This year, the Halle Handel Festival featured five oratorios, pretty much covering the entire gamut of his career, from La resurrezione (1708) to Jepththa (1751). With an Italian libretto by Carlo Sigismondo Capece, La resurrezione depicts the three days from Christ’s crucifixion to his resurrection, the period sometimes referred to as the Harrowing of Hell. The Italian premiere took place in the palazzo of one of Handel’s Roman patrons, Cardinal Ruspoli, and was a most elaborate affair – the sort of stage display you have when opera is banned during Lent. The singers were all male with the controversial exception of Handel’s long time colleague, Margherita Durastanti as Mary Magdalene (Maddalena).
Apart from Maddalena (soprano), there are four other characters. Two otherworldly representatives, an angel (soprano) and Lucifer, the fallen angel (bass) debate the significance of the death of Christ and matters of theology. Maddalena (soprano) with her friends Mary Cleophas (Cleofe, alto) and John the Evangelist (San Giovanni, tenor), earthly followers of Christ, are our eyewitnesses to the events taking place on the ground, as it were.
Unfortunately, Merseburg Cathedral proved not to be a suitable venue for this work, having a most reverberant acoustic with a vast ceiling. The orchestra at the Roman premiere was quite a substantial affair, numbering nearly 50 instruments. On this occasion, the Merseburger Hofmusik, under Michael Schönhei, was quite large by modern period instrument standards but comprising fewer than 30 players in all. It is unfortunate that much of the detail in the score was lost and the overall effect at times was quite muddy. Nevertheless, the instrumental and vocal forces managed to turn in a convincing dramatic effort. La resurrezione certainly recycles some themes and musical tropes familiar from other early Handel works (Agrippina, Rinaldo), but it has considerable narrative coherence, and a lot of exciting music for Lucifero, and for the forces of light. Some of the quieter passages were easier to appreciate, including the recorder playing of Ulrike Wolf and Narumi Ogami.
A bright-voiced Julia Sophie Wagner was the angel, and it is a pity that her opening intervention “Disseratevi, o porte d’averno” didn’t make quite the impact it should have, due to the acoustics but also a longish orchestral pause after the conclusion of the opening sonata. Nevertheless she maintained a constant stream of well phrased singing, dealing confidently with Lucifero’s baiting. As the latter, Henryk Böhm maintained his devilish agenda with good growling tone.
Maddalena is in some ways the central figure, the one with her finger on the pulse of the story and with the most arias, and the role was well taken by Katherina Müller who sang with firm even tone and gleaming accurate high notes. Britta Schwarz was Cleofe, singing in a full bodied alto and with deep conviction; “Augelletti, ruscelletti” was a particular hit. Especially impressive was Tobias Hunger as San Giovanni, whose ringing tenor tone was a delight, particularly in “Ecco il sol” (which might loosely be translated as ‘Here comes the sun’). The cori which concluded Parts 1 and 2 were taken by the combined soloists, and were greatly enjoyable.
