Handel: La Resurrezione
(Australian premiere)
Helena Dix (soprano) - Angelo
Shane Lowrencev (bass) - Lucifero
Jocelyn Hickey (soprano) - Maria Maddalena
Christopher Field (countertenor) - Maria Cleofe
John Batery (tenor) - San Giovanni
Australian Classical Players
Graham Abbott (conductor)
Saturday 23 June 2001
St. Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne
Bach: Mass in B minor, BWV 232
Sara Macliver (soprano)
Vivien Hamilton (soprano)
Christopher Field (countertenor)
Paul McMahon (tenor)
Stephen Grant (bass)
Collegium Musicum Choir
Collegium Orchestra, Paul Wright (concertmaster)
Margaret Pride (conductor)
Friday 13 July 2001
Winthrop Hall, University of Western Australia, Perth
George Frideric Handel's oratorio La Resurrezione is, of course, the story of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and its premiere was held in Rome on Easter Sunday 1708. Lucifero (Lucifer) rejoices in the death of God and is rebuked by Angelo (the Angel); the events of the resurrection are described by its first-hand witnesses, Maddalena (Mary Magdalene), Cleofe (Mary Cleophas) and Giovanni (St. John). Lucifero realizes he is defeated and beats a rancorous retreat; the sainted but earthly figures celebrate Heaven's triumph.
The structure of this work is much more like that of an Italian opera than of Handel's later English oratorios. It comprises two parts, each consisting of a series of da capo arias linked by explanatory recitative; there is one duet in each part, and each part concludes with a coro sung by the principals rather than a chorus.
Graham Abbott must now be considered Australia's foremost Handelian, and he rose to this challenge superbly. The soloists and players were all distinguished by their youth, and surely we have here music stars of the future. St Paul's is an icy cavern, with tiny altitudinous heaters gradually failing to beat back the cold as the night wore on; those forewarned rugged up well and brought cushions.
Some nervousness was evident in the opening sonata and
in the first aria (the Angel's flamboyant "Disserratevi, o porte d'Averno"). The
singers and orchestra all steadied through the first part, however, and after
the interval all the forces came together and the soloists sang out in a most
satisfactory manner. Helena Dix as the Angel was not always audible, especially
her lower notes. But her voice bloomed steadily, and by the second
part it was evident that hers is a large,
rich instrument, showing its expressive power in the
aria "Se per colpa." Christopher Field is a young countertenor of
exceptional promise, previously heard (in Canberra in 1999, aged all of 21) in the demanding role of Polinesso, the villain in Ariodante. Here he sang the part of Cleofe with exquisite sound and feeling, particularly in "Vedo il ciel," and he delivered the deceptively simple pastoral aria "Augelletti, ruscelletti" with great musicality. Jocelyn Hickey (Maddalena) has great promise; her negotiation of the technically and emotionally difficult "Del ciglio dolente," suggests a strong potential for dramatic operatic roles. Tenor Paul Batey also brought conviction and some ringing tenor squillo to bear as San Giovanni. Shane Lowrencev has rather too light a baritone for Lucifero, where a grittier bass sound is preferred, but he certainly gave his best. The orchestra played on modern instruments, but Abbott, as usual, coaxed from them a genuine baroque sensibility. The final coro, appropriately enjoining praises to resound in heaven and earth, was delivered with clarion unison, bringing to a close what had developed into a rousing concert. The first Australian performance of this exhilarating piece by the young Handel must pass as a significant success in its own right, and as a triumph for the equally young performers.
The young Mr. Field was again heard to advantage at the other end of the Australian continent, in a performance of Bach's Mass in B minor in Perth. This was a somewhat variable offering, but it made an excellent showcase for Field and for hometown girl and rising Australian star, soprano Sara Macliver.
Winthrop Hall is not known for the excellence of its acoustics (although its climate control, at least, has improved hugely in recent years). It seemed a strange decision to have the orchestra on conductor Margaret Pride's left and the choir on her right, with a gap between; oftentimes she appeared to be conducting the gap. When leading the choir through a demanding passage, her back was turned on the orchestra. This led to a notable disjunction between the instruments and the voices on several occasions, although generally speaking the choir was displayed excellent ensemble. This may perhaps also account for the rather unvarying tempos, oscillating between allegro and largo with not much in between or beyond. In the first Kyrie eleison, there was a noticeable raggedness in the middle, and the second showed some muddiness in the lower registers; in the Gloria, there was a definite parting of the ways between choir and orchestra, and some imbalance in the orchestra itself, with the brass sounding much too forward. Whenever there was a change in tempo, as in the "Confiteor/Et expecto" section of the Credo, everyone seemed to bog down. The choir's soprano section, however, was immaculate throughout.
Sara Macliver goes from strength to strength; her soprano has a thrilling crystalline character, with totally secure pitch, considerable flexibility, perfect diction and an intensity of feeling. Christopher Field again showed himself to be a countertenor of huge potential. His voice is clear and beautiful, with none of the hooded "hootiness" which can easily plague this voice type, and has a remarkable evenness across its range and a detectable warmth in the lower register (almost unheard-of among countertenors). The duet "Et in unum Dominum" showed Macliver and Field blending exquisitely, with singing as near to perfect as could be imagined; Field's two solos, "Qui sedes" and the Agnus Dei, were worth the price of admission by themselves.
Second soprano Vivien Hamilton is a veteran singer of early music, but her voice has a surprising amount of vibrato, so the coloratura passagework of "Laudamus te" was not as clean as one might like. Tenor Paul McMahon has a tender voice without the braying quality to which tenors can be prone. Perhaps bass Stephen Grant was having a bad night, but his voice seemed rather too baritonal for this piece, and his commitment was not as apparent as that of the other soloists.
Despite some shortcomings — more in terms of
overall coordination than in any of the separate forces — this was
generally an engaging and moving performance of a not undemanding work.
