Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741)
L’Olimpiade (1734)
Christian Senn (baritone) – Clistene
Margherita Maria Sala (contralto) – Aristea
Raffeale Pe (countertenor) – Megacle
Bejun Mehta (countertenor) – Licida
Coro Maghini
Innsbruck Festival Orchestra/Alessandro De Marchi
rec. live, 1-9 August 2023,Tiroler Landestheater, Innsbruck, Austria
Includes booklet with notes in English
cpo 555 651-2 [3 CDs: 179]
Vivaldi’s opera L’Olimpiade is based on a libretto by Metastasio which had been originally written only a year before for Antonio Caldara’s opera of the same name. Caldara’s opera was written as a royal birthday celebration for Empress Elizabeth Christine of Brunswick. At the time Metastasio’s libretto was considered a model of good taste, and was found to be so appealing that it would be reused by an astounding 70 or more composers over the next 100 years. Vivaldi’s was the third use of it; others who set this opera included Giovanni Pergolesi , Baldassare Galuppi (review), and Domenico Cimarosa. The first recording of Cimarosa’s opera became my top choice for ROTY in 2024 (review).
As I stated only last month, in my review of another Vivaldi opera recording, the Naxos release of Il bajazet (review):
I would rather hear Vivaldi in a real performance of warmth and life such as this one, rather than something that offers only a cooler standard of musicological perfection.
That statement applies as much to this cpo release as it did to the Naxos. There are some imperfections to be noted but mainly one is carried away by the sweep and passion of the live performance, and most especially the liveliness and punch of the recitatives, which on other recordings come across as dutiful and somewhat lacking animation.
The impression one gathers from a first hearing of this is of the sheer poise achieved by the players of the orchestra under De Marchi’s experienced guidance. The orchestral sound has warmth and resonance and De Marchi’s tempi realize the full emotional spectrum of the arias from fast and furious to deliciously languid. This is a thoroughly enjoyable recording from the orchestral standpoint.
With the singing some reservations begin to invade but nothing of a serious nature to mar one’s enjoyment of this set. The most outstanding vocal performance comes from Bejun Mehta as Licida. His sound is burnished and registers sweetly via the microphones. His experience is on display in the way he enlivens his recitatives in a way not quite equaled by anyone else in the cast. This is a splendid assumption. Would that Mehta’s merits also applied equally to Raffaele Pe’s Megacle. Unfortunately Pe’s countertenor is nowhere near as mellifluous a sound as Mehta’s. The microphones capture Pe’s singing with plenty of presence but the vocal appeal is on a lesser scale altogether, and interpretively he less stylish than Mehta. On the opposite end of the vocal spectrum, bass Christian Senn produces some gravelly sounding tone as King Clistene.
Among the female singers of this cast Elenora Belloci reveals plenty of bright edged tones as Aminta. She also possesses an admirable vocal flexibility which carries her triumphantly through the role. Margherita Sala also makes a fine Aminta, in spite of a voice which develops a slight flutter at times. However, Benedetta Mazzucato‘s Argene, while not an unpleasant performance in any regard, but her tone is rather anonymous sounding and leaves no lasting impression with the listener.
The sound quality of this live recording is more than acceptable, with applause included only at the end of each act. The booklet includes notes and synopsis in three languages; however, one must go to a website in order to download the libretto.
Mike Parr
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Other cast
Benedetta Mazzucato (soprano) – Argene
Eleanora Bellocci (soprano) – Aminta
Luigi De Donato (bass) – Alcandro
