Alcina, written by George Frederic Handel is a classic
Baroque opera sung in Italian. It tells
the tale of the sorceress, Alcina, who uses her power to seduce men and then she
turns them into objects or animals. Pittsburgh Opera mixed period and modern costumes,
injected Medieval Alchemical element symbolism and framed the set in armor, in
their first ever production of Alcina. The
classic Baroque vocal style (elaborate ornamentation of a vocal melody or
coloratura) was accompanied by Chatham Baroque, a company that preforms 17th
and 18th century music on period instruments. It was a night that
masterfully embellished this Baroque masterpiece.
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| Alcina and Bardamante * |
Refection
Although sung in Italian, the English subtitles made
it possible to follow this tale of bewitched love and heartache. Alcina, a malicious
sorceress, allures men to her magical island that she shares with her sister
Morgana (Natasha Wilson ) and her sister’s lover, Oronte. Alcina (Caitlin
Gotimer) usually plays with her men then tosses them away but she is especially
smitten with her current catch, the knight, Ruggiero (Antonia Botti-Lodovico). I
guess you could say that she has fallen “head over heels” for Ruggiero.
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| Melisso tries to bring Ruggiero to his senses |
Ruggiero’s fiancé Bradamante (Laural Semerdjian) disguised
as a man, and her tutor, Melisso (Tyler Zimmerman) set out to free Ruggiero. The love triangle ensues when Morgana
falls for Bradamante (in her male persona) and her jealous lover, Oronte (Angel
Romero) stirs up the pot.
Eventually, Ruggiero comes to his senses and reunites with Bradamante. The rejected Alcina suffers a broken heart and she meets her demise when Ruggiero destroys the source of her power. Like many operas, we get a love triangle and a dramatic tragic ending.
Eventually, Ruggiero comes to his senses and reunites with Bradamante. The rejected Alcina suffers a broken heart and she meets her demise when Ruggiero destroys the source of her power. Like many operas, we get a love triangle and a dramatic tragic ending.
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| Morgana and Bradamante |
Alcina is an opportunity to experience all things
“Baroque.” The music had a distinct sound with the use of 17th
century period instruments the: harpsicord (akin to a piano) viola de gamba (similar
to a cello but with 6 strings instead of 4) and theorbo (resembling a guitar
with 16 strings and a long neck). The sound
was harmonic, whimsical and seemed to bounce just like the singing.
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| Chatham Baroque on period instruments |
Baroque vocal style (coloratura) uses fast paced
repetitive phrases and the melodies seem to jump and fluctuate. Every character seemed to have a beautifully
sung moment where they used this ornamentation of the melody. They all preformed
vocals that seemed to race up hills and down valleys. I enjoyed this Baroque technique
because it was spunky and the energetic flexibility of the melodies seemed to
make the song dance.
There was a lot of fun things going on in this
production. The set was framed with pillars of gold armor representing the past
knights that had succumb to Alcina’s power. The focal point of the stage was Alcina’s altar where she constructed her
potions. An inventive addition was the assignment of alchemical element symbols to each of the characters:
air (Alcina), fire (Ruggiero), water (Morgana) and earth (Oronto). These symbols
were creatively woven into the costumes that mixed period dress with a modern
flair.
I recommend using
the Pittsburgh Opera’s mobile phone app that gives live commentary during the performance
through ear buds. It heightened the
“Baroque experience” by providing information on the period instruments, set
choices and this early historical musical style.
This
production of Alcina is a unique operatic experience. It’s a masterful embellishment
of this 17th century Baroque
masterpiece.
Photos by David Bachman Photography
Spiritual Reflection
The Lord is near the brokenhearted and saves the
crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18)
Other Sources