Volume 19 Issue 4 - December 2013

Jake Heggie – Moby-DickMorris; Costello; Smith; Lemalu; Trevigne;San Francisco Opera; Patrick SummersEuroArts 2059658!!The only lingeringquestion about Moby-Dick as an opera is:why did it take solong to happen? Theepic tale, charactersand intensity ofemotions — they all areperfectly operatic inscope. Deconstructingthe linearity of thestory was the rightapproach to the sprawling novel, suggestedby Heggie’s collaborator Terrence McNally.(McNally, who was the librettist for Heggie’sDead Man Walking began this project but hadto back out and the libretto was completedby Gene Scheer). Paraphrasing the immortalfirst line of the novel as, “You may call meIshmael ...” for the closing line was anotherstroke of genius. The rest relies on Heggie’sbrilliant, neo-romantic score, with its delightfullyunanticipated musical quotations fromPoulenc and Debussy and all-male vocal score(save for the “in-trousers” role of Pip). Inthis production, the demonic Captain Ahab(Jay Hunter Morris) demonstrates considerablehubris early on —“I’d strike at the sunif it’d burned me.” His relentless pursuitof the whale, leading to a loss of humanityand almost complete annihilation, is set instark relief by Starbuck (Morgan Smith), themoral centre of the opera. Joseph Costello asGreenhorn (Ishmael) imbues the music witha sense of foreboding and fear. The productionvalues are truly spectacular — inventiveuse of digital projections (with a tip of thehat to our own Robert Lepage), beautiful setsand creative lighting make for an immenselywatchable 140 minutes. Finally, the directionfor video by Frank Zamacona is of a calibrerarely seen on operatic DVDs. All in all,Moby-Dick is a solid new entry in the standardrepertoire and this production is a musthavefor watching at home.—Robert TomasEARLY MUSIC & PERIOD PERFORMANCEIo Vidi In TerraJosé Lemos; Jory Vinikour; Deborah FoxSono Luminus DSL-92172sonoluminus.com!!SeventeenthcenturyItaly presentsus with images oflove, debauchery,power games, murdersand ruthless ambition— but at leastthere were some greatItalian composersaround to set the romantic elements to music!Brazilian José Lemos displays his in-depthlove for Italian vocal music by selecting notonly giants of the period but also lesserknowncomposers. It is, indeed, a less-wellknowncomposer, Tarquinio Merula, withwhom José Lemos opens his recital. Hisrendition of “Su la cetra amorosa” draws ona very wide range of skills as it combines analmost rushed score with a sometimes highlyexhilarating one.“Io Vidi in Terra” sets lines by Petrarch,and it is a tribute to both Marco da Gaglianoand José Lemos that poetry and song of suchbeauty and sensitivity are to be found onthis CD. Just as anguished by love’s pains is“Ardo” by Benedetto Ferrari, bringing outthe best in Lemos’ longer notes and drawingon Vinikour’s harpsichord and DeborahFox’s theorbo.Instrumental solos feature. Spagnoletta wasone of the most popular and longest-livedpieces of the entire Renaissance. Vinikourgives a spirited interpretation of Storace’scomplex score — the most demanding thisreviewer has heard. And for good measurethere is the exuberant Balletto by thesame composer.Lemos starts and finishes his recital withsongs by Merula, who deserves to be betterknown. Listening to this choice of songs, it iseasy to see why — this is a wonderful collectionof early Italian baroque music.—Michael SchwartzSplendore a Venezia – Music in Venicefrom the Renaissance to the BaroqueVarious ArtistsATMA ACD2 3013!!This compilationdisc was created toaccompany the exhibitionpresented at theMontreal Museum ofFine Arts this seasonfrom October toJanuary focusing onthe interrelationshipbetween the visual arts and music during the16th, 17th and 18th centuries, In addition topaintings, the show features historical instruments,musical texts and manuscripts. Forthe recording, the ATMA label draws from itscatalogue works by composers who figurein the exhibition, including Monteverdi,Gabrieli, Rossi, Vivaldi and Albinoni,performed by local Montreal artists and theirguests. There is a cornucopia of instrumentaland vocal works offered, bringing to life therich, festive tapestry of Venetian society. TheAcadémie baroque de Montréal offers a stunningperformance of a Vivaldi concerto withthe late Washington McClain as oboe soloist.Perhaps in honour of the string instrumentson display at the gallery, such as theKoch archlute, a lovely Ballo secondo byKapsberger features chitarrone and harp.Vocal ensemble Les Voix Baroques andTragicomedia perform Gabrieli’s madrigalDue rose fresche and Monterverdi’s Laetatussum. Charles Daniels and Colin Balzer delightin Monterverdi’s whimsical Zefiro tornaand the superb voice of Karina Gauvin soarsthrough the lovely Vivaldi aria “Addio Caro.”A delightful surprise is Benedetto Marcello’ssetting of Psalm 15 gorgeously sung by Israelimezzo Rinat Shaham. For those lookingfor a reason to brave the cold in Montrealthis winter, the exhibit is a must-see; forall others, vicarious enjoyment through themusic, complete with a full-colour bookletillustrated with several of the works presentedin the MMFA exhibition.—Dianne WellsHandel; Boieldieu;Mozart – Harp ConcertosValérie Milot; Les Violins du Roi;Bernard LabadieAnalekta AN 29990! ! The three concertoson this recordingremain a major partof the harp repertoiretoday even thoughthey were written atthe time when theharp was not consideredmuch morethan a salon instrument, due to the defectsof the single pedal mechanism. Interestinglyenough, it was Sébastien Érard, a roommateof Boieldieu, who invented the double-actionpedal mechanism that greatly improved thesound and the ability of the harp. All threeconcertos, featuring Valérie Milot as soloist,were recorded on the modern harp thusadding an array of colours and textures thatwould have been impossible to achieve at thetime they were composed.Handel’s Concerto in B flat Major is mypersonal favourite on this recording. It waspremiered in 1736 at Covent Garden inLondon, at a concert dedicated exclusivelyto Handel’s compositions. This concerto hasa wonderfully intimate sound throughout.Elegant baroque phrasing of Les Violons DuRoy complements the crispy, sparkling harpsound — creating an atmosphere that is notoverly dramatic yet containing a wide rangeof emotions.François-Adrien Boieldieu (1775–1834) maynot be a familiar name but he was a popularopera composer and piano teacher at theConservatoire de Paris. His love for opera isevident in his concerto for harp — dramaticorchestra opening of both the first and secondmovements and many ornaments in delicatelyvirtuosic harp lines. The last movement has avery enjoyable swaying momentum, evokingthe spirit of the times.Mozart wrote the Concerto for Flute andHarp in C, K299 while he was visiting Parisand happened to become a compositionteacher for the Duc de Guines’ daughter, who,in turn, occasionally played the harp accompaniedby her father on the transverse flute.This concerto is signature Mozart, bursting72 | December 1, 2013 – February 7, 2014 thewholenote.com