Handel - Rodrigo (Eduardo Lopez Banzo) (FLAC) (3 CDs Set) - 2008
Classical | EAC Rip | FLAC, IMG+CUE, LOG | Covers | 3cd, 745.78 MB

Rodrigo is Handel's fifth opera. His first four operas were written for Hamburg. Almira, the first of them, survives, but Nero, Florindo, and Dafne are almost completely lost. Rodrigo, first performed in the autumn of 1707 (exact date unknown), shows a great advance on Almira after Handel had spent less than a year in Italy; his mature style is already evident.
The first recording of Rodrigo on CD was released in 1999. It is conducted by Alan Curtis and is one of the best of his series of Handel opera recordings. In the pivotal roles of Rodrigo and Esilena, Gloria Banditelli and Sandrine Piau lead a cast without any weak member. Curtis provides strong leadership, with well-chosen tempos, and Il Complesso Barocco provides expert accompaniment, with no unnecessary roughness in sound.
Eduardo Lopez Banzo leads a recording that can be considered a worthwhile alternative to the Curtis recording. His cast is also very strong and fully up to the demands of Handel's music. The Rodrigo and Esilena, Maria Riccarda Wesseling and Maria Bayo, make a strong impression in their roles without, however, quite reaching the heights achieved by Banditelli and Piau for Curtis. To give one example, in "Per dar pregio," the aria for Esilena that ends act I, the soprano has a long held note over which a solo violin (with occasional orchestral support) weaves a series of 16th-note triplets. While Bayo barely makes it to the end without having to take a breath, Piau has the breath control to increase the sound of the held note toward the end and end strongly. Both of the tenors singing Giuliano are very good technically, though I prefer Kobie van Rensburg's open and ringing voice to the darker voice of Rufus Muller for Curtis. For Fernando, originally an alto castrato, Curtis's Caterina Calvi has a more attractive voice than Lopez Banzo's countertenor, Max Emanuel Cencic. Florinda and Evanco are equally well sung on the two recordings.
Lopez Banzo generally paces the opera well, although in a few places he sets a tempo so fast that the singer has to scurry to keep up. Al Ayre Espanol, which Lopez Banzo founded, plays very well, although the strings have a rougher sound that those of Curtis's Il Complesso Barocco.
A recently discovered copy of the wordbook issued for the first performance shows that Handel's autograph score was greatly changed before the first performance. The surviving score of Rodrigo contains six arias that were deleted and replaced by six arias now lost. Many lines of recitative set by Handel were cut before the performance. Both recordings generally follow Handel's cuts in recitative, although Curtis cuts a few lines more than Lopez Banzo. Virgin's booklet prints all of the cut recitative, while Naive's gives only what is sung.
A couple of aspects of both performances bother me a great deal. Both conductors include two theorbos in their orchestral forces, and both conductors misuse these instruments in continuo. The theorbo invades the baseline of recitatives and often replaces the harpsichord, and sometimes replaces both harpsichord and cello. Lopez Banzo sometimes accompanies recitatives with solo harpsichord. Similar mistakes are made in arias. Occasionally, Handel's vocal line is ruined in da capo by unidiomatic recomposition instead of ornamentation.
Rodrigo is an opera well worth hearing, and we are fortunate to have two strong recordings from which to choose. Virgin managed to fit Curtis's recording onto two well-filled discs. Naive's recording, a couple of minutes longer than Curtis's, is spread over three mid-priced CDs. I could be happy with either but would give Curtis the preference because of the presence of Banditelli and Piau.

