Customer Reviews

Haendel - Siroe, Re di Persia

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
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Handel is still the least known of the great classical masters, despite the enormous advances made in that direction over the last 40 or 50 years. Few if any of his operas yet hold a firm place in most repertories, so it is my first pleasure and duty to thank Harmonia Mundi and express my delizia infinita and immenso piacer for this excellent production of a particularly out-of-the-way work.

Siroe was premiered at London's Haymarket Theatre in 1728. The libretto is basically by Metastasio, who created an effective template for opera seria books for many years, but simplified to suit London taste. Siroe has been provisionally identified as the elder son Kavadh II Shiruya of the short-lived 7th century Persian king Khosrau II (Cosroe in the opera), threatened with disinheritance in favour of his younger brother `Medarse' by his father because of his Cordelia-like refusal to take a loyalty oath. The simplification consists mainly in taking the subtleties out of Metastasio's depiction of the relationship between Cosroe and Siroe, in reducing the role of the general Arasse and in providing a happy ending with Siroe reinstated, Medarse pardoned and the scheming women reconciled to the new status quo.

The roles of both princes were taken by castrati in Handel's performances, Siroe himself being the legendary Senesino. The female roles were given to Mmes Cuzzoni and Bordoni, no less well known to those familiar with Handel's biography, and I should not be surprised to find that they have been given exactly equal numbers of notes to sing. In keeping with established modern practice, Medarse is sung by a counter-tenor and Siroe by a woman alto. I can only suppose that a generation familiar with Strauss's Oktavian written explicitly for a soprano will have no difficulty with the latter. For me, the most interesting piece of casting is Sunhae Im as Laodice. She is not an `early music' stylist at all, but a modern soprano such as one might expect in Mozart, using a modern vibrato technique. I am personally in favour of this slightly hybrid approach to the production, just as I am in favour of the casting of Sutherland as Athalia in the Hogwood set of that oratorio. It helps with contrast and with definition of the characters. In a cast with not an Italian among them but the rest Europeans, it also seemed to me that hers was easily the best Italian pronunciation, although I ought also to say that my own command of Italian is nothing to write home about. The period-instrumental ensemble consists of 21 players all told including the small lute part and the fairly prominent harpsichord continuo. Tempi seem to me well judged, there is a vocal cadenza at the end of each aria, and while none of the singing is what I would call exactly outstanding it is appropriate in style (given my general view of Im) and well integrated under the direction of Spering.

Siroe is not the greatest Handel, although there are fascinating glimpses of that and quite frequently too. It is all recitative and aria with one slightly perfunctory final chorus presumably sung by the six soloists as no other credits are given. The production of the box-set is absolutely excellent, providing the libretto both in full and summarised, a synopsis of the plot and a learned but very readable background essay by Sabine Radermacher. The English translation of this is excellent too, and the translation of the libretto is as good as we have any right to expect. Translations into French and German are also supplied. The opera's three acts are neatly fitted on to two well-filled cd's, and the recorded quality is unexceptionable. Dirti di piu non posso.

This is a very good recording of what could be described as a "generic" Handel opera seria. There are no ensemble pieces other than the final chorus, and even accompanied recitatives are rare; just a string of dacapo arias from beginning to end. And yet, to anyone attuned to Handel's dramatic genius, this is a very satisfying recording. It is always a fascinating experience to hear musicians tackle a work that has no previous performance tradition to inhibit them. I can imagine that some of the tempi might be deemed rather fast, or some of the accents a bit extreme, but on the whole the performance comes off rather well. This being Handel, there is no shortage of wonderful music, even if it happens to be mostly unknown. The bass aria "Gelido" is particularly striking, one of Handel's finest dramatic strokes within the confines of the dacapo form. The final chorus is quite wonderful as well, more overtly a "rondo" than most of his finales. There are no weak singers, and the recording is up to Harmonia Mundi's usual high standards. Definitely recommended!
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Last year I had the good fortune of hearing The Venice Baroque Orchestra's performance of this opera at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Spering's recording stacks up very well. The high point of that evening was the singing of the Czech soprano Katerina Beranova in the role of Emira. The chances of another recording of Siroe with her in a leading role are rather remote, I would guess, so that memory will have to serve.

Siroe has until now been an unknown opera to me. The music, like all of Handel's music, is always very entertaining and well thought out and in some places sublime ('Gelido in ogni vena' and 'Degg'io morire o stelle'). However, this opera cannot be put on the same level as his "Tamerlano", "Serse", "Ariodante" or the other great Handel operas one can think of, as "Siroe" never seems really to touch upon the human predicament as profoundly as these great works. I think that this is caused by Handel having to cater to the demands of his warring prime donne: Francesca Cuzzoni and Faustina Bordoni. Their vanity made it necessary for Handel to shift the musical and dramatic focus from Siroe (Senesino's role) to that of Emira and Laodice, which these ladies interpreted. By ensuring that the music for his leading ladies was sufficiently virtuosic and spectacular, he was unfortunately forced to place less emphases on Siroe's dilemma: the friction caused by his filial, fraternal, and romantic relationships. Siroe's anguish and predicament is not sufficiently exploited, but is rather obscured by flashy and, after a while, insubstantial arias for Loadice and Emira. The tension between Cosroe and Siroe goes for very little, whereas similar situations are a feature of his greater works. Most of Siroe's music, though affecting, is less impressive and effective than Riccardo Primo or even Giulio Cesare's, and this is not helped by the fact that Siroe is a bit of a wimp.

