Handel: Ariodante
by John Pascoe, Matteo Ricchetti
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Alan Curtis, Ann Hallenberg, Carlo Lepore, Laura Cherici, Zachary StainsDirector: John Pascoe, Matteo Ricchetti
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); German (Subtitled); Italian (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); Italian (Original Language)
Format: Color, Digital Sound, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 157 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-02-26
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Dynamic (Italy)
Movie Reviews of Handel: Ariodante
Movie Review: A brilliant Ariodante
Summary: 5 Stars
On 8 January 1735 at Covent Garden, Handel presented his new opera Ariodante, labeled a Dramma per musica in three acts. It was based on a libretto adapted anonymously from Ginevra, principessa di Scozia (1708) by Antonio Salvi which was based on Orlando furioso (1532 Canti 4-6) by Ludovico Arioso. Handel had been a shrewd and successful businessman ever since arriving in London in 1710, staging Italian operas to rousing approval from London audiences. But by 1735, Handel was undergoing a period of financial difficulty and professional uncertainty. His problems began with the phenomenal success of John Gay's The Beggar's Opera, which opened in 1728 and ran for 62 successive performances, the longest run in the English theatre up to that time. A play with ballads and popular songs that satirized the passionate interest of the upper classes in Italian opera, it called into question the relevance of opera sung in Italian to a rising middle class that demanded less exotic and effete fare. This was followed by the arrival of Niccolo Porpora from Naples, who quickly entered into favor with the king and much of the English nobility, and became Handel's fierce rival, soon reigning supreme in London's theatres. Porpora had several hugely successful seasons at the Haymarket Theatre, and began to entice the finest performers away from Handel, with promises of larger fees and greater adulation. Handel now faced the prospect of bankruptcy (still an imprisonable offense) and was compelled to devise several schemes by which he might stave off failure and confront Porpora's phalanx of acolytes and sycophants directly. This forced him into his period of greatest creativity, which included renouncing Italian opera and inventing the English oratorio, for which he is most revered.
Ariodante was composed under these trying conditions. He spent more than two months in its composition, approximately four times longer than usual. Most of the music is new and it features some of his freshest, most ravishing melodies. With the help of theatre producer John Rich (the man who had staged The Beggar's Opera), Handel was able to procure Covent Garden and acquire a good cast. The opera features several innovations and points to a new direction in conception and design of Italian opera. Because of these innovations, it was not immediately successful but with time it was appreciated, remaining one of the more interesting and performed titles.
Alan Curtis and his Il Complesso Barocco are world renowned in the Baroque musical genre, with many superb recordings under their belts. This live performance, recorded at Teatro Caio Melisso, Spoleto in July 2007 as part of the Spoleto Festival's 50th anniversary celebration, places the action of the opera exactly 50 years ago, in 1957 England. The production is beautifully designed, wonderfully sung and brilliantly played. In fact, it is nearly perfect in all aspects. The music is some of Handel's best and it is so lovingly played by Mr. Curtis, that after watching it twice, I played it again just to listen to it. It is probably the finest recording of Ariodante I've heard, with a sense of musical rightness to it that makes me wonder if this isn't what Handel himself heard in his mind's ear as he wrote it. The cast is uniformly splendid, featuring mezzo-sopranos rather than countertenors. Mr. Curtis explains that countertenors are too slow in the low notes, having little fluidity in the lower register. Ann Hallenberg is a superb Ariodante. Laura Cherici is a splendid Ginevra. Mary-Ellen Nesi is equally good as Polinesso. Carlo Lepore makes a fine Re di Scozia. Not a weak link amongst the cast. Sets are simple but elegant as is the imaginative staging and lighting. This is a great performance. The sound is beautifully lifelike in both LPCM stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1, but the Dolby seems more reticent in sound and the audience applause at the end of the opera disappears on the Dolby Track. The PCM stereo retains the applause and sounds more forceful and immediate. The picture is filmed in High Definition and is crystal clear. The DVD runs for 157 minutes on two discs. Extras are filmed interviews with the director and with Mr. Curtis. A booklet is included.
A superb recording beautifully presented on DVD makes this a highly desirable addition to a Baroque collection. Most strongly recommended for those who love Baroque opera.
Mike Birman
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