Reviews

Handel opera a rare treat for baroque fans

17/03/2011

PUBLICATION: Manawatu Standard
REVIEWED BY: Stephen Fisher
WHERE: St James Theatre, Wellington, 16 March 2011

Handel is not well known as a composer of opera and it may come as a surprise to many that his much-loved Largo actually opens this, his 41st opera, sung by Persian King Xerxes.

The story unfolds as a complicated eternal triangle with several intersecting distractions, but the storyline hardly matters as the beauty of Handel's music continually unfolds throughout the evening.

Counter tenor Tobias Cole, in fine voice, relishes the title role and was an obvious delight for the audience, while Tiffany Speight beautifully captured the vivacious spirit of Romilda, these two heading an excellent international and local cast.

However, the highlight would have to be the Lautten Compagney, the orchestra specially brought in from Cologne, because of their expertise with authentic baroque instruments. In perfect balance throughout, they added a new dimension of colour to the sound that we may have expected.

With such attention to the detail of the sound, it is surprising that the design elements lack cohesion. While the set evokes Persia of around 469BC, the costumes, by Trelise Cooper, did nothing to strengthen this atmosphere, although they did add the occasional splash of colour.

However, an opera is always about the music and, with this spirited and passionate interpretation, Xerxes scores very highly indeed. Lovers of baroque music should not miss this rare opportunity to see this too-often overlooked masterpiece.

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Did you know?

Early opera resembled the atmosphere of a race course - chatting, food, laughter and loud comments were the norm.

During all our opera performances an English translation of the libretto is projected on screens above the stage, so you can easily follow the story.

If you are 25 years old or under you can purchase $25 tickets at the venue box office before any performance.

The world's longest opera is Wagner's The Ring Cycle, lasting over 14 hours plus intervals. That's 18 hours at the theatre.

The world's longest applause lasted for 1 hour and 20 minutes as a standing ovation. The opera: Otello starring Placido Domingo.

On average, an opera will last between 2 and 3 hours, with one interval in a two act show, and two in a three act show. Operettas and musicals tend to be shorter.

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