Opera Review: Handel and Bach–Italian Style

On Monday April 21^st I attended a performance by the Music of the Baroque Orchestra at the Harris Theater. The concerto was entitled “Handel and Bach—Italian Style”, and it had an hour and a half running time. I’ve been to a number of full operas, but this was my first opera concerto, and it was a very different experience.

The first thing I noticed after finding my seat was the orchestra, which was set up on the stage alongside the singers. This was unlike my experiences at the Lyric where the orchestra pit hides these musicians from view. I enjoyed the chance to watch them play alongside the singers. The show began with an instrumental piece by Handel entitled Concerto grosso in B-flat Major. It reminded me of other Handel works we’ve heard in class, and struck me as characteristically Baroque, especially in the sound of the harpsichord played by conductor Nicholas Kraemer.

The next piece was Bach’s Cantata No. 209, “Non sa che sia dolore”, accompanied by soprano Yulia Van Doren. Rather than in costume, she walked out in an evening gown and stood beside the conductor while she performed. She had a sweet singing voice, but lacked much of a stage presence. I was not particularly blown away by the performance. For starters, she was rather hard to hear over the music. I don’t know if this was a result of the orchestra playing next to her, or if the acoustics of the Harris Theater just aren’t what I’m used to at the Lyric. Perhaps she is simply lacks the power to stand out against the other musicians. Or maybe it was a choice to further emphasize the orchestra, rather than the singer. I was left to wonder. There were no supertitles for this performance; instead the libretto was written out in the program. This made it a bit hard to follow along, as she was hard to hear and her Italian was rather muffled. But I did enjoy having the whole libretto in my hands. I was able to appreciate the story of the piece as a whole, rather than line by line as with supertitles. It was an active but mournful performance, with a marching quality which fit the context of a storyline in which one is sending his friends off to war.

After intermission came Violin Concerto No. 1 in A Minor by Bach. This was my favorite of the night. Featured violinist Robert Waters performed a knock-out solo. It was tightly constructed and, according to the program, illustrates Bach’s full absorption of the Italian style. I was really glad that the orchestra played on stage for this number, for the violinist was mesmerizing to watch. I feel like the experience would have been less exciting were we to only hear him in the pit.

Finally, the evening wrapped up with a selection from Handel’s Apollo e Daphne. Doren returned to the stage, alongside baritone Philip Cutlip. They were each in evening wear, but for this part, Doren braided leaves into her hair in reference to her character’s eventual transformation into a tree. This piece was introduced by the conductor. He explained that it was condensed from the original, and that the final aria was often claimed to be Handel’s best. He put the story in context, which I appreciated, as it was the first time I had seen a scene in isolation. This performance was more engaging than the operatic Bach piece earlier in the night. Rather than stand and sing, the singers engaged each other playfully in a bit of acting style. Cutlip had a strong, clear voice, and he played the smarmy Apollo perfectly, with drawn out, coaxing lines contrasting Daphne’s frantic, defensive comebacks. I found his Italian to be much clearer and easier to follow than Doren’s. The final aria was indeed the stand-out of Handel’s works that night.

While I still prefer a full opera performance, I definitely see where a concerto like this has its place. Unlike a full night at the opera, this gave me a taste of the art form without it feeling like big ordeal. I also enjoyed focusing on a few pieces, and getting a more in depth understanding of them, rather than glazing over a 3 hour array of music. While I missed the elaborate costumes, sets and storylines, it was refreshing to focus on the music and orchestra for a while.  

 -Briette