Handel - Imeneo (Spering)

Posted By : ArlegZ | Date : 04 Apr 2011 05:37:20 | Comments : 4 |

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Every expectation about Handel's Italian operas gets turned on its head in his penultimate effort in the genre, "Imeneo" (first performed in 1740). It isn't long (just over 2 hours of music), the plot isn't complicated (young woman torn between love and duty to her community must choose between 2 men), and its scenic requirements are simple (it can be performed on a single set). One contemporary called it an "operetta," i.e, a "little opera." But if in one sense it's a Handel opera in miniature, the passions run as strong as in any of the bigger pieces. And like the 2 works that flank it, "Serse" and "Deidamia," "Imeneo" has a distinctive tone that combines touches of ironic humor with absolute seriousness. Above all, the score exudes freshness and charm.
"Imeneo" hasn't exactly been neglected - there was a fine BBC broadcast some years back, with Janet Baker, in English - but until recently performers have had to work without a satisfactory text: the old Handel edition, though it presented numerous alternate versions, provided no guide through the piece's textual history, one of the most complicated of any of the operas. Fortunately, the new HHA edition has now appeared, and this is the first recording to make use of it.
That's one big reason that this version jumps to the head of the list of available performances: it's the first recording to present a really convincing case, from first note for last, for "Imeneo" as a cohesive, well-shaped drama (according to Donald Burrows's authoritative notes, the text chosen is that of Handel's first performance version). Apart from giving us a complete text, this version wisely omits the 2 soprano/mezzo duets that Handel later inserted (from "Faramondo" and "Sosarme") for a Dublin revival - attractive music, but unbalancing to the drama. Here for once the focus stays squarely on the heroine, Rosmene, and her crucial decision; the 2 rivals for her hand, Tirinto (mezzo-soprano) and Imeneo (bass) come off as equals, which helps immeasurably…

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Performer:
Clomiri (soprano) - Siri Karoline Thornhill
Rosmene (soprano) - Johanna Stojkovic
Tirinto (alto castrato) - Ann Hallenberg
Imeneo (basso) - Kay Stiefermann
Argenio (basso) - Locky Chung

Capella Augustina
VokalEnsemble Köln
Conductor – Andreas Spering