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Composer
Georg
Frederick Handel
Edition
Charles Mackerras
Noel Davies
Libretto
Nicolo Minato
Revised
by
Silvio Stampiglia
English
translation Nicholas
Hytner
Revival
Director
Michael Walling
Xerxes
Katarina
Karneus
Arsamenes
Lawrence
Zazzo
Amastris
Lucy Schaufer
Ariodates
Neil Davies
Romilda
Janis Kelly
Atalanta
Sarah Tynan
Elviro
Graeme Danby
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London
Coliseum
English
National Opera
15
Nov - 16 Dec 2005 |
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To
the ENO for Xerxes,
where life imitates art and
drama behind the scenes is
more than a match for any
highfalutin operatics of Handel's
making. By all account, the
production lost its original
conducter; suffered set-damage
and a delayed opening, and
to cap this, the premature
departure of the company's
Artistic Director Sean Doran
amidst some unseemly carping.
The audience could have been
forgiven for fearing the worst,
but by the time the heart-stopping
strains of the eponymous king's
arietta in praise of a shady
tree (in Italian "Ombra
ma fui") were resonating
around the Coliseum in Act
I, it was already clear that
in this exposition of Xerxes,
they were in for a musical
- if not always visual - feast.
Xerxes was the ancestor of
the Persian king Darius III,
and Handel the third composer
to address his life - episodes
of which had been described
by Herodotus and embellished
for the stage in a libretto
by Nicolo Minato and Silvio
Stampiglia. Written when he
was in poor health, the opera
was first performed in 1738.
Despite its relative brevity,
simple orchestration and humour,
it was not a success - running
for just five nights and not
being performed again for
190 years. Nicholas Hytner
first translated and directed
it in 1985 (with set designs
by David Fielding) to great
acclaim, and it his interpretation
which is now revived under
the direction of Michael Walling.
Despite its debt to the Venetian
school of the seventeenth
century, Xerxes
was a departure from the 'exotic
and irrational entertainment'
of Italian opera, as perceived
by Dr Johnson. It was more
informal and accessible than
Handel's earlier works, influenced
perhaps by the popularity
of the iconoclastic 'Beggar's
Opera'. In addition, (arguably
forshadowing Mozart) there
is an emotional depth to the
composition which combines
both tragic and comedic elements
- readily assimilated by modern
taste.
Whilst based upon the love
triangle between the king,
his brother Arsamenes and
their mutual ardour for Romilda
- with a little connivance
from her sister Atalanta and
Xerxes' true fiance Amastris
- this is no simple romance
of the boy-meets-girl variety.
On the one hand, farce and
satire are employed to enjoyable
effect with the siblings acting
as foils to one another. On
the other, there is an implicit,
unsettling threat in soprano
Katarina Karneus' impressive
portrayal of the despot and
his capricious machinations.
Irony and cross-purpose leaven
the action with droll results,
as Arsamenes, sung lyrically
by Lawrence Zarro, attempts
to thwart his brother's inappropriate
pursuit of Romilda. Notably,
the very first soloists for
Zarro and Karneus' counter-tenor
parts were Elizabeth Duparc
and the castrati Caffarelli
respectively: role reversal
indeed!
The staging takes its cue
from a mythic version of the
Vauxhall Gardens and Act I
is repleat with arboreal motifs.
Trompe l'oeil trees, topiary,
hedging and a magnificent
astro-turf monolith (a protome
with regal human head) decorate
the set like some surreal
oasis. Later, a mirage of
Perspolis shimmers in a three-dimensional
backdrop of ruins. Before
these, silver-clad courtiers,
curiously vampiric-looking
retainers and our four protagonists
set the stage for a little
romantic skulduggery. Disguised
as a swaggering soldier, Amastris
(Lucy Schaufer) sings her
heart out with scene-stealing
vehemence as she learns the
extent of Xerxes' duplicity.
Soprano Sarah Tynan's scheming
Atalanta attempts to ensnare
Arsamenes at the expense of
her sister: convincingly coquettish,
she neverthless lacks consistency
of voice. In an opera of short,
but varied arias, da Capo
repition is sometimes ommited
by Handel: for, with the exception
of the king's coloratura,
vocal display is not over-emphasized.
Clownish baritone Graeme Danby
playing Arsamenes' obliging
servant Elviro, personifies
opera buffo disguised as a
flower-hawker in Act II. However,
the tea-shop setting in which
he performs is less apposite,
as are an unexpected display
of potted cactae props. Suspension
of disbelief is further required
to remind the audience that
the young and distinctly feminine
Karneus is suitor to Janis
Kelly's mature flame-haired
Romilda. A costume change
would not have gone amiss
here either - Kelly is buttoned
up in a nondescript blue dress
for all three acts. Events
later take a sober, military
turn and a strategic bridge,
portrayed in model form, is
destoyed by a storm of pantomime
dimension.
Both chorus and soloists -
especially Arsamenes - distinguish
themselves in Act III, as
thwarted passion threatens
to turn ugly. A sculpted egg,
gigantic basilisk and serried
statues appear by turn while
the sky runs blood red. Although
bass Neal Davies, playing
the girls' father and commander
of the king's army, is a shade
bombastic in tone, he graciously
assumes his pivotal role as
the man who, misunderstanding
Xerxes' wishes, finally marries
his daughter to the lover
she deserves. Naturally, this
is to the former's fury, until
he accepts the error of his
ways and finally embraces
Amastris, his affianced.
To the fresh eye, this production
of Xerxes
looks a little dated - a nostalgic
take on what must have been
an innovatory pot-pourri of
visual references thirty years
ago. Neverthless, it still
captures the essence of theatricality
and showmanship so key to
Handel. Above all, it is musically
assured and beautifully sung.
Caroline Kellett Fraysse |
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