This just missed my 2012/24 Download News and it’s much
too good anyway not to receive an airing among the main MusicWeb
International reviews. Many years ago in my first teaching post
I had a colleague who could make a very creditable stab at these
bass arias and there were then a number of fine recordings of
them. They have rather gone out of fashion now but they deserve
to be revived and Christopher Purves is just the man to do so,
very ably abetted here by Arcangelo and Jonathan Cohen. I’m
sure my former colleague wouldn’t mind my saying that
his very creditable renditions are not in the same league; this
could well be one of my Recordings of the Year next time
around.
Perhaps the reason for the neglect of this repertoire stems
from the fact that many of Handel’s bass roles are villains
- the monster Polifemo in his Italian version of Aci, Galatea
e Polifemo and Polyphemus in the later English version written
for Cannons, or Lucifer in hisLa Resurrezione, another
work composed in Italy. Those villains are certainly represented
here - and most villainously, too, from the very first track
on which the Saracen King Argante sings of the hissing serpenta
of Alecto and the following track on which Polyphemus rages
and burns.
There’s tenderness, too, as on track 3 where Polyphemus
expresses his love for Galatea, and Purves does tender equally
well. This villain has a heart, too, and Purves joins the best
interpreters of the role over the years who have brought out
this tender side. Nor does he overdo the revengeful ire of Valens
threatening racks, gibbets, sword and fire for those
Christians like Theodora who oppose his decree (tr.13). There’s
plenty of ire here, but he resists the temptation to make Valens
into a pantomime villain.
Handel’s basses are also powerful figures, like the mage
Zoroastro who expounds on Orlando’s loss of reason through
love on track 11. Here too I’m very impressed by the power
of the singing. It’s especially effective, following as
it does the different moods of the preceding tracks, Abinoam’s
Tears, such as tender fathers shed (tr.9) and Gobrias’
aria of thanks to Cyrus for having laid low the Israelites’
oppressor (tr.10). We have two excellent recordings of Orlando
(William Christie/Warner Classical and Christopher Hogwood/Decca)
but a new rival with Purves as Zoroastro would present a strong
challenge.
No collection of Handel’s bass arias would be complete
without Revenge, Timotheus cries, from Alexander’s
Feast, the penultimate item on this recital - more snakes
in the hair of the Furies, and very well done but again without
going over the top. We don’t end with a bang - nor with
a whimper, either, but with a sensitive evocation of the gentler
tone of Leave me, loathsome light from Semele,
in which Somnus lulls himself to sleep.
That apart, sleep is the last thing that this new recording
is likely to induce in its listeners. Not only is it worthy
of comparison with such great predecessors as Owen Brannigan,
whose Polyphemus, with Sir Adrian Boult conducting Acis and
Galatea, is still worth seeking out on Chandos or Australian
Decca Eloquence, it also continues Hyperion’s strong tradition
of Handel performance. Three of these are advertised in the
booklet - the most recent Arias for Guadagni (Handel
and Hasse, Iestyn Davies, again with Arcangelo, CDA67924 - review),
earlier releases from Emma Kirkby and Catherine Bott (CDS44271/3,
3 CDs at a special price: Bargain of the Month - review
and review)
and Heroic Arias sung by James Bowman with the King’s
Consort on budget-price Hyperion Helios CDH55370 (July 2012/2
Download
Roundup).
I listened to the new recording in 24-bit download form, which
makes it superior to the CD and it is, indeed, excellent - but
I doubt whether you would have any problems with the latter.
At 700MB the 24-bit is probably a little too large to burn to
CDR, so those who like to have the physical disc will have to
buy the CD or download the 16-bit CD-equivalent version. As
always with Hyperion, the quality of the booklet is an added
advantage.
I’d encourage you to make a bee-line for all those Hyperion
recordings of arias and duets in one format or another, but
also to investigate some of Hyperion’s distinguished complete
recordings of Handel operas and oratorios. Most of all it’s
to the two CDs with Arcangelo in accompaniment, the current
recording and the earlier Arias for Guadagni, that I
would direct your attention. I didn’t make Arias for
Guadagni a Recording of the Month (June 2012/2 Download
Roundup) and, on reflection, I’m wondering why, especially
as it won an award, so the accolade is actually for both that
and Finest Arias for Base Voice. No reservations? Well,
that title with the cod spelling and mixed-up fonts is a bit
of pseudo-eighteenth-century flummery, but that’s hardly
a serious criticism.
Brian Wilson
see also review by Jonathan
Woolf (January 2013 Recording of the Month)
Track-listing:
Sibilar gli angui d’Aletto (Argante) (Act 1 No
10. Aria from Rinaldo, HWV7a) [4:50]
I rage, I melt, I burn! (Polyphemus) (Part 2 No 02. Accompagnato
from Acis and Galatea, HWV49a) [1:21]
O ruddier than the cherry (Polyphemus) (Part 2 No 03. Air from
Acis and Galatea, HWV49a) [3:13]
Fra l’ombre e gl’orrori (Polifemo) (No 23.
Aria from Aci, Galatea e Polifemo, HWV72) [6:59]
If I give thee honour due (L’Allegro) (Part 1 No 14. Recitative
from L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, HWV55)
[0:12]
Mirth, admit me of thy crew (L’Allegro) (Part 1 No 15.
Air from L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato,
HWV55) [2:34]
Qual’insolita luce (Lucifero) (Part 1 No 3. Accompagnato
from La Resurrezione, HWV47) [1:09]
Caddi, è ver (Lucifero) (Part 1 No 4. Aria from
La Resurrezione, HWV47) [4:15]
Tears, such as tender fathers shed (Abinoam) (Part 3 Scene 2
No 2. Air from Deborah, HWV51) [2:30]
To pow’r immortal my first thanks are due (Gobrias) (Act
3 Scene 3. Air from Belshazzar, HWV61) [3:55]
Impari ognun da Orlando (Zoroastro) (Act 3 Scene 6 No
10. Accompagnato from Orlando, HWV31) [1:11]
Sorge infausta una procella (Zoroastro) (Act 3 Scene
6 No 11. Aria from Orlando, HWV31) [4:35]
Racks, gibbets, sword and fire (Valens) (Act 1 No 5. Air from
Theodora, HWV68) [3:56]
Volate più dei venti (Porsena) (Act 3 No 6. Aria
from Muzio Scevola, HWV13) [3:24]
Vieni, o cara (Claudio) (Act 1 Scene 21. Aria from Agrippina,
HWV6) [1:45]
Nel mondo e nell’abisso (Isacio) (Act 3 Scene 4.
Aria from Riccardo Primo, Re d’Inghilterra, HWV23)
[3:13]
Mie piante correte (Apollo) (No 17. Aria from Apollo
e Dafne, HWV122) [2:50]
Cara pianta (Apollo) (No 18. Aria from Apollo e Dafne,
HWV122) [7:27]
Revenge, Timotheus cries (Part 2 No 2. Air from Alexander’s
Feast, HWV75) [7:55]
Leave me, loathsome light (Somnus) (Act 3 Scene 1. Air from
Semele, HWV58) [3:40]
|
Support
us financially by purchasing this disc from:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Christopher Purves (bass) 