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Ruth Elleson
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« Reply #15 on: 15:52:46, 31-03-2008 » |
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Yes, Orlando is certainly worth a mention. I have never been much grabbed by the plot (no more so than most other Handel operas, anyway), but there's some wonderful music, including some one-offs like the trio at the end of Act 1 (?) which gets stuck in my head from time to time but which of course I can't bring to mind at all at the moment! (Edited to say: it is of course "Consolati o bella, gentil pastorella".)
And the orchestral writing in Orlando's mad scene aria ("Stille amare"?) is probably the most chilling effect I can bring to mind from Handel's music.
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« Last Edit: 15:58:00, 31-03-2008 by Ruth Elleson »
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Oft hat ein Seufzer, deiner Harf' entflossen,
Ein süßer, heiliger Akkord von dir
Den Himmel beßrer Zeiten mir erschlossen,
Du holde Kunst, ich danke dir dafür!
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Reiner Torheit
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« Reply #16 on: 17:40:11, 31-03-2008 » |
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And the orchestral writing in Orlando's mad scene aria ("Stille amare"?) is probably the most chilling effect I can bring to mind from Handel's music.
Breaking my own rule about the oratorios, Dejanira's mad-scene in HERCULES (when she realises she's been used to bring the poisoned food to her own husband) runs it a close second, though, in a very different vein  It's the libretto that worries me, too, about ORLANDO - that phrase about "the problems of three little people don't add-up to a hill of beans" somehow pops into my mind? I think Don B has hit it on the head here... it's remarkably similar to the oratorio genre in places. |
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"I was, for several months, mutely in love with a coloratura soprano, who seemed to me to have wafted straight from Paradise to the stage of the Odessa Opera-House"
- Leon Trotsky, "My Life"
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Don Basilio
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« Reply #17 on: 17:59:08, 31-03-2008 » |
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Thanks for the compliment. I didn't say anything about oratorios. What did you think I said? I must have a look listen to it in the near future.
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To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh: a time to mourn, and a time to dance
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Reiner Torheit
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« Reply #18 on: 18:03:48, 31-03-2008 » |
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You're quite right, Don B - you mentioned oratorios in connection with SEMELE. But I find ORLANDO ticking along in similar vein....
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"I was, for several months, mutely in love with a coloratura soprano, who seemed to me to have wafted straight from Paradise to the stage of the Odessa Opera-House"
- Leon Trotsky, "My Life"
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martle
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« Reply #19 on: 18:39:11, 31-03-2008 » |
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I see Rodelinda is pulling ahead in the outside lane...
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Green. Always green.
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Reiner Torheit
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« Reply #20 on: 21:22:26, 31-03-2008 » |
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I see Rodelinda is pulling ahead in the outside lane...
Yet with only one member mentioning why they prefer it, too? It's the "silent majority" speaking, Martle!  |
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"I was, for several months, mutely in love with a coloratura soprano, who seemed to me to have wafted straight from Paradise to the stage of the Odessa Opera-House"
- Leon Trotsky, "My Life"
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harpy128
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« Reply #21 on: 12:03:07, 01-04-2008 » |
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It's hard to choose. I'd like to see Rodelinda staged because has a reasonable plot as well as being strong musically and dramatically, and I've never seen it live (except in a concert performance). But it would be interesting to see one that I don't know at all, like Tamerlano.
Giulio Cesare is probably my favourite of the ones I've seen, but it gets done rather a lot doesn't it? Orlando, Alcina, Ariodante, Serse, Semele and Jephtha have all had at least one London outing recently but may be less familiar to other audiences.
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Reiner Torheit
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« Reply #22 on: 15:54:27, 01-04-2008 » |
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BTW, for anyone unaware of this marvellous free resource, the Chrysander edition scores of all of Handel's works (yes, everything - or at least, everything Chrysander ever published) can be downloaded free-of-charge from the Bavarian National Library site: http://mdz10.bib-bvb.de/~db/ausgaben/uni_ausgabe.html?recherche=ja&ordnung=alpha&projekt=1193214396&l=enDownloading a complete opera may take some time, as each page has to be opened and saved as an A4-sized .jpg. However, for those without convenient access to an academic music library, this is a very valuable resource Now you can examine the viola d'amore parts in ORLANDO at your leisure, at 3am over a glass of wine if you so desire (and you can't do that in most University libraries)  |
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"I was, for several months, mutely in love with a coloratura soprano, who seemed to me to have wafted straight from Paradise to the stage of the Odessa Opera-House"
- Leon Trotsky, "My Life"
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Don Basilio
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« Reply #23 on: 17:08:32, 02-04-2008 » |
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It's the libretto that worries me, too, about ORLANDO - that phrase about "the problems of three little people don't add-up to a hill of beans" somehow pops into my mind?
