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| Page 5 | Music Page - CD |
January 2006 |
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Faustina Bordoni - Faces of a Prima Donna,
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By Alidė Kohlhaas There is an upsurge in the interest in baroque music that has almost taken on the feeling of a fashionable cult movement. Among the followers of this music are the purists, who insist on using only baroque instruments; this makes one wonder why they don't also insist on castrati. Of course, these days, musical training makes it unnecessary to castrate boys to retain their high voices into adulthood. Instead we have well-trained counter tenors, who are able to sing all of those high notes and ornamentations in the baroque repertoire. One mentions this because many lovers of baroque music do not realize that the baroque period produced plenty of female singers, who equaled the voice quality of castrati. Handel, for one, preferred to let women sing his roles. One CD, produced by CBC Records, addresses one such female singer, Faustina Bordoni. She captured the imagination of Londoners after her arrival there in 1726 from the Continent. Handel wrote five roles for her in the two years she remained there before returning to Italy. In 1730 she married the German composer Johann Adolf Hasse, who wrote all of his female leading roles for his wife. Faustian Bordoni - Faces of a Prima Donna, with music by Handel and Hasse and performed by the Arion Baroque Orchestra under guest conductor Monica Huggett, takes us to a musical period very different from ours. Mezzo-soprano Kimberly Barber, who is well known for her Handel interpretations, and baritone Jonathan Carle, complete the group. Huggett, by the way, is featured playing her famous baroque violin. Not being a fan of baroque music — period — I have to judge this CD from a very impersonal angle. Vocally, Kimberly Barber certainly shines; she has the kind of silvery voice that is perfect for baroque music. On this CD, one has to say, she gives a good reading of the music, with considerable emotional expression. Jonathan Carle, however, is still at the beginning of his career, which shows a little in his vocal quality. Arion, founded in 1981, is dedicated to early music. There is a cohesive quality to the playing of these musicians, even under a guest conductor that arouses admiration. Huggett, of course, is a superb artist and her performance on this CD leaves nothing to complain about.Yet, I find the sound is, for lack of a better description, distant. Baroque music lovers will certainly find the extracts from Hasse's opera Cleofide quite an experience, especially as this CD also features music by Handel — extracts from Admeto and Riccardo Primo. The two composers' approach to music is quite different, especially when it comes to featuring the vocal parts. Destpite my comment about the 'distant' sound of this CD, I can certainly recommend it to anyone who appreciates baroque music. |
