Il Trionfo del tempo e del disinganno; Opera Matinee Today (15th)

[doversoul1]

Catriona Young presents a performance of Handel's first oratorio Il Trionfo del tempo e del disinganno, recorded earlier this summer at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in France […]


Sabine Devieilhe, soprano, Bellezza
Franco Fagioli, countertenor, Piacere
Sara Mingardo, contralto, Disinganno
Michael Spyres, tenor, Tempo
Le Concert d'Astrée
Emmanuelle Haïm (conductor).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07tzwh6

A countertenor Piacere? And of all countertenors, Franco Fagioli?
Fagioli is amazing but seems rather an odd choice (to me).

[Nick Armstrong]

Much of this sounded really excellent - simply wonderful band, and a great soprano who dealt with the stratospheric and fast music phenomenally well.

Sadly, the countertenor I found literally unbearable (or perhaps, pace doversoul, woefully miscast): chesty, plummy vibrato of the worst sort imh and regretful o, and pretty awful diction too.

I actually thought to start with that it must be a contralto whose voice had gone, and was sad to think that it might be Sara Mingardo. But no - lovely blend in the duet between tenor and contralto towards the end, too (I gave the performance a second try in Part 2).

Shame that Lascia la spina (the prototype for Lascia ch’io pianga) fell to Mr Fagioli though

Fagioli is amazing

I was certainly amazed but not in a good way.

I think I would have been equally irritated by him had I been in the hall - I've found the film of the performance: http://www.medici.tv/#!/il-trionfo-d...o-handel-opera

That lovely contralto/tenor duet is the track that starts at 01:53:40. Worth sampling the final track too - fantastic soprano singing

[doversoul1]

Much of this sounded really excellent - simply wonderful band, and a great soprano who dealt with the stratospheric and fast music phenomenally well.

Sadly, the countertenor I found literally unbearable (or perhaps, pace doversoul, woefully miscast): chesty, plummy vibrato of the worst sort imh and regretful o, and pretty awful diction too.

I actually thought to start with that it must be a contralto whose voice had gone, and was sad to think that it might be Sara Mingardo. But no - lovely blend in the duet between tenor and contralto towards the end, too (I gave the performance a second try in Part 2).

Shame that Lascia la spina (the prototype for Lascia ch’io pianga) fell to Mr Fagioli though


I was certainly amazed but not in a good way.

I think I would have been equally irritated by him had I been in the hall - I've found the film of the performance: http://www.medici.tv/#!/il-trionfo-d...o-handel-opera

That lovely contralto/tenor duet is the track that starts at 01:53:40. Worth sampling the final track too - fantastic soprano singing

Re: Fagioli
I meant this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXmF6h3Yd_A

Fagioli was, I think, perfectly cast in this over the top production but anywhere else, he sounds to me rather like a bagpipe trying to play Dowland. As for the soprano, Andrew raved about her first solo album on then CD Review.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Erato/9341492

Thank you for the link to the film. I watched it but couldn’t last. I’ll stick to this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfYuSz-NCBM

The soprano is a little underpowered but Piacere is wonderful.

[Nick Armstrong]

As for the soprano, Andrew raved about her first solo album on then CD Review.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Erato/9341492

Gosh, had totally forgotten that and the name. Thanks; and also for the link to the McCreesh performance - Piacere is indeed balm for hurt ears after Fagioli !

[Nick Armstrong]

As for the soprano, Andrew raved about her first solo album on then CD Review.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Erato/9341492

Well, well, well, Sabine Devieilhe is definitely the name of the day - having heard of her (at least as far as I could remember!) and heard her for the first time, now she's only gone and won the Gramophone 'Recital' award tonight for her second Erato recording!

http://www.gramophone.co.uk/awards/2016/recital