Handel : Alcina [Highlights]

Four magnificent singers are put on starry-eyed display in this energetic recording of a live performance of the 1999 Paris Opéra production of Handel's "Alcina". Each delivers their individual stamp in some of Handel's most powerful and beautiful arias. The irony is that the basis upon which these emotions pour forth in such majestic torrents is actually a fanciful tale about a sorceress, Alcina, who lures men to her island only to turn them into animals when they fall in love with her. Needless to say, things get complicated when Alcina truly does fall in love with Ruggiero, who already has a fiancée, Bradamante, who disguises herself as his brother but not before Alcina's sister, Morgana, also falls in love with Ruggiero. Even though it sounds like a convoluted Shakespearean comedy, Handel took this plot quite seriously and filled his work with sonorous set pieces that tear down the characters' vulnerability in often ravishing fashion.

In her first foray into Handel, superstar soprano Renée Fleming cuts a very passionate, sometimes imperious figure in the title role. Her high point is Alcina's intense Act II aria, "Ah! Mio cor", where upon being abandoned by Ruggiero, she lets out an aria of heartbreaking poignancy but then gives way to her regal bearing and plots her regal act of vengeance. Having just seen Fleming in the Stephen Wadsworth production of Handel's "Rodelinda" at the Metropolitan Opera last week, I was impressed at how she harnessed her famous trilling to fit the contours of her put-upon character. With Alcina, Fleming embodies a character more to her passionate singing style, her coloratura resplendent without undue ornamentation. Mezzo-soprano Susan Graham does a "pants" role as Ruggiero and plays the lover with conviction. She sings her Act III aria, "Sta nell'Ircana", with a romantic openness befitting the bewildered character. Soprano Natalie Dessay handles the soubrettish role of Morgana with fiery virtuosity, certainly on full display in her Act I aria, "Tornami a vagheggiar". Contralto Kathleen Kuhlmann carries the vocal heft and executes the diction required to be persuasive as the disguised fiancée, a smaller role but given a nice showcase with the Act I aria, "È gelosia". The inevitable capper is the climactic trio performance of Fleming, Graham and Kuhlmann on "Non è amor, nè gelosia", as powerful a melding of supreme voices as you are likely to hear on an opera recording. Much of the credit is due to the estimable William Christie conducting the expert playing of Les Arts Florissants. This is a splendid recording with a minimum of stage and background noise. Strongly recommended.

ALCINA by George Frideric Handel was written in London in1735. While the plot of the opera contains more absurdities than most, the arias in this work are endlessly fascinating to hear and challenging to sing. Thinking that one of the original productions of the early form of LA Opera was a beautifully staged version with the incomparable, now deceased Arleen Auger in the title role was a pinnacle, it only takes a few moments into this 1999 Parisian recording with William Christie conducting the les Arts Florissants supercedes that offering.

The cast is magnificent with Renée Fleming giving full voice drama to Alcina and supported at every turn by Susan Graham's heroic Ruggiero. These two artists are o well matched in timbre and style that they are currently doing rather extensive appearances across the US in a duet program. Add to the beauty of their singing the splendid pyrotechniques of Natalie Dessay as Morgana, Kathleen Kuhlmann as Bradamante, and minor roles of Laurent Naouri as Melisso, Timothy Robinson as Oronte, and Juanita Lascarro as Oberto and the cast likely could not be better. For all of its absurdities of plot, this baroque opera comes deliciously alive in the wise, stylish hands of conductor William Christie. This recording is a gem. Grady Harp, August 12

Handel's "Alcina" is my all time favorite opera. There are not many recordings of it but this recording features the dream cast of Renee Fleming, Susan Graham, and Natalie Dessay. William Christie and Les Arts Florissants is one of the best original instrument orchestras in the world.

While the serious collector will want to buy the entire opera, this recording of highlights is a good introduction to anyone unfamiliar with this under-appreciated masterpiece.