Grand Oratorios: L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato

English Ambience

“Handel knows better than anyone what’s really effective. If he wants to, he strikes like thunder,” claimed Mozart. Capella Cracoviensis and Paul McCreesh are putting this idea to the test.

Handel’s L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato is an oratorio based on two poems by the 17th-century poet John Milton, in which a joyful man (L’Allegro) and contemplative man (Il Penseroso) describe their different personalities, at the same time singing the praises of the landscapes and charms of the English countryside. They were arranged into a dialogue by Charles Jennens – who went on to pen the libretto for Messiah – including his own twist. He introduced a third character – Il Moderato – who reconciles the Miltonian dialogue, suggesting that both excessive joy and contemplation should be moderated. Handel paints this diversity and range of moods through a sumptuous orchestration. Alongside the singers’ arias, everyone gets their “five minutes”: the violins, cellos, trumpets, horns, flutes, oboes, bassoons, the organ…

The premiere happened at a very inconvenient time – it was 27 February 1740, right in the middle of the century’s harshest winter. Londoners only left their homes as a last resort. So what tempted them out to the concert: the composer’s renown, or the fact that the concert hall was heated? Those who braved the Arctic conditions were bound to feel happy: L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato is a buoyant piece, bringing a promise of spring’s imminent arrival.

In Kraków, the role of the first swallow (in midwinter!) will be performed by Capella Cracoviensis and soloists: Gillian Webster (soprano), Anna Dennis (soprano), Jeremy Ovenden (tenor), Stephan Loges (bass) under the baton of Paul McCreesh, a renowned conductor, founder and director of the famous Gabrieli Consort & Players, and artistic director of the Wratislavia Cantans festival. The artist enjoys a bit of provocation in his interviews: “I love Dvořák, although according to everyone else I should be proclaiming undying love for early music”. It’s worth remembering the McCreesh specialised in Baroque music for many years, and rose to fame through his interpretations of works by Handel. Capella Cracoviensis has also joined the ranks of the experts in this field. The February concert ties in with last year’s project Verba et voces, which featured three of Handel’s oratorios. This year follows the same format: after L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, in March it will be the turn of Hercules and Solomon (the whole cycle is entitled Grand Oratorios). And there are also the operas: Tamerlano, which featured during the New Year’s Eve and Day concerts, and Giulio Cesare in Egitto, planned for June as part of the Opera Rara cycle. Spécialité de la maison? (Barbara Skowrońska)

4 March 2012
Stary Theatre, 6pm, G.F. Handel – Hercules, Michaela Selinger (soprano), Ruby Hughes (soprano), Łukasz Dulewicz (counter tenor), Benjamin Hulett (tenor), Simon Kirkbride (bass), Capella Cracoviensis, Jan Tomasz Adamus (conductor); PLN 35/25

25 March 2012
Stary Theatre, 6pm, G.F. Handel – Solomon, Tara Venditti (mezzosoprano), Kristy Swift (soprano), Gillian Webster (soprano), Krystian Krzeszowiak (tenor), Peter Harvey (baritone), Capella Cracoviensis, Alessandro de Marchi (conductor); PLN 35/25