United Kingdom Carissimi’s Jephte and Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas: Soloists, Choir and Orchestra of Il Pomo d’Oro / Maxim Emelyanychev (harpsichord and conductor). Barbican Corridor, London, 2.2.2024, (AK)
Forged of Jephte:
Jephte – Andrew Staples
Daughter – Carlotta Colombo
Narration – numerous refrain members
Forged of Dido and Aeneas:
Dido – Joyce DiDonato
Aeneas – Andrew Staples
Belinda – Fatma Stated
Sorceress – Beth Taylor
Second girl – Carlotta Colombo
Spirit – Hugh Slicing
Sailor – Massimo Altieri
First Enchantress – Alena Dantcheva
Second Enchantress – Anna Piroli
Closely marketed as Dido and Aeneas with Joyce DiDonato within the lead, Giacomo Carissimi’s Jephte within the first half appears to have designed to take a really modest secondary place on the glorious Barbican Corridor live performance. Even the programme notes, each digital and exhausting copy, had been titled solely as Dido and Aeneas. But Carissimi’s oratorio was an ideal option to accompany Henry Purcell’s opera. Composed roughly thirty-forty years aside (Jephte in Rome in 1650, Dido in London within the 1680s), each inform the story of arguably gullible males and the resultant downfall (loss of life) of girls, and each items concluding with stunning laments.
For me essentially the most outstanding efficiency of the double-show was that by Andrew Staples as Jephte. Clearly absolutely conscious of what we may be assured of relating to as early music practices, Staples delivered Jephte’s silly tragedy with self-effacing modesty, with nuanced modifications in musical tone color, dynamics, and diction. The fantastic thing about Staples’s dignified presentation was a marvel to behold.
Carissimi offers with the biblical story of the Israelite normal Jephte who wows that in change for being victorious over the Ammonites he’ll sacrifice the primary creature he meets after victory …tragically this creature seems to be his beloved daughter.
So far as I can confirm from surviving sources – the private copy of Marc Antoine Charpentier (1643-1704) as the unique manuscript is presumed to be misplaced – Carissimi composed Jephte for 3 solo voices, a refrain of six voices and a bass continuo. Right here on the Barbican, we had an orchestra of 11 gamers (together with conductor/harpsichord participant Maxim Emelyanychev) and a refrain of eighteen. I hasten so as to add that the Il Pomo d’Oro orchestra and choir had been glorious, they spoke baroque musical language. However, it will have been good to learn as to the place the orchestral association comes from: there isn’t a details about it within the programme notes.
I can speculate that, owing to the dimensions of the Barbican, the eighteen refrain members merely tripled Carissimi’s refrain of six …however the place did the violins come from? Extra importantly, what was the comparatively lengthy orchestral piece opening the efficiency? Surviving sources begin with the solo narration: there isn’t a orchestral introduction.
Through the years I’ve been privileged to take pleasure in great performances by Joyce DiDonato. My fondest reminiscence is her supply of Rosina (of Rossini’s Il barbieri di Siviglia) in a wheelchair after she had some vital harm. Her stagecraft was such that one puzzled if the half ought to all the time be delivered in a wheelchair. Her faultless singing was exemplary.
Having vastly loved DiDonato’s virtuoso Agrippina 4 years in the past (see Seen and Heard assessment right here), I used to be very a lot trying ahead to her Dido this time.
4 years in the past, I wrote: ‘She absolutely inhabits the taxing a part of Agrippina which she delivers with virtuosity each vocally and dramatically. DiDonato’s vitality and sources appear countless, her evident pleasure of being on stage is infectious, and her communication with the viewers is ever current, whether or not by clear motion or delicate gestures.’
This time I used to be considerably upset. DiDonato stays in full command of her artistry and applies an unlimited vary of vocal tone colors and dynamics. However the efficiency was about her, not about Dido. Her followers liked it, they gave her an enormous ovation already when she entered the stage earlier than the efficiency of Dido and Aeneas. After the good lament DiDonato stayed on stage, standing in full gentle whereas the refrain sang about her demise. The staging concluded with sudden darkening the stage, exhibiting solely DiDonato nonetheless in full gentle standing there. Was this about Dido who died about ten minutes earlier or about an ideal diva of our instances?
The entire of Dido and Aeneas was superbly rendered. 4 years in the past, I used to be involved about conductor Maxim Emelyanychev’s strategy to baroque music however not this time. Dramatically I used to be not satisfied concerning the refrain attempting to show right into a band of rowdy sailors with virtually no stage house at their disposal, however the remainder of the staging/dramatic interpretation was absolutely credible and fulfilling.
Andrew Staples offered a dignified Aeneas, Fatma Stated was close to perfection as Belinda, Beth Taylor inhabited the a part of sorceress with pure ease and crystal-clear diction whereas her fellow conspirators Alena Dantcheva and Anna Piroli added credible additional dimension to the merciless plot. All these solo singers in addition to these from the refrain sang superbly.
On stability, this was glorious programming and extremely fulfilling. I’d see and listen to it once more.
Agnes Kory
Featured Picture: Performers of Dido and Aeneas © Mark Allan/Barbican