I can't help feel that phrase could be used as an all purpose putdown of anything you didn't like - Tristan und Isolde, Aida? It depends what you mean by "little" people. But since Orlando is hero of a major Renaissance epic and Angelica is Princess of Cathay, they are certainly intended to be among the great and the good. In fact the central love quadrilateral in Orlando is parallel to that in The Yeoman of the Guard - one couple of lovers with two other persons who hoped to be the lover of each of the pair. Come to think of it, that is the situation in dear Noel Coward's Private Lives. Strange how potent cheap music can be. |
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To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh: a time to mourn, and a time to dance
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Reiner Torheit
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« Reply #24 on: 21:55:08, 23-04-2008 » |
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By way of a postscript to this discussion, I (finally) got a juicy package of goodies from the River People yesterday, amongst which were a couple of Handel opera recordings I'd been waiting for. But also in the package was this little bargain for 5 quid:  I wasn't really sure what to expect of Bononcini - a composer whose peculiar fate is to become almost as vilified as Salieri, whilst not even getting his music played for even ghoulish curiosity. It's extremely nice music And pleasantly performed with a lusciously continuo-rich group (harpsichord, harp, & two theorbos, plus a quintet of single strings) led from the theorbo by Wolfgang Katschner. My only gripe about the packaging is that they surely could have managed more than just a parallel German translation of the libretto? (Considering the rest of the sleeve notes are in English too). I can finger-and-thumb my way through the German, but it seems to place a restriction on the disk for the sake of piffling cost? It's only a Serenata, of course - I wonder what his full-blown operas were like? PS the image above has the words "Russian DVD" written across it - but I have no idea why? The disk is pressed in the EU, and is CD-Audio, not a DVD... nor is it even marketed in Russia?? |
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"I was, for several months, mutely in love with a coloratura soprano, who seemed to me to have wafted straight from Paradise to the stage of the Odessa Opera-House"
- Leon Trotsky, "My Life"
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Ron Dough
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« Reply #25 on: 22:06:33, 23-04-2008 » |
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They're a large mainly online retailer in the States, Rei - a source for all discs Russian, and presumably also of that particular picture.
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Reiner Torheit
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« Reply #26 on: 22:15:45, 23-04-2008 » |
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Aha, that would explain it - ta, Ron I always try local suppliers (there are quite a few specialist dealers) before reaching for the River, Alligator or Quarternote people - quite apart from the naughty delivery charges, it can take weeks for stuff to arrive But no-one hear had a note of Bononcini, and I got sick of having to spell it on the phone |
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"I was, for several months, mutely in love with a coloratura soprano, who seemed to me to have wafted straight from Paradise to the stage of the Odessa Opera-House"
- Leon Trotsky, "My Life"
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Ruth Elleson
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« Reply #27 on: 00:58:44, 24-04-2008 » |
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I've just got home from a performance of Atalanta. Suffice to say it wouldn't be on anybody's list. It has no plot whatsoever (it's more a 3-hour "situation") and just when you think it's about to end - it has a duet modelled on Giulio Cesare's "Caro... Bella.." - it proceeds to go on for another twenty minutes thanks to the unexpected addition of a deus ex machina. Still, it was a fine performance - and at least it's ticked off the list and I know I never have to see it again Next as-yet-unseen Handel opera on the horizon for me is Rodrigo at St John's Smith Square on 17th May. |
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Oft hat ein Seufzer, deiner Harf' entflossen,
Ein süßer, heiliger Akkord von dir
Den Himmel beßrer Zeiten mir erschlossen,
Du holde Kunst, ich danke dir dafür!
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Reiner Torheit
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« Reply #28 on: 14:32:53, 24-04-2008 » |
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RODRIGO is one of those operas whose arias turn up on singer anthology cds... but is rarely heard complete |
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"I was, for several months, mutely in love with a coloratura soprano, who seemed to me to have wafted straight from Paradise to the stage of the Odessa Opera-House"
- Leon Trotsky, "My Life"
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harpy128
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« Reply #29 on: 21:42:54, 25-04-2008 » |
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I've just got home from a performance of Atalanta. Suffice to say it wouldn't be on anybody's list. It has no plot whatsoever (it's more a 3-hour "situation") and just when you think it's about to end - it has a duet modelled on Giulio Cesare's "Caro... Bella.." - it proceeds to go on for another twenty minutes thanks to the unexpected addition of a deus ex machina. Yes, I was going to suggest not Atalanta - didn't find it too long but it definitely is completely lacking in the plot department. Also, I'd suggest, not Flavio, for the same reason. Am thinking the main difference between the famous and not-so-famous Handels may be the presence or absence of a plot, as I thought both of those had fine music (albeit partly recycled - that first duet in Atalanta is also an aria in Agrippina isn't it?). |
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Poll
