Search - Claudio Monteverdi, London Baroque, Charles Medlam :: Monteverdi: L'Orfeo / London Baroque - Medlam, Chiaroscuro - Caudle

The first opera

FrKurt Messick | Bloomington, IN USA | 10/10/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This work by Monteverdi is often considered the first opera. As a composer, Monteverdi is a bridge between the Renaissance and Baroque periods. His music represents definite developments beyond the more typical constraints of Renaissance polyphony and sacred composition, and anticipates some of the types of orchestration and composition that will come to fulfillment in the Baroque period. He was a prolific composer of secular pieces, including this of the earliest operas, L'Orfeo.



This piece demonstrates the kind of grand orchestration for which Monteverdi is noted. The performers on this piece include The London Baroque (a group of twelve musicians), directed by Charles Medlam; the London Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble (a group of nine musicians), directed by Theresa Caudle; and Chiaroscuro (not the type of lighting, but rather a vocal ensemble formed in 1979 dedicated to the performance of Italian music) under the direction of Nigel Rogers.



This piece was largely overlooked through the Baroque, Classical and Romantic periods, being revived again in the early twentieth century as a somewhat regularly performed piece. The subject matter is well known (there are other musical works, literary works and art works based on the same subject) - Orpheus, who attempts to rescue his lover Eurydice from the underworld. Orpheus is a musician of such power that his music can sway the gods.



In the first act, Orfeo and Eurydice celebrate their marriage. In the second act, Orfeo receives word that Eurydice has died, and resolves to rescue her from the underworld. In the third act, a personified Hope follows Orfeo to the entrance of the underworld; Orfeo's music enchanted Charon, who falls asleep so Oreo can pass. In the fourth act, Proserpina, queen of Hades, is enchancted by the music, and convinces Pluto to let Eurydice go, which he does, but only on the condition that Orfeo not look back (of course Orfeo does, and Eurydice vanishes). In the final act, Orfeo is struck with grief, but Apollo takes pity on him, and sets the image of Eurydice in the stars.



L'Orfeo has many features that are new to its time - it has strong melody lines, and consistency of drama throughout the piece; this is not a disjointed series of songs, but rather a complete story. L'Orfeo shows the assignment of specific parts to specific instruments (it seems strange to us today that this would be an issue, but often in older music, there was no such designation made).



Commentator Clifford Bartlett states that listening to this work on CD in the comfort of one's own home is sometimes more true to the original composition and performance ideas than live performances in modern opera houses, that put a distance between the performers and the audience, and between the performers themselves. The vocals on this recording are good, and one can see that the pacing and appreciation for the words themselves is enhanced by being able to concentrate on the recording. In total, this is a magnificent recording, and one that is a treasure in any CD collection.

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