Graphic design by Inara Molinari
La Liberazione di Ruggiero dall’isola d’Alcina
Ondine Productions
https://ondineproductions.wordpress.com/ is a collaboration of Thoroughbass with The Tall Poppeas
Francesca Caccini’s only surviving opera, La liberazione di Ruggiero was first performed in 1625. Probably the first opera written by a woman, it is an imaginative conglomeration of story and song combining arias, duets, trios and chorus with delightful instrumental intercessions. At its heart is the idea of mental perception but its setting is pure fantasy with dolphins, singing plants, fiery seas and monsters.
SATURDAY JULY 28, 2012
PARADE THEATRES, 215 ANZAC PARADE, KENSINGTON
Review
‘Another heroine is music director and founder of Thoroughbass, Diana Weston: her chamber orchestra handled the fragile score with the utmost sensitivity…… its warm, intimate sound, which takes your ears, at the very least, all the way back to the dawn of the 17th century. Visually (the orchestra was just off-stage and in full view) and aurally, The Ondine Sinfonia, as they’ve been named for this production, are captivating‘. Lloyd Bradford Syke
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The manuscript of Francesca Caccini’s opera La Liberazione di Ruggiero dall’isola d’Alcina, first performed in 1625, and which is available in both facsimile and edited versions, comes with a lot of detail. It includes a title page dedicated to Prince Wladislaw of Poland, an acknowledgement of its commissioning by the Regent Archduchess Maria Maddalena, a list of characters to be found in the opera, and the text – written both as text, and within the body of the score. The score, though printed in white-note notation, is clear and mostly unambiguous, is figured, and contains scene and stage directions, as well as some band instrumentation. It also includes a list of the names of all those taking part in the ‘baletti’ (members of the nobility), and sketches of 4 principle scenes in the opera. The sketches depict elaborate scenery, grandeur in miniature, fantastical creatures, moving constructions (boats, carriages), and many fully-costumed figures on stage. A fifth and last sketch depicts the imperial palace where it all takes place, with the courtyard for the balleto performed on horse-back.
The manuscript does not tell us everything however. What we don’t (and can’t) know is how the music actually sounded. What instruments were generally used? (Trombones, violes and ‘flauti’ were part of the make-up, at least in some of the ritornelli). How should the continuo be played, and with what instruments? How should the recitatives be delivered? And, what do we do about the absence of any music at all for the ‘ballo a Cavallo’ and for the ‘ballo di otto Damme con otto Cavalieri’? Completely lacking are expressive markings such as dynamics, phrasing, tempi, and articulation, things that give meaning to the music. Many ornaments are written out, many more indicated by signs. How should these go? Should more be added?
To answer some if not all of these questions it is essential to look at the world in which Francesca Caccini lived and worked. She was the daughter of singer/composer Giulio Caccini. With him, her sister Settima and step-mother Margherita, she worked as a singer in Rome before achieving independence as a composer and singer in her own right. Extant letters by Giulio imply that Francesca’s compositional technique consisted of singing the poetry, then committing the result to paper. This implies a high degree of spontaneity and a complete understanding of vocal capability, an ability to get into the part and express the emotional content of the words.
Francesca was one of the first proponents of the ‘new music’, a style first developed and promoted by her father Giulio early in the 17th century. Giulio’s music moved deliberately away from polyphony, his view being that this style obscured and distorted the meaning of the words, whereas in fact the opposite should happen – that music should reflect and enhance the text. His compositions gave prominence to the solo singer, to the single melodic line, and he supported this with simple chordal harmonies, often on lute, or other plucked instrument (keyboard, archlute, guitar). This allowed the singer to create on ‘affect’, to mould the song to the meaning, to be emotionally responsive. In his treatise Le Nuove Musiche of 1601 he goes to some lengths to describe his intentions, in which the singer should employ ‘a certain noble negligence of song’, a negligence ‘born of complete self-possession’ (Castiglione). His stated aim was to ‘imitate the ideas behind the words’.
Giulio’s treatise goes on to explain just how the singer could and should be expressive, how she should attack the note, and where to apply refinements of dynamic, rhythm and sonority. While eschewing meaningless ornamentation he gives multiple examples of its effective use. During the course of the treatise, he mentions how he has taught his singing style to all his household ‘concerned with such matters’. It seems to me Francesca learnt her lessons well as the songs in her opera are, in many instances, perfect examples of this art. Rhythmic variation, written-out ‘affective’ passages in discrete spots and built-in changes in tempi (by the length of the note) are all there.
Francesca’s opera is structured in an interesting way. The bulk of the story-telling is given to the main characters – Alcina, Melissa, Ruggiero and (importantly) Nunzia. Story-telling in opera (recitative) is a type of speech-song – not quite poem, not quite song, but something in between. Francesca frames these sections with tuneful arias, duets, trios, choruses and instrumental interjections but the characters are driven by the actions and emotions in the recitative. How does the singer gauge suitable expressive parameters in order to convey the meaning of the words? Helpful though Giulio’s treatise is, it lacks direct application.
Though written as notation, the ‘song’ of the recitative perhaps more closely resembles declamation or rhetoric. It lacks a tuneful melody and the predictable rhythm of the aria. (Indeed, all the singers had a nightmarish job trying to memorise their parts). Rhetoric demands multiple changes in voice colour – varieties of tone and emphasis, the observance of change of pace, of silence. These qualities can be brought to the recit so that, in effect, the notation is but the bare bones upon which the singer fleshes out the meaning. To this is added the harmonic support of the continuo which in turn creates meaning by its own intrinsic sound and by the manner of playing the chords.
An example might make this concept clearer:
The character of Alcina is that of a nasty sorceress whose main occupation is luring men for her sexual pleasure then discarding them when tired of them. She is beautiful but a thousand years old, alluring but treacherous – a woman of contrasts and desires. Her character initially seems altruistic, gradually revealing its true nature as events unfold. At various times she pleads, exhorts, berates, despairs and is furious. There is nothing moderate about Alcina.
To create the Alcina personality our soprano Hester Hannah uses precise diction (suggesting malice and wilfulness), many changes in micro-tempi (pace) and dynamics (her unpredictability and mood changes), and voice-colour (note the shrill quality of the incantation scene and compare with the seductive warm tone of her early scenes with Ruggiero). The perfect accompanying instrument for Alcina’s personality is the harpsichord whose sound is bright, sparkly, luscious and brittle, and whose chords can be of infinite variety.
Francesca’s characters are meaty ones and our singers have really enjoyed bringing them to life in this manner.
For the missing dance music we were lucky enough to find a dance from the mid- 16th century by Franceso Bendusi (called L’Incognita) likely to have been danced to by Francesca’s contemporaries. Included in a collection of Italian dance music (Opera Nova de Balli, 1553) it is unusual in that it was written down, musicians generally having no need of the written score with such familiar material.
The instruments we use in the opera are faithful to the period and include archlute, harpsichord, baroque guitar, treble viol, baroque violin, baroque viola, baroque cellos, recorders and chamber organ. Percussion has been added at our discretion. Sadly, we could not include the 4 tromboni Francesca wanted.
Diana Weston
