Accatonia: Italian

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samedi 18 septembre 2010

Serse - G-F Haendel (2005)

Serse (Xerxes, HWV 40) is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel. It was first performed in London on 15 April 1738. The libretto is adapted by an unknown hand from that by Silvio Stampiglia for an earlier opera of the same name by Giovanni Bononcini in 1694. Stampiglia's libretto was itself based on one by Nicolò Minato that was set by Francesco Cavalli in 1654. The opera is set in Persia in 480 BC and is very loosely based upon Xerxes I of Persia, though there is little in either the libretto or music that is relevant to that setting. Xerxes, originally sung by a castrato, is now generally performed by a mezzosoprano or countertenor.

Une des dernières compositions de Haendel dans le domaine de l'opéra, Serse est considéré comme le plus « mozartien » et l'un des meilleurs qu'il ait composés. La passion s'y mêle à la farce et à la satire - en ce sens, il s'éloigne de l'opera seria typique mis au point par Apostolo Zeno et Métastase ; la folie de la nature humaine y est montrée mais jamais ridiculisée.
L'action se passe dans l'Empire Perse en 480 avant J.-C. et se fonde quelque peu sur l'histoire de l'empereur Xerxès. Il y a cependant peu de rapports réels entre l'Histoire et le livret ou sa musique. Le rôle-titre Xerxès était chanté par un castrat ; c'est généralement aujourd'hui un rôle travesti, c'est à dire un rôle masculin chanté par une femme à la tessiture de mezzo-soprano.

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lundi 30 août 2010

Giulio Cesare in Egitto- George Friderich Handel (2006)

Giulio Cesare est un opéra en trois actes composé en 1723 par Georg Friedrich Haendel pour sa propre compagnie, la Royal Academy of Music. Le livret est une adaptation par Nicola Francesco Haym, du Giulio Cesare in Egitto représenté à Venise en 1675 (texte de Giacomo Francesco Bussani, musique d'Antonio Sartorio). L'opéra de Haendel fut créé au King's théâtre Haymarket de Londres le 20 février 1724 . Ce fut un succès dès l'origine et Haendel le reprit en 1725, 1730 et 1732. Avant le XXe siècle, la dernière représentation eut lieu à Hambourg en 1737. Certains airs comme V'adoro, pupille, Se pietà ou Piangerò (Cleopatra), Va tacito ou Dall' ondoso periglio (Cesare), Svegliatevi nel core de Sesto ou encore le poignant duo de Cornelia et Sesto qui termine le premier acte, sont devenus des pièces de concert.

Giulio Cesare in Egitto (Julius Caesar in Egypt, HWV 17) is an Italian opera in three acts written by George Frideric Handel in 1724. The libretto was written by Nicola Francesco Haym.

A Great Moment of Opera:♥♥♥♥♥

AMAZON

There's a chance that purists will be very unhappy with director David McVicar's production of this Baroque masterpiece; there's also an equal chance that they'll be so vastly entertained that all criticisms will be beside the point. Updated to the years before World War I, Caeser's troops are British soldiers come to colonize Egypt, the latter being a place filled with exoticisms in the form of acres of billowing silk, flashy costumes, and full-blown song and dance numbers a la Bollywood (featuring sex-kitten Cleopatra and her minions). It's not only funny/campy, it also makes a certain internal sense. The razzle-dazzle is laid aside for the personal tragedy of Cornelia and Sesto (Patricia Bardon and Angelika Kirchschlager, respectively)--here portrayed as a beaten-down woman in a pathetic rage and a son on the verge of insanity--and for Caeser's and Cleopatra's more introspective moments. Caeser is mezzo Sarah Connelly, in firm voice and with the bearing of an emperor. Cleopatra is the 25-year-old American Daniele de Niese, ravishing in person and voice, with charisma, nerve, and talent in equal proportions. Countertenor Christopher Dumaux' bitchy-queen Tolomeo is remarkable, and the Achilles of bass Christopher Maltman is menacing. William Christie leads the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment with great spirit and dramatic thrust, and the production values---subtitles in major European languages and English, stereo and surround sound, and picture---are ideal. Extras include interviews with the director and singers and an up-close look at Danielle de Niese. This is a fascinating, grand entertainment that may just make new friends for Baroque opera. ---Robert Levine

Synopsis en français
English synopsis

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Boni have been stripped and ripped, you can find them here.

