Opera Con Brio
12Opera con Brio, LLCMay 2016Opera con BrioRichard B. BeamsA Baroque Jewel – Imeneo CharmsGöttingen International Handel Festival 2016The centerpiece every year at theInternational Handel Festival Göttingen isusually a staged Handel opera in the intimateDeutsches Theater. For many years theFestival was well known for its idiomatic,authentically Baroque productions; morerecently the Festival has strayed from thistraditionwithmorecontemporaryproductions, happily so in most cases. Thisyear, in May of 2016, for Göttingen’s firstever presentation of Handel’s “operetta”Imeneo, the Festival returned to a historicallyinformed production, complete with baroqueinspired costumes, gestures, and dance – allilluminated by the soft embracing glow ofMatthew Brook (Argenio), William Berger (Imeneo), Stefanie True (Clomiri), AnnaDennis (Rosmene) and James Laing (Tirinto)Photo: Alciro Theodoro da Silvacandlelight.Under the able direction ofSigrid T’Hooft, choreographer and Baroquespecialist returning after her successful 2012production of Amadigi di Gaula, and with ArtisticHandel’s penultimate opera (or “operetta” as heDirector Laurence Cummings once again inspiring the called it, probably due to its relatively light tone andFestspielOrchester Göttingen to its usual level of brevity) has sometimes rightly been labeled a neglectedexcellence, this was an enchanting evening of idiomatic Mozartian jewel; like Mozart’s dramma giocoso, Cosi fanBaroque opera.tutte, the taut, tuneful work involves a romantic
43Opera con Brio, LLCMay 2016shingled roof in front. A second production,almost a decade later in March of 2013, wasat the London Handel Festival, a performanceled by Maestro Cummings at the RoyalCollege of Music. In this case the productionpresented a contemporary social comedy inwhich, as a critic in The Financial Times putit, “a group of well-healed young pleasureseekers play out their romantic crushes andjealousies against a background of sun, seaand sand.” These well-groomed youngoccupants sang their way through massages,facials, and a cocktail hour, as though in amodern hotel spa, playing to the mirth,frivolity, and irony implied in the libretto.Anna Dennis (Rosmene) and Matthew Brook (Argenio) Photo: Alciro Theodoro da SilvaThe sparkling performance indeed confirmedthe theatrical viability, let alone the musicalquadrangle revolving around the issue of marriage. worth, of this masterful work. The spare set – theBefore the opera begins, pirates have abducted two remains of a Greek temple looking out over ascendingsisters, Rosmene and Clomiri, sent overseas to participate steps to the Mediterranean – provided a simple andin rites for the goddess Ceres. Not to worry. Imeneo striking frame.(aka Hymen, the Greek god of marriage) hadaccompanied them and soon defeats the pirates, rescuesGöttingen’s delightful production, for all itsthe sisters and returns them to their native Athens. Here differences, was a fitting Baroque extension of this idea.the opera begins. By “operetta” convention, Rosmene is The libretto’s description for the scene of all three Acts ishonor-bound to marry the man who rescued her, “A Pleasant Garden” (“Deliziosa”). This is exactly whatassuming he so chooses – which he does. (The younger we get from stage and costume designer Stephan Dietrichsister, Clomiri, is smitten by Imeneo, but to no avail.) - an elegant Baroque garden overlooking theNaturally, the complication is that Rosmene’s heart Mediterranean, with movable flats expanding or closingbelongs to another, her betrothed, Tirinto. The only other the space with Greek pillars and/or more vegetation. Wecharacter in the opera, the girls’ pompous father, viewed the stage as through a large picture frame aroundArgenio, harangues Rosmene mercilessly about her duty. the proscenium, with Baroque-styled candles flickeringEventually she gives in and weds Imeneo, although it is along the front edge of the stage. All this helped theclear from Handel’s music – and made especially clear in audience savor not only the elegant set and sumptuousthis production – that she (and indeed Handel) is costumes, but also the appealing flow of the production.ambivalent about this decision.And what a delightful flow it was. Baroque gesturesIn recent years, the once neglected piece has enjoyed from dancers and singers alike often coalesced intosuccessful revivals,withvariedcontemporary stunning tableaux, and stylistically informed danceapproaches. Two I attended were first in 2004 at interludes often complemented the performance, alwaysGlimmerglass Opera in the United States that made the bound up with plot and character one way or another.piece an amusing domestic drama about a dysfunctional Indeed Maestro Cummings lengthened the evening,family in nineteenth-century New England. The set was a happily so, with some additional music to accommodatelavish second-story facade of a weathered clapboard Ms. T’Hooft’s Baroque dance company, Corpo Barocco.house; most of the action took place on a steeply raked (This included sections from the Water Music, Concerto2
