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Careful!

Tomaso Albinoni: The domineering Chambermaid, New Chamber Opera, New College Antechapel, Oxford, 21 November 2014

Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1750) is an exact contemporary of Antonio Vivaldi (c1678-1741). Vivaldi wrote forty-four operas, Albinoni over forty (one source has fifty-five). Not many of either have survived let alone been performed. Cecilia Bartoli has been a strong advocate of Vivaldi’s spectacular arias, which she has researched and recorded, but putting them back into the context of the operas has not led to new popularity. Garsington Opera has staged a few and one can see why. The weakness of the plots does not sustain the interest in spite of the occasional vocal fireworks.

Albinoni’s operas have fared even worse. His name appears in few opera dictionaries and only one, Pompinone, rarely receives an entry. This is only three short Intermezzi, to be performed between the four acts of an opera seria. In the eighteenth century Italy lost its position as the home of opera to the contemporaries Rameau in France and Handel in England.

It was a new English version of Pompinone which was given by New Chamber Opera on 21, 22 November. A free English translation was provided by Simon Rees (late of Welsh National Opera, now a freelance dramaturge). This is very well done, providing an extremely witty dialogue fitting the music perfectly (not an easy task). The Director was Michael Burden who had commissioned the adaptation under the title The Domineering Chambermaid. The cast of two was supported by string quartet and harpsichord, directed from the keyboard by Michael Pandya who also acted as repetiteur with James Orrel. Under Michael Burden, all involved were very young: George Robarts the baritone and Orrel both under twenty, the soprano Bernadette Johns cannot be much older (by some archaic sexist convention her age is not revealed).

Vespina at the start is a young lady seeking employment. Pimpinone, seeking a chambermaid, takes her on. Making herself indispensable, she leads him into marriage whereupon her true nature is revealed and she walks off with his money and leaves him. The plot is not unfamiliar either in opera or in real life. For elderly gentlemen dependent on carers, this is much too close to home! My immediate reaction was to rename it The domineering Caregiver. With demure glancing eyes and heaving bosom, Johns is a natural seductress, not quite so convincing as dominatrix. Robarts, though young, played Pimpinone as the ageless, helpless and gullible male. Single and together, they gave delightful performances, every witty word clear, full of subtlety.

Albinoni is widely known for an Adagio which has cleared the ‘cross-over’ barrier into Classic FM. His instrumental music is sometimes played. He is revealed in this production as no mean writer of music for the voice. He has his own attractive style of clear texture, completely different from Vivaldi. Surely there must be one of the fifty-five operas worth reviving? In his time he was known principally as a composer of opera. Are there no reviews extant?

(My carers assure me I am safe in their hands!)

PETER SCHOFIELD

25 November 2014

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