Search - G.F. Handel :: George Frideric Handel: Xerxes/Serse

A *Serse* to Avoid

Johannes Climacus | Beverly, Massachusetts | 02/02/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"*Serse* is one of Handel's greatest operas. Though its opening aria ("Ombra mai fu" also known as the "Largo from Xerxes") has long counted as one of Handel's "greatest hits," it is indeed a richly inventive score from beginning to end. No aria outstays its welcome, and a delightfully subversive sense of humor leavens the stylized late Baroque sensibilities.



If you are a lover of Handel opera, then you must have a recording of this splendid work. Unfortunately, this live recording from the Bavarian Opera is not what you are looking for. As with any live production, there are numerous distractions--snatched or missed entrances, audience participation, odd balances, stage noises. Those distractions might have been tolerable if the singing were up to speed, but sadly it is not. None of the soloists here can match the best of the competition (such as those in Christie's fine production), and two key roles feature singers (Ann Murray as Serse, and Christopher Robson as Serse's brother, Astarte) who, at least on this occasion, seem to be having a very difficult time controlling pitch, line and tone. The microphones are not particularly kind to the other soloists, either. "Screamfest" was the word that came to mind after auditioning this unfortunate set. To be fair, Ivor Bolton does secure some vigorous and stylistically-aware playing from his authentically disposed modern-instrument ensemble, and given the audience's reactions (plenty of laughter during the comic scenes, and some enthusiastic applause after some of the more virtuosic arias) I'm sure it was an enjoyable evening of musical theater. But for home listening, this won't do. Too bad Brian Priestman's old Westminster recording (with an outstanding cast of modern operatic singers, including Maureen Forrester) is still in limbo; until or unless that venerable relic gets reissued (don't hold your breath), the Christie or Malgoire PPP versions will suffice. Christie has the best cast overall and appreciates the humor of the score better than the more literal-minded Malgoire.



Not recommended, then, unless you find it in a used audio store selling for under ten dollars; then I suppose it could function as a stopgap.



Newsbreak: DG/Universal have just reissued the classic old Priestman recording of *Serse* (referred to above). If you don't mind modern instruments and conventional operatic voices in Handel (and what voices they are!), do consider obtaining it. My only complaint is that Priestman takes the recitatives more slowly than we would expect today. Otherwise, it's a superb performance."