Bear At The Concert: Anna Caterina Antonacci and The English Concert

It is always gives me a thrill to see a couple of theorbos and an harpsichord - you just know that the music is going to be sublime and affecting. The English Concert with the extraordinary soprano/mezzo-soprano Anna Caterina Antonacci lived up to my high expectations and widely sailed over. The set brought old favourites like Monteverdi together with some new names to me; Castello, Marini and Farina.

The Castello (early 17th century) and the Marini (1594-1663) set the scene for the Barbara Strozzi (1619-c1677) 'Lagrime mie' sung by the illustrious Anna Caterina Antonacci.... having her wonderful recording I was waiting tremulously... oh what an exquisite rendition... the recording is tortured bliss but watching Anna Caterina Antonacci you are plunged headlong into this morass of tragic lamentation. From the opening middle eastern tones of 'Lagrime mie' (yes, 17th century Venice was huge cultural melting pot) to the aching lament of 'E voi, lumi dolente, not piangete' (And you, o aching eyes, aren't you going to cry') manages to wrench every emotion out. Antonacci with clenched fists pushed, pulled, no, bodily heaved the whole audience through Strozzi's changes of mood.

To save us from emotional breakdown from Strozzi's sorrow-filled tale the English Concert tucked in Carlo Farina's (c1600-1640) Capriccio stravagante... and what a difference. Farina threw in everything but the kitchen sink into this piece.... the strings imitate the fife, hens cackling, cats fighting and dogs barking. The audience were suitably amused with violins sounding like cocks crowing and cats fighting. An erratic, fun and playful piece. Truly weird. Looks like it is a favourite of the English Concert but will probably swiftly become 'what the audience talked about most'.

Back from the interval we are plied with more Castello to ease us into a blistering 'Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda' by Monteverdi. A tale of mistaken identity, battle and war... you can hear to the clashing of swords and the striking of blows in the music and Antonacci's rapid pronounciation of 'L'onta irrita lo sdegno a la vendetta, E las vendetta poi l'onta rinova...' (Pride excites rage and vengence, and vengence refuels pride) describing the battle which falls away to the aftermath where both warriors are weary and out of breath... Antonacci pants 'E dopo lungo faticar respira' (and after a long pause, regain their breath) and you just have that scene in your head.... I was open-mouthed through most of this, awe-struck by Antonacci's mastery and exciting, beautiful tone.


After a thunderous applause the unexpected encore was an impassioned 'Addio, Roma!' from Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea. This was probably the best rendition that I have heard of Ottavia's famous aria. Antonacci sung of real anguish in having to leave your homeland.... such a plea of woe... I was impressed... one could not fault her passionate singing whilst still managing to be technically brilliant.

I wanted more.... maybe I will just come back Thursday when she sings again at the Wigmore.

Harry Bicket and Anna Caterina Antonacci

Il Combattimento - Monday 26th January 2009

Anna Caterina Antonacci Soprano
Harry Bicket Director/Harpsichord/Organ
Nadja Zwiener Violin
Walter Reiter Violin
Alfonso Leal del Ojo Viola
Joseph Crouch Bass Violin
Peter McCarthy Basso di viola
Elizabeth Kenny Theorbo
David Miller Theorbo
Frances Kelly Harp

Castello Sonata 16 a 4 stromenti
Marini Sonata a 4, Passacaglia op.22
Strozzi 'Lagrime Mie'
Farina Capriccio stravagante

interval

Castello Sonata 15
Monteverdi I combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda

Encore

Monteverdi Addio, Roma! from L'incoronazione di Poppea

Bear At The Opera: L'incoronazione di Poppea

(part of the score of L'incoronazione Di Poppea by Claudio Monteverdi)

Every year a Glyndebourne production gets staged at the Proms... luckily for those who cannot quite afford the seats at Glyndebourne. We were certainly treated to an emotive and chilling production - all for £5 (lucky bear though sore from standing for 4 hours).

As this was a semi-staging there was only a spare set with a thick red curtain, a bed and a bath - perhaps all for the better after hearing that the swathes of red curtaining and dour set did nothing to augment the production at Glyndebourne. Instead we could concentrate on the action and the performances.

