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May 19, 2006
May 22, 2006: Finding the artists...
Finding the right group of artists for a particular piece is always an interesting process, starting from how one hears the score but always affected by innumerable practical considerations.
In the role of Ilia the Trojan princess I heard a tender vulnerability, and in Idamante, Idomeneo's son, a more commanding tone, but also a youthful one (a mezzo -- not a tenor as in the later Vienna version). Early on in the process I had two singers in mind for these roles and fortunately they were available. The role of Elettra is challenging to cast -- she has to be overwhelming and angry in her low range in the first and last acts, and yet sublimely sweet and high in the second. For this role I auditioned singers I hadn't heard before. Also, these three women sing together at times, and I wanted to hear three distinctive voices in the roles. It was even more challenging to find an Idomeneo -- a tenor whose voice has the weight the role demands, but who has the stylistic flexibility to work well with Opera Lafayette's approach and also the stamina to sing this role three nights in a row, which hall availability and our performance calendar dictated. Idomeneo's confidant Arbace needed to sing convincing recitative; La Voce (the Voice of Fate) needed to be a voice with a deep timbre; and the High Priest another forceful tenor, but in a cameo appearance.
The orchestra has just as many demands placed upon it as the singers, for Mozart was writing for the most virtuoso orchestra in Europe -- the Mannheim band recently transplanted to the Munich court. It was a small group, and our sections are just about the same size, though we don't have the opportunity to play together nearly as often as our historic predecessors. After some discussion as to whether pitch at the 1781 premiere was closer to A = 430 or A = 415, we committed to the higher pitch because the copies of period wind instruments which are available today (though still few and far between) make it easier to perform the work at the higher pitch. The higher pitch also encouraged our use of the fortepiano for the continuo recitatives, though it's true that I am partial to the sound and accompanying abilities of a very good fortepiano in this repertoire. In addition, we also needed as much flexibility on the stage in Dekelboum Hall as possible, and a harpsichord would have needed a cello to reinforce the sound. The placement of our first cellist with the keyboard player would have limited our options regarding where to place the singers, which in turn would have had a limiting effect on how much room the dancers would have had to move on stage. Another choice of orchestration we made was one Mozart faced too, and for similar reasons. Though he first orchestrated the appearance of the subterranean La Voce with three trombones, the court evidently complained of the expense involved in adding three instruments for a single short scene. Mozart then wrote a version for clarinets, bassoons, and horns -- instruments that were already used in the opera -- a choice we make for the same reason as the Munich Court.
The final preparations for a performance often bring some of the most frustrating as well as some of the most satisfying moments of a performer's work, as one tries to stay focused on creating the fullest possible experience of the music for everyone involved.
Posted by at May 19, 2006 09:31 PM