Joseph HAYDN (1732-1809)
Opera at Eszterháza: Arias - La Circe
Infelice sventurata (Aria di Beatrice) (1789*) [4.59]; Costretta
a piangere (Aria di Dorina) (1762) [5.37]; Signor, voi sapete (Aria
di Rosina) (1785) [3.14]; Solo e pensoso (Aria da Il canzoniere di
Francesco Petrarca) (1798) [5.50]; Dice benissimo (Aria di Lumaca)
(1780) [1.59]; Da che penso a maritarmi (Aria di Titta) (1790) [3.43];
Se tu mi sprezzi, ingrata (Aria del Cavaliere) (1788) [5.35]; Tornate
pur mia bella (Aria) (1790) [6.31]; Begli occhi vezzosi (Aria di Ernesto)
(1777) [4.51]; Ah, tu non senti - Qual destra omicida (Recitativo ed Aria
di Oreste) (1786)[5.44];
La Circe - the three numbers from the opera pasticcio (1789):
Son pietosa, son bonina (Aria di Lindora) [4.04]; Son due ore che
giro (Scena di Pedrillo) [7.35]; Lavatevi presto (Terzetto) [9.36]
* All dates are those of the first performances, as stated in the CD booklet
Miah Persson (soprano), Kirstin Chávez (mezzo), Bernard Richter (tenor),
Christoph Genz (tenor), Iván Paley (baritone), Manfred Hemm (bass)
Haydn Sinfonietta Wien/Manfred Huss
rec. Floriankirche, Straden, Austria, May/June 2008 (tracks 1-5) and at the
Church of the Three Kings, Benedikt, Slovenia, June 2009 (tracks 6-13), SACD
BIS-SACD-1811 [71.31]
Opera at Eszterháza is the latest issue in the collaborative
series by BIS, the Haydn Sinfonietta Wien and Manfred Huss. It forms part
of 2009’s celebration to mark the 200th anniversary of Haydn’s
death in 2009. About a year ago, in June 2009, I had the pleasure of reviewing
another of their CDs, namely Acide, a recording of the surviving fragments
of Haydn’s first Italian opera. All concerned should be congratulated
for their continuing efforts in bringing to the public’s attention forgotten
or neglected works by a composer of Haydn’s stature. Sadly, nearly all
of Haydn’s operatic compositions fall nowadays into the list of neglects,
possibly due to the fact that many of the librettos he used were not very
good; most of his operas progress rather slowly and are not rich in dramatic
action, making them difficult to stage. Haydn also composed a great number
of operas, concert arias, scenes and extra arias to be inserted in operas
by other composers, with the aim of suiting a particular singer, as was customary
in his day. This disc contains a selection of some of the best examples of
such works.
The first four arias of the disc are for soprano and two, Infelice sventurata
and Signor, voi sapete, were written for other composers’ operas;
respectively Domenico Cimarosa’s I due supposti and Pasquale
Anfossi’s Il matrimonio per inganno. All four pieces are immediately
pleasing to the ear, wonderfully proportionate with clever orchestrations,
revealing that Haydn was comfortable with writing both gracefully moving arias,
like Infelice sventurata or Costretta a piangere, and witty
pieces as Signor, voi sapete, which is one of the gems here and possibly
my favourite. Swedish soprano Miah Persson sings these first four pieces splendidly.
She has a beautiful voice with a crystal clear tone, easy high notes and elegant
phrasing, all supported by an excellent technique, making these pieces the
most enjoyable of the whole disc.
The four soprano arias are followed by an insertion aria, Dice benissimo,
which Haydn wrote for baritone Luigi Rossi and Antonio Salieri’s opera
La Scuola de’ Gelosi. It is a short but rather interesting piece,
cynical in tone but with undoubtedly great music. It suits Colombian baritone
Iván Paley’s voice and he makes an excellent job, delivering
it with technical precision and great humour.
These initial five pieces are then followed by five arias for tenor, sung
here by young Swiss tenor Bernard Richter. I was very impressed with Richter
in last year’s BIS CD of Haydn’s Acide (which I mentioned
above) but here I did not find his performance so convincing. He has a crystalline
tone, very clear diction and appears comfortable in the highest as well as
the middle and lower ranges of his voice. However, while in Acide he
was spot-on, here he sounds sometimes a shade dry, his style slightly declamatory
and his phrasing not as refined. On occasion, his voice sounds a little nasal
in the top notes (perhaps he was suffering from a cold?), which although it
does not distort, it makes the effect less attractive. Nevertheless, his performance
is not at all bad; on the contrary, he delivers all five pieces very effectively.
This is particularly true of the beautiful aria Tornate pur mia bella
where he displays an excellent legato technique and performs the piece
with great delicacy and tenderness, perfectly expressing a young man in love,
as the piece describes.
The final CD tracks, as stated in the booklet notes, come from an opera pastiche,
La Circe,which Haydn arranged from music by several composers.
We are offered three pieces: an aria, a scena and a terzetto. The aria entitled
Son pietosa, son bonina is sung by young American mezzo-soprano Kirstin
Chávez who to me was the revelation in terms of singing ability. It
was the first time I heard her sing though I have read various revues about
her performances in Bizet’s Carmen, which tend to praise her
voice but mainly to rave and revolve around her sensual, striking beauty.
However, Ms Chávez really does possess a remarkable voice, with a velvety
rich tone and is dramatically very expressive. Her high notes are warm and
easy, she displays a solid coloratura and she has an exquisite dark
edge in the lower range of her voice, which gives her performance a certain
degree of exoticism. The only thing I would say is that her diction could
be better; there are a couple of occasions during the aria where it is a little
unclear.
Bernard Richter returns on the final two CD tracks: Son due ore che giro
the scena and then in the terzetto Lavatevi presto where he is joined
by German tenor Christoph Genz and Austrian bass Manfred Hemm. Both pieces
are effectively delivered by all three singers and Hemm’s resonant bass
is particularly impressive.
The Haydn Sinfonietta Wien and Manfred Huss are in great form throughout the
CD and deliver a fulfilling, technically flawless performance, full of delicate
nuances, effectively showcasing their expertise in music of the classical
period in general and of Haydn in particular. Their rendition of these forgotten
and nearly lost operatic compositions is as beautiful as it is precise and
a joy from beginning to end.
The recording quality of the work is excellent whether one listens to it on
normal CD or SACD equipment; however, only on SACD does one get the glorious
detail of each instrument or of the voices and the gorgeous sound of the orchestra
as a whole. The booklet notes are also better than most: expertly written
by Manfred Huss in a clear, attractive style, simultaneously informative and
enjoyable; not too long; not too short and accessible to all whether one has
a deep knowledge of music or not. The notes are in English, German and French
as well as the biographies of Huss and the two main singers: Persson and Richter.
For information on the other singers, their websites are clearly listed. The
booklet also includes all texts in the original Italian with English translations.
Overall, Opera at Eszterháza is an excellent work though the
real star is not the singing but Haydn’s music. This, I believe, was
Huss’s intention. Haydn’s music is superb in its adventurous orchestrations,
full of wit and subtle emotions and, most of all incredibly beautiful. I loved
this CD and it made me wonder why musicians do not record Haydn’s operatic
works more often; they may have a slow moving action but surely on disc that
is not so important!
Margarida Mota-Bull