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Monteverdi, L’Orfeo : (Concert Version) Ensemble La Fenice. Namur Chamber Chorus. , Conductor,  Jean Tubéry,   Teatro Arriaga Bilbao. 5.10.2007 (JMI)

Teatro Arriaga - Bilbao

Hans Jorg Mammel, Orfeo
Caroline Weynants, Music
Aurore Bucher, Proserpina
Luciana Manccini, Messenger
Helen Cassano, Speranza
Emmanuelle Halimi, Euridice
Jean-Claude Sarragosse, Caronte/Plutone
Benoît Giaux, Apollo
Paulin  Bündgen, alto shepherd
Thibault Lenaerts, first tenor shepherd
Vincent Lesage, second tenor shepherd
Benoît Porcherot, third tenor shepherd
Etienne Debaisieux, bass shepherd and bass spirit
Jean-Marie Marchal, shepherd chorus and spirits
Nicolas Achten, shepherd

Ensemble La Fenice

In addition to the modern  Palacio Euskalduna, where the ABAO opera season takes place, Bilbao also  offers opera in the Teatro Arriaga, a beautiful baroque horse-shoe theatre, whose artistic direction will be taken on next year by the well known stage director Emilio Sagi. Mr Sagi held the same post (until just less than  three years ago)  at Madrid's  Teatro Real. The Teatro Arriaga  season comprises  a  varied programme of theatre, ballet and concerts  - including regular productions of  baroque opera - besides staging the operas for children organized by ABAO.

During this last quarter of the year two baroque titles, Vivaldi’s Montezuma conducted by Alan Curtis and this  Orfeo, have been programmed. The 400th anniversary of Orfeo, considered as the starting point of its kind, was commemorated in Spain with  two companies visiting last year, Rinaldo Alessandrini with his Concerto Italiano and Philip Pickett with The New London Consort. Teatro Arriaga has decided to offer the opera again  with a different company in a concert version, inaccurately announced as semi-staged. There was no action at all on stage and all the artists sang with their scores, except Hans-Jorg Mammel as Orfeo.

The music was in the hands of French conductor Jean Tubéry and his Ensemble La Fenice. I really enjoy Tubéry as both conductor and an outstanding flute and baroque cornet player, and he gave a very sensible and careful reading, doubtless the best thing of the performance. The orchestra is good, but not quite at the level of some others better known to baroque opera lovers, though it's fair to say that never before in history has baroque opera had so many good orchestras and conductors, not to speak of singers, as in recent years. This group does not quite reach the level of true excellence, but it is  along way better than merely acceptable.

Vocally however, things were not at such a high level and  indeed, most of the characters were sung by members of the Namur Chamber Chorus. The only independent artists were Orfeo himself, interpreted by the German Hans-Jorg Mammel, a tenor of little real vocal interest, although musical and expressive – and personally  I prefer a high baritone in this role. French bass Jean-Claude Sarragose doubled as Caronte and Pluto, and offered more quantity than quality. Among the chorus members I should point out soprano Carolina Weynants (La Musica) - a very nice voice and good singer -  and mezzo Luciana Mancini (La Messagiera). The rest showed fine  intentions but fairly poor results.

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