Handel: Orlando on blu-ray
With this one, placed # 100 in our TC Top 100 Recommended Operas list, I have now seen or listened to all 100.
OK, folks, this one is a mixed bag.
It's William Christie, but not with his orchestra Les Arts Florissants. This time he is a guest conductor, at the helm of the Orchestra "La Scintila" of the Zurich Opernhaus. This is not an opera company I trust at all, but anyway, let's not allow prejudices to get in the way of a fair assessment.
The Stage Director is Jens-Daniel Herzog, apparently no relation to Werner Herzog.
The cast has Marijana Mijanovic in the title role, Martina Janková as Angelica, Konstantin Wolff as Zoroastro, Katharina Peetz as Medoro, and Christina Clark as Dorinda.
The plot is simple (LOL, it actually isn't, and it is quite ridiculous, but who cares?):
Zoroastro is worried because General Orlando fell in love with Angelica, and while lovesick, is neglecting his military duties. He tells him that he should go to war and forget about love, to no avail. Angelica keeps giving him hopes because she is scared of him but secretly loves Medoro, who is loved by Dorinda. Medoro encourages Dorinda as well but prefers Angelica. Orlando declares to Angelica his love and gives her a bracelet. Dorinda decides that the only way to avoid the ire of a jealous general which might get either herself or Medoro killed - or both - is to elope with Medoro in the middle of the night. However when they are making plans and start kissing each other, Dorinda walks on them and cries out loud, lamenting the fact that Medoro had been fooling her. They are afraid that she'll attract the attention of the general with her crying, and Angelica gives her the bracelet to calm her down. She does, but then rats on them to Orlando, who gets more and more upset, in a jealous rage. Medoro and Angelica elope, Orlando states he will pursue them and kill them, but gets delirious and loses his sanity. Angelica and Medoro come back (why???), Medoro wants to offer himself to be killed, but Zoroastro devises a plan to cure the general of his insanity. He makes Angelica - who is by now despondent because she thinks that the general will kill Medoro - offer herself to be killed by Orlando. Zoroastro manages to fake Angelica's death in the hands of Orlando (how? with magic, I suppose), who then wakes up of his trance, finds himself cured of his madness, and laments the fact that he has murdered Angelica. At this point and to Orlando's surprise, she resuscitates, tells him that she does love Medoro - who then shows up alive and well - and asks for Orlando's blessing. The general says that indeed love should not distract him from war, gives the happy couple his blessing, and everybody (including Dorinda who by then has renounced her love for Medoro - why??) rejoices. Curtain.
Technically, the blu-ray is impeccable. Perfect DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 and PCM Stereo, subtitles in Italian, English, German, French, and Spanish, full HD picture with 16:9 format, running time of 155 minutes. There is only one problem that knocks down some points in my evalutation: the only extras are trailers for 5 other operas; no interviews, or making-of. Camera work is very appropriate.
The staging is, of course, updated. These days directors make a point of staging baroque opera in any possible era, except the one intended by the composer and the librettist.
This one is no exception. Oh, and there is the usual Regie re-interpretation. Zoroastro, instead of being a magician, is the head psychiatrist in a mental hospital where general Orlando is a patient. Dorinda, rather than a shepherdess, is a nurse. Angelica and Medoro are, well, Angelica and Medoro. We never get to know what in the hell these two are doing in the mental hospital (we know from the opera's libretto who they are supposed to be, but their positions in the original libretto don't really match the idea of the hospital setting - they aren't patients, aren't staff... which is another problem showing that updates have their limitations.
In terms of scenarios, they are well done for the premise, and not intrusive. Huge walls slide in and out and subdivide the stage in various ways, which are very effective to convey the different rooms in the hospital and to provide enough variety and ample space for the singers/actors, without ever looking too busy or cramped.
The hospital setting update is not too bad, but not very successful either. Let's say that it is less bad than other Eurotrashy productions (there aren't the usual purposefully shocking scenes or disgusting props that I came to expect from the Regie-gone-mad Zurich Opera House) but the singers visibly struggle to still convey Handel's opera in this environment while singing of completely disparate settings, such as woods, brooks, and deer passing by. But it isn't a complete disaster either - the psychiatric setting still works fairly well for this opera that includes a mad scene and a character who recovers from madness. But you know, it's right there on the edge - a little more Regie, and it would have completely derailed the production.
Other Regie issues are the added action that is not in the libretto. There is over-sexualization of certain scenes; for example, when Dorinda is singing of how she still loves Medoro while he tells him that his heart belongs to another; the scene is supposed to be one of renouncement and sadness for her, but of course, Regie-gone-mad Zurich Opera makes the poor singer try to frantically undress Medoro and zip down his pants - fortunately she doesn't go any further.
