Handel - Floridante / Mijanovic, DiDonato, Invernizzi, Rostorf-Zmir, Priante, Novaro, Il Complesso Barocco, Curtis

George Frideric Handel (Composer), Alan Curtis (Conductor), Il Complesso Barocco (Orchestra), Marijana Mijanovic (Performer), Joyce DiDonato (Performer), Roberta Invernizzi (Performer), Sharon Rostorf-Zamir (Performer), Vito Priante (Performer), Riccardo Novaro (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Marijana Mijanovic, Joyce DiDonato, Roberta Invernizzi, Sharon Rostorf-Zamir, Vito Priante, et al.
• Orchestra: Il Complesso Barocco
• Conductor: Alan Curtis
• Composer: George Frideric Handel
• Audio CD (April 10, 2007)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 3
• Label: Archiv Produktion
• ASIN: B000L21DNK
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,386 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #35 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Historical Periods > Baroque (c.1600-1750)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars La Divina Dramma di Flori Dante., August 29, 2010

By 

Anna Shlimovich (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Handel - Floridante / Mijanovic, DiDonato, Invernizzi, Rostorf-Zmir, Priante, Novaro, Il Complesso Barocco, Curtis (Audio CD)

Floridante is a less known Handel's opera, written in 1721, after such masterpieces as Agrippina and Rinaldo but before pinnacles as Orlando, Ariodante and Alcina. We are fortunate to have this fabulous recording to enjoy the marvelous music, unjustly rarely performed. The opera was written during a period of Handel's rivalry with Giovanni Bononcini, a composer whose works are almost impossible to hear today - a sadly typical cruel fate of many interesting composers of the Baroque era. Very popular in his day, Bononcini operas of 1721-22 season enjoyed 32 performances in London, while Floridante only seven. Yet it is still a genius work deserving much attention (perhaps Bononcini deserves it, too, and hopefully, with the revival of interest to Baroque music in recent decades, new discoveries will delight us in the future).

Floridante is a heroic opera. The Italian-language libretto was by Paolo Antonio Rolli after Francesco Silvani's libretto for Marc'Antonio Ziani dramma per musica "La Costanza in Trionfo" of 1696. Despite the title, it seems that Handel's favorite character in this opus is Elmira. He refused to alter her music too much, which he did quite willingly for other characters to accommodate for their voices and changed score. But not to Elmira; and it is significant that her aria is the first opening air in the opera - "Dimmi, o spene", and that she also concludes the opera with a recitative - "La cittade, la reggia".

I think Handel's personal position in life is expressed through some noble female characters of his operas, as through Elmira - through her pride, her fierce desire of freedom and the nobility of her persona. She refuses to succumb to the capricious will of the powerful ruling lord - perhaps this reflects on Handel's decision to leave Italy after the phenomenal success of his "Agrippina" in Venice. He had the most powerful and influential admirers in Italy, as Marquis Ruspoli, Cardinal Pamphili, Grand Dukes of Tuscany Ferdinando de' Medici and his successor Gian Gastone de' Medici plus many others.

Yet he left it all, for a reasons not totally explained - in my opinion, he did not wish to become another Cecchino, a castrato lover of Ferdinando, or Giuliano Dami, a concubine of Gian Gastone. These lovers of grand dukes were also very talented people, musicians and writers, and enjoyed a very privileged life with their patrons. Yet Handel was famous for "loving liberty too much", and it seems to me that it is this trait that he expressed with such special passion and exquisiteness as in the role of Elmira.

This recording is a vocal and musical feast. There are two love pairs in the libretto - the heroic couple of Floridante and Elmira is contrasted with a lighter pair of Timante and Rossane; this allowed Handel to create softer, more song- and dancelike arias for the latter pair, while the music of Floridante and Elmira is more serious and solemn. It is also said that the invention of contrasting duets of different characters allowed Handel to spur public interest and win over Italian Bononcini - which was not too easy, as Italian composers ruled the day, just as Italian singers did.

The cast of this recording is star-studded; superb:

Joyce DiDonato as Elmira is extraordinary, simply flawless. The role of Elmira was originally created for Margherita Durastanti, a soprano, but because of her illness and inability to come to London for a premier, it had to be re-cast for a weaker singer, Anastasia Robinson, a contralto. For this recording, Alan Curtis makes Elmira perform as in the original score in all Act I and through the first half of the Act II. Although DiDonato is a mezzo-soprano, she performs splendidly. I think she is simply one of the best singers ever; her interpretations of Dejanira in Hercules with William Christie and as Alcina again with Alan Curtis are sensational; one can compare her Alcina with Rene Fleming to hear the difference - DiDonato's virtuosity and beauty of the voice are outstanding. Her characterization of great Elmira arias: "Ma pria vedro le stelle", "Barbaro, t'odio a morte", exceptional "Notte cara", "Ma che vuoi piu da me" is astounding.

