Gioseffo ZAMPONI (1600/10 - 1662)
Ulisse all'isola di Circe - drama musicale (1650)
Céline Scheen (soprano) - Circe
Mariana Flores (soprano) - Venus
Dominique Visse (alto) - Argesta
Fabián Schofrin (alto) - Satiro
Fernando Guimarães (tenor) - Euriloco
Zachary Wilder (tenor) - Mercurio, Apollo
Furio Zanasi (baritone) - Ulisse
Sergio Foresti (bass) - Nettuno
Matteo Bellotto (bass) - Giove
Cappella Mediterranea, Choeur de Chambre de Namur, Clematis/Leonardo García Alarcón
rec. February 2012, Salle philharmonique, Liège, Belgium. DDD
RICERCAR RIC342 [74:12 + 63:19]
In 1649 the Spanish King Philip IV married for the second time —
to his niece Maria Anna of Austria. This marriage was also celebrated
in the Spanish Netherlands, which were ruled by Archduke Wilhelm Leopold,
son of the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II. As with nearly all members
of the Habsburg dynasty he was an active patron of the arts and founded
a chapel in which musicians from Italy and Austria were joined by local
forces. In 1648 he appointed Giuseppe Zamponi as director of chamber music.
He was born somewhere between 1600 and 1610 in Rome and was for some time
in the service of Cardinal Pier Maria Borghese, until the latter's
death in 1642. It was this Zamponi who was commissioned to compose an
opera which was to be performed in 1650 as part of the celebrations of
Philip IV's marriage.
The first performance took place on 24 February, followed by a second
two days later. In 1655 it was performed once again for the Swedish Queen
Christina, who visited Brussels on her way to Rome after she had abdicated
following her conversion to the Roman Catholic Church. She liked the opera
so much that she wanted to hear and see it a second time. She was not
the only one who greatly appreciated Ulisse all'isola di Circe.
The first performance was "a success, to the inexpressible admiration
and happiness of the audience", as a newspaper stated, and the second
performance was attended by even more people. They were not only impressed
by the music, but also the production, as it required no fewer than nine
set changes and a great quantity of stage machinery. It was the talk of
the town for years to come, also because it was the very first opera ever
performed in Brussels.
Ulisse (or Odysseus) is a figure from classical antiquity who stirred
the imagination of writers and composers. Zamponi's opera is about
him landing on an island ruled by Circe, a sorceress. She turns some of
his soldiers exploring the island into statues. Ulisse wants to rescue
them, and with the help of Mercury is able to protect himself against
Circe's sorcery, but falls in love with her. It is Mercury again
who comes to his rescue and brings him back to his senses. Ulisse decides
to leave Circe and return to his wife and son.
Zamponi's opera is in three acts, preceded by a prologue. It is
in the tradition of the Venetian opera to which also Monteverdi's
Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria belongs and with which Zamponi's
opera obviously has something in common. Monteverdi's opera documents
the stylistic changes which took place in the second quarter of the 17th
century. One of its features is the introduction of more lyrical episodes,
which one could call ariosos, and which point in the direction of the
aria which was to become the standard in opera at the end of the century.
This development comes even more strongly to the fore in the operas of
Francesco Cavalli, who was the dominant composer for the theatre in Venice
after Monteverdi's death. Zamponi's Ulisse all'isola
di Circe shows strong affinity with the latter's operas.
Despite the subject I didn't find this opera very dramatic. I still
wonder whether that is due to the composition itself or the way it is
performed. It is probably a combination of both. Circe may be a sorceress,
but she doesn't seem very fearful. One never feels that Ulisse
is in real danger, not even after he has decided to leave Circe. The sorceress
is mad but her reaction is rather modest. Céline Scheen certainly
gives a fine performance, and she manages to show the two sides of Circe:
her sweetness when she enjoys Ulisse's love and her anger when
he tells her that he will leave her. Even so I feel that she could have
made more of the sorceress's anger. Right from the start Venus
is Ulisse's fiercest enemy who wants to make his life as miserable
as possible. Mariana Flores sings beautifully, but is too harmless and
sweet. Venus is a rather unpleasant character, but aspect that doesn't
fully come off here.
The opera ends in a rather odd way. Mercury convinces Ulisse that he should
leave Circe and go home. This brings him into conflict with Venus, and
they quarrel over his actions. This comes to a climax in the sixth scene
of the third act when they both fly to heaven to state their cases before
Jupiter (Giove). However, his verdict never comes. Instead in the last
scene Jupiter and four gods sing the praises of Philip IV and express
joy about his wedding. Here the opera turns into a kind of serenade, and
the drama more or less melts away.
In the mid-17th century comic elements became an indispensable part of
operas. Comic characters were often travesty roles. That is probably the
case with the role of Argesta too, but this part has been partly transposed
and the liner-notes are silent as to the kind of singer for which the
part was originally scored. This part is performed by the alto Dominique
Visse, a specialist in this kind of roles. Whether one appreciates his
singing is a matter of taste, and he sometimes tends to go a little overboard.
However, this role has a tragic side as well, and he brings that out very
well indeed. Another role that has been transposed is that of Satiro,
originally scored for baritone, but here sung by the alto Fabián
Schofrin.
The singing is generally outstanding. There is a strong amount of stylistic
unity, as the singers all show a command of what was the ideal of the
time: recitar cantando, speechlike singing. The ornamentation
is stylistically convincing as well, and the singers rightly don't
overdo its application. I already mentioned some shortcomings in the interpretations
of the roles of Circe and Venus. Zachary Wilder gives an outstanding account
of the part of Mercury, and the bickering between Mercury and Venus is
one of the nicest parts of this performance. Furio Zanasi is well cast
in the role of Ulisse. He doesn't sound very heroic, but that is
just about right, because Ulisse is not exactly a heroic figure in this
work. The smaller roles are all performed well, some by members of the
choir. The Choeur de Chambre de Namur is an excellent ensemble and one
of the assets of this recording.
The scores of operas of this time leave much to the interpreters, especially
in regard to the instrumental line-up. García Alarcón has
taken quite some liberties, and I am not certain that all of these are
justified. It is more than questionable whether so many instruments were
involved in opera performances in the mid-17th century. Some decisions
are defended with reference to the festive character of the occasion.
That is a valid argument, but I feel that there is too much wishful thinking
here, and that the scoring probably reflects the conductor's personal
preferences rather than historical circumstance. In previous recordings
he often took decisions which were not feasible from a historical point
of view.
Setting aside the critical notes the release of this production is a reason
to celebrate. Zamponi's music is very enjoyable, and the singing
and playing are of a high standard. This recording shows that there is
still much to discover and that it is a shame that so few operas from
the mid-17th century are performed and recorded.
Johan van Veen
http://www.musica-dei-donum.org
https://twitter.com/johanvanveen
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