1. Acte 1
2. Acte 2
3. Acte 3

Ifigenia - Aleksandra Zamojska (soprano)
Oreste - Artem Krutko (countertenor)
Toante - Francisco Fernández-Rueda (tenor)
Pilade - Irina Simmes (soprano)
Dori - Rinnat Moriah (soprano)

Chor des Theaters Heidelberg
Lautten Compagney Berlin
Wolfgang Katschner – director

Markgrafentheater in Erlangen, 16 July 2014
Recording of a live concert broadcast by BR-Klassik on 16 July.

Along with Christoph Gluck, Niccolò Jommelli, and Gian Francesco de Majo, Tommaso Traetta (1727-1779) is traditionally considered one of the operatic reformers of the second half of the eighteenth century. Make no mistake, however: Traetta is as much a part of the old guard of operatic composition as he is forward-looking. Perhaps a better way to describe his musical output is rather ‘experimental’. Born near Bari, Traetta studied with Nicola Porpora and Francesco Durante, before writing his first opera, Farnace, for Naples in 1751. To audiences today he might best be known, if at all, for Antigona, first performed in St Petersburg in 1772, and recorded on the Decca label by Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques. In musicological terms, however, he is primarily remembered in modern times for his activity at the court of Parma, where, in collaboration with the librettists Carlo Innocenzo Frugoni and Jacopo Sanvitale, he produced four works (Ippolito ed Aricia [1759], I Tindaridi [1760], Le Feste d’Imeneo [1760],and Enea e Lavinia [1761]) based on French tragédies en musique and opéra-ballets by Jean-Philippe Rameau and Antoine Dauvergne. These works are generally marked by an increased presence of the chorus, a greater proportion of recitatives accompanied by the orchestra, and ballets integrated into the action, all features which are the trademarks of French opera of the time. In some cases, the dance music is even lifted directly from the French works by which they are inspired. The French influences notwithstanding, it should be remembered that these are still conceived of in the opera seria mould, which is essentially what Traetta still aimed for, as is evident in his many returns to conventional serious opera – such as Siroe, Re di Persia for Munich in 1767 or Lucio Vero for St Petersburg in 1774 ¬– alongside attempts at ‘reform’.

Ifigenia in Tauride , though written for Vienna some time after Traetta’s sojourn in Parma, in 1763, can also be considered to be a ‘Parma opera’, although not without a fair share of opera seria conventions. It was hugely popular, being performed across Europe in the years after its creation, and even made its way to Eszterháza, where Joseph Haydn conducted it and added two arias of his own. The libretto, written by Marco Coltellini, is inspired by the myths of the Oresteia cycle: following the murder of his mother Clytemnestra by his own hand, Oreste and his friend Pilade have arrived in Tauris, the land where, unbeknownst to either of them, Oreste’s sister Ifigenia, previously thought to be dead, is being held captive by the tyrannical king Toante. Their mission is to steal the statue of Minerva known as the Palladium. However, the people of the island are known to sacrifice foreigners to the goddess, and Oreste falls into their hands shortly after the opera begins. Ifigenia, who is now a priestess of Minerva, hesitates when she must sacrifice Oreste, setting in motion the plot leading to Oreste and Pilade fulfilling their mission along with the help of Dori, another priestess of Minerva, and ultimately with Ifigenia putting an end to Toante’s reign. Traetta’s music is indeed wonderful: he is capable of writing arias ranging from the brilliant, such as Pilade’s opening aria ‘Stelle irate, il caro amico’, to the beautiful cantabile melody of Ifigenia’s ‘So, che pietà de’ miseri’, all while still maintaining a certain elegant froideur. French elements come through once again, such as Oreste’s sleep scene (a staple plot device of the tragédie en musique) in which he is tormented by the Furies (‘Dormi Oreste’) and the marked presence of the chorus in various guises. But still Ifigenia in Tauride has the feeling of an opera seria: there are arie di furia (all represented by Toante), an exit-duet of the kind typically reserved for the main pair of lovers (‘Il mio destin non piangere’), though here subverted as it is given to Ifigenia and Dori, and, of course, a healthy dose of secco recitative, though indeed the number of accompanied recitatives is much higher than normal.

It is exciting that other works of Traetta, besides Antigona –which has recently been revived – are beginning to be explored: there is much exquisite music to be found within his oeuvre, and to have it performed in such a venue is delightful. It is simply a pity that this particular performance, with so much potential, felt lacking in terms of energy and sparkle which could have given it just that added edge and hence turned a simply adequate evening into an enchanting one. --- Lynton Boshoff, bsecs.org.uk

