Comparison recordings:
[DVD] Thomas Allen, Kathleen
Kuhlman, Geoffrey Tate, Salzburg Festival Opera {arr. H. W.
Henze}. RM Arts VHS and Region 1 NTSC DVD
[audio
only] Sven Olaf Eliasson, Norma Lerer, arr/cond. Harnoncourt (excerpts)
[ADD] Warner Apex 2564 61508-2
[audio
only] Christoph Prégardien, Barbara Fink, Guy de May, arr/cond.
René Jacobs. (excerpts) [ADD] Harmonia Mundi HMC 901427.29
This magnificent work exists
in a single manuscript copy with the music written out on five
staves with no indication as to which instruments were to be
used, hence all modern productions have to be from assigned
orchestral parts. Also, there are several parts of the score
which are fragmentary and require reconstruction. In most cases
it is the conductor who writes out the instrumental parts, but
for the Salzburg production Hans Werner Henze produced a somewhat
romanticized and percussion-augmented version. All versions
I have heard are perfectly satisfactory and with the opera’s
current and richly deserved popularity we are probably moving
towards a “standard” published version.
When great artists and
a great work come together no wrong can result, but, due to
the fragmentary nature of the original of this work, there will
be differences. Leppard’s instrumentation is truer to Monteverdi’s
times than the Salzburg version by Henze. Sets and costumes
in this Royal Opera production also are “modern” in that they
refer to Monteverdi’s Italy rather than to Ancient Greece, as
in the Salzburg production.
For those of you who don’t
know the opera, perhaps Monteverdi’s greatest existing work,
and one of the greatest of all operas, it relates the stories
of books XIV through XXIII of Homer’s Odyssey, plus the
addition of a prologue consisting of the various Greek Gods
boasting of how they will have fun causing this man to suffer
while a representative of the human species writhes helpless
under their spears and gibes.
I found this casting of
a completely nude young girl in the “Prologue” inappropriate.
This is supposed to be a philosophical discourse, not a B&D
flick. I am not a mere prude, and had no objections at all to
Eyes Wide Shut. But here I feel that a body stocking
would have been more in keeping with the mood of the opera,
the aesthetic of classical antiquity and the sensibilities of
Monteverdi’s day. I would expect this was heatedly discussed
pro and con in the press at the time of the public performances
and I will say only that I think it obvious that the natural
player in the “Prologue” is Ulysses himself, as with Thomas
Allen, naked but for a diaper, in the Salzburg production. Also
it seems to me that the Divine humbling the great hero himself
is more dramatic than humbling someone who is already humble.
If Benjamin Luxon did not want to get naked on stage, he could
use a body double à la Hollywood. Unfortunately for my opinion
the part of L’humana Fragilta was written simply for
a mezzo-soprano or tenor voice, male or female, and nobody knows
which was used in the original performances. It is not unlikely
that the same mezzo who sang Penelope would double as L’humana
Fragilta, even as at the Salzburg production the part was
doubled with Ulysses, since both equally are the victims of
cruel fate.
Monteverdi invented opera
as an extended recitative divided into dramatic scenes. He of
all people would appreciate Wagner and Wagner certainly stole
as much from Monteverdi as he stole from everybody else. The
operatic strophic aria, the set-piece, the tune, were not in
his bag of tricks. His greatest single operatic fragment is
the aria “Lasciatemi Morire” (also in madrigal form) the only
surviving music from the lost opera Ariadne, and it is
a magnificent soliloquy.
The three greatest moments
in this opera are: Penelope’s first aria, a soliloquy depicting
her loneliness; her final solo aria where she expresses her
anguished disbelief that her husband has actually come home,
afraid to believe it; and the final duet with Ulyses where all
her doubts are swept away in the moment of joyous reunion. We
are fortunate to have four recorded performances of Penelope’s
two solos to compare.
Mss Fink and Larer sing
very beautifully and are supported by excellent production.
However, in the company of Kuhlmann and Baker, there is really
no contest. If this comes down to a battle of the mezzos, I
pronounce it a draw. Each delivers one of the great performances
of the century and if you love opera and love Monteverdi, you
must have both. This is truly one of Dame Janet’s great performances.
She is in magnificent voice throughout. Having some small experience
with her live performances, I know she could have bad days,
but here she is very, very good throughout.
Benjamin Luxon is not only
a fine Ulysses, both as a singer and actor, but an accomplished
bowsman. In the climactic scene, he shoots real arrows with
Ulysses’ bow as the cast move convincingly and quickly out of
the way with what may be genuine panic.
David Hughes gets credit
for the subtitles, but, with an it’s for its,
see for sea, Ithaka for Ithaca,
and an occasional random “|”, Mr. Hughes needs a spell-checker.
I am grateful to Prof.
Mark Ringer whose book Monteverdi, Opera’s First Master
offered invaluable insights and the opportunity to hear the
Jacobs excerpts on the included CD.
Paul Shoemaker
