George Frideric HANDEL (1685-1759)
The Alchymist, incidental music (HWV 43) [18:53]
Apollo e Dafne (La terra è liberata) (HWV 122)*
[39:17]
Nicola Wemyss (soprano) - Dafne*; Tom Sol (baritone) - Apollo*
Michael Borgstede (harpsichord)
Musica ad Rhenum/Jed Wentz
rec. 2006. DDD
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 94600 [58:10]
The recording date of this disc suggests that it has been released
before. That is indeed the case: it appeared in 2007 as an SACD. This disc
is a reissue as a 'conventional' CD. It seems that this performance has not
been reviewed here.
Apollo e Dafne is called a cantata which was one of the most
popular genres in Italy at the time. It is quite different from the chamber
cantata, though. It was Alessandro Scarlatti who had established the basic
structure of the cantata. It comprised two pairs each of recitative and
aria, for a solo voice - usually a soprano - and bc. Sometimes one or two
parts for treble instruments were added, mostly violins. Handel's cantata is
different in that it is scored for two solo voices and an instrumental
ensemble of transverse flute, two oboes, bassoon, strings and bc. The flute
only plays the obbligato part in the aria 'Felicissima quest'alma'.
Handel started its composition in Venice in 1709, but only completed
it the next year when he was Kapellmeister in Hanover. The first
performance seems to have taken place in February 1711 in London, on the
occasion of the birthday of Queen Anne. She was enthusiastic about Handel's
cantata, and so was the court chronicler who described it as "a fine
consort, being a Dialogue in Italian, in Her Majesty's Praise, set to
excellent Musick by the famous Mr. Hendel".
At the start Apollo boasts about his power which even Cupid can't
surpass. That turns out to be a mistake as he falls in love with Dafne the
moment he sees her. She resists his advances, but when he starts to stalk
her she escapes by turning herself into a laurel tree. In the closing aria
Apollo resigns himself to his fate: "Dear laurel, with my tears I shall
water your green leaves".
The cantata is divided into 19 sections, in the form of recitatives,
arias and duets. With its scoring and length it is more like a mini-opera
than a cantata. That is also the way it is performed here. Some recitatives
follow the preceding aria without any interruption. That increases the
dramatic flow. The performances of the two singers fit perfectly into this
dramatic concept.
Tom Sol evocatively portrays the arrogance and rudeness of Apollo.
He excels in the many coloraturas and makes an effective use of dynamic
shading to communicate the text. He has no problems with the softer spots in
the score, as he shows in the pathetic closing aria, 'Cara pianta'. Nicola
Wemyss is fully convincing in the role of Dafne, who firmly resists Apollo's
advances. I have heard her several times before and I have always liked her
singing. So it remains here, but I would have preferred a little less
vibrato. I noticed with satisfaction that the recitatives are sung with the
right amount of rhythmic freedom.
One of the features of the interpretations of Jed Wentz and his
ensemble is the often unconventional choice of tempi. Wentz has done
extensive research in regard to the tempi of the 18th century. He has come
to the conclusion that in many cases these were considerably faster than
what is commonly practised today. Most arias are taken at a higher speed
than in other recordings.
A striking difference with a recording for which I always have had a
soft spot - with Judith Nelson and David Thomas as the soloists and directed
by Nicholas McGegan - is the interpretation of Apollo's aria 'Come rosa in
su la spina': "As the rose with its thorn quickly comes and quickly goes, so
with sudden flight passes the flower of beauty". David Thomas sings it in a
moderate tempo, in a rather gentle manner. The result is quite beautiful,
but from a dramatic point of view the rather swift tempo which Sol and Wentz
have chosen may be more appropriate. Moreover, gentleness and thoughtfulness
are not exactly the qualities one associates with Apollo. Another feature of
this performance is the addition of extensive ornamentation. The aria with
flute obbligato mentioned above is a perfect example: Jed Wentz adds more
ornaments than you will probably have ever heard before. Even the da
capo is introduced by a kind of improvisation.
Apollo e Dafne comes without an overture. In some
performances a movement from a concerto grosso takes on this role. Here it
is preceded by the music for The Alchymist. I can't tell whether this
is meant as a kind of overture to the cantata; the liner-notes are silent on
the point. However, it is at least suggested by the very short interval
between the last movement of the suite and the first recitative of the
cantata.
Strictly speaking this is not a composition by Handel. It is rather
a compilation by an unknown hand of pieces from the first opera Handel
composed in Italy, Rodrigo. In January 1710 the play The
Alchymist by Ben Jonson was performed in the Queen's Theatre at the
Haymarket. The music of this suite was used as incidental music. It is
unlikely Handel knew about this, let alone had given his permission. The
scoring is the same as in the cantata, with the exception of the flute.
After a dignified overture in ABA form we hear a series of dances,
such as sarabande, menuet and bourrée. Some tempi are quite unusual,
especially in the first minuet (track 3) which is taken at a very high
speed. The sarabande takes more time than usual because all the repeats are
observed. The bourrée (track 5) is played twice, first by the oboes
and the bassoon, then by the whole ensemble. Another feature of this
ensemble's performances is the fluctuation of the tempo when that is
considered appropriate. That is the case here in the next-to-last movement,
here called 'air' (track 8) where the tempo regularly slows down and speeds
up.
The music by Handel is presented here in a quite dramatic fashion.
That seems to me absolutely right as the composer was a pure-bred man of the
theatre. Apollo e Dafne receives one of the best performances I have
heard, and the music for The Alchymist is given an exciting
interpretation. The playing of Musica ad Rhenum is outstanding. If you
missed the first release, don't miss this reissue.
Johan van Veen
http://www.musica-dei-donum.org
https://twitter.com/johanvanveen
Dramatic and exciting performances.
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