Vinci: Artaserse (DVD) [2014] [NTSC]

There are good reasons why you probably don't often come across productions of Leonardo Vinci's Artaserse. Written in 1730, there are the usual musical and staging questions to resolve in how to present opera from this period , but this one is even more rarely performed since it requires no less than five countertenors to sing the extravagantly arranged castrato roles of the work. And not just any five countertenors , but you really need five of the best in the world to be able to do any kind of justice to this particular work.The arias and ariosos are not long-winded or overly ornamented, but they are demanding nonetheless and really require virtuoso control. Each role moreover clearly has been composed for a specific type of countertenor voice. It can be difficult to distinguish who is who with all the outlandish costume changes, wigs and face-paint - to say nothing of the difficulty of determining role gender - but every single countertenor voice here has their own unique sound and character, and each are outstanding within the role they play. Arbace has arguably the most traumatic dilemma, consumed with guilt over the death of Serse and unjustly accused of murder himself, Franco Fagioli is outstanding in how he plays out this inner turmoil. It's Philippe Jaroussky as Artaserse however who has to balance the sense of friendship and fairness in dealing out justice with the shock of his father's violent death, knowing that much lies in the balance.The romantic complications of Semira and her conflicted sentiments would seem less important, but Valer Barna-Sabadus' astonishing delivery will convince you otherwise. This is where the real quality of Metastasio's libretto shows, giving each characters the opportunity to express their sentiments in such a way that the listener is swayed between them and sympathetic to their plight. If you've the right singer in those parts, the effect is even more pronounced, and that's the case here with Max Emanuel Cencic's Mandane, with Yuriy Mynenko's Megabise and even with Juan Sancho's Artebano. The music is exquisite - and it's marvellously played here Diego Fasolis conducting the Concerto Köln from harpsichord - but perhaps not so much that it stands out from other settings of the work or indeed other opera seria works like it. What makes Vinci's version extraordinary is indeed its setting for five countertenors. That is what is so impressive about it, and when it has singers of sufficient calibre, it raises the work to another level entirely.The direction by Silviu Purcărete plays on what is undoubtedly the unique selling point of this version of Artaserse as being possibly the greatest showcase for the divas of early opera, the castrato. With its extravagant costumes and five lighted theatre make-up mirrors placed to the sides of the stage, there's a lot of preening and posing on the part of all the leads, but there's more to this than just showmanship. It's always a challenge to make a Baroque opera lively and visually engaging, and this one does it by representing its extravagance and its heightened theatrical qualities. Naturalism is not an important factor here. The theatricality of the staging is emphasised by the manner in which this performance is recorded. Aside from the dressing-room mirrors at the side of the stage, the camera occasionally follows character exits backstage, or shows them preparing for their entrance, adjusting costumes behind screens that are being wheeled across the stage by stage-hands. Some might find this distracting, but visually and conceptually it holds attention, and that's what is important.In the absence of a Blu-ray release, the Erato DVD presents the work relatively well if all you are interested in are the basics of the performance. In terms of technical specifications however it's well below the standard of what is more commonly offered for opera on Blu-ray releases. The image quality is clear and stable, perfectly fine for Standard Definition with the performance spread across 2xDVD-9 discs. The audio mixes are LPCM Stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1 in 48kHz/16-bit, the sound clear and bright with natural stage echo preferred over pristine clarity. The DVD is region-free, the subtitles English, French, German and Italian. And that's about the best you can say about this release. There are no extra features, there's no booklet, there's no synopsis -nothing. For such a rare work as this, staged so well and unlikely to be revisited anytime soon, that's very disappointing.

5 wonderful counter tenors, exit aria at end of act 1 is mind blowing first class.The production making use of the exit aria for some comedy, costumes wonderfully over the top regency?, using the dressers makeup staff, and stage hands as 'chorus' (no singing choruses) inspired, if you have never seen men playing the female roles before you will be converted. Magnificent production.

I cannot praise this opera enough: not just because it was genuinely new and exciting in a world where we have all heard if before, but also because all the musicians and performers involved work so hard to bring this amazing production to life. Vinci's music is enchanting and virtuoso throughout. The opera is filled with amazing pieces. The orchestra and the conductor area clearly truly engaged and working so hard to bring a wonderful piece of art to the scene. But there should be no doubt: the stars of this brilliant production are the 5 (!!) countertenors and the single tenor who, each one, bring out their best here. It is such a pleasure to see their interactions, 5 distinct voices... Not monochromatic as you may have expected, but so personal, so colourful and so truly touching... I was really not expecting this but I have been so pleasantly surprised. I just can't get enough of this work. The mise-en-scene is very different from what we are used to, the costumes are lush and stunning, yet truly new. Together, the music and the theatre make for a deeply moving, yet profoundly satisfying experience. My only regret is not having been able to see this live...

Nowadays HIP baroque operas take on new height after new height.This French production featuring in title role French counter-tenor Philippe Jaroussky, with Max Emanuel Cencic in 'skirt role' as Artaserse's sister, new CT stars Valer Barna-Sabadus and Franco Fagioli are a 'must see' item, having previously been issued in CD format to great acclaim.I will focus on the visual aspect of this performance since this is a DVD release.The sets and costumes are fabulous to begin with, they are a mixture of rococo and baroque, and the protagonists take on the style well.The most eye-catching performances come from the pair of Fagioli's Arbace and Cencic's Mandane.The other skirt role Semira is undertaken by soprano CT Barna-Sabadus, another young up-coming star. He, however, is slightly taller and hence not as 'faminine' in appearance as Cencic.So actually this Artaserse production has 'two sets' of CT stars - the reigning Jaroussky/Cencic pair and the up-coming Fagioli/Barna-Sabadus pair. Each pair as as good as the other, so this is first rate singing contest non-stop, but the pair of Arbace/Mandane really has more drama, so it is more eye/ear catching.The lone tenor did a passable but not illustrious job as Arbace's father, the murderer of Artaserse's father (Serse).The Concerto Köln, one of the longer-serving period bands, benefited from Diego Fasolis' almost dance-like approach to conducting (partly) from the harpsichord.

Wow! I only wish I'd have known about this when it was being performed. I'd have travelled anywhere to see it. Absolutely stunning performances from all countertenors. Costumes, set, acting....all just fantastic. The arias are so pretty, and technically quite challenging. The singers all bring their own skills to play and show true distinctiveness.I thought the revolving stage was effective, useful for a number of theatrical devices. Personally, I much prefer the tenor on the CD, but this is a small criticism, since it's really all about the countertenors who not only sing wonderfully, but show their stage presence off really well, working together. I'd love more countertenor collaborations like this. Thank you Mr Cencic for bringing this to us. Such a joy!