The orchestration of this work is basic, and not as exotic and extravagant as that of "Rinaldo" or "Teseo", with only strings, oboes with continuo. Handel's orchestration is always very specific, calculating and subtle, however the conductor Andreas Spering chose to add traverse flutes or recorders to the tutti sections of arias and in the one sinfonia even adds trumpets! This is somewhat callous as we know that instruments had specific meaning for baroque composers and especially Handel: eg. recorders either evoked pastoral settings (like Giustino's entrance) or deception as in 'Mio bel tesoro' in "Alcina" or flutes for extreme moments of sadness, e.g. 'Ombre pianti' in "Rodelinda" etc... In 'Degg'io morire o stella' Spering has the strings play pizzicato! Having said that, the tempi of the arias are, in my opinion, very well chosen and the drama moves along at just the right pace. I find that the use of rhythm is not quite as creative or exciting as what we could have had, say if a Minkowski or a Jacobs had conducted this performance.

The genius of Handel can be illustrated in a few arias in this work, eg. 'Fra l'orrore'. Handel had a third rate singer and was not able to compose the aria di bravura that the text calls for in the manor of 'Agitato da fiere tempeste'. Therefore Handel puts rushing scales into the orchestra to create the affect of the tempest. In 'Gelido in ogni vena' the horror of the situation is reflected in short phrases that seems to 'stop' - which reflect Cosroe's disbelief and horror. 'Degg'io morire', though an incredible piece of theatre and by far the best piece in the opera is not as haunting as 'Scherza infida', or ground-breaking as Orlando's mad scene.

The strong cast is made up of mostly young and unknown singers. The two sopranos who interpret the Cuzzoni (Laodice) and Faustina (Emira) roles have distinctly different voices and do full justice to their parts. The Laodice (Sunhae Im) has a very beautiful voice and technique but can at times sound a little hysterical in the faster arias, but elsewhere she sings with a superb legato where required, see 'Mi lagnero tacendo' in Act 2. The other soprano, Johanna Stojkovic, occasionally can sound a little uncomfortable with Faustina's overly virtuosic music, but she sings with lots of fire and inspiration that should make one overlook this small quibble. Ann Hallenberg as Siroe delivers a stunning performance with her generous voice and inspired interpretation, and I look forward to her Tauride in "Arianna" when it is released later this year. Sebastian Noack (Cosroe) sings with a beautiful voice, however he uses very little ornamentation in his arias. Was this his or the conductor's choice, as the other singers all have very tastefully decorated arias? The other bass, Arasse is sung by Timm de Jong. In Handel's version Arasse is restricted to the recitatives and therefore it is difficult to judge what de Jong's singing is really like. But what he does sing, he sounds very good with a solid voice and technique. The only weak link in this cast for me is the counter-tenor, Gunther Schmid (Medarse). He sounds over-parted and weak, yet he has a very beautiful voice when he is not forcing it to rise above the orchestra.

Judging "Siroe" on its own terms as a piece of theatre of the 18th century, it is not a weak work and is certainly infinitely more intelligently composed than most contemporary operas, like say Pergolesi's "Adriano in Siria" This recording is by no means ideal as it is an abridged version for a start - the recitative is heavily cut - yet all the arias as composed by Handel are performed in sequence - following the Chrysander edition. The third recording of "Siroe" is to be released later this year, conducted by Alan Curtis. Judging from previous recordings of Curtis and the cast he will be using, the Spering set should remain the preferable choice. I bought this recording on spec and honestly can say that I am not disappointed by it.

I purchased Siroe on 1/31/08 (as Amazon reminds me at the top of the page for Siroe), and I have listened to it many times since receiving it. I was hesitant to purchase it because of some tepid reviews, but I am very glad I bought it because it brings me much listening pleasure. I love Ann Hallenberg's voice, I love Sunhae Im's voice, I love Andreas Spering's conducting, and I of course love Handel. Purchasing Siroe has led me to purchase other CDs with Hallenberg and/or Im and/or Spering, such as Handel's Imeneo on the CPO label with Hallenberg and Spering, and Haydn's Die Schöpfung (The Creation) on Naxos -- an exceptional release, BTW -- with Im and Spering. That I discovered Hallenberg, Im and Spering through Siroe is another reason I am glad I purchased Siroe. The quality of the recorded sound is up to the high standards I've come to expect from Harmonia Mundi.

