San Francisco Symphony presents John Eliot Gardiner and the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique with the Monteverdi Choir
2015-04-27
Davies Symphony Hall
201 Van Ness, San Francisco, CA
8:00 PM, Monday, April 27, 2015

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2015 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2015 event list! ☸ On to the next event!

Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643): L’Orfeo, favola in musica, SV 318, 1607

[8:06 PM lights down, announcements]

1. [8:11 PM] Prologue - Toccata
2. [8:12 PM] Prologue - Music: Ritornello - Dal mio Permesso amato
3. [8:19 PM] Act 1: Thrace - Shepherd: In questo lieto e fortunato giorno - Chorus: Vieni, Imeneo - Nymph: Muse, onor di Parnasso
4. [8:23 PM] Act 1: Thrace - Chorus: Lasciate i monti - Shepherd: Ma tu, gentil cantor
5. [8:25 PM] Act 1: Thrace - Orfeo: Rosa del ciel - Euridice: Io non dirò qual sia - Chorus: Lasciate i monti - Chorus: Vieni, Imeneo
6. [8:31 PM] Act 1: Thrace - Shepherd: Ma se il nostro gioir - Chorus: Alcun non sia che disperato
7. [8:36 PM] Act 2: Thrace - Sinfonia - Orfeo: Ecco pur ch'a voi ritorno
8. [8:37 PM] Act 2: Thrace - Shepherd: Mira che sé n'alletta - Chorus: Dunque fa degni, Orfeo
9. [8:39 PM] Act 2: Thrace - Ritornello - Orfeo: Vi ricorda o bosch'ombrosi
10. [8:42 PM] Act 2: Thrace - Messenger: Ahi, caso acerbo
11. [8:52 PM] Act 2: Thrace - Chorus: Ahi, caso acerbo - Messenger: Ma io, che in questa lingua
12. [8:55 PM] Act 2: Thrace - Chorus: Chi ne consola, ahi lassi?
13. [9:04 PM] Act 3: Hades - Sinfonia - Orfeo: Scorto da te, mio nume - Ecco l'atra palude - Orfeo: Dove, ah, dove te'n vai
14. [9:10 PM] Act 3: Hades - Caronte: O tu ch'innanzi morte
15. [9:15 PM] Act 3: Hades - Orfeo: Possente spirto
16. [9:23 PM] Act 3: Hades - Caronte: Ben mi lusinga - Orfeo: Ahi, sventurato amante - Sinfonia - Orfeo: Ei dorme
17. [9:29 PM] Act 3: Hades - Sinfonia - Chorus of Infernal Spirits: Nulla impresa per huom
18. [9:32 PM] Act 4: Hades - Proserpina: Signor, quel infelice - Plutone: Benché severo - Chorus of Infernal Spirits: O degli abitator - Proserpina: Quali grazie ti rendo - Plutone: Tue soavi parole
19. [9:39 PM] Act 4: Hades - Chorus: Pietade, oggi, e amore - Spirit: Ecco il gentil cantor
20. [9:40 PM] Act 4: Hades - Orfeo: Qual onor di te - Orfeo: O dolcissimi lumi - Spirit: Rotto hai
21. [9:44 PM] Act 4: Hades - Euridice: Ahi, vista troppo dolce - Spirit: Torn'a l'ombra - Orfeo: Dove ten vai
22. [9:46 PM] Act 4: Hades - Sinfonia - Chorus of Spirits: É la virtite un raggio
23. [9:50 PM] Act 5: Thrace - Ritornello - Orfeo: Questi i campi di Tracia
24. [9:58 PM] Act 5: Thrace - Sinfonia - Apollo: Perch'a lo sdegno ed al dolor
25. [10:05 PM] Act 5: Thrace - Ritornello - Chorus: Vanne Orfeo felice a pieno
26. [10:06 PM] Act 5: Thrace - Moresca (dance finale)
    [show ends 10:07 PM; applause and several curtain-less calls before all off at 10:12 PM]

• Krystian Adam as Shepherd 1: tenor vox;
• Francesca Aspromonte as Music and Messenger: soprano vox;
• Francesca Boncompagni as Proserpina: soprano vox;
• Esther Brazil as Nymph: mezzo-soprano vox;
• Gianluca Buratto as Caronte and Plutone: bass vox;
• Mariana Flores as Euridice and Hope: soprano vox;
• James Hall as Shepherd 3: countertenor vox;
• Nicholas Mulroy as Shepherd 2, Spirit 1 and Apollo: tenor vox;
• David Shipley as Shepherd 4 and Spirit 3: bass vox;
• Andrew Tortise as Orfeo: tenor vox;
• Gareth Treseder as Spirit 2 and Echo: tenor vox.

• Sir John Eliot Gardiner: conductor;
  
• Rachel Beckett: recorder;
• Valerie Botwright: contrabass;
• Davina Clarke: second violin;
• Lisa Cochrane: viola;
• John Crockatt: viola;
• Iona Davies: first violin;
• Kati Debretzeni: first violin, violino piccolo;
• Györgyi Farkas: dulcian;
• Kinga Gáborjáni: viola da gamba;
• Michael Harrison: cornett, trumpet;
• James Johnstone: organ;
• Catherine Latham: recorder;
• Catherine Martin: first violin;
• Alex McCartney: chittarone;
• Robin Michael: cello;
• David Miller: chittarone;
• Benjamin Narvey: chittarone;
• Abigail Newman: sackbut;
• Fanny Paccoud: viola;
• Helen Roberts: cornett;
• Josías Rodríguez Gándara: chittarone;
• Oliver-John Ruthven: harpsichord;
• Martyn Sanderson: sackbut;
• Stephen Saunders: sackbut;
• Anne Schumann: second violin, violino piccolo;
• Marion Scott: recorder;
• Miguel Tantos Sevilliano: sackbut;
• Richard Thomas: cornett, trumpet;
• Oliver Webber: second violin;
• Gwyneth Wentink: harp;
• Adam Woolf: principal sackbut;
• Malgorzata Ziemkiewicz: viola.

• Emily Armour: soprano vox;
• Charlotte Ashley: soprano vox;
• Alex Ashworth: bass vox;
• Jessica Cale: soprano vox;
• Robert Davies: bass vox;
• Peter Davoren: tenor vox;
• Sarah Denbee: alto vox;
• Samuel Evans: bass vox;
• Peter Harris: tenor vox;
• Angela Hicks: soprano vox;
• Alison Hill: soprano vox;
• Gwendolen Martin: soprano vox;
• Eleanor Meynell: soprano vox;
• Jake Muffett: bass vox;
• Graham Neal: tenor vox;
• Simon Ponsford: alto vox;
• Rupert Reid: bass vox;
• Nicholas Robertson: tenor vox;
• Kate Symonds Joy: alto vox;
• Katie Thomas: soprano vox;
• Lawrence Wallington: bass vox;
• Richard Wyn Roberts: alto vox.

Wow, what a knock out performance! Although it wasn't presented as a staged opera, the singers delivered just enough stage craft to push the storyline of the work along without sets or anything more than simple adornments to their clothes instead of costumes. The singing was glorious from top to bottom of the roster, commencing with an amazingly engaging song and dance routine from the adorable Francesca Aspromonte as the personification of music to commence the night. Of course the Orchestre was darn good too, and had obviously been drilled to a T – a crack ensemble that I'd like to hear again if I get the chance!

Stephen Smoliar posted a nice review for the Examiner.

Neils Swinkels posted an interesting interview with John Gardiner at SFCV.

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2015 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2015 event list! ☸ On to the next event!