NEWSLETTER of The American Handel Society Volume XIX, Number 2 August 2004 REPORT FROM HALLE This year’s Handel Festival in Halle an der Saale, which took place from June 3-13, 2004, was organized around the theme of “Handel and the German Tradition,” although there were a number of performances that fell outside this theme. As is always the case, there were often several events competing in the same timeslot, which made it impossible for one person to attend everything. In this report I will comment primarily on the programs I was able to attend. The Festival began, as has now become customary, with the official Opening Ceremony and Festival Concert in the Georg- Friedrich-Händel-Halle on Thursday evening, June 3. The Opening Ceremony featured, in addition to the usual round of official greetings, the presentation of the Handel Prize of the City of Halle to Wolfgang Katschner, founder director of the Lautten Compagney of Berlin, and a splendid performance by organist Iveta Apkalna of Franz Liszt’s Saint François de Paule marchant sur les flots in an arrangement by Max Reger. The Festival concert, which followed after an intermission, consisted of extensive excerpts from the 1737 version of Il Trionfo del Tempo e della Verità performed by sopranos Laura Aikin and Jörg Waschinski, altos Ulrike Schneider and Martin Oro, the Estonian Philharmonic Choir, and the Handel Festival Orchestra of the Halle Opera House, all under the direction of Alessandro De Marchi. While individual performances were very fine, there was a feeling that the whole was somehow less than the sum of its parts. Friday evening brought the premiere of the major work newly staged for the festival by the Halle Opera House. Following a series of operas (most recently Rodrigo, Deidamia, FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK and Imeneo) it was decided to break the pattern this year with an oratorio, Hercules. The production, directed by Fred Berndt, During the meetings of the Editorial Board of the Hallische updated the drama to contemporary California, with Hercules Händel-Ausgabe and the Vorstand of the Georg-Friedrich- (alias “Mr. Strong”) portrayed as Arnold Schwarzenegger. While Händel-Gesellschaft, which I attended in Halle, the subject of the staging was not the silliest I have ever seen, and was finances came up repeatedly. It made me realize again that in consistent within its own parameters, I failed to see that it cast the world of Handel – and in the world of the arts in general – fresh light on the story. Musically things were somewhat of a it is extremely rare to hear of an organization or institution mixed bag. Alessandro De Marchi’s penchant for extremely complaining about having too much money. Rather the rapid tempos made it impossible for the orchestra to sound its opposite is true, and this should give us all pause. best or for Curtis Streetman, in the role of Hercules, to manage One common refrain was the progressive disappearance of his roulades. Ann Hallenberg, the Dejinara, did cope with the government support. The federal government of Germany has rapid pace and sang and acted extremely well; however, one had devolved more responsibility on the Lands, and they in turn the feeling that she shouldn’t really have been rushed off her have passed the burden on to the cities. Of course, in most cases feet quite so often. The young countertenor Franco Fagioli, in the problems have been passed along without sufficient funding the role of Lichas, was outstanding, and one wished that he had to deal with them. In Germany, as in most Western European been allowed a few more of his arias. Martina Rüping acted well, nations, government funding for the arts has been and remains as she always does, but seemed to be vocally out of sorts in the at a much higher level than we have ever seen in the United role of Iole, while tenor Carlo Vincenzo Allemano gave an States. Still, when there is less money allocated, everyone in the admirable though somewhat stolid performance of Hyllus. arts community feels the pinch. It reminded me of the situation Maestro De Marchi again, as in the Opening Concert, had here in my home state of California where two years ago the decided to pepper the orchestral lines with added mordants, California Arts Council was funding a lively Touring Artists illustrating that the use of the mordant should be restricted Program. Now it has only enough budget to designate worthy continued on p. 3 continued on p. 5 1 Sing-Along-Messiah HANDEL CALENDAR 19 December 2004, 2 pm Massey Hall, Toronto, Canada The American Handel Society welcomes news or information about http://www.tafelmusik.org events of interest to Handelians. If possible, please include an address, telephone number and URL, where readers may obtain Messiah details. For information on Handel concerts around the world, Erin Wall, soprano please visit also http://gfhandel.org/ Marie-Nicole Lemieux, contralto