Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Idomeneo (1781/revised 1786)
Idomeneo – Anthony Rolfe Johnson (tenor)
Idamante – Anne Sofie von Otter (tenor)
Ilia – Sylvia McNair (soprano)
Elettra – Hillevi Martinpelto (soprano)
Arbace – Nigel Robson (tenor)
Il Gran Sacerdote di Nettuno – Glenn Winslade (tenor)
La voce dell’Oracolo – Cornelius Hauptmann (bass)
Monteverdi Choir
English Baroque Soloists/Sir John Eliot Gardiner
rec. 1990, Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, UK
Archiv Produktion 4316742 [3 CDs: 207]

It has been 33 years since this recording first made its way onto store shelves. I can recall the excitement that it was greeted with when it was first announced as an upcoming release in 1990. Despite receiving an award from Gramophone Magazine, and being recommended by the BBC’s Building a Library program, questions persist whether it does full justice to Mozart’s grand opera seria.

This was the first period orchestra performance to be recorded for commercial release and the visceral excitement of the Overture does not disappoint. Gardiner throws any caution to the winds and launches into a ferocious Mozartean tempest. The authentic sound of the period instruments used by the English Baroque Soloists sounds wonderfully fresh. The characteristic sounds of the individual sections are far easier for the ear to pick out than the tighter weave of sound that a modern orchestra delivers.

Once the fury subsides, the opening recitative and aria for Ilia (arguably the most important recitative in the entire opera) goes extremely well. McNair gives a thoroughly committed account of the varied recitative which lays out the Trojan Princess’ conflicted anguish before the audience. McNair gave a truly heart-rending performance of Ilia at the 1990 Salzburg Festival under Seiji Ozawa, which promised much for her contribution to this set. Unfortunately for her, the revelations from the Salzburg recording don’t attain the same level here. Gardiner encourages a high degree of classical restraint which starts to pervade this recording early on and remains hanging over the general atmosphere of this set. This is not to say that there aren’t some beautiful or stirring sections. The Act Two Trio is incredibly lovely and the first 14 minutes of the Third Act are virtually sublime; however, frequently the passion, pain and grandeur are somewhat more held back than one finds in the other available recordings.

Gardiner brings the sound of this score back to its breeding ground in the French tragédie lyrique, based as it is on Campra’s Idomenée. Gardiner also wins some points with me for the restraint with which he allows the singers to use appoggiaturas. Here they are always tastefully executed and do not jolt one as they sometimes do in Charles Mackerras’ Mozart recordings. They may be historically correct, but they often sound rather ugly to me.

Anthony Rolfe Johnson would seem to have all the qualities necessary to make a fine Idomeneo. His voice is slender and trim of tone and he manages all of the notes, including the difficult earlier version of “Fuor del mar” which was composed to highlight the virtuosity of the star tenor Anton Raaf (the first Idomeneo). While Rolfe Johnson sings everything neatly and efficiently, there is an absence of kingly authority that sits like an elephant in the room when one is listening through this. In addition, his pain and dilemma are rather washed over, as one would find when comparing a water-colour to an oil painting. Nigel Robson’s Arbace is similarly spoiled by an over-refinement that all but blots out the character. His aria, “Se il tuo duol” becomes a cautious display piece with none of the enthusiasm and fervour that should be projected at that moment. Interestingly, it is two baritones on other recordings (Thomas Hampson and Leo Nucci) who give much more vivid portraits of Arbace than Robson offers on this one.

Sylvia McNair‘s sweetly sensuous sound delivers a charming Ilia, even if it doesn’t reach the level she achieved at Salzburg. Her “Zeffiretti lusinghieri” is one of the most engaging tracks on the entire set and the duet that succeeds it provides equal pleasure to the listener. She is joined in the duet by the lithely elegant sound of Anne Sofie von Otter. Ms von Otter gives the listener some beautifully poised singing throughout, but not for a moment do Idamante’s distress, confusion and pain project through one’s speakers. This is a performance that needs a little more time in the oven to be ready for public consumption.

Hillevi Martinpelto is not by nature suited to the role of Elettra. She is an artist who personifies cool temperament and classicism and is far more in sympathy with the restraint of Fiordiligi or the Countess Almaviva than this unhinged Mycenian princess. Her floating, disciplined tone is better displayed in “Idol mio” than in her other two arias. Julia Varady, Edda Moser and Hildegard Behrens (on the Metropolitan Opera DVD) all give more imposing performances of this bizarre woman who still manages to garner the sympathy of the listener.

While a good period performance recording of Idomeneo is desirable so that one can hear something akin to what Mozart did in the 1780s, a good modern orchestra recording highlights so much more about this marvellous opera. While Gardiner’s is probably the best period version to date and I find I can live with the reservations I have detailed, there are two aspects to this recording that I find hard to get past when listening to it.

The first and lesser issue is Gardiner’s choice of a fortepiano over a harpsichord for the recitatives. To me, the quality of the performance of the recitatives in the operas of the baroque and classical eras is absolutely essential. The thudding, muddy sound of Gardiner’s choice of a fortepiano – while no doubt historically accurate – all but spoils the recits for me. The dryer, airier sound of a harpsichord would have been preferable and is equally historically accurate.

My second and more serious issue is the contribution of the Monteverdi Choir. They are clearly a scrupulously accurate ensemble, with impeccable musical standards. However, the white, vibrato-less sound that they are encouraged to cultivate is unpleasant and not at all appropriate for the opera house, it belongs only in some baroque-era Chapel Royal. In Idomeneo, the contribution of the chorus is heightened almost to the point of it being a character in its own right. To experience the summit of choral singing on another recording of this opera, one must turn to the Leipzig Radio Chorus on Karl Bohm’s Deutsche Grammofon version. There, the choir combines the precision of the Monteverdi Choir with the power of a modern operatic chorus for an overwhelming experience in this opera.

The booklet promotes the fact that this is the full 1781 Munich score; indeed it is a bit more than that, because it includes some of the music that was cut before the premiere. Gardiner has also most helpfully chosen to record some of the alternatives, such as three different versions of the Oracle’s pronouncement. The positioning of these tracks at various points (often at the end of the CDs) might cause some confusion to those who hear the downloadable version, as they have the potential to interrupt the continuous flow of the Acts.

Ultimately there are things in this recording that I wouldn’t want to be without. Sylvia McNair’s delicately voiced Ilia is chief among them; however, one can experience a richer overall experience listening to the excellent Pritchard recording on Decca, or the Levine version on Deutsche Grammophon (as per Ralph Moore’s survey). For an even greater experience of this opera, Levine’s live DVD from the Metropolitan opera is unbeatable, with a superlative cast (Luciano Pavarotti, Frederica von Stade, Ileana Cotrubas, Hildegard Behrens and John Alexander)

Mike Parr

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