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Atto primo
1_Sinfonia
2_Danza e coro: Giusti Numi, ah voi rendete
3_Coro: O trista, infausta scena
4_Recitativo: Popoli, amici, a' nostri voti il cielo
5_Coro: Regna lunghi anni felici
6_Recitativo: Cedo al pubblico voto
7_Coro: Così finiscano, così periscano
8_Recitativo accompagnato: Fermatevi, crudeli
9_Terzetto: Ah de' tuoi re, tiranno, almen le spoglie onora
10_Recitativo: Ah di rimane ancora all'ira degli dei
11_Aria: D'una misera famiglia
12_Recitativo: Rimproveri crudeli
13_Aria: Ah giunto invan credei il fin delle mie pene
14_Duetto: Grazie ai pietosi dei
15_Recitativo: Misero me, che ascolto!
16_Duetto: No, ti fida il pianto estremo
17_Danza e coro: Ascolta il nostro pianto
18_Recitativo e aria: Ombra cara amorosa
19_Aria: Io resto sempre a piangere
20_Coro: Oh, folle orgoglio umano!
21_Recitativo accompagnato: O reliquie funeste
22_Aria e duo: Ah, sì, da te dipende
23_Recitativo: Non v'è più dubbio, amici
24_Aria: Chi può dir sono innocente
25_Danza
26_Coro: Se più non s'accende
27_Strofe: Se Tebe non vede
28_Strofe: Quante lacrime verso
29_Coro: Quante strida al ciel mando
30_Coro: Mai più non s'accende
31_Recitativo accompagnato: Sommo, provvido Nume
32_Recitativo: Quell'urna...

Atto secondo
1_Aria: Non lusingarti ingrato
2_Coro: Ah, serba il figlio amato
3_Recitativo: La rea son io
4_Aria e duetto: Non è il rigor tiranno
5_Recitativo accompagnato: All'ombre amate del genitor
6_Aria: Finito è il mio tormento
7_Duetto: Quando di duol d'affanno
8_Coro: Piangi, o Tebe
9_Coro: Ahi, come presto, o misera
10_Recitativo accompagnato: O Tebe, o cittadini
11_Coro: Da te ripete o misera
12_Recitativo: Signor, da te non vengo
13_Aria: Ah, lasciami morir, misera!
14_Recitativo accompagnto:
15_Aria: Non piangete i casi miei
16_Coro: Piangi, o Tebe
17_Recitativo: Ah, t'affretta signor
18_Recitativo accompagnato: Ahimè! Qual nera benda
19_Aria: Ah no, non so gli Dei cagion di tanto affanno
20_Coro: Ah! Quando avrà mai fine
21_Recitativo: Adrasto! Oh Dei, che miro!
22_Aria: Ah, se lo vedi piangere
23_Recitativo: Misera, dove m'inoltro
24_Duetto: E' quella del mio ben
25_Recitativo: Che dissi oh me infelice!
26_Duetto: Ah sì, mio ben, si muora
27_Recitativo accompagnato: Ma qual colpi improvvisi scuotono la caverna
28_Festa che termina lo spettacolo: Ballo
29_Coro: Sorgi di Venere
30_Strofe: Oh come presto obliasi
31_Coro: Vieni e restaura
32_Strofe: Costan sospiri e lacrime le tue dolcezze
33_Coro: Stendan sull'ali rosse
34_Festa che termina lo spettacolo: Ciaccona

Maria Bayo, Laura Polverelli, Carlo Allemano, Anna Maria, Gilles Ragon Panzarella
Les Talens Lyriques 
Choeur de Chambre Accentus
Accentus 
Christophe Rousset - director

Tommaso TRAETTA (1727-1779) was a noted member of the Neapolitan composers of the period, travelling widely for productions of his operas, including a period in London, and settling finally in Venice. This opera to Sophocles' tragedy was premiered in 1772 at St Petersburg, where Traetta had succeeded Galuppi as Catherine the Great's maestro di corte. The libretto by Colellini was generally praised for its creative freedom, whilst respecting the ethical background with 'Pity and Terror'. To sample Antigona at its best, try the first scene of Act 2, in which the grieving Antigone conducts a forbidden funeral ceremony for her brother, supported by a chorus of her loyal serving maids.

Carlo Vincenzo Allemano is resolute and brings authority with perfect diction as her father Creon, the King who sees it his paramount duty to uphold law, however savage that be, and remains implacable until he relents in the nick of time and acknowledges that 'foolish glory' had 'crushed the voice of nature'. Gilles Ragon sings well to present an elder citizen, a voice of reason wishing for an end to the pursuit of Oedipus 'down to the last of his line'.

Maria Bayo, the eponymous heroine who dominates the action in a demanding part for soprano drammatico di agilita as Oedipus' daughter, is affecting, though her vibrato is at times not entirely to my taste. Of the other singers, I enjoyed Anna Maria Panzarella as her supportive but fearful sister and Laura Polverilli as Creon's son and Antigone's destined husband, who in their first act duet offers reassurance that all will come right in the end. He is of course eventually proved right, but not until the screws have been tightened with cliff-hangers on the way, before the reprieve which we all expected.

The happy ending, with nuptial celebrations for Antigone and Hemon, is a little perfunctory, and I do not quite endorse Antigona's rating as a rediscovered masterpiece. The rich orchestration includes horns and clarinets, with bassoons prominent as 'the voice of Nemesis' an added attraction, and the playing of the specialist players under Christophe Rousset is always alert and in good style. Documentation, with illustrations and translations is comprehensive, and this release will not disappoint collectors of rare baroque opera. ---Peter Grahame Woolf, musicweb-international.com

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