Premiered in Venice in 1727, “Orlando Furioso” is one of a large number of Vivaldi operas that have been revived on stage and recordings in recent years, championed by a new generation of singers adept in Baroque vocal technique and style, and conductors eager to explore this little-known territory.
The story line vaguely mirrors that of Handel’s opera “Alcina,” with a similar tangle of magic, betrayals, mistaken identities, reversals of fortune and a happily-ever-after ending. The eventful score gives the lie to the notion that Vivaldi wasn’t a great musical dramatist; it’s full of sweeping rage arias, dulcet ballads and short but rousing choruses. If the set pieces in “Orlando Furioso” lack the emotional specificity of Handel’s choicest arias, you won’t find a dull one among the 27 included in this loving reconstruction of the original 1727 version.
Conductor Jean-Christophe Spinosi has assembled a uniformly superb cast, all of whom manage through the quality of their singing to breathe theatrical conviction into their characters and make you care about their fate. Marie-Nicole Lemieux as the titular knight, driven insane by love, is fully involved dramatically and makes a meal of the flashing coloratura. Very much in her league are Jennifer Larmore as the devious sorceress Alcina, Veronica Cangemi as Angelica, Philippe Jaroussky as Ruggiero, Ann Hallenberg as Bradamante and Blandine Staskiewicz as Medoro. The chorus Les Elements sings lustily and musically in its several brief selections, while the period group Ensemble Matheus digs into the score with an unabashedly percussive bite, brilliance and vitality that are very persuasive.
