A tale we think we know with the Knights of the Round Table and the legends of Camelot is given a different treatment in Purcell’s semi-opera King Arthur, John Dryden’s text focusing on the battle between the Britons and Saxons where spirits and gods hold sway. Dryden penned his original libretto to celebrate the Restoration of Charles II, having to revise it to reflect the very different regimes of William III and James II. It is a work where characters sing only if they are mythical or rustic, large chunks of spoken words fill in the story about King Arthur rescuing his fiancé, blind Princess Emmeline, from her kidnappers and the showdown combat between King Arthur and Oswald. Musically, it is a complete delight, the Vox Luminis players and dozen hand-picked singers dazzlingly entertaining the Valletta Baroque Festival audience with bonkers tales of lusty shepherds, unrelenting frost and enchanted woods. Director Lionel Meunier sang bass but whipped out a tiny recorder from his pocket to join the band.
Isaline Claeys and Simon Robson created the spoken text which covered the substantial gaps between musical passages. Robson delivered the story clearly and with mischievous nuance, introducing us to all the characters, entirely inhabiting the tale and convincing us that, however ridiculous the premise, the supernatural really mattered. On a crowded stage in Teatru Manoel, the musicians took centre spot allowing the singers to stand as a chorus at the back, slyly creep around the sides or take front of the stage for ensemble or solo work, two natural trumpets taking up residence in a theatre box.
A lively virtuosic overture set the tone with radiantly golden playing from oboists Benoît Laurent, Gustav Friedrichson and Armin Köbler. A balanced Baroque quartet led by violinist Tuomo Suni complemented the refreshingly bright continuo. Two central theorbo/lute players Simon Linné and Justin Glaie deftly strummed guitars, the whole ensemble sounding fresh and airy, Koen Plaetinck parading a military drum in the slow section adding soldierly menace, the strings sighing with brief melancholy before taking off into a lively gigue. Throughout, the range of colour and expression was inventive, guitars swapping back to lute and theorbo, occasionally oboes on recorders. Playing without a conductor, and with few visual clues as to who was in charge, this sparkling music is deep in their bones.
The singing was perfect, choruses warm and powerful, everyone at some point taking on a solo or ensemble spot. In contemporary dress, singers acted the many parts splendidly with much humour and interaction. There is a long roll call of characters from the Germanic Woden, Thor and Freya to magicians Merlin and the evil Osmond and the spirits Philidel and Grimbald who vie with each other to decide who wins the St Georges’ Day battle. At the centre of the work, the famous frost scene where Cupid thaws out Cold Genius was superbly sung by Sebastian Myrus and Carine Tinney, a touch of her scarf warming him and each chorus member in turn, Viola Blache and Marcus Farnsworth made two compelling lovers. The buffoonery was wild, with “Kentish Lad” shepherds offering their flutes to shepherdesses, later singers appearing with cans of Maltese beer for the rustic “Your hay, it is mow’d” and beefy peasant chorus “Old England”.
In the end, as light needs darkness, so the English need the Saxons and Oswald is spared. The work turns very patriotic towards a bright Anglo-Saxon future with St George as patron, singers across the front of the stage in a glorious final chorus, trumpets and drums resplendent, the musicians swinging, a very fine end to the first week of the Valletta Baroque Festival.
David's press trip was funded by Visit Malta