Marijana Mijanovic is superb in the title role of Floridante. Here we could imagine we hear Senesino - the timbre of her voice, the coloring conveys well the character of a somewhat weak and victimized prince. It was interesting to compare Mijanovic to Natalie Stutzman in the same role in another recording, and they both sing very similarly "Bramo te sola" and "Se dolce m'era gia", great Floridante arias. Perhaps Natalie Stutzmann's characterization is slightly more baroque and masculine, her voice is somewhat more steady, which is preferable for a male role. Nonetheless, Mijanovic is excellent throughout , in `Alma mia" and she and DiDonato are supreme in the last duetto of Act I "Ah, mia cara, se tu resti" - what an amazing music, Mr. Handel...

Sharon Rostorf-Zamir has a great voice, too, and here she is just as excellent as she is in another recording "Amadigi di Gaula" by Eduardo Lopez Banzo. She was also seen in Teseo DVD, and she is a world-class soprano.

Roberta Invernizzi as Timante is exact and virtuosic, as always. However, her voice is not as dazzling as that of DiDonato or Rostorf-Zamir; I first had that impression when listening to Invernizzi in Handel's Cantata series, that her voice, although a soprano, is somewhat darker. Yet her singing is absolutely masterly. Rossane and Timante duetto "Fuor di periglio" in Act II is sung with marvelous delicacy and tenderness. It is a delight to compare this duet with "Ah, mia cara, se tu resti" duetto of Floridante and Elmira at the end of Act I to sense the two different characters of these two love pairs.

I have been at the performance of Floridante at Halle, the birthplace of Handel, in Halle (Saale) Oper, on June 9 2010; it was part of annual Handel Festspiele in Halle. It was quite good, with Mariselle Martinez in the title role, Lena Belkina as Elmira, Sonya Yoncheva as Rossane, Marlen Herzog as Timante and with Andreas Stoehr. However, the overall quality of that production was not nearly as high as this recording, under the baton of Alan Curtis - surely this ensemble represents some of the best voices and musicians of today. The musical direction, i.e. conducting, is par excellence.

Of course, it is regrettable that we do not have any DVD/recording of the actual opera, since this music was written for an operatic action on scene, and surely would gain if seen in a great production. But since we do not yet have a DVD...

I highly recommend this recording, which is a masterpiece and a great tribute to Handel.

11 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A little review Opera Handel-Floridante, Alan Curtis, Mijanovic,DiDonato,Ivernizzi, u.a., September 3, 2007

By 

Der Händelfan "UWE" (Herford) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Handel - Floridante / Mijanovic, DiDonato, Invernizzi, Rostorf-Zmir, Priante, Novaro, Il Complesso Barocco, Curtis (Audio CD)

The opera Floridante was completed on November 28th, 1721. The libretto was written by Paolo Antonio Rolli, it bases work La costanza on a substance of Francesco Silvani in trionfo. There are altogether 4 versions of the Händel opera. The original version was exposed by Alan Curtis now. Floridante was dedicated to Prince of Wales. In the opera it is all about the incarceration of a lawful throne heir. But how it shall the good be different, at the end win. The contemporaries were stirred by the soft slow arias particularly deeply. Floridante absolutely can keep pace with considerably knowner operas of Händel. Every aria becomes an exquisite pleasure in this reference-work. The baroque orchestra II Complesso Barocco under Alan Curtis' management and the operating soloists Marijan Miljanovic, Joyce DiDonato, Roberta Ivernizzi, Sharon Rostorf Zamir, Vito Priante and Riccardo Novaro fulfill her roles and if demanded, in a wondrous sentimentality one a masterly display of splendor. I like the opera Floridante and especially these production miss any more. A matter without and reproach. Said a jewel briefly.

12 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional cast..., May 26, 2007

By 

R.S. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Handel - Floridante / Mijanovic, DiDonato, Invernizzi, Rostorf-Zmir, Priante, Novaro, Il Complesso Barocco, Curtis (Audio CD)

A well directed Baroque opera and an exceptional cast. We have here some of the best Baroque singers. Marijana Mijanovic in particular : she dares to sing in her very own way, originally, taking risks only few artists dare to run and the result is nothing short of outstanding. The dark voiced contralto surprised with her unusual timbre as well as her unique way of vocalising (let us not forget that she's fully capable of vocalising in a more traditional fashion as in the Arcadian duets directed by Haim, but rather she has the courage to make the arias hers... special stand outs to her). Joyce DiDonato sings well and has a fine technique, but I don't find her singing quite original. Nevertheless she's exciting and shines as well here. In other words, the performances of miss Mijanovic are not only outstanding, but of the most surprisingly original. If you've not heard of that contralto, get ready to be moved that androgynous voice which will most certainly leave you perplexed.