Santa Fe Opera’s stunning production of Handel’s Rodelinda is unquestionably among the finest realizations of a Baroque Opera I have ever experienced.
Quite simply, it succeeds on every level and by any measure. Director R.B. Schlather has recreated his much admired 2023 Hudson Hall production, which program notes refer to as a “noir melodrama gangster presentation,” and indeed with the exception of blood, everything has a black and white underpinning. Although the action is set in 7th Century Milan, with Bertarido as King of the Lombardy, Mr. Schlather and associate scenic designer Jiaying Zhang have distilled the setting down to an ingenious white, graffitied box of a drawing room that is on a turntable so it can seamlessly move out of sight at will.
Lighting designer Masha Tsimring created a unique and definitive look, that was all austere angles and cool tones, and she placed instruments downstage that cast eerie and menacing shadows of the actors on the expansive white wall upstage. It is hard to overpraise Ms. Tsimring’s chilling visual achievement. The exceedingly handsome costumes created by designer Doey Lüthi seemed to be riffs on Victorian attire, with the exception of Garibaldo whose sleek black suit and trendy coif approximated a contemporary ‘gangsta’ look.
Mr. Schlather’s highly imaginative spare direction reminded me of the late, great Pierre Audi, whose stagings I admired often in Amsterdam and Munich. Schlather managed to illuminate character relationships and conflicts with great economy of movement and focused mightily on the characters embodying the emotions they are encompassing. This brought miraculous results, since when characters did move it was always highly purposeful, and when they remained still, it brought incredible focus on their introspections. Risky, but breathtakingly effective.
The leadership in the pit was provided by Harry Bicket, a world renowned specialist in baroque music who, in addition to wielding a skillfully deployed baton, masterfully played the harpsichord accompaniment. Maestro Bicket helmed a superlative group of musicians who performed Handle’s glorious music in the period style, which included two theorboes. The assembled players provided a dramatically colorful reading, by turns agitated, foreboding, mournful, playful, and soul stirring. While there were also many luminous solos, the flute in the cemetery scene was hauntingly beautiful. It also should be noted that Bicket partnered faultlessly with his singers, accommodating them in shifts of mood, tempi, and ornamentation.
The international cast was well matched and unsurpassed. Leading the pack, Lucy Crowe was a formidable Rodelinda, her gleaming soprano at ease in every register. She was capable of tossing off effortless roulades, coloratura and trills with consummate ease and volume, and then turn around and pare back her tone to straighten it to gripping, almost woodwind effect.
Ms. Crowe is giving a towering, often other-worldly performance that has no current equal. Moreover, she was paired exquisitely with her presumed dead husband Bertarido, countertenor Iestyn Davies. Mr. Davies caught our ear at once for his pure, ethereal tone, and his poised control of dynamics and meaningful melismas. His agility was accurate and fiery, but when he modulated into a captivating duet with Ms. Crowe, if you weren’t in baroque heaven, you were at the wrong address. The roster of riches continues.
William Guanbo Su as a malevolent Garibaldo, has a full-bodied, pointed bass and he hurled it at the back wall with sonic distinction. His imposing presence was married to a menacing swagger that dominated the action. But he is not all sound and fury, but rather a very disciplined interpreter of baroque opera. Anthony Gregory was the usurper to the throne, Grimoaldo, and showed off a pointed, meaty tenor possessed of great color and flexibility. His virtuosic aria, with admirable trills, was well dispatched.
Meredian Prall was exceptional as Bertarido’s sister Eduige, her alluring, warm timbre shaping appealing phrases, and tossing off accurate rapid fire runs as if to the manner born. Ms. Prall not only has soaring top notes but also sports an especially rich chest voice that was effectively utilized. Countertenor Hugh Cutting cut a handsome figure as Grimoaldo’s faithful aide, Unulfo, his bright, pliable countertenor a nice contrast to Mr. Davies. Young Mr. Cutting’s rising star has gotten even brighter thanks to this assured, winning role traversal. We were lucky to have such an accomplished young actor as Maximilian Moore to effectively portray the non-singing role of Rodelinda’s son, Flavio.
The entire company of this incomparable production of Rodelinda is to be roundly cheered to the rafters, which is where they have set the bar for any baroque opera I see in the future. This was the celebrated Santa Fe Opera at its pinnacle.
James Sohre
Rodelinda
Music by George Friedrich Handel
Libretto by Nicola Francesco Hayn
Cast and Production Staff:
Rodelinda: Lucy Crowe; Iestyn Davies: Bertarido; Grimoaldo: Anthony Gregory; Garibaldo: Willian Guanbo Su; Eduige: Meridian Prall; Unulfo: Hugh Cutting; Flavio: Maximilian Moore.
Conductor: Harry Bicket, Production by R.B. Schlather; Associate Scenic Designer: Jiaying Zhang; Costume Designer: Doey Lüthi; Lighting Designer: Masha Tsimring
Top image:Iestyn Davies (Bertarido), Hugh Cutting (Unulfo), Meridian Prall (Eduige), Anthony Gregory (Grimoaldo), Lucy Crowe (Rodelinda), William Guanbo Su (Garibaldo)
All photos by Bronwen Sharp for the Santa Fe Opera