Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall. Balcony (Seat J3, $28).
End of concert. The people in the front are (from L to R): Garibaldo, Rodelinda, Bertarido, Harry Bicket, Eduige, Grimoaldo, and Unulfo.
Program - in concert
Rodelinda, HWV 19 (1725) by Handel (1685-1759).
Conductor - Harry Bicket; Rodelinda - Lucy Crowe (soprano), Bertarido - Iestyn Davies (countertenor), Unulfo - Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen (countertenor), Eduige - Christine Rice (messo-soprano), Garibaldo - Brendon Cedel (bass-bariton).
Background. At his death, the King of Lombardy left his domain in equal parts to his three children: Bertarido, Eduige, and Gundeberto. Gundeberto has died, Bertarido is believed to have died - leaving the widow Rodelinda behind as Queen of Milan - and by wooing Eduige, Duke Grimoaldo has aspirations to the whole kingdom.
Story. Grimoaldo has seized power, so Rodelinda and her son Flavio are his prisoners. Grimoaldo offers the throne to Rodelinda if she would marry him. Rodelinda refuses, and Eduige vows vengeance on the Duke. Bertarido is still alive, and in hiding; his trusted aide Unulfo is the only one who knows. Grimoaldo's councilor Garibaldo visits Rodelinda and threatens to kill her son if she refuses to marry Grimoaldo. Rodelinda agrees, this is overheard by the eavesdropping Bertarido. Rodelinda's term, however, is the Grimaoldo must kill Flavio by his own hands, expecting Grimaoldo not able to commit such an act, which he cannot, despite the urging of Garibaldo. Enduige discovers Bertarido's hiding place and helps reunite him with Rodelinda. This is discovered by Grimoaldo and he imprisons Bertarido. Unulfo, with the help of Enduige, breaks into the prison cell to free Grimoaldo, but is stabbed as he is mistaken for a guard, leaving blood on the prison floor. Unulfo manages to free Bertarido. When Rodelinda and Flavio find the empty cell and see the blood on the floor, they think Grimoaldo has been killed. Meanwhile, while Grimoaldo is sleeping in the garden, Garibaldo decides to ambush him. Bertarido is nearby and strikes down Garibaldo. Grimoaldo has a chance of heart, relinquishes the throne to Bertarido, nad offers to marry Eduige. At the end everyone express their joy and hail a brighter future.
The story is quite straightforward. When I was typing the above paragraphs I drew on heavily the synopsis in the Program Notes. I didn't expect it ended up being quite long, in no small due to the names of the six characters.
It also took a while for me to sort out the different characters, for the usual reasons. First, countertenors always give me cognitive dissonance. This is compounded by all the men wearing suits that look similar. (Well, Grimoaldo's jacket was some shade of dark purple.) The two women also wear similar dresses (silver over black). For the audience, especially those sitting in the back - making the characters distinct looking would help, especially for a concert performance.
Other than those gripes, the afternoon was an enjoyable experience. Knowing this was a concert performance, the composer was Handel, and the English Concert is a period instrument ensemble helped set expectations.
For an "in concert" performance the orchestra sits at the same level as the action. This makes the orchestra an integral part of the "show" and adds to one's appreciation of the music. The ensemble was small, but the sound carried very well into the balcony. And today I could hear both the theorbo and the harpsichords (there were two harpsichords, with Bicket playing one of them); I recall having trouble when I was at the H+H Society performance of Messiah.
All the singers did a great job portraying their characters. Lucy Crowe has a strong voice that held up well throughout the performance. I do wish she could sound madder and wispier when necessary. The music calls for many rapid runs that all the singers handled with ease. The characters did a lot of entrances and exits, and would sometimes walk around or sit in the six chairs on stage; I imagine that required considerable rehearsal, including for those who open and close the stage doors. They did hold the music in their hands when they moved around.
While I continue to assert that great opera begins and stops with great music, I do wonder if a few simple props would enhance the dramatic effect of the concert. Of course doing it this way makes touring simpler.
It was a warm day (high 50s), and I walked from Penn Station to Carnegie Hall. The concert ended at around 5:40 pm, so I had to hustle to catch the 6:07 pm train. I made it with 3 minutes to spare, but "police action" (announced by conductor) delayed the departure for about 10 minutes.
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