James edward hughes
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Essays
    • Science >
      • Science Essays
      • Underwater World >
        • Essays
      • The Lithopaedion's Lair
    • History >
      • History Essays
    • Travel >
      • Holidays and Trips
      • Fossil Hunting
    • Book Reviews
    • Music >
      • Music Essays
      • CD Reviews
      • Concert Reviews
  • About Me
  • Contact

Sonia Prina: Arias for Senesino

2/3/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture© Minjas Zugik 2014
Contralto, Sonia Prina returned to the Wigmore Hall after her phenomenal debut to perform arias composed by G. F. Handel for the star castrato Senesino. Handel wrote many heroic roles for Senesino, a man noted for his fiery temperament, each playing to the castrato’s wonderfully rich lower register and to his ability to sing “allegros with great fire, and marked rapid divisions, from the chest, in an articulate and pleasing manner”. Sonia Prina’s amazing technique, and her willingness to explore the lower register of the contralto voice, made her performance a unanimous success: she is truly the Heir to Senesino!

Prina chose three intense yet emotionally diverse slow arias in the program. In the first, “Ombra cara” from Radamisto, Prina wove a tale of loss and revenge, her dark voice full of despair and wretched vengeance. In “Pompe vane… Dove sei” from Rodelinda, Prina’s astounding breath control and rich tone imbued the aria with a deep sense of longing. 

The hypnotic orchestration of “Cara sposa” from Rinaldo, was chillingly delivered by Luca Pianca's Ensemble Claudiana, solidly underpinning Prina’s emotionally devastating delivery.  The contrast between the tempi of the A and B sections worked very well, demonstrating the conflicting emotions of the aria.

Picture
© Minjas Zugik 2014
Of the five bravura arias which made up the majority of the program, and the whole of the encores, I must make special mention of the first, “Furibondo spira il vento” from Partenope. Prina’s technique and delivery of the rapid coloratura passages electrified the audience. It was the best performance of this aria I have heard. 

“Empio, dirò, tu sei” from Giulio Cesare, which was performed both in the first half of the recital, and as the final encore, was truly furious. Prina strutted about the stage, dominating the aria from beginning to end. Her G3 at the end of the B section, and the F3 at the end of the da capo, were utterly brilliant.
Picture
© Minjas Zugik 2014
Bertarido’s “Vivi Tiranno” from Rodelinda saw Prina in triumphant form, revelling in Handel’s superb composition, while “Venti Turbini” from Rinaldo saw her deliver the longs lines of semiquavers with frightening assurance. “Se fiera belva ha cinto” from Rodelinda was a much jollier affair, with Prina and Ensemble Claudiana having a great deal of fun in its performance. 

