Demons and monsters: Rameau at the Boston Early Music Festival

By Kevin Wells, 17 June 2019

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“The dances were so infectious that swathes of the audience looked like ranks of bobble-head dolls”

Reviewed at New England Conservatory: Jordan Hall, Boston on 13 June 2019

Rameau, Castor et Pollux (Excerpts)

Rameau, Dardanus (Excerpts)

Rameau, Naïs, Opéra pour la Paix (Opera to Peace) (Pastorale Héroique)

Rameau, Les Fêtes de Polymnie

Rameau, Les Indes galantes

Rameau, Les fêtes de l'Hymen et de l'Amour: suite

Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra

Boston Early Music Festival Dance Company

Emőke Baráth, Soprano

Teresa Wakim, Soprano

Christian Immler, Baritone

Robert Mealy, Director

Caroline Copeland, Choreography, Dancer

Pierre-François Dolle, Choreography, Dancer

BEMF presents La serva padrona and Livietta e Tracollo

Kevin Wells, 17th June

A riotous double bill of Pergolesi at the Boston Early Music Festival.

*****

BEMF stages Francesca Caccini's Alcina

Kevin Wells, 10th June

A rare chance to see the first extant opera written by a woman, Francesca Caccini's La liberazione di Ruggiero dall’ isola d’ Alcina.

****1

BEMF presents La serva padrona and Livietta e Tracollo

Kevin Wells, 17th June

A riotous double bill of Pergolesi at the Boston Early Music Festival.

*****

Handel’s La Resurrezione brought blazingly to life

Kevin Wells, 15th June

Handel's La Resurrezione, anchored the Boston Early Music Festival’s Thursday programs in a dramatic reading by many of the same forces performing Campra’s La Carnaval de Venise.

****1

Jaroussky and Gauvin star in Steffani's Niobe

Nicolas Nguyen, 27th January

In spite of superb performances from the Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra and the two lead soloists, Steffani’s Niobe at the Concertgebouw offers too few inspired moments to make it truly memorable.

***11

Niobe, Regina di Tebe à Toulouse

Arnaud Saura-Ziegelmeyer, 29th January

Le Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra et pas moins de neufs chanteurs issus de différents horizons étaient réunis pour l’exécution du septième opéra en trois actes du compositeur italien Agostino Steffani, Niobe, Regina di Tebe.

****1

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Kevin Wells

Kevin Wells was bitten by the opera bug at 10, having heard a 1936 recording of Jussi Björling singing “Che gelida manina”. He has never been the same since. A student of voice, performance practice, the history of singing and opera, he holds advanced degrees in Italian and has lived and worked in Italy off and on since the 70s. La Scala became a second home as the Met had been during college daze. Now in his native Boston, he works as translator, tutor, and language coach, haunts Symphony Hall, and would haunt the Opera House had it not been demolished in 1958!