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jeudi 19 août 2010

Lucio Silla - Mozart (2007)

Lucio Silla, K. 135, is an Italian opera in three acts composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The libretto was written by Giovanni de Gamerra. It was first performed on 26 December 1772 at the Regio Ducal Teatro in Milan. Other operas with the same title were also composed by Pasquale Anfossi (1774), and Johann Christian Bach (1776).

The story concerns the Roman dictator Lucio Silla (Lucius Sulla) who lusts after Giunia, the daughter of his enemy Caius Marius. Giunia, on the other hand, loves the exiled senator Cecilio.

Le dictateur romain Lucio Silla convoite Giunia, la fille de son ennemi Marius. Giunia, de son côté, aime le sénateur exilé Cecilio:
Cecilio, un sénateur romain, jadis exilé par Lucio Silla, retourne dans son pays pour rejoindre sa bien aimée Giunia. Son ami Cinna lui annonce qu'elle est fiancée avec Lucio Silla, dictateur du pays. Convaincue que son bien aimé est mort comme son père de la main du dictateur, Giunia pleure sa perte. Elle repousse les avances de Lucio Silla, lui disant qu'elle n'épousera jamais le tyran responsable de la mort de son père et de son fiancé. Lors de sa visite quotidienne sur la tombe de son père, elle rencontre Cecilio.....

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lundi 21 juin 2010

Andrea Chenier- Umberto Giordano

En ce 14 Juillet, je vous propose un opéra qui se passe pendant la révolution, qui ne fut pas aussi tranquille et salutaire qu'on veut bien l'enseigner. André Chénier, un poète passionné et patriote tombe amoureux de Madeleine de Coigny, fille d'aristocrates que la révolution accablera. Gérard, leur ancien domestique, est devenu chef révolutionnaire, l'aime et la veut pour lui. L'amoureux idéaliste, l'innocente amante et le rival sans scrupules, voilà de quoi faire un opéra qui vous ravira. La performance de Domingo est excellente, Zancanaro n'a pas non plus à rougir. Cependant, j'ai trouvé Tomowa-Sintov, en deça des mes espérances. On est loin de la Callas, mais de Callas, il n'y en a eu qu'une.

Giordano's passionate and most successful opera is set immediately before and during the French Revolution. Andrea Chénier, an idealistic poet, falls in love with Maddalena di Coigny at a reception at her mother's sumptuous château. Gérard, formerly a servant in the Coigny household, and now a revolutionary, also loves Maddalena. Elevated to the revolutionary court, he seizes the opportunity to have his rival, Chénier, condemned to death. Ultimately moved by Maddalena's devotion and selflessness in trying to save Chénier, Gérard regrets his actions and tries to save Chénier, but it is too late. With Gerard's help, Maddalena takes the place of a condemned woman and joins Chénier in his cell. As the tumbril arrives, the lovers look forward to their death together.

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Turandot- Giacomo Puccini

Turandot is the one Puccini Opera that lends itself to the most opulent of settings. Franco Zefferelli is one of the few producer/directors who could fill the expanse of the Met stage with jewels in a setting. Domingo is at the height of his career and Marton is perfect as the icy princess. Kudos especially to Leona Mitchell as Liu and Paul Plishka as Calaf's father, Timur. Incidentally, there are the best Ping, Pang and Pong I've ever heard or seen.

Dans une Chine médiévale imaginaire, la cruelle Princesse Turandot dont la beauté est légendaire attire à Pékin de nombreux prétendants lesquels doivent se soumettre à une terrible épreuve : s’ils élucident les trois énigmes que leur propose la princesse ils gagnent la main de celle-ci ainsi que le trône de Chine ; s’ils échouent, c’est la décapitation qui les attend.
Au moment où l’exécution du Prince de Perse est imminente, le Prince Inconnu arrive à Pékin et retrouve par hasard son père, roi de Tartarie déchu en exil et devenu aveugle ainsi que sa jeune guide Liú qui aime le Prince en secret depuis qu’un jour celui-ci lui a souri, à elle, une esclave.
Le Prince Inconnu condamne fermement la barbarie de la Princesse mais, lorsque celle-ci apparaît, sublime, impassible, pour ordonner d’un geste la mise à mort, il en tombe amoureux et se précipite, au mépris des imprécations de son père et des larmes de Liú, pour frapper de trois coups le gong qui le déclare candidat aux énigmes.