The highlight of the concert was the tremendous performance of the two pieces from Orlando: “Cielo! se tu il consenti” and “Ah Stigie larve”. In the first aria, Prina took the triplet phrases at blistering speed, while her characterisation in the second, the Mad scene from Orlando, was so authentic and riveting that it elicited a roar of approval from the audience.
Picture
© Minjas Zugik 2014
Picture
© Minjas Zugik 2014
The orchestral offerings from Ensemble Claudiana came mainly from Theodora: the Overture, the Larghetto and the Courante. In a change from the program, we were treated to Handel’s Passacaglia Op. 5, Mvt. 4. Each was performed with skill and intelligence, the small ensemble able to tease new meaning out of the familiar pieces. From start to finish the Ensemble, with Luca Pianca at the helm, performed magnificently, their intelligent craftsmanship and nuanced performance both supporting and complementing Prina's Olympian performance.
© James Edward Hughes 2014
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Alan Oke
    Alastair Miles
    Alexei Grynyuk
    Alex Jennings
    Alice Coote
    Andrey Breus
    Anna Christy
    Anna Netrebko
    Anna Rita Gemmabella
    Ann Hallenberg
    Ann Murray
    Barbican
    Barry Banks
    Benedetta Mazzucato
    Brian Mulligan
    Cecilia Bartoli
    Château De Versailles
    Château De Versailles
    Clive Bayley
    Contralto
    Corinna Schnabel
    Countertenor
    Daniel Behle
    Daniil Shtoda
    David Hansen
    Dawn French
    Delphine Galou
    Dmitri Hvorostovsky
    Dwayne Jones
    Eglise Gutiérrez
    Elin Manahan-Thomas
    Elizabeth Llewellyn
    Emiliano Gonzalez Toro
    ENO
    Erica Eloff
    Erika Escribá-Astaburuaga
    Ewa Podles
    Filippo Mineccia
    Franco Fagioli
    Galerie Des Glaces
    Giuseppe Esposito
    Gweneth-Ann Jeffers
    Hilary Summers
    Jacek Laszczkowski
    Jeremy Ovenden
    Joyce DiDonato
    Juan Diego Flórez
    Juan Diego Flόrez
    Juila Lezhneva
    Juliet Stevenson
    Karina Gauvin
    Lawrence Brownlee
    Lawrence Power
    Luanda Siqueira
    Lucy Parham
    Malin Christensson
    Maria Bengtsson
    Maria Grazia Schiavo
    Matthew Brook
    Michael Porter
    Miranda Richardson
    Monica Piccinini
    Morten Lassenius Kramp
    Nash Ensemble
    Natalie Dessay
    Nicholas Spanos
    Nikolaisaal
    Olivier Lallouette
    Opera Settecento
    Orchestra Of The Age Of Enlightenment
    Paolo Lopez
    Peter Marsh
    Pretty Yende
    Private Musicke
    Queen Elizabeth Hall
    Roberta Invernizzi
    Romina Basso
    Ronan Busfield
    Rosenblatt Recitals
    Royal Albert Hall
    Royal Festival Hall
    Royal Opera House
    Ruth Rosique
    Sabina Cvilak
    Salle Gaveau
    Sarah Pring
    Sara Mingardo
    Serena Malfi
    Sergio Foresti
    Shintaro Nakajima
    Simon Callow
    Simone Kermes
    Sonia Prina
    Soprano
    St. Martin In The Fields
    Susan Gritton
    Tanja Ariane Baumgartner
    Tarik O’Regan
    The British Library
    Thomas Foster
    Tilman Lichdi
    Topi Lehtipuu
    Trondheim
    Veronica Cangemi
    Veronique Gens
    Vesselina Kasarova
    Vladimir Jurowski
    Vuyani Mlinde
    Warsaw National Opera
    Wigmore Hall

    Archives

    September 2014
    February 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    June 2013
    February 2013
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    February 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010

MOST VIEWED POSTS

QUEEN CATHERINE DE MEDICI
Picture
The "Maggot from Italy's Tomb?" The "Black Widow" of St Bartholomew? Or one of the finest examples of power politics and survival ever seen? Well, I would have to say yes to all of the above, and more! Catherine was one of the most complex characters in a time of massive internal strife in France, with enemies both within (Guise, D'Albret) and abroad (Philip II of Spain).

MARK OLIPHANT
Picture
Born in Kent Town, Adelaide, Australia, Mark Oliphant was a Physicist, who received the prestigious Hughes Medal (other recipients include Alexander Graham Bell, Enrico Fermi, Stephen Hawking, and Andre Geim). He was also a life-long vegetarian after seeing a pig slaughtered at a farm as a child.

HAYDN'S CELLO CONCERTO IN C MAJOR
Picture
The third movement of Haydn's Cello Concerto in C Major is one of my favourite pieces of music. It is a truly joyous piece, and one which I find uplifting. The first performance I heard was by 13-year-old Han-na Chang, who took my breath away with her skill, musicianship and dynamism.

ETTORE MAJORANA & THE MAJORANA FERMION
Picture
New research from Dutch scientists has revitalised the search for the elusive  Majorana Fermion. The Majorana Fermion was first predicted about 75 years  ago by Italian scientist Ettore Majorana, one of the Via Paspernera Boys - a group of scientists named after the street where their lab was located.

LIQUID CRYSTALLINE WATER
Picture
Water. Without it, we would not exist. Covering nearly 71% of the world’s surface, it is one of the key building blocks of life on Earth. We think we know all about it, how it works, and what it does. But Gerald Pollack, Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Washington, Seattle, is sure we don’t!

FRANCO FAGIOLI: COUNTERTENOR ASSOLUTO
Picture
Franco Fagioli is an Argentinian Countertenor "who seems to redefine the capabilities of the countertenor voice." He has won great acclaim for his performance in the role of Arbace in the recent all-male production of Vinci's Artaserse, and will soon be releasing an album celebrating the star castrato Caffarelli.

© James Edward Hughes 2013
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Essays
    • Science >
      • Science Essays
      • Underwater World >
        • Essays
      • The Lithopaedion's Lair
    • History >
      • History Essays
    • Travel >
      • Holidays and Trips
      • Fossil Hunting
    • Book Reviews
    • Music >
      • Music Essays
      • CD Reviews
      • Concert Reviews
  • About Me
  • Contact