Maybe I’m saying something reckless but baroque is not contemporary. I know: We live in chronologically confusing times, any butterscotch will straighten out your life with the help of Seneca and a dash of Marcus Aurelius. But believe me, a man from the 1700s is not talking to you.
Despite this, art has no choice but to constantly dialogue with the past. The confusion is over. Last night, Royal Theater premiere orlandoone of the operons that no longer exists. Three hours of whirring, repetitive arias, quasi-Olympus miniatures and inconsistent dramatic structure. Heavy? It’s your fault you misheard him. When Händel introduced the music, theaters weren’t as stupid as they are today. The lights did not go out, the honorable person chatted and, if he wished, glanced at the person sitting in the box opposite. With this panorama It seems that the composers did not care about the consistency of the libretto. Moreover, when they knew that aristocrats did not approach the theater intrigued by a new compositional skill, but rather to enjoy the vocal arsenal of the great divos of the time: Senesino (Händel’s favourite), Francesca Cuzzoni, Bordoni or well—we know Farinelli.
HE superiority of the performer over the composer It brought some tension. If the incumbent castrato felt that his post lacked pyrotechnics, he would ignore the staff to conduct his business in peace. Tired of pulling each other’s hair, the parties reached an agreement: I am writing you a very long aria; You say the first part (a) verbatim, then we add a transition (b) and finally we repeat (a) so you can relax. The correction works, but it causes one to spend ten minutes polishing five or six verses. Then an audience member enters, pushing the plot forward a few feet on the harpsichord. Baroque tran goes tran.
let’s go back orlando. There is no greater mystery to the story: A hero is in love with a girl who doesn’t suit him. Gives him a sirocco and even kills the signalman. But it’s the 18th century, and the stories here have happy endings, so actually… a wizard did this. Alive and kicking, the band sings a morally important song and the curtain falls. Real took office Claus Guth (old acquaintances of fans) to fix this scenario. He brings his usual repertoire: rotating stages, segmented houses and bus stops along Thirteen Rue del Percebe. fans coliseum Madrid (what a pretentious synonym) will remember these tricks: we have already seen them Rodelinda And Don Giovanni.
“The brightest moments correspond exactly to the madness of the hero.”
To pace the mythological nonsense and incomprehensible dialogue, Guth sets the action at a motel on the outskirts of Miami where he is staying. orlandoa war veteran who has reached the point of post-traumatic stress. get angry the character’s appearance is shown through video game scenes and migraines; As you descend into hell, Doberman-headed men appear playing the goalkeeper. The trick works, despite its loopholes. As I said, the scenario is not enough. The brightest moments coincide exactly with the madness of the hero. The rest is pretty boring: food truck what a manager Dorinda and no matter how much Guth spins them, the suburban aesthetic doesn’t dazzle you (boy, how crazy is the spin button).
lead in the pit Bolton accompanied by Monteverdi Permanent Society. I dare not change the plan at the expert level, but I get the impression that his management, which gave us moments of great subtlety, has become stingy. I liked that the overtures were played with the curtain closed. We have already commented Medea some people’s ugly love Records with fill the music with charlatans. To compensate for this, the proposal allows certain music licenses for characters. Have you ever seen a drunk wizard? Florian Boesch’s Zarathustra was the big surprise of the night: a dual character who gets drunk as the show progresses (a dapper mercenary in Orlando’s mind, a homeless drunk to the rest of the world). Her Tra caligi deep drink It looked amazing to me.
The main role fell on the countertenor Christophe DamauxWhat did he do a vocally meticulous Orlando, is low on power, the endings of the arias are rich, and the acting is outstanding. I liked the ‘famous aria’ (family warrior) and it surprised me Vaghe pupil, not piangete, no. Anna Prohaska An expressionless Angelica did: It was not known whether she was happy or depressed because she says everything the same way. Her brightest moment was the threesome Consolati or beautiful, gentle pastorella: Needing reinforcements is a bad sign. Giulia Semenzato creates a magnificent Dorinda. Her When spieghi i tuoi tormenti The most enjoyable part of the night was experienced with the invaluable help of the orchestra’s violins imitating bird chirping. Close cast Anthony Roth in the right role Medoro (which is no small thing, with these challenges).