After having just last week heard Joyce DiDonato's bravura performance in Handel's Alcina, I went yesterday evening to Carnegie Hall to hear her perform in recital a program entitled A Journey through Venice that featured the works of Vivaldi, Fauré, Rossini, Michael Head and Reynaldo Hahn. Her accompanist on piano was David Zobel.
The program opened with two arias by Vivaldi, "Onde chiare che sussurrate" and "Amato ben," both taken from Ercole su'l Termodonte, RV 710 (1723). Listening today to Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, it is difficult to believe that the composer's works languished in obscurity following his death in 1741 until rescued by a revival of interest in the early twentieth century. (Even during his own lifetime Vivaldi was not always sufficiently appreciated. He was dismissed for two years beginning in 1709 from his position of maestro di violino at the famed Ospedale della Pietà by its Board of Directors.) It took an even longer time for an appreciation of Vivaldi's operatic achievements to begin even though by his own claim he had composed during his career a total of 94 works in this genre. Ironically, Ercole was composed not in Venice but in Rome, though many of the arias in it were taken from Vivaldi's Venetian works. The libretto by the Florentine Antonio Salvi used as its subject the ninth of the twelve labors of Hercules in which the mythic hero does battle with the Amazons.
The works by Vivaldi were the only ones included in the program to date from Venice's 1,400 year existence as a republic, an era that saw the formidable city state rise to take its place among Europe's greatest powers. (This fascinating period has been chronicled in detail by John Julius Norwich in A History of Venice, an excellent study whose greatest fault lies in its neglect of the city's rich cultural and musical achievements.) The pieces which followed were all composed after the city's fall to Napoleon at the end of the eighteenth century when Venice surrendered its former glory only to become instead a tourist destination for wealthy Europeans.
The next works in the recital featured Fauré's Cinq mélodies "de Venise", Op. 58 (1891). Fauré was a quintessentially French composer and it is important to note that these pieces were, by the composer's own admission, not about Venice but rather "of Venice." I felt these were the weakest pieces on the program. They were too contrived and self conscious for my taste and seemed to lack any genuine feeling.
Following this were two arias by Rossini, La regata veneziana from Péchés de vieillese, Vol. I, Nos. 8-10; and "Assisa al piè d’un salice ... Deh, calma" from Otello (1816). Péchés (whose full title translates as "Sins of Old Age") is actually a anthology consisting of 150 vocal and solo piano works composed by Rossini late in life and never intended for publication. They were rather clever satirical pieces meant for the entertainment of the composer's dinner guests. The spirit of these songs was radically different from that of the arias that followed after intermission. Though Rossini's Otello lacks the genius of the later (1887) Verdi opera, it is nonetheless a brilliant and moving work. DiDonato is best known as a Rossini specialist and she excelled in these dramatic arias sung be Desdemona as she awaits her fate at her jealous husband's hands.
The next pieces were Three Songs of Venice (1974) by Michael Head whose work I had never before heard. These were originally written for the great mezzo-soprano Janet Baker and were first performed posthumously in London at a 1977 "Save Venice Fund" benefit. The three songs - "The Gondolier", "St. Mark's Square" and "Rain Storm" - were moody and evocative. In her introductory remarks DiDonato spoke of how well these pieces had brought the city to life for her, and I found myself in complete agreement. These were really the highlights of the program. They captured very well in their quiet way what it must be like for one to wander through Venice's narrow streets and canals on rainy days when no tourists are about.
The program concluded with five pieces - "Sopra l'acqua indormenzada", "La barcheta", "L'avertimento", "Che pecà" and "La primavera" - from Hahn's six-song cycle Venezia (1901). I was very interested in hearing these pieces as I had only encountered Hahn's work for the first time the season before last at a recital given by Susan Graham (in a joint appearance with Renée Fleming); I subsequently acquired Graham's recording La Belle Époque that contained 24 of Hahn's songs. Most famous as the lover of Marcel Proust, Hahn imparted to his songs an insouciant charm that made them quite beguiling. It was easy to picture the composer playing the upright piano from his gondola as crowds gathered on the bridges overhead to listen.
The evening proved an excellent entertainment that provided the audience a glimpse into another reality, one that was highly cultured and yet filled with romantic associations. DiDonato was in fine voice throughout and thoroughly charming in her remarks between pieces. Zobel played remarkably well as accompanist but was never intrusive. The piano stayed in the background as the singer captivated everyone with this lovely music.
No comments:
Post a Comment