosos and arias. These are mostly not clearly split but rather follow each other without interruption. Sometimes there is a longer episode which is set as a unity, especially the prison scene in the third act. The role of the instruments is limited: they now and then play a sinfonia, and sometimes support a singer in an aria. The instruments are not specified, but it is assumed that the two treble parts were intended for violins. There is also no indication in regard to the number of instruments involved. Some conductors, such as René Jacobs, like to use a battery of wind and strings and a large basso continuo section in Cavalli operas. Correas has confined himself to the minimum: two violins, two viole da gamba, violone, harp, theorbo or guitar and harpsichord or organ. This recording shows that this is enough to achieve a satisfying result. This way the vocal parts and the text are in the centre as they should.

Correas has permitted himself the luxury of allocating every role to a different singer. Sandrine Piau, for instance, only sings the role of Harmony in the Prologue, which lasts a little over six minutes. Martín Oro gives a differentiated account of the title role which is not as dominant as one may expect; several other roles are just as important. Stylistically his singing lacks consistency: at some moments he is fine, but there are also episodes where his singing is marred by vibrato, albeit not very wide. The role of Hariadeno is sung by Jacques Bona. I don't particularly like his voice, but his character comes off well, especially in the scene where he learns that Ormindo whom he has just sentenced to death through poisoning is his son. I have always considered Howard Crook a specialist in French baroque music; I have heard some very fine performances by him in that kind of repertoire. I find him far less convincing in Italian music - or German music, for that matter - and that is confirmed here. He is a little bland in his account of the role of Amida. When he sings forte his voice starts to flutter. The comical role of Nerillo is sung by Dominique Visse - who else? He seems to like this kind of roles, and that shows. His command of coloratura and the sophisticated ornamentation of the seconda prattica is admirable, and so is his ability to colour his voice according to the text and its affetti. The most impressive contributions come from the sopranos. Karine Deshayes sings the relatively small role of Mirinda nicely, but especially Stéphanie Révidat as Erisbe and Magali Léger as Sicle are very impressive. The latter role is the most versatile, and that is perfectly conveyed by Ms Léger. Both ladies have very beautiful voices and show a full command of the technical and stylistic means a performance of this repertoire requires.

As this seems to be the first recording of L'Ormindo there is no competition. But even if there was, this recording would probably end up on top, despite some weaknesses in the vocal department as I have indicated above. However, it has a serious shortcoming: it is not complete. Several scenes have been cut entirely, and I suspect that the scenes which have been recorded are not always complete. Even parts of the text which is printed in the booklet are omitted; that should have been marked, for instance through brackets, but it is not. As a result it is not always easy to follow the proceedings; while listening and reading I lost track several times. The libretto should also have been edited more carefully as it includes several errors. Cuts are common practice in live performances. That is pretty annoying, but I really can't see any reason why a studio recording should be incomplete. In my view this is a major shortcoming, especially as there is no alternative recording available.

Let us hope that some day a complete recording of L'Ormindo will be released. In the meantime this production gives at least a good idea of the character and qualities of this Cavalli opera.


Francesco Cavalli, L'Ormindo Karine Deshayes (Mirinda), Mahali Léger (Sicle), Sandrine Piau (L'Armonia), Stéphanie Révidat (Erisbe), soprano; Martín Oro (Ormindo), Dominique Visse (Nerillo), alto; Howard Crook (Amida), Jean-François Lombard (Erice), tenor; Benoît Arnould (Osmano), Jacques Bona (Hariadeno), baritone
Les Paladins/Jérôme Correas
Recorded June 2006 at Temple St Marcel, Paris
Pan Classics PC 10330 (2 CDs; 2.11'10"; © 2015)