SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Other Links

Editorial Board

Google Site Search

Internet MusicWeb

Bull Horn Price Comparison Web Site

 

Handel:  Giulio Cesare in Egitto: Soloists, Freiburger Barockorchester, Conductor: René Jacobs , Auditorio Miguel Delibes de Valladolid. 18. 6.2008  (JMI)

Concert Version

Cast

Giulio Cesare: Lawrence Zazzo, counter tenor
Cleopatra: Sandrine Piau, soprano
Cornelia: Kristina Hammarström, mezzo soprano
Sesto: Malena Ernman, mezzo soprano
Tolomeo: Christophe Dumaux, counter tenor
Achilla: Nicolas Rivenq, tenor
Curio: Andrew Davies, bass
Nireno: Andrew Radley, counter tenor


During the last few years we have discovered a new musical fashion, consisting of famous conductors and their orchestras touring European cities offering baroque operas, generally in concert form.  Belgian René Jacobs is one of the most familiar conductors to carry out this type of tour. What surprises me in this case is the opera chosen by him, since Giulio Cesare is the best known of Handel’s stage works and many of his rarer pieces are currently being made available to the public.

In my opinion operas in concert version are only justified by the rarity of the title or the presence of some very special singer in the cast. None of these circumstances were present in this case and I think a concert version is not justified for an opera which is already in the main repertoire. This is not to criticise the effort made on the part of Valladolid but it seems to me that, with Mr Jacob’s undeniable musical quality, to offer a relatively popular work in this form goes against the pure idea of this sort of tour. If this sort of thing continues, we can look forward to being offered Verdi’s Traviata in a concert version as part of a European tour.

This Giulio Cesare was not the complete version of the work, having had 5 arias cut, one for each of Cleopatra, Tolomeo, Achilla, Sesto and Cornelia, and almost all of them in the last act.  René Jacobs' reading  was outstanding  and drew the vey best performance from the magnificent Freiburger Barockorchester:  simply spectacular. It isn’t very often one has the opportunity to listen to such an outstanding baroque orchestra and their regular conductor, Petra Müllejans, was on this occasion the concertino soloist. The orchestra of 36 members is made up of authentic virtuosos, playing with exceptional strength and devotion. I must mention the sumptuous performance of Teunis Van Der Zwart on the horn, accompanying the protagonist in the Aria “Va tacito e nascosto”  and  violinist Kathrin Troeger, in Cesare’s aria “Se in fiorito ameno prato”. Not only did she play  wonderfully, but she moved on the stage with  exceptional grace. I do not know how much of the merit for the musical interpretation is due to René Jacobs, but there is no question that he selected the orchestra and that he was conducting them. A wonderful performance, fantastic!

American countertenor Lawrence Zazzo has become one of the reference protagonists in Giulio Cesare. It is of interest that next season he will again be  Cesare both in Bilbao and Seville. He is a remarkable singer, but still lacks something necessary to be able to raise enthusiasm in the audience. He is not as virtuosic as Daniels or as moving as Bejun Mehta, but before us we have  one of the best possible interpreters of this opera. His best moments were the Aria with violin mentioned above and the recitative (almost an arioso) “Aure, deh  per pietá”, sung with  exceptional taste and breath-taking diminuendos.

Cleopatra was French soprano Sandrine Piau, who gave an outstanding performance, truly stopping the show after her aria “Se pietá di me non senti”. She is a singer with a rather small voice, who finds its best use in the purely expressive passages, while remaining somewhat lacking in the bravura parts that also exist in this opera. Personally, I prefer a soprano with a wider voice in this role, but I must acknowledge that she was a very moving singer.

Swedish Kristina Hammarström was a very convincing Cornelia, although she is not a true contralto. She was a very expressive singer always, and I should mention her singing of the recitatives, particularly the arioso “Nel tuo seno, amico sasso” and the pure recitative “Deh, piangete”. She demonstrated that in baroque there is much more to singing than just arias.

Another Swedish mezzosoprano, Malena Ernman, gave life to Sesto but she was not at the same level as her colleagues. Sesto is a role which is rather tight for many mezzos and Ms. Ernman’s top register is not the best part of her voice. The young French countertenor Christophe Dumaux was a very good  Tolomeo, exhibiting  a voice more beautiful than those we are used to in this role. The best thing was the interpretation of the Aria of the third act “Domeró la tua fierezza”. He is very promising.

In the secondary roles, French Nicolas Rivenq was an inexpressive  Achilla, though with some difficulties in coloratura. Andrew Davies was a good Curio but another countertenor, Andrew Radley, did not offer much vocal quality as Nireno.

Valladolid Auditorium offered a much better audience than forthe concerts at the beginning of the season, with some 1.000 people, despite the European Football Championship. There was a very warm reception for all the artists, the loudest applause and cheers being for the Freiburg Orchestra.  Among the singers Sandrine Piau was the favourite of the audience, without a doubt.

José M. Irurzun


Back to Top                                                    Cumulative Index Page