Munich St. Kajetan-Theatiner

Munich: Assam kirche

Munich: two versions of religion

Munich: Theatiner

north of Alkmaar

A concert for brunch

Salzburger Festspiele 2009
Saturday, 30 May, 2009, 11:00 AM
in Stifftung Mozarteum, Grosser Saal

Hans told me we are going to hear Neapolitan music played by Europa Galante and Fabio Biondi. I will go anywhere to hear Fabulous Fabbio even if he is going do to fiddle "O sole mio", So off we went to Salzburg. And what a surprise it was! There was no folk music, Neapolitan or otherwise. It was Baroque all the way through, two concerti grossi by Alessandro Scarlatti: No. 4 in G-minor and No. 5 in D-minor (both from the Sei concerti in sette parti) and the oratorio Faraone sommerso by Francesco Nicola Fago. I learned something about Napoli, its music and its history and the lesson was not unpleasant.

Things were not to the best in Naples early in 18th century. Having been under Spanish rule for two centuries, Naples became a pawn during the War of Spanish Succession, which began in 1701 between the European powers seeking to occupy the empty Spanish throne. [...] in 1702, the extravagant, music-loving Viceroy Medinaceli was deposed and replaced by a new, more parsimonious one. In 1707, the Austrian Hapsburgs took the kingdom from the Spanish Hapsburgs [...] It was not new that the lower classes of Naples suffered from these political manouvers [,,,]This time, however, the war also affected th city's cultural life, since its patrons ran out of money and times of war offered few occasions for celebration and representative events. Composers such as the famous Alessandro Scarlatti left town and sought better employment elsewhere. Among those who stayed and even found success in these hard times was Nicola Fago. (Silke Leopold "An Oratorio in Times of War")

The composition of oratorio follows the 18th century musical conventions: it features two parts in which arias and racitativi follow each other, each part concluded by a piece for the entire ensemble of singers. The oratorio is set in the biblical times. It tells story of the liberation of the Jewish people from their Egyptian slavery, hence 3 biblical characters in the oratorio: Moses (sang by J. Gilchrist, tenor), Aron (MB Kielland, mezzo-soprano) and farao (H. Stensvold, bass-baritone) with addition of a messenger (L. Cirillo, soprano). It seems obvious, the story was used to lift the sagging spirits of Neapolitans during the difficult time and, as the oratorio was possibly written for an orphanage (an organisation supported by the viceroy and the BISHOP), it seems quite clear why Moses, of all people, makes references to the crown of thorns, a not too subtle reference to Jesus and the crucifixion.

The voices were great. I particulary liked Lucia Cirillo. She brought emotions and play-acting into her performance; that she had beautiful and strong dramatic soprano was no hindrance to enjoyment either. The mezzo and the tenor managed to get themselves more in tune in the second half, in the first part Gilchrist's powerful upper ranges overwhelmed more delicate tones of Kielland. And Paola Poncet, who played the harpsichord and sat with her back to the public, well displayed her beautiful back in a cequinned tunic.

It was a great brunch :-D

some things get done

risotto with zucchini flowers

what we see from our balcony

Ginestra in Ginestra S.