Prom 25: Monteverdi – Orfeo (4.08.15)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

19:30
Royal Albert Hall
John Eliot Gardiner returns to the Proms with Monteverdi's groundbreaking opera in which the legendary musician Orpheus journeys to Hades to try to reclaim his beloved Eurydice. With the Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists, Krystian Adam (Orpheus) and Mariana Flores (Eurydice)


Monteverdi: L'Orfeo

Orpheus .... Krystian Adam (tenor)
Eurydice/Hope .... Mariana Flores (soprano)
Music/Messenger .... Francesca Aspromonte (soprano)
Charon/Pluto .... Gianluca Buratto (bass)
Persephone .... Francesca Boncompagni (soprano)
Apollo/Shepherd 1 .... Andrew Tortise (tenor)
Nymph .... Esther Brazil (mezzo-soprano)
Shepherd 2/Spirit 2/Echo .... Gareth Treseder (tenor)
Spirit 1 .... Nicholas Mulroy (tenor)
Shepherd 3 .... James Hall (counter-tenor)
Shepherd 4/Spirit 3 .... David Shipley (bass)

Monteverdi Choir
English Baroque Soloists
Sir John Eliot Gardiner (conductor)

Monteverdi's Orfeo is the first great opera - the moment when psychological truth and musical virtuosity came together to tell a story of love, loss and the power of art. Sir John Eliot Gardiner making the first of two appearances this year, tonight with the English Baroque Soloists ? transforms the Royal Albert Hall into the 17th-century Mantuan court of the Gonzagas with some of Monteverdi's loveliest melodies and most colourful instrumental writing, bringing the tale of Orpheus and his beloved Eurydice to fresh musical life.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I've set this one to record already.

[doversoul1]

Bumping this up ready for tomorrow. I still wish they’d invited La Venexiana or if it has to be a British ensemble, Andrew Parrott and the Taverner Consort would have been interesting, especially Sir John has another Prom. Or maybe Sir John & Co. are more used to the venue. All the same, I am looking forward to hearing it.

Just in case anybody's interested; BaL choice (as long ago as 2007!!)

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Glossa/GCD920913

[doversoul1]

JEG’s thoughts on L’Orfeo

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/aug/03/monterverdi-orfeo-john-eliot-gardiner-the-inalienable-power-of-music

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

JEG’s thoughts on L’Orfeo
http://www.theguardian.com/music/201...power-of-music

.. and he should know.

[doversoul1]

In case anybody is interested in, here’s the libretto in English translation.

http://www.bemf.org/media/1213_opera_libretto.pdf

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

A rather disturbing break in transmission at 9.16 p.m. I hope others weren't affected by it.

[Old Grumpy]

A rather disturbing break in transmission at 9.16 p.m. I hope others weren't affected by it.

Didn't notice it!

OG

[doversoul1]

I didn’t notice the break, and I enjoyed the performance. I wonder how ‘semi-‘ staged it was. I suppose it is unfair to say that the performance did not feel quite intimate as the work was conceived. I thought the chorus sounded too expansive as if it had meant to be in a cathedral. And I was very glad that the presenter was Donald Macleod. It made all the difference.

Incidentally, I thought today’s Proms Extra was excellent. Sara Mohr-Pietsch asked what must have been carefully selected few questions and the two guests, Sarah Lenton and David Vickers, offered their knowledge without a slightest hint of patronising..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0640j4q

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I didn’t notice the break, and I enjoyed the performance. I wonder how ‘semi-‘ staged it was. I suppose it is unfair to say that the performance did not feel quite intimate as the work was conceived. I thought the chorus sounded too expansive as if it had meant to be in a cathedral. And I was very glad that the presenter was Donald Macleod. It made all the difference.

Indeed Donald Macleod was a breath of fresh air.

Re the "break", I was listening on-line, so it doesn't appear to be the fault of the broadcaster. Believe me, you would have noticed it!

[doversoul1]

Sorry to keep on but I take it that nobody (except the three of us) on the forum listened to this prom or found it interesting enough to make comments. According to the presenter, the arena was packed enough to make him wonder about the health & safety regulations. I wonder if this tells something about this Prom? Ah well, never mind. I enjoyed it.

One more to keep on about it. Do listen to the Proms Extras if only to hear how excellent some of the often sneered at presenters really are.

[CallMePaul]

Because of 2 long incoming phone calls, I was only able to catch the first half-hour or so of this but I enjoyed that and I agree that the Proms Extras was very good - and placed where it needed to be, before the Prom rather than in the interval. I would, however, query performing this piece without an interval. At the original performance there would have been a substantial interval after each act. While this is impractical in a modern-day performance and is in any case not a good thing from a dramatic point of view, no interval means a long listen for the audience and no chance for a break for the performers. I presume that they would have been consulted, but I have to ask whether the lack of an interval was to fit the Prom into R3 scheduling. Once upon a time the rest of the schedule would have fitted around any live broadcast, not just a Prom, but nowadays the reverse seems to be the case. Too long is generally allocated for live broadcasts and as there is an apparent loathing of even a few seconds silence on radio - or TV for that matter - we get wall-to-wall music when some of us need a respite between live music and the next programme. I do not leave a concert with an iPod listening to more music!

[David Underdown]

Arena was full but not unduly packed. The fact that the Messenger (with accompanying chitarrone) moved through the Arena during Act 2, and some other entrances/exits made up/down steps into Arena caused a bit of dancing about as no route had been marked to keep clear (prommers asked the stewards before hand and were told that we could stand right up to the steps, though we didn't pack the area too much).

There was no scenery, but entrances were made from a variety of points, and the ladies, both principals and chorus, changed frocks a few times. When Nymphs they were in bright colours, and changed to black for the scenes in Hades, and back to colour for the final chorus. A bit of dancing, clapping and percussion playing from the chorus too - towards the end of the final chorus 4 of the ladies were doing a circle dance around JEG (who put in a few counter-twirls of his own too). Mariana Flores as Eurydice was wearing a shortish beigey number, and then changed to a very slinky full-length black number while she was portraying Hope, and then back to the original dress, albeit with black shrug instead of brown and sparkly while she was in Hades. Francesca Aspromonte was in a glamourous dark red ball gown as Music, then a short white dress as Eurydice's companion and into full-length black as the Messenger.

[Old Grumpy]

Arena was full but not unduly packed. The fact that the Messenger (with accompanying chitarrone) moved through the Arena during Act 2, and some other entrances/exits made up/down steps into Arena caused a bit of dancing about as no route had been marked to keep clear (prommers asked the stewards before hand and were told that we could stand right up to the steps, though we didn't pack the area too much).

There was no scenery, but entrances were made from a variety of points, and the ladies, both principals and chorus, changed frocks a few times. When Nymphs they were in bright colours, and changed to black for the scenes in Hades, and back to colour for the final chorus. A bit of dancing, clapping and percussion playing from the chorus too - towards the end of the final chorus 4 of the ladies were doing a circle dance around JEG (who put in a few counter-twirls of his own too). Mariana Flores as Eurydice was wearing a shortish beigey number, and then changed to a very slinky full-length black number while she was portraying Hope, and then back to the original dress, albeit with black shrug instead of brown and sparkly while she was in Hades. Francesca Aspromonte was in a glamourous dark red ball gown as Music, then a short white dress as Eurydice's companion and into full-length black as the Messenger.

Very full description, DU, thank you. Shame perhaps that this was not televised.

OG

[jean]

...I would, however, query performing this piece without an interval...

Am I right in thinking this is becoming more and more common?

Opera North's touring Flying Dutchman was two and a half hours without a break.