65Opera con Brio, LLCMay 2016Grosso op. 6 Nr. 7, and two harpsichordsuites, Nr. 4 and Nr. 7, orchestrated by Mr.Cummings.) Additional dance sometimesaccompanied selected arias and choruses aswell. Handel’s opera actually calls for nodance per se, but the nature of the music, sowrought with dance rhythms, certainlyinvites it.Noteworthy was how sparingly Ms.T’Hooft actually employed both solo danceand the full dance ensemble, admirably sosince Imeneo after all is an opera, (oroperetta if you like), not a ballet. The firstscene focuses almost entirely on TirintoWilliam Berger (Imeneo) with dancers from Corpo Barocco Photo: Alciro Theodoro da Silvaand his pain at losing his beloved Rosmeneto pirates. There is not even a hint of danceuntil the second scene when the offstage chorus of bearded, black-clad pirates, who add more than a touch ofAthenians, who play no part in the action, sings the lively whimsy to reinforce the “operetta” tone of the piece.bourrée “Viva Imeneo.” Dancers appear from the wings Soon, after a gentle aria from Clomiri, the dance elementimmediately, invigorating the buoyant melody with expands with the insertion of additional orchestral music.Baroque dance steps. Handel includes this chorus three Eventually the off-stage chorus again concludes thistimes in the Act – a second time almost immediately after increasingly tumultuous act with a serious, homophonicImeneo’s entrance, a third time at the close of the act, gavotte in a minor key. During it, the pirate dancersfollowing Imeneo’s concluding aria. These danced choral reappear, and another interpolated orchestral coda withnumbers effectively reinforce Handel’s frame for the act, dance provides the appropriate somber finale.and the delightful “coda,” an orchestrated harpsichordIn Act III, the integration of the dance with the stagesuite, invites us to savor the moment with dance alone.action reaches its impressive, although somewhat ironic,In Act II, Ms. T’Hooft delays the dance even longer, apotheosis. Before the finale, Rosmene has a prolonged,until the advent of Tirinto’s big jealousy aria, “Sorge feigned, mad scene, an extended accompanied recitative,nell’alma mia,” almost midway through the act. This basically a delay tactic, fraught with ambiguity about herbrings out the dancers, now a rollicking band of black- impending choice to marry for duty (Imeneo) or love(Tirinto). Ghostly black-clad figures mime the contrivedscene. Eventually, reluctantly, she chooses Imeneo, andall culminates in a magnificent duet for her and thedisconsolate Tirinto, “Per le porte del tormento”(Through the gates of torment). This penultimate number,which Handel borrowed from Sosarme and added twoyears later for a Dublin concert performance of the opera,was not included in the original production. Ms. T’Hooftchoreographed this magnificent duet with flowingmovements that emphasized all the pain and ambivalenceof their parting.Pirate dancers from Corpo Barocco Photo: Alciro Theodoro da Silva3
78Opera con Brio, LLCIn the final chorus, a homophonic minuet triste inminor, Handel shows his sympathy for the personalsufferings of those who must choose duty over love; thecarefully choreographed scene leaves poor Tirinto aloneand isolated at the side of the stage. The 2014 LondonHandel Festival production, by contrast, paired the twocouples at the end. Their backs to the audience, Rosmeneand Imeneo, Tirinto and Clomiri gaze out to a sunset overthe sea. But behind their backs, à la the ambivalenceinherent in the close of Cosi fan Tutte, the audience seesImeneo and Clomiri, as well as Rosmene and Tirinto,reach to one another and clasp hands. A nice touch, butthe Göttingen production was probably more in keepingwith Handel’s intent. The music tells all, and the dancehelped! Fittingly, the choreographed conclusion of theopera was the glory of the night.The visual element was indeed the embracingelement of this production, from the stylized Baroquegestures of the elegantly clad singers that reinforcedevery nuance of emotional expression, to the solo dancesthat sometimes complemented their arias. It must bestressed, however (much to Ms.T’Hooft’s credit), that thesolo dance element was not overdone. Some years ago Iattended a performance of Vivaldi’s Farnace by famedchoreographer Lucinda Childs; the production wasadvertised as being an inventive new genre, “balletopera,” which indeed it was with a dancer doubling eachsinger, typically popping on stage with every ritornello,then retreating into the wings as it ended. This was allquite stunning, but the approach in Göttingen was muchmore selective, in keeping with the restrained elegance ofthe production as a whole - with its Baroque gestures,colorful costumes and all.On occasion, but not often, a solo dancer interactedwith the singer, as for example with Tirinto’s catchy tunein Act I, “Mi chiederesti,” in which he refuses to give upRosmene. At each varied and poignant string ritornello asolo male dancer captured the ambivalence of the piece.During the next number, in