There is also a scene in which Dorinda punches Angelica who gets a bleeding nose (this is not in the libretto), and the bloody nose becomes the object of several actions which don't match what is being sung at all. Continuity problems arise - Angelica's bloody-stained clothes suddenly appear clean, then bloody again, then clean again, then bloody again. Obviously the filming was a composite of different evenings and those blood stains weren't on the same spots.:lol:
OK, so, this all sounds terrible, huh? Why have I said that the Regie BS does not completely derail the production? Because it is saved by the superlative acting of the two women who play female roles (not the ones in trouser roles). Martina Janková and Christina Clark are two very accomplished actresses, and somehow they pull it off; they make it work and rescue the Stage Director's silliness. Their rivalry on stage is acted with such vigor and such comic punch (in spite of this being an opera seria), and they develop such an exquisite chemistry, that we forget about all the ridiculously unmatched action/libretto situations. Wow! Some artists these two are! They make this whole thing very entertaining, to tell you the truth, even if it is not exactly what Handel and his anonymous librettist had intended.
Konstantin Wolff acts his part very well too. The other two characters, however, are no match for this trio's acting abilities. Marijana Mijanovic does OK in terms of acting (not great as the other three, but OK, and her mad scene is not bad), while Katharina Peetz is not a convincing Medoro in a trouser role, and she is not helped by the ridiculous costumes that she/he gets. Most of the other costumes are appropriate (except for one scene when Angelica shows up - for no reason whatsoever - dressed as a Japanese woman - I guess I told you that the Zurich Opera House is Regie-gone-mad, right?), but Medoro's are particularly odd, especially in the final scene. They make of this character a buffoon, which again is not matched by the libretto, in which he does engage in some more noble actions in the second and third acts, after his first act two-faced flirting with two women at the same time.
In terms of looks, Marijana Mijanovic looks masculine enough (without need for facial hair) but she is just too svelte and tiny to be convincing as the great hero general Orlando. Katharina Peetz, again, is shorthanded by somewhat ridiculous fake facial hair (a thin moustache). Martina Janková looks very attractive and sexy, and her "assets" - cough, cough (those who know me, know what I'm talking about) are generously displayed during the first act when she is in her night gown, but she does dress more modestly during the second and third acts.
Christina and Konstantin look their parts. The latter is not helped by the high definition of this blu-ray's image, because we can see that his bald head is fake. Sometimes HD gets in the way of suspension of disbelief...
Now, for the most important part, the music.
The opera itself is, of course, spectacular. I really like this one, it's considered by many to be one of Handel's top three in musical terms, and even though it's hard for me to rank them because I very much like pretty much everything that he did, I can see why this opinion could be defended. One of the best features is that Handel this time employs more ensembles than usual, and less da capo arias than usual. The few da capo arias are not extra long. These characteristics make for lively and varied vocal music that won't turn off the non-initiated (for whom the endless succession of long da capo arias in other baroque operas can be unpalatable). I particularly like the trio when Angelica and Medoro are trying to comfort Dorinda when she walks on them making up - they tell her to be brave and move on, she says "no... no..." and they reply "sì... sì..." (the effect is beautiful). The short overture and the instrumental ultra-short intermezzi (listed as
sinfoniae) are very delicate and tasteful.
OK, how well (or not) is the music performed in this production?
Well, Christie is a Handel specialist and things click pretty well, helped by the spectacular quality of this blu-ray's sound track, and by the period instruments, including the so-called
viola d'amore, which supposedly provides a fuller and more resonant sound. And yet... and yet... there is something missing. I believe that what is missing is Christie's own orchestra and his chemistry with them. He tries his best but can't inspire this "La Scintilla" to the same energy and brilliance of his Les Arts Florissants.
And what about the singing?
Marijana Mijanovic pretty much ruins this production. Apparently she was coming back after a long absence due to severe health problems and a pregnancy, but you know, she shouldn't have tackled this, if she wasn't well enough. She commits a large number of vocal errors, and one keeps longing for a countertenor instead, such as Scholl or Daniels. She seems too contained, passionless in her singing, and unable to survive her coloratura, which gets worse and worse and seems rather disastrous in the third act.
Martina Janková, on the other hand, steals the show. While at the very top of her range she doesn't do as well, she compensates for it with a pleasant timbre and a big dose of vitality. I loved her performance (I've talked about her acting and her looks already) and will be looking forward to catching her in other roles.
Christina Clark, while not as good as Martina (due to being uneven throughout the performance, unlike Martina who pretty much shines every single time she is on stage), sings beautifully as well, and at times exquisitely so.
Konstantin Wolff is a very good bass. He performs his part almost perfectly, except for a tendency to lose too much volume during his lowest notes, but these moments are rare and most of the time his singing is excellent.
Katharina Peetz does OK, with no fireworks but no blunders either.
My verdict: score/vocal writing 100, libretto 88, staging 75, acting 90, singing 87, orchestra 90, blu-ray technical quality 95 (not 100 due to the absence of interviews and making-of).
Average, 89, or B+.
It is worth buying? Yes, it is. There are better stagings of Handel operas out there, but this one is not terrible, and the opera itself is musically very beautiful. There is also no competition that I know of.