English National Opera’s venerable production of Handel’s Xerxes came back to the Coliseum on 15th September. Now ENO’s oldest production, originally from 1985, this revival proved it could still be core repertoire in another thirty years hence.
Originally created by Nicholas Hytner, this revival is under the tutelage of Michael Walling, and just as good too.
Ostensibly about the Persian king Xerxes this is really not about Persia, or his campaigns or anything else oriental at all, merely a three times two love story spun out over the requisite three acts. The name ‘Xerxes’ is a hook upon which to hang the Georgian love of all things levant, then all the craze. Handel, it must be said, whilst famous for many things, is not renowned for his comedies. Some like Semele lift the corners of one’s mouth, but Xerxes is really very funny from start to finish. It must be said that this production hams up all the foibles admirably such that there is almost a laugh a minute. And there are a lot of minutes! Scheduled to start at 7 and end three and a half hours later it actually started ten minutes late and, with often slow tempi, finished at five to eleven. The libretto was edited by the late Charles Mackerras who states in the programme introduction that there was no need to edit but I disagree, profoundly. A solid 30 minutes judicious cutting would be missed by only the most dyed-in-the-wood aficionado, and an hour wouldn’t affect anything that much. A few shorter recitatives, perhaps a whole scene chopped wouldn’t have made any appreciative difference.
For Xerxes ENO had assembled a stellar cast. In the title role Alice Coote was in all things other than stature a great Xerxes. Costume-wise she is decidedly well padded too, so that we don’t notice gender, though occasionally her movements were a bit cumbersome. Occasionally a bit shrill, a bit strident, in character she convinced. Ombra mai fu, the first and most famous aria was decidedly slow. I wonder if this was her or conductor Michael Hofstetter’s decision. Her brother Arsamenes, the counter tenor Andrew Watts, has a very powerful voice but frequently he not only dominates but quite startles. His top notes are every now and then a full 20 decibels louder than the note before; by contrast his lower register is sometimes a little quiet. Amastris, Catherine Young, in a small role was well cast, masterful even; Romilda, Sarah Tynan was again excellent. On stage the majority of the evening she was strong and fluent throughout. Atalanta, the other love interest, Rhian Lois is a revelation. I saw her in ENO’s recent Magic Flute as Pamina, in which she was very good, here she has the most burnished, effortless voice; I wanted her to be on stage all evening and never stop. Finally Elviro, Adrian Powter, was in a small role funny and engaging whenever he appeared.
Another star of the show was undoubtedly the production itself. Staged as, I would guess, the Georgian Vauxhall Gardens full of see and be seen gentry taking the air, it was surreal and gloriously over the top throughout. Although directed originally by Hytner, his designer David Fielding must take huge credit.
Inventive yes, charming yes; high culture yes, but down to earth fun too, very much so. CMk