Ercole was the first opera that Vivaldi wrote
for Rome and, though we know nothing about the circumstances
of the commission, he was out to impress. In this work he created
what the booklet notes refer to as “an operatic sampler”,
a compendium of every kind of aria and operatic trick that he
was capable of producing, an introduction for the Roman opera-going
public to all that was great about his art. The story is a very
liberal re-telling of the ninth labour of Hercules. Hercules
and his hero companions set out for the river Thermodon (Termodonte)
and the kingdom of the Amazons where, after a series of adventures
in love and war, he succeeds in winning the girdle of Antiope,
the Amazon queen. For all its contemporary popularity, however,
the score was subsequently lost and Ercole vanished into
obscurity for centuries until Fabio Biondi set about the task
of reconstructing it.
In a long and fascinating booklet note Biondi explains his process
in reconstructing the opera. The key was that we still have
the complete published libretto and, more importantly, the opera’s
immense popularity led to almost every aria being copied and
re-published separately in collections that were sold all across
musical Europe. Biondi’s archaeology led him principally
to the libraries of Paris, Münster and Turin where he found
copies and rearrangements of most of the material he needed
and pieced it back together to re-make the score as best he
could. The process isn’t perfect: all the recitatives
are gone and Biondi had to re-write these himself in an imitation
of Vivaldian style. There is also no material for the choruses
- these were made up of borrowings and pastiches - and one or
two arias are lost entirely. On the whole, though, you have
to take your hat off to Biondi for succeeding in a task as seemingly
Herculean as the action itself.
The opera itself makes great listening. Vivaldi writes every
kind of aria and showcases it to display his abilities as a
composer at their most refined. We are exposed to every emotion
with the register cranked up to maximum: rage, despair, love,
vengeance, heroism, cowardice, frustration, infatuation, and
everything in between. It’s also of a well judged length
so that the tension doesn’t flag and the drama proceeds
at just the right pace in its current format.
All of Biondi’s efforts, however, would be worth little
were it not for the fact that he assembles a wonderful cast
of performers to give the opera new birth. Singers from both
the Baroque and Romantic worlds give their all to the project
and it is exhilarating to hear familiar voices in music that
has probably not been heard for centuries: the length of time
it took to complete the recording is testament to the hectic
schedules of 21st century operatic stars! Hercules
himself is superstar tenor Rolando Villazon, though he is probably
the least successful character due to his almost total lack
of empathy with the style of the period. He certainly gives
his all in the manner for which he is famous, but too often
he pushes his voice to emotional breaking point and blusters
dreadfully, most seriously at the accompagnato that begins
Act 3. His opening aria is clearly too low for him, and he foghorns
his way through Non fia della vittoria in a most unattractive
manner. He can tone it down when he needs to, and he does so
for his Act 2 aria on the nature of love, but he sticks out
problematically among colleagues so distinguished for their
refinement and sensitivity to period style. For all the attention
he pays it he might as well be singing Alfredo!
He, however, is the only weak link: everywhere else you will
find great riches. The women are all well contrasted so that
there is never any danger of monotony. As Antiope, the Amazon
queen, Vivica Genaux is extremely impressive. The masculine
quality of her voice underlines her role as leader and her coloratura
never detracts from her authoritative manner. She saves the
best for last, her final aria displaying astonishing virtuosity
in a breakneck torrent of vengeance and fury. As her war-like
sister, Orizia, Patrizia Ciofi sounds austere, distinctively
different to her colleagues. Her voice is smoky, pained at times,
and she comes up with some hugely interesting ornamentations
for the da capo section of her arias. Her interpretation
also culminates in an incredible aria of defiance in Act 3.
Joyce DiDonato as the third sister, Ippolita, is as wonderfully
characterful as always. To her is given a wonderful pair of
arias to begin Act 2: the first a love song accompanied by a
gorgeous pair of duetting violins, the second a heroic aria
of startling coloratura. She also acts most convincingly with
the voice, giving it an entirely different colour for her final,
almost oriental-sounding aria, showing her ability to reinvent
the character as necessary.
Diana Damrau, as Antiope’s daughter Martesia, is appropriately
girlish and fresh, winning in her innocence, with great coloratura
in her opening aria, and she is at her most alluring in her
Act 3 aria where she accepts Alceste’s love. Alceste himself
is given to the heavenly voice of Philippe Jaroussky. He is
a marvel among counter-tenors, producing sounds that are as
beautiful as they are unearthly. He brings silky sensuousness
to everything he sings, even his heroic aria at the end of Act
I, and it is dream casting that a voice such as his is given
so many arias about the nature of love. Topi Lehtipuu’s
tenor is muscular and heroic, but in an entirely different manner
to Villazon, lighter, more youthful and much more in keeping
with the style of the piece. My greatest discovery, however,
was Romina Basso, new to me. She produces absolutely gorgeous
tone from a voice that is dark, silky, almost husky in places,
coming very close to being a contralto. She sings with sensual
allure in Theseus’s opening aria, reflecting on his love
for Ippolita, then produces wonderful coloratura in her quicksilver
aria when she realises Ippolita’s love is returned. She
is quite wonderful and is a voice I will look out for again.
The anchor for the whole set is the always excellent playing
of Europa Galante. By turns sprightly, energetic, languorous
or euphoric, they are perfect for showcasing Vivaldi’s
compendium of his art. Perhaps the greatest praise should go
to Biondi himself who has not only brought this opera back from
the dead but has had a hand in shaping its every contour so
convincingly that we accept it as being the original text. His
advice must surely have gone into the singers’ ornamentations
which are sensitive, virtuosic and entirely in keeping with
the spirit of the music.
Presentation of the set is in a slimline case with an excellent
booklet containing text, translations, colour photographs and
scholarly essays. Whether you buy this set to sample some magnificent
singing or to get to know a once lost opera, you will find plenty
to enjoy.
Simon Thompson
Ercole - Rolando Villazon (tenor) 