This is Monteverdi's last opera; a tale of lust and power that the popular Venetian audiences would have been very familiar with.... Monteverdi is definitely writing for the people; there is love ,comedy and irreverence for authority (in act one a couple of soldiers deride Poppea and Nerone and essentially say that Nerone is robbing everybody... not even Seneca is respected). It is truly Shakespearian in it's breadth.... comic and tragic scenes.... people from the court and their servants. And it is so spare - mostly recitative over exquisite harpsichord and baroque instrumentation courtesy of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Emmanuelle Haim's conducting from the harpsichord brings out a bright sound encompassing all the nuances; this music is sensual and invigorating.

Iestyn Davies as Ottone gave a particularly strong performance full of angst and despair... Ottone is a character who is thwarted in love and driven to murder...... resigned to the fact that Poppea could never love him he declares his love for Drusilla and achingly sings 'Drusilla ho in bocca, ed ho Poppea nel core' (I have Drusilla on my lips, but Poppea in my heart).

Comedy relief is giving by Arnalta (played by the wonderful tenor Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke) and by the nurse (Dominique Visse) who both ham it up in drag.... a great source of humour. Lucia Cirillo's Page and Claire Ormshaw's Lady-In-Waiting both added youthful bawdiness and fun to their shared scene - 'Purché baciat'io sia da tuoi rubini, Mi mordan pur le perle.' (so long as I'm kissed by those rosy red lips, your pearly white teeth can bite all they like).

Danielle de Niese's Poppea is delectably lusty and power hungry. Her bright soprano might not be totally apt for Monteverdi and sometimes her lighter voice was lost in the large hall of the Royal Albert Hall but the Act 1 bedroom scenes with Alice Coote's Nerone were intensely sizzling.... you almost could not look. I just could not decide whether her flirting, lustful tones were genius or just over-the-top... It might be something to do with the contrasting acting styles to Alice Coote I thought.. Danielle de Niese has a more convential acting style (which for the most part is great for opera- certainly great in Julius Caeser) whereas Alice Coote is more like a method actor - she never acts she is the role.

Which brings us to the true highlight.... Alice Coote's cruel and capricious Nerone. Alice Coote's dark, extravagant mezzo voice is well suited to this part.... indeed I caught the pre-performance talk with the conductor Emmanuelle Haim who remarked that it was this darkness and madness even of Coote in previous roles that made her a prime contender for the role. Nerone is ruthless, he is corrupted by power (he killed his mother and went on to kill many others) and this comes through in the role. In this production he kills his friend Lucano (played by the admirable Andrew Tortise) whilst singing the praises Poppea just for the sheer pleasure of it.... it makes for a strangely beautiful but chilling scene.

(Act 2 - Scene 6)

As I already mentioned the 'bedroom scenes' are intensely sensual and even erotic.... they certainly convey the lust/love that Nerone and Poppea shared. In Act 1 Scene 10 Alice Coote sung particularly beautifully imbueing the sensual words with tonnes of passion and was, for me, the highlight. The way she sings 'Idolo mio, deh in braccio ancor t'avessi. Poppea respiro appena.' (My goddess, oh, were I but still in your arms. Poppea, I can scarcely breath);you could have melted on the spot there and then.

Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea is certainly a great work.... and I am surprised it is not done more.... it has all the dramatic impluses of a Shakespearian play coupled with this beautiful, beautiful music. This was a spare production that concentrated on the sheer theatricality of the piece and not some ornate set; with great performances all round and some truly great singing (from Alice Coote in particular). You walk away with the last duet 'Pur ti miro' echoing in your ears between the power-hungry couple of Nerone and Poppea; their voices intertwining , totally inseparable.... 'Io son tua, tuo son io (I am yours, you are mine).


L'incoronazione di Poppea

Synopsis

Fortune Sonya Yoncheva soprano
Virtue Simona Mihai soprano
Cupid Amy Freston soprano
Otho Iestyn Davies countertenor
Lucan/Soldier 1/Tribune/Friend Andrew Tortise tenor
Liberto/Soldier 2/Tribune Peter Gijsbertsen tenor
Poppea Danielle de Niese soprano
Nero Alice Coote mezzo-soprano
Arnalta Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke tenor
Octavia Tamara Mumford mezzo-soprano
Nurse/Friend Dominique Visse countertenor
Seneca Paolo Battaglia bass
Page Lucia Cirillo mezzo-soprano
Drusilla Marie Arnet soprano
Mercury/Consul Trevor Scheunemann bass
Lady-in-Waiting Claire Ormshaw soprano
Lictor/Consul/Friend Patrick Schramm bass

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Conductor Emmanuelle Haim
Director Robert Carsen