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Tamerlano - George Friderich Handel (2008)

What of the plot? The psychopathic Tamerlano has captured Ottoman leader Badajet and daughter Asteria. Tamerlano's Greek buddy Andronico falls for Asteria. Meanwhile, Irene, princess of Trebizond, is on her way for her nuptials with Tamerlano. Tamerlano then decides that he will marry Asteria and palms Irene off on Andronico. Asteria's two failed attempts on Tamerlano's life and then Bajazet's suicide persuade Tamerlano to revert to the original marital arrangement. Thus, theoretically, all ends happily but the music suggests otherwise, as it has throughout. This is `dark' opera: Handel at his compelling best with some remarkable conventional da capo arias. There are three sections ABA where the singer is allowed free rein in the third which was much to the point of Handel's operas when first produced: an opportunity for florid vocal display. And if you ever thought that da capo arias are repetitiously dull and boring then watch and listen. Further watch and listen carefully to the last scene where Handel almost ignored the musical conventions.

FULL REVIEW

AMAZON US
AMAZON FR

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Admeto-Handel (Special Edition with 2 DVDs+ 2 CDs) (2006)

Admeto, re di Tessaglia (Admetus, King of Thessaly; HWV 22) is a three-act opera with music composed by George Frideric Handel to an Italian-language libretto prepared by Nicola Haym. The story is partly based on Euripedes' Alcestis. The opera's first performance was at the Haymarket Theatre in London on 31 January 1727.

Admeto, re di Tessaglia (Admète, roi de Thessalie) est un opéra en trois actes dont la musique fut composée par Georg Friedrich Haendel à partir d'un livret italien écrit par Nicola Haym.
L'histoire est partiellement basée sur L'Alceste d'Euripide. La création de l'opéra eut lieu au théâtre de Haymarket à Londres le 31 janvier 1727. La distribution de la création comprenait Faustina Bordoni dans le rôle d'Alceste et Francesca Cuzzoni dans celui d'Antigone. Admeto fut le second des cinq opéras que Handel composa pour mettre en scène spécifiquement ces deux prime donne de l'époque.

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Ariodante - George Friderich Handel (2008)

Ariodante (HWV 33) is an opera seria in three acts by Handel. The anonymous Italian libretto was based on a work by Antonio Salvi, which in turn was adapted from Canti 5 and 6 of Ludovico Ariosto's Orlando Furioso. Each act contains opportunities for dance, originally composed for dancer Marie Sallé and her company.

Ginevra, daughter of the King of Scotland, is betrothed to Ariodante. Polinesso, a jealous rival of Ariodante, wins the confidence of Ginevra's friend Dalinda. With Dalinda's unwitting help, Polinesso tricks Ariodante into thinking that Ginevra is his lover.
The King, hearing of Ginevra’s alleged infidelity, disowns her, while Ariodante is reported dead by suicide. Polinesso then sends his agents to kill Dalinda, as the only witness to his plot. But Ariodante (whose suicide attempt was foiled), having met Dalinda while wandering in the woods, drives off the would-be assassins.
Polinesso, seeking to win the King’s favour, now offers to defend the honour of Ginevra in a tournament. In the combat, he is mortally wounded by Ariodante’s vengeful brother Lurcanio. Ariodante, having learned about Polinesso’s plot from Dalinda, now appears and offers himself as Ginevra’s champion. The dying Polinesso confesses his guilt and Ginevra is pardoned by the King.

