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Fluid Voices & Genders Mark Arts Florissants' Rare, All-Male Early Baroque Gem |
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by Bruce-Michael Gelbert | >> see bio |
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| Les Arts Florissants |
| Photos by Guy Vivien |
On October 29 and 30, at the Rose Theater, on Lincoln Center's Great Performers series, William Christie and his Caen, France-based Les Arts Florissants offered a magnificent, semi-staged North American premiere presentation of the little-known opera "Il Sant'Alessio" (1631), by composer Stefano Landi and librettist Giulio Rospigliosi, who was to become Pope Clement IX. This "Sant'Alessio," an opus well worth hearing, reminded the listener exactly why Christie and his company's revivals of Baroque works are treasured. These forces treat such rarities with love and care, not as fragile museum pieces, but as living endeavors, with music, drama, and humorous interludes fully realized.
Originating in the papal chapel in Rome, "Il Sant'Alessio" was written for an all-male complement, with castrati and boy sopranos playing both male and female characters. In the all-male cast here, the majority of soloists were countertenors and the boys' choir of La Maîtresse de Caen joined forces with Les Arts Florissants' chorus and orchestra. Christie conducted from the harpsichord and organ. Benjamin Lazar directed, with the artistic collaboration of Louise Moaty. Alain Blanchot designed the costumes and Christophe Naillet, the lighting.
St. Alexis, a 5th century Roman patrician, who lived as a hermit in Syria, was canonized for his unwavering commitment to his vows of chastity and poverty, unrecognized and mourned by his family, even as he returned to live in or, rather, beneath their home, as a beggar, for the last 17 years of his life.
Singing in an ethereal voice of soprano timbre, Philippe Jaroussky was an Alessio transported, ecstatic as he embraced his calling and, in his aria "O morte gradita," gently welcomed even impending death. As Alessio's wife--from a forced marriage--whom he left chaste, Max Emanuel Cencic emerged as a tragic figure on the order of Purcell's Dido, Monteverdi's Ottavia and Gluck's Orfeo, singing laments for the lost Alessio and planning, in "Addio Tebro, addio colli," a pilgrimage in search of him in a full mezzo-soprano, which he aptly also lends to Rossini mezzo arias.
Mourning with Cencic, and taking female roles as well were Xavier Sabata as Alessio's mother and Jean-Paul Bonnevalle as the solicitous nurse. Alain Buet, as Eufemiano, Alessio's father, sang his plaints in a lyric bass and blended voices with Cencic and Sabata in an a cappella expression of sorrow when Alessio's identity and death were discovered simultaneously.
As Alessio's demonic nemesis, Luigi De Donato sang in a deep, lyrical bass, with sudden, startling drops down an octave. The scene in which this handsome devil attempted to seduce the pretty, innocent Alessio into breaking his vow and revealing himself to his family was not without its erotic charge. Happily free of qualms about distorting the vocal line with dramatic purpose, the demonio's choral followers vividly writhed, cackled and used quasi-Sprechstimme, pitched, rhythmic speech, reminding the listener that in Christie's "Dido and Aeneas," the "wayward" witches were also allowed to cackle acidly.
When not unleashing pandemonium, the choirs were entrusted with haunting prayers and uplifting anthems.
Camping as comic servants, countertenors José Lemos as Martio and Damien Guillon as Curtio, given merry folk tune-like melodies, mocked Alessio, even as they brought him bread, and jibed mercilessly at Cencic, Sabata and Bonnavalle's characters as well. Lemos' Martio had a cat-and-mouse encounter, which he barely understood, with Donato's sardonic demon, who then gave up the pursuit, turned into a bear and vanished in the woods.
Pure-voiced countertenors Terry Wey, depicting Rome and Religion, and Pascal Bertin, as the nuncio/Sofronio, and chorus solo bass Ludovoic Provost handled their narrative duties and significant announcements with distinction. Tenor Ryland Angel, as Alessio's family's neighbor, Adrasto, and Maîtresse de Caen boy sopranos Emmanuel Banim, Benjamin Hiraux, David Malczuk and Pierre-Alain Mercier, dividing up the role of the angel, who drives the demon away from Alessio, rounded out the cast.
Just before these performances, the Juilliard School made the welcome announcement that Christie would soon be working with young musicians there, while he continues his academic programs in France.
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