which Clomiri sings a lovelylittle minuet, “V’è un’infelice,” sung to Imeneo as shehints of her affection for him, a gentle, affectionate solofrom a female dancer adds expressive movements. ButImeneo’s response, “Esser mia dovrà la bella tortorella”May 2016James Laing (Tirinto) with dancerPhoto: Alciro Theodoro da Silva(“She [Rosmene] must be mine, the beautiful turtledove”), is without dance, although the rhythmic thrust ofthe piece would seem to invite it. Only with the thirdrefrain of the chorus “Vien Imeneo,” mentioned above,which follows immediately closing the act, does dancereturn.For all the effective integration of movement andmusic, it was still the five impressive vocal soloists whocontributed much to the production’s success. BaritoneWilliam Berger, a Baroque specialist, was a secureImeneo, with just an arioso and two arias (the first in ActI and the second, in Act II sung before the curtain). Onewished he had had more to sing, but Handel put him inhis place, by denying him more arias (clearly hissympathies were with Tirinto). Bass-baritone MatthewBrook was equally fine, with the range and depth of hisbass just right for the two terrific and rather heavyhanded arias for the girls’ father, Argenio. Likewise, thelight clear soprano of Stefanie True was just right for thecharming soubrette role of Clomiri, for whom Handelhappily provides three lovely airs, especially the abovementioned minuet “V’è un’infelice.” I say “happily”because two years after the London premiere, Handelmounted two concert performances of Imeneo in Dublin.Among the various alterations, he eliminated all three ofClomiri’s arias. In the Fabio Biondi performance of thisedition at the Halle Handel Festival last year (in June of2015) poor Clomiri, with just some fragments ofrecitative to sing, had little chance to shine.4
90Opera con Brio, LLCMay 2016performance the aria lacked the bite and vigor thepiece demands. Overall, however, he waseffective, and the final duet with Ms. Dennis, “Perle porte,” with its close weaving of gorgeouslegato phrases and blended harmonies, wasexquisite on every level. If the big bravura ariadidn’t steal he show (as it often does) thismagnificent duet certainly did.But what made the evening so memorablewas the beautiful and apt integration of dance andmusic. The exquisite flow of movementilluminated the attractive and apposite musicwonderfully. And the close of the opera with theJames Laing (Tirinto) and Anna Dennis (Rosmene) Photo: Alciro Theodoro da Silvachoreographed final duet and chorus turned out tobe truly cathartic, countering the label of a simpleRosmene and Tirinto each had six arias and many “operetta.” Maybe Handel was just teasing us with thechances to shine. Soprano Anna Dennis commanded all label after all. Winton Dean writes that the work’sthe resources for singing a role that, after all, is the individual flavor “almost entitles it to rank as a minorlynchpin of the opera. In her rich outpourings, although a masterpiece.” Of Dean’s description Andrew Portertad blousy at times, she captured the essence of this writes, “that ‘almost’ seems needlessly cautious.”ambivalent character. I found her especially expressive Göttingen proved him right.in the lighter pieces, like her entrance aria, “Ingrata mainon fui,” addressed playfully to each lover, and her shortprayer with solo cellos that opens Act II. In Act III, hermad scene was a true tour de force.The sweet-toned countertenor James Laing was alsomost effective in the more subtle moments of hisemotionally charged arias, of which there were many.His pure-voiced, nuanced singing inflected the textwonderfully. Such was the case, for example, in hisopening lament, “La mia bella perduta,” with justcontinuo accompaniment, and his slow aria, “Pieno ilcara,” in Act III. On the other hand, he did not have thepassionate tone, the range, or agility for the greatVivaldian bravura aria of Act II, “Sorge nell’alma.” Onopening night he seemed a bit off, but even in the repeatWilliam Berger (Imeneo) and James Laing (Tirinto)Photo: Alciro Theodoro da SilvaEditing and Layout: Mahala Tillinghast Beams5
Opera con Brio, LLC May 2016 Opera con Brio Richard B. Beams 1 The centerpiece every year at the International Handel Festival G
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Minnesota Opera Debut: Tosca, 2005 Notable Engagements: Cold Mountain, Santa Fe Opera La bohème, English National Opera The Barber of Seville, Canadian Opera Company Rigoletto, Bremen Opera Company Ainadamar, Santa Fe Opera Un ballo in maschera, Minnesota Opera LEVI HERNANDEZ Baritone Hometown: El Paso, TX Minnesota Opera Debut: Madama .
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seminar “The Business of Opera” at Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Westminster Choir College, Opera Saratoga, Opera New Jersey, Minnesota Opera and Wolf Trap Opera, among others. Additionally, she has judged multiple vocal competitions, including those held by Fort Worth Opera, Shreveport
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