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L'Incoronazione di Poppea- Monteverdi (2007)

Œuvre mariant la légèreté du badinage amoureux avec la gravité de thèmes moraux et éthiques intemporels, cet opéra est l'œuvre la plus dense qu'il m'ait été donnée de voir en termes de thématiques abordées. La densité du Libretto peut parfois être difficile à absorber tant son éloquence littéraire et philosophique est profonde. Cette œuvre marquée par un excellent casting qui montre que le baroque au contraire du bel canto se doit d'avoir une troupe homogène en excellence. La direction de Ponelle est ici pertinente dans ses choix, en particulier, l'orchestre au pied de la scène et l'interaction des chanteurs et des musiciens. Les costumes et la mise en scène sont excellents. Point négatif, c'est que ce qui a fait l'excellence de cette œuvre pendant les 2 premiers actes a été abandonné au 3ème acte, à savoir le chant en direct devant la caméra. Cela gâte un peu le plaisir mais heureusement ce ne furent que 10 minutes en doublage, le reste est de la performance chantée enregistrée, ce qui est bien préférable vous l'admettrez aux lèvres en asynchronie avec le son. Globalement je mettrais une note de 9/10, n'eut été ce doublage à l'acte 3, j'aurais mis 9.5. Cela veut de soi, que je ne mets jamais 10. ;)

Deutsche Grammophon

English review from DG site

Stage director Jena-Pierre Ponnelle was always willing to try something different in opera, while remaining respectful of both composer and librettist . . . he never ceased to be interesting. In this 1979 film, he hit on all cylinders. What we get is a bracing, theatrically intense production of "L'incoronazione" that faithfully embraces all the energy, extravagance, lofty and farcical elements, and underlying "Lacrimae rerum" of the opera. The costuming is excellent, and the basic set . . . is appropriate as a unifying device to the story . . . The singing is almost as good . . . The . . . cast is uniformly fine, with Salminen, Tappy, Yakar, and Perry drawing especial praise for their combination of security, ease of production, and facility with coloratura . . . They also act consummately with their voices, something that is not identical with physical acting, should (and here, does) complement it. Harnoncourt's orchestral forces in turn perform with spirit and precision. Wolfgang Treu's camerawork is perfectly bound to Ponnelle's staging. It is static when necessary, but also capable of dramatic movement -- not merely to one side or the other, but from the front of the stage to the back or vice versa, as when Nerone and Poppea are momentarily left to their triumph on a raised background tier . . . Visual images are clean and edges clearly delineated, with none of the color change or contrast problems that sometimes arise in vintage work. The sound is well balanced between singers and orchestra, with a healthy degree of ambience that never swamps the performances . . . This is an excellent production, proof (if such were needed) that it's possible to create a non-traditional staging of an opera that is also completely faithful to the work. My recommendation? By all means, buy it. You won't be disappointed.
Record Review / Barry Brenesal, Fanfare (Tenafly, NJ) / 01. July 2007
. . . his 1979 "L'incoronazione di Poppea" is a delight . . . it also features a number of fine musicians in excellent performances, including Harnoncourt, Tappy, Yakar, Salminen, and Esswood. But it is Ponnelle's willingness to invest so much creativity into reinvigorating historical forms that strikes me most profoundly about this set.
Record Review / Barry Brenesal, Fanfare (Tenafly, NJ) / 01. November 2007

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This is to be watched on PC with a dts decoding module, for that use VLC or Kmplayer or K-lite media player(full stuff install). It works, no need to nag about it, No covers provided.

La Gioconda - Amilcare Ponchielli (2005)

L'action se déroule à Venise au XVIIe siècle.Enzo Grimaldi, un noble banni de Venise, revient déguisé en marin. Il est aimé par la chanteuse Gioconda, mais aime Laura, la femme du grand conseiller Alvise. Barnaba, un espion qui désire Gioconda qui le repousse avec véhémence, reconnait Enzo et le dénonce au conseil.
Enzo et Laura se rencontrent secrètement à bord de son navire, Gioconda s'y trouve aussi et les confronte, mais reconnaissant Laura comme celle qui avait sauvé sa mère La Cieca, une aveugle, lorsqu'elle fut injustement accusée de sorcellerie par Barnaba, Gioconda les avertit de l'arrivée prochaine de ce dernier pour les arrêter. Laura s'échappe et Enzo met le feu à son navire et s'enfuit avec Gioconda.....

La Gioconda is an opera in four acts by Amilcare Ponchielli to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Angelo, tyran de Padoue, a play in prose by Victor Hugo, dating from 1835.
La Gioconda was a major success for Ponchielli, as well as the most successful new Italian opera between Verdi's Aida (1871) and Otello (1887). It is also a famous example of the Italian genre of Grande opera, the equivalent of French Grand-Opéra.