Imeneo

 

 

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Every expectation about Handel's Italian operas gets turned on its head in his penultimate effort in the genre, "Imeneo" (first performed in 1740). It isn't long (just over 2 hours of music), the plot isn't complicated (young woman torn between love and duty to her community must choose between 2 men), and its scenic requirements are simple (it can be performed on a single set). One contemporary called it an "operetta," i.e, a "little opera." But if in one sense it's a Handel opera in miniature, the passions run as strong as in any of the bigger pieces. And like the 2 works that flank it, "Serse" and "Deidamia," "Imeneo" has a distinctive tone that combines touches of ironic humor with absolute seriousness. Above all, the score exudes freshness and charm.
"Imeneo" hasn't exactly been neglected - there was a fine BBC broadcast some years back, with Janet Baker, in English - but until recently performers have had to work without a satisfactory text: the old Handel edition, though it presented numerous alternate versions, provided no guide through the piece's textual history, one of the most complicated of any of the operas. Fortunately, the new HHA edition has now appeared, and this is the first recording to make use of it.
That's one big reason that this version jumps to the head of the list of available performances: it's the first recording to present a really convincing case, from first note for last, for "Imeneo" as a cohesive, well-shaped drama (according to Donald Burrows's authoritative notes, the text chosen is that of Handel's first performance version). Apart from giving us a complete text, this version wisely omits the 2 soprano/mezzo duets that Handel later inserted (from "Faramondo" and "Sosarme") for a Dublin revival - attractive music, but unbalancing to the drama. Here for once the focus stays squarely on the heroine, Rosmene, and her crucial decision; the 2 rivals for her hand, Tirinto (mezzo-soprano) and Imeneo (bass) come off as equals, which helps immeasurably.
And the performance is very good, energetically led by Andreas Spering and well-played by the Capella Augustina. The cast is without weak links and well-balanced. Soprano Johanna Stojkoviv is outstanding as Rosmene, developing into a really sympathetic figure, and mezzo-soprano Ann Hallenberg (Tirinto) displays an especially fine voice and technique. For once, Imeneo (bass Kay Stiefermann) sounds like a young hero and a plausible rival to Tirinto; the other bass, Locky Chung properly projects more age as Rosmene's guardian Argenio, and soprano Siri Karoline Thornhill avoids any hint of soubrette cuteness as Clomiri, (semi-)secretly in love with Imeneo.
The other available recordings: The Rudolph Palmer-led version now on Vox features some good singing (especially from Julianne Baird and D'Anna Fortunato) but - even allowing for the textual complexities - makes a number of unacceptable cuts and changes. The German-language version on Berlin Classics is of historic interest only: the text has been cut by more than half, the remaining numbers shuffled around, accompaniments have been "filled in" with new string and wind parts, and the role of Tirinto has been dropped from mezzo to tenor. This new CPO version shows how far German performance practice in Handel has come since 1967, and is a fine achievement.

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