Stuart Neil, tenor James Westman, baritone Messiah The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir Heather Buck, soprano Toronto Symphony Orchestra Sonia Sasseville, contralto Martin Haselböck, conductor William Hite, tenor 15, 16, 18 December 2004, 8 pm Kevin Deas, bass 19 December 2004, 3 pm Handel and Haydn Society Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada John Finney, conductor http://www.tso.on.ca 4 December 2004, 3 pm 5 December 2004, 3 pm Messiah 10 December 2004, 7:30 pm Nancy Argenta, soprano 11 December 2004, 3 pm Brian Asawa, counter-tenor Symphony Hall, Boston, Massachusetts Benjamin Butterfield, tenor http://www.handelandhaydn.org George Mosley, baritone Master Chorale of Washington Messiah Donald McCullough, music director Kendra Colton, soprano National Symphony Orchestra Margaret Lattimore, mezzo-soprano Paul Goodwin, conductor Benjamin Butterfield, tenor 16, 17, 18, 19 December 2004 Aaron Engebreth, bass Kennedy Center, Washington, DC San Diego Master Chorale http://www.kennedy-center.org/nso/ San Diego Symphony Conductor: Julian Wachner Giulio Cesare 10 December 2004, 8 pm - semi-staged 11 December 2004, 8 pm Giulio Cesare: David Walker 12 December 2004, 2 pm Cleopatra: Lisa Saffer Copley Symphony Hall, San Diego, California Deanne Meek http://www.sdco.org Jane Gilbert http://www.sandiegosymphony.com Stephen Salters Ryland Angel Messiah Boston Baroque Shannon Mercer, soprano 22, 23 October 2004, 7:30 pm Matthew White, countertenor New England Conservatory of Music’s Jordan Hall, Boston, Colin Blazer, tenor Massachusetts Thomas Meglioranza, baritone http://www.bostonbaroque.org Portland Symphonic Choir http://www.newenglandconservatory.edu/jordanhall/ Oregon Symphony Conductor: Bernard Labadie Purcell: Fairy Queen Suite 11, 12 December 2004, 7:30 pm Handel: “Scherzi infida” from Ariodante Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland Center for the Handel: “Fammi combattere” from Orlando Performing Arts, Portland, Oregon Handel: “Va tacito e nascoto” from Giulio Cesare http://www.orsymphony.org Handel: Water Music http://www.pschoir.org David Daniels, countertenor http://www.pcpa.com Orchestra of St. Luke`s Conductor: Sir Roger Norrington Messiah 27 October 2004, 8 pm Celena Shafer soprano Isaac Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall, New York City, New York Nancy Maultsby, mezzo-soprano http://www.carnegiehall.org Kurt Streit, tenor; Jonathan Lemalu, bass Music of Handel and Telemann Westminster Symphonic Choir Handel: Trio sonata in A major, Op. 5, No. 1, HWV 396 New York Philharmonic Handel: Suite No. 1 in A major for solo harpsichord, HWV 426 Alan Gilbert, conductor Telemann: Quartet No. 4 in B minor (Paris, 1738), TWV: 43: h 2 15, 16 December 2004, 7:30 pm Handel: Sonata in G minor for viola da gamba & continuo, HWV 17, 18 December 2004, 8 pm 364b Riverside Church, New York City, New York Telemann: Quartet No. 6 in E minor (Paris, 1738), TWV: 43: e 4 http://www.newyorkphilharmonic.org Dale Higbee, recorder and Music Director http://www.lincolncenter.org John Pruett, baroque violin Brent Wissick, viola da gamba & baroque cello Messiah Holly Maurer, viola da gamba Tafelmusik Susan Bates, harpsichord 15, 16, 17, 18 December 2004, 7:30 pm 12 November 2004, 7:30 pm Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Canada Chapel, St. John’s Lutheran Church, 200 W. Innes St., Salisbury, North Carolina continued on p. 6 2 REPORT FROM HALLE continued from p. 1 why it was originally meant to be sung in the chamber rather than primarily to keyboard music. His habit of having the the theater. The performance by the Ensemble I Confidenti, harpsichordist continually “roll” the chords throughout the billed as a ”Young Opera Ensemble for Old Music,” was variable. duration of the secco recitatives was a similarly unsuccessful The instrumental playing was very good indeed, but the young innovation. singers, although they moved and acted well, were not always able Saturday opened with a Festival Lecture on “Handel and the to meet the vocal demands either technically or stylistically. German Tradition,” given by Prof. Werner Breig, retired Niklas Lewin, in the silent role of Sandro’s friend Nico, was Professor of Music at the University of the Ruhr in Bochum and excellent and Susanna Ellen Kirchesch, although her sense of distinguished scholar in the fields of Schütz, Bach, and Wagner Baroque style was limited, clearly has all the other tools to be a scholarship. This was followed by the annual Membership successful operatic ingenue. Meeting of the George-Friedrich-Händel-Gesellschaft, at which The Sunday evening performance was a staged version of greetings were conveyed from The American Handel Society Serse by the Chamber Opera of Prague. The audience response together with an invitation to attend the AHS conference and was mixed. Some felt that it represented a valiant and on-the- festival in Santa Fe next March.