It is amazing to learn that Siroe, Re di Persia was such a hit in Italy roughly 300 years ago - an opera premiered in January 1726, with music by Leonardo Vinci and libretto by Pietro Trapassi, more famously known as Metastasio.

The Siroe triumphal march just began - the story was put to music by such prominent composers as Nicola Porpora in Rome in 1726; by Domenico Sarro in Naples in 1727, and later by Antonio Vivaldi in Reggio Emilio in 1733. Around thirty further settings follow, and naturally there must have appeared Siroe an opera compos'd by Mr. Handel.

The premier of Handel's Siroe happened on 17 February 1728 In London. The three stars of operatic stage of the day were cast in leading roles - Senesino as Siroe, Francesca Cuzzoni as Laodice and Faustina Bordoni as Emira. Although the opera enjoyed a considerable success and achieved eighteen performances in London, it then sank in to total oblivion; in fact, it marked the ending of Handel's operatic (not oratorio!) career. Three weeks before the premier, John Gay's Beggar's Opera, a biting satire on refined London society and its opera, whom Handel represented as no one else, changed the course of London's theater fashion forever.

Perhaps it is due to that fact that we do not hear Siroe much today; its two sister operas, Riccardo Primo, Re d'Inghilterra and Tolomeo, forming a triptych of "kingly" operas, are also relatively less known to us. All three operas marked the accession to the throne of King George II (1727-1760) - a long-time Handel's patron since the composer's brief residence in Hanover, when the King was The Duke Georg August of Hanover, the town of his birthplace.

It is interesting to note that King George II had extremely poor relationship with his father. George was given the title of the Prince of Wales upon the ascension of his father as King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1714. When the Princess of Wales gave birth to Prince George William in 1717, a family quarrel ensued; at the baptism, the Prince of Wales insisted on having the Duke of Newcastle (whom the king detested) as a godfather, whilst the King chose his brother, the Duke of York and Albany. When he publicly vituperated his father, the Prince of Wales was temporarily put under arrest. Afterwards, the King banished his son from St. James's Palace, the King's residence, and excluded him from all public ceremonies.

This story reminds very closely of a plot of Siroe, a drama of relationship between the father and the son. Indeed since there is no DVD or no movie whatsoever, it is not very easy to follow quite a convoluted plot; but the singing is so excellent that it captivates the listener. The music is not as immediately striking as in Orlando or Alcina, but when listened to a few times, one discovers the marvels of it, and understands better why this opera and some of its arias, such as Laodice's lament "Mi lagnero tacendo", inspired composers from Mozart and Beethoven to Rossini.

The whole cast is virtuoso singers; Ann Hallenberg is a great contralto, Sunhae Im's voice is marvelous for a role of a devoted admirer, Johanna Stojkovic is a fierce Emira, and I also loved the voice of Gunther Schmid as Medarse; Cosroe and Arasse are excellent as well. Andreas Spering as a director delivered an exceptional musical production.

I appreciated it even more after attending this opera this June in Goethe Theater in Bad Lauchstädt, Germany. The local production of Siroe was part of the annual Händel-Festspiele in his native town of Halle. The production was a total disaster, with appalling quality of singing and excruciating cheapness of the staging; and although the orchestra attempted to play on period instruments, it could not save the failure. Sad events like this only illuminate the splendid sprezzatura of the recordings as this Siroe, as the deceiving easiness of the performing masks the true enormous effort made for it to sound this flawless way. Attending a substandard by still a professional performance highlights the actual challenges of the work, which are obscured in a truly masterly execution, as this CD.

The ensembles of this Siroe delivered, in my opinion, the Metastasio's ideal - "Istruir dilettando il genere umano" (To instruct mankind through entertainment) - which the poet formulated in a letter to his close friend Carlo Broschi, "Farinelli", who sang the title role in Johann Adolf Hasse setting of Siroe in 1733 - thus yet another Siroe!

All in all, this is a great revival of a less-known work and therefore a must for baroque opera lovers looking for new rediscovered gems. Finally, the booklet is full of great information, which helps to appreciate this work even more.

Suburb recording, world class artists, a fantastic buy if you want a beautiful example of Handels work.

So many of Handel's operas and oratorios have become available on CDs lately that one has the option of being picky. I confess that I'm naturally picky about musical performances anyway, but I find this disk second rate in comparison to many others. It begins well enough; the orchestra is stylish and well modulated. But then the singers erupt, each in her/his distinctive vocal manner. Another reviewer has praised the divergent techniques of the three women principals as being helpful in distinguishing their personae. Very well, I suppose that's so, but I find it unpleasing to my ears, especially the tonally unsteady warble of Sunhae Im. One listens to any music both by hearing sounds moment by moment and by remembering sequences of sounds throughout a composition. It's the first kind of listening that falters on this CD; the voices don't impress me. An opera is a very long sequence of sounds to remember; perhaps as a DVD this performance would be interesting, but as a purely aural experience it seems random and tedious.