Tracklisting:
CD1
01. Atto I. Overture
02. Recitativo: Ah mostro, ah furia... (Florinda, Rodrigo)
03. Aria: Occhi neri (Rodrigo)
04. Recitativo: E tal mi lascia? (Florinda)
05. Aria: Pugneran con noi le stelle (Florinda)
06. Aria: Nasce il sol, e l'aura vola (Esilena)
07. Recitativo: Reina, in si bel di, che trascinata (Fernando, Esilena)
08. Aria: Agitata da fiato incostante (Fernando)
09. Recitativo: Esilena? (Rodrigo, Esilena)
10. Aria: Dall'Iberia al soglio invitto (Giuliano)
11. Recitativo: Signor, questo reciso (Giuliano, Rodrigo, Evanco, Esilena)
12. Aria: Ti lascio alla pena (Rodrigo)
13. Recitativo: Egregio Duce, il braccio tuo guerriero (Esilena)
14. Aria: In mano al mio sposo (Esilena)
15. Recitativo: Evanco, armato in campo (Giuliano, Evanco)
16. Aria: Eroica fortezza (Evanco)
18. Aria: Stragi, morti, sangue ed armi (Giuliano)
19. Recitativo: Coronatemi, o sdegni (Florinda)
20. Aria: O morte, vendetta (Florinda)
21. Recitativo: Mentre di mie vittorie Iberia esulta (Rodrigo)
22. Aria: Sommi Dei, se pur v'offesi (Rodrigo)
23. Recitativo: Rodrigo, all'armi (Fernando, Esilena, Rodrigo)
24. Aria: Vanne in campo (Rodrigo)
25. Recitativo: Un atto grande aspetta (Esilena)
26. Aria: Per dar pregio all'amor mio (Esilena)
CD2
01. Atto II. Recitativo: Evanco, d’Aragona (Giuliano, Evanco, Florinda)
02. Aria: Fra le spine offre gli allori (Gouliano)
03. Recitativo: Florinda, Amore e giusto (Evanco, Florinda)
04. Aria: Prestami un solo dardo (Evanco)
05. Recitativo: Mi balza il core in petto (Florinda, Esilena)
06. Aria: Egli e tuo, ne mi riserbo (Esilena)
07. Recitativo: Di mia vendetta a fronte (Florinda, Esilena)
08. Aria: Parto, crudel, si, parto (Florinda)
09. Recitativo: Baldanzosa pieta, quanto contrasto (Florinda)
10. Aria: Fredde ceneri d'amor (Florinda)
11. Aria: Siete assai superbe, o stelle (Rodrigo)
12. Recititativo: Signor, tutte rinchiuse (Esilena, Rodrigo)
13. Aria: Empio fato, e fiera sorte (Esilena)
14. Recitativo: Signor, non sempre cieca (Fernando, Rodrigo, Giuliano)
15. Aria: La ti sfido a fiera battaglia (Giuliano)
16. Recitativo: Se muor Giuliano, Evanco vive (Esilena, Fernando, Rodrigo)
17. Aria: Dopo i nembe, e le procelle (Fernando)
18. Recitativo: Amato sposo, e chi sa mai l’incerte (Esilena, Rodrigo)
19. Aria: Dolce amor che mi consola (Rodrigo)
20. Recitativo: Che piu chiedi Esilena? (Esilena)
21. Aria: Si, che lieta godero (Esilena)
22. Recitativo: All’armi, o prodi, un tradimento enorme (Evanco, Florinda)
23. Aria: Su, all'armi (Evanco)
24. Recitativo: Ferma Florinda, esenti (Fernando, Giuliano, Florinda, Evanco)
25. Aria: Alle glorie, alle palme, agli allori (Florinda)
CD3
01. Atto III. Recitativo: Barbari dei, son vinto, e spenta in voi (Rodrigo)
02. Aria: Qua rivolga gli orribili acciari (Rodrigo)
03. Recitativo: Ah signor, non e tempo (Esilena, Rodrigo)
04. Resitativo accompagnato: Eccelso Giove, al di cui soglio affissi (Rodrigo)
05. Recitativo: Esilena, men vado (Rodrigo)
06. Duetto: Ti lascio, idolo mio (Esilena, Rodrigo)
07. Recitativo: Ah, sommi dei, cui la giustizia arruota (Esilena)
08. Aria: Perche viva il caro sposo (Esilena)
09. Recitativo: Abbiam vinto, o compagni (Giuliano)
10. Aria: Spirti fieri (Giuliano)
11. Recitativo: Non cedero (Rodrigo, Evanco, Giuliano)
12. Recitativo: German, t’arresta (Florinda)
13. Recitativo: Questi il difende (Esilena, Rodrigo, Florinda)
14. Resitativo accompagnato: E tu, misero figlio (Esilena)
15. Recitativo: O Dio, non piu, taci Esilena, hai vinto (Florinda, Giuliano, Evanco)
16. Aria: Cosi m’alletti (Florinda)
17. Recitativo: Deciso ha di mia vita (Rodrigo, Giuliano)
18. Aria: Allor, che sorge (Giuliano)
19. Recitativo: Gran donna, a cui oggi Castiglia deve (Evanco)
20. Aria: Il dolce foco mio (Evanco)
21. Recitativo: Dolcissima Esilena, io non m’assolvo (Rodrigo, Esilena)
22. Duetto: Prendi l’alma e prendi il core (Rodrigo, Esilena)
23. Recitativo: Signor, poiche lo sdegno (Florinda, Evanco)
24. Aria: Begli occhi del mio ben (Florinda)
25. Recitativo: Mi son pur cari, o bella (Evanco)
26. Aria: Lucide stelle, gemelle d’amor (Evanco)
27. Recitativo: Evanco, d’Aragona (Rodrigo, Esilena)
28. Coro: L’amorosa dea di Cnido

Download links: