Antonio Cesti was a composer active during the second half of the 17th century, a period following Monteverdi, when opera had become a successful art form and began evolving beyond its early recitar cantando style. During this time, melodies began to emerge from the recitatives – not yet fully formed arias, but rather arioso passages that blended into the musical flow. The plot of Cesti's Orontea is typically convoluted, but centres around love: Orontea, queen of Egypt, rejects love and marriage, valuing her freedom instead. However, when she encounters Alidoro, a wandering painter, she instantly falls madly in love with him. Every other woman in the story also falls in love with Alidoro at first sight, leading to a series of complex subplots, all culminating in the inevitable happy ending.
Director Robert Carsen opts to set the action in modern-day Milan, a choice that unfortunately results in the removal of the entire Prologue, which traditionally features a debate between the allegorical figures of Love and Philosophy. While the contemporary setting makes certain aspects of the plot feel anachronistic and harder to relate to (why would a successful businesswoman have a “tutor” chastising her for not being married?), it effectively underscores the timelessness of human passions.
Carsen's direction of singers and actors was precise and effective, with their interactions feeling natural and believable, all demonstrating strong acting skills. The set design features a revolving cube that reveals various environments: Orontea’s art gallery, her office, and the building’s back entrance. The gallery itself, all in white and glass, includes a raised balustrade that adds visual interest to the scene. One odd choice is the use of an extremely bright spotlight that shines directly into the audience’s eyes every time the action takes place in Orontea’s office – quite irritating.
As part of the Teatro alla Scala’s dedication to showcasing Baroque and early operas, a group of musicians from the orchestra formed a small ensemble, performing on period instruments. Giovanni Antonini led this ensemble, joined by a few members of Il Giardino Armonico, delivering a thoughtful interpretation of the score. The continuo section was particularly rich, featuring lutes, theorbos, two harpsichords, Baroque harp, viola da gamba, cello, dulcian and lirone. Their performance was outstanding, with Antonini achieving a beautifully natural sound, making the orchestra feel as though it were in conversation with the singers. At times, the orchestra’s playing was so exquisite that it momentarily drew attention away from the stage. Antonini wisely incorporated musical interludes by composers from Cesti’s era to seamlessly cover the scene changes.
The music of this period is heavily driven by text: singers are expected to transform each word into music rather than focus on showcasing their vocal prowess. As Orontea, Stéphanie d'Oustrac appeared to struggle somewhat with this aspect of her performance. Her Italian pronunciation was not flawless and at times her delivery sounded unclear. However, her mezzo-soprano possessed a velvety, smooth timbre that was truly beautiful. She shone brightest in the most intense moments, particularly in the powerful jealousy scene of Act 2 and the aria “Intorno all'idol mio”, the opera's only famous piece.
Carlo Vistoli was perfectly cast as Alidoro, portrayed as a shallow, opportunistic scoundrel who exploits his irresistible good looks. His refined countertenor skillfully conveyed erotic tension during the seduction scenes, arrogance and entitlement upon discovering that the powerful Orontea is in love with him, and all the pettiness of a self-centered cad when lamenting the fickleness of women – despite having seduced nearly everyone on stage! His performance was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the evening.
Francesca Pia Vitale played Silandra, one of Orontea’s attendants, introduced in an intimate, passionate scene with her lover Clorindo (Hugh Cutting). The duet between them strongly echoes “Pur ti miro” from Monteverdi’s Poppea. Vitale's brilliant, silvery soprano was perfectly complemented by Cutting’s warm countertenor, which soared effortlessly through the highest notes.
With a predominance of singers in the female vocal range, two basses proudly represented the male range: Mirco Palazzi as Creonte, Orontea’s tutor, and Luca Tittoto as the comic drunkard Gelone. Both demonstrated a strong grasp of the style, with rich, well-supported low notes. Tittoto clearly enjoyed playing his character, always staying within the bounds of good taste.
As is typical in operas from this period, there’s always a male singer in the role of an older woman, usually a nurse. Here, it was Alidoro’s mother, Aristea, portrayed in this case by young mezzo-soprano Marcela Rahal, who was amazingly dressed and made up to resemble a middle-aged woman. She fully embraced the role of the lustful character, delivering a fun performance with her creamy, beautiful mezzo. Sara Blanch as Tibrino, the head of the guards, and Maria Nazarova as Giacinta, Orontea’s servant, rounded out the exceptional cast with their bright, silvery sopranos.
