As an Italian I was exposed to opera from a very early age but had a real problem with relating to it. Absurd plots and loud singers who could not act were not quite my idea of great musical theatre. Then, one day, or maybe I should say one night, I stumbled upon Handel and all of a sudden opera made sense.
It was a revelation, and a real coup de foudre: up to that moment my acquaintance with Handel was limited to the Water Music and a chorus from Messiah. Since then, a beautiful love affair has been blossoming. I am therefore at a loss when I read opera reviewers who don’t share my fascination with the mechanics of baroque opera or don’t understand the point of da capo aria.
Mind you, I do have similar problems with Wagner, but I would not accept a comparison between the latter's quite limited range of emotions and Handel’s multifaceted studies on diverse humanity.
It is true that Handel’s plots are complex to say the least, and involve all sort of misunderstandings, betrayals and errors. But such is life: notwithstanding appearances these stories rely on individuality much more than on convention, and I find this their greatest strength.
There is always emotional and psychological development (which is not always true in you average operatic plot), and I simply cannot see how baroque opera can be considered static. The action is always moving, especially in the dreaded da capo.
There seems to be a general misunderstanding, even amongst opera-goers, about the function of arias in general and da capo arias in particular. This is probably due to a comparison with straight theatre and to the perception that on the stage the action is moved by dialogue.
Dialogue and its operatic equivalent, the recitative, often simply provide information and the drama is not necessarily moved by physical events; rather it progresses through the development of emotional and psychological states which drive the action.
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Here is where the aria comes into play: by focusing on a situation or a feeling, it exposes the psychological journey of the character, and the da capo represents the point of arrival. It is true that it repeats the same text and the same music, but the intention is different, as is the character's understanding of his own situation. The da capo is not an excuse for vocal display. It is an exercise in self-awareness, like seeing something that has been seen a million times and finally understanding its meaning.
Such is the subtlety of baroque opera, which of course needs to be matched in the same degree by the performers and the audience. Like Japanese theatre, it needs a heightened receptivity to the smallest emotional nuances. If this is achieved, the reward is without comparison. And within baroque opera, nobody equals the depths of human understanding reached by Handel, a real operatic Shakespeare.
It is true that sitting through a bad performance of a Handel opera can be hard to recover from. A friend of mine had such a traumatic encounter with ‘Poro re delle Indie’ that it was re-named ‘Boro’.
I cannot complain. My first Handel opera was the ENO production of Xerxes, with Ann Murray in the title role, Yvonne Kenny and Christopher Robson. But one cannot always be that lucky.
Indeed, there is no easy way: with an average length of over three hours, one is always thrown in at the deep end. However, nowadays it is quite easy to find excellent videos and great recordings, and with a bit of preparation, getting acquainted with the language and the plot, even not the greatest of performances can give great pleasure.
So, brush up on your Handel, and it is likely that you’ll never look back!
Petra Torre
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