Composer: George Frideric Handel
Performer: Christopher Lowrey, Marco Angioloni, Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian, Alessandro Ravasio, Giuseppina Bridelli, Lucía Martín Cartón, Il Groviglio
Conductor: Marco Angioloni
Number of Discs: 3
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Château de Versailles Spectacles
Catalogue: CVS123
Release: 2024
Size: 3.06 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Poro, re delle Indie, HWV 28
CD 01
01. Ouverture
Act I
02. Scene 1: Accompagnato e Recitativo. Fermatevi, codardi! (Poro, Gandarte)
03. Scene 1: Aria. È prezzo leggiero (Gandarte)
04. Scene 2: Recitativo Guerrier, t’arresta (Timagene, Poro, Alessandro)
05. Scene 2: Aria. Vedrai con tuo periglio (Poro)
06. Scene 3: Recitativo. Oh! sublime ardimento! (Alessandro, Timagene, Erissena)
07. Scene 3: Aria. Vil trofeo d’un’alma imbelle (Alessandro)
08. Scene 4: Recitativo. Questo è Alessandro? (Timagene, Erissena)
09. Scene 4: Aria. Chi vive amante (Erissena)
10. Scene 5: Recitativo. Perfidi! ite di Poro (Cleofide, Poro)
11. Scene 5: Aria. Se mai più sarò geloso (Poro)
12. Scene 6: Recitativo. Erissena, che veggo? (Cleofide, Poro, Erissena)
13. Scene 6: Aria. Se mai turbo il tuo riposo (Cleofide)
14. Scene 7: Recitativo. Cleofide va al campo (Poro, Erissena, Gandarte)
15. Scene 7: Aria. Se possono tanto (Poro)
16. Scene 8: Recitativo. Dimmi; vedesti (Erissena, Gandarte)
17. Scene 8: Aria. Compagni nell’amore (Erissena)
18. Scene 9: Recitativo. Ecco, vien la cagion (Alessandro)
19. Scene 9: Sinfonia
20. Scene 9: Recitativo. Ciò che t’offro, Alessandro (Cleofide, Alessandro)
21. Scene 10: Recitativo. Monarca, impaziente (Timagene, Alessandro)
22. Scene 11: Recitativo. Eccola; oh gelosia! (Poro, Cleofide, Alessandro)
23. Scene 11: Aria. Se amor a questo petto (Alessandro)
24. Scene 12: Recitativo. Lode agli Dei! (Poro, Cleofide)
25. Scene 12: Accompagnato e Recitativo. Fermatevi, codardi! (Poro, Gandarte)
CD 02
Act II
01. Scene 1: Sinfonia
02. Scene 1: Recitativo. Signor, l’India festiva (Cleofide, Alessandro, Timagene)
03. Scene 2: Recitativo. Mio ben! / Lasciami! (Cleofide, Poro)
04. Scene 2: Duetto e Recitativo. Caro / Dolce amico (Cleofide, Poro)
05. Scene 3: Recitativo. Crudel, t’arresta! (Alessandro, Cleofide, Poro)
06. Scene 4: Recitativo. Pronto le greche schiere (Timagene, Poro, Cleofide, Alessandro)
07. Scene 4: Aria. D’un barbaro scortese (Alessandro)
08. Scene 5: Recitativo. Macedoni, alla reggia (Timagene, Cleofide, Poro)
09. Scene 5: Aria. Digli, ch’io son fedele (Cleofide)
10. Scene 6: Recitativo. Tenerezze ingegnose! (Poro, Timagene)
11. Scene 6: Aria. Senza procelle ancora (Poro)
12. Scene 7: Recitativo. E tentò di svenarti? (Gandarte, Cleofide)
13. Scene 8: Recitativo. Per salvarti, o regina (Alessandro, Cleofide)
14. Scene 9: Recitativo. Quanto dobbiamo (Cleofide, Gandarte)
15. Scene 9: Aria. Se il ciel mi divide (Cleofide)
16. Scene 9: Recitativo. Adorata Erissena (Gandarte, Erissena)
17. Scene 10: Aria. Se viver non poss’io (Gandarte)
18. Scene 11: Recitativo. E pur, chi ‘I crederia? (Erissena)
19. Scene 11: Aria. Di rendermi la calma (Erissena)
CD 03
Act III
01. Scene 1: Sinfonia
02. Scene 1: Recitativo. Erissena! / Che miro? (Poro, Erissena)
03. Scene 1: Aria. Risveglia lo sdegno (Poro)
04. Scene 2: Recitativo. Ah! funesto comando! (Erissena, Cleofide)
05. Scene 3. Regina: è dunque vero (Alessandro, Cleofide, Erissena)
06. Scene 4: Cleofide, sì presto io non credea (Erissena, Cleofide)
07. Scene 4 Aria. Se troppo crede al ciglio (Cleofide)
08. Scene 5: Recitativo. Giunge Alessandro, oh Dei! (Erissena, Alessandro)
09. Scene 5: Aria, Come il candore (Erissena)
10. Scene 6: Recitativo. Per qual via non pensata (Alessandro, Timagene)
11. Scene 6: Aria. Serbati a grandi imprese (Alessandro)
12. Scene 7: Recitativo. Ecco spezzato il solo filo (Poro, Gandarte)
13. Scene 8: Recitativo. Fermati! / Oh ciel! (Erissena, Poro)
14. Scene 8: Aria. Dov’è? s’affretti (Poro)
15. Scene 9: Recitativo. Gandarte, in questo stato (Erissena, Gandarte)
16. Scene 9: Aria. Mio ben, ricordati (Gandarte)
17. Scene 10: Recitativo. D’inaspettati eventi (Erissena)
18. Scene 10: Aria. Son confusa pastorella (Erissena)
19. Scene 11: Recitativo. Tu mi contrasti invano (Poro)
20. Scene 12: Sinfonia
21. Scene 12: Recitativo. Nell’odorata pira (Cleofide, Alessandro, Poro)
22. Scene 12: Aria. Spirto amato (Cleofide)
23. Final Scene: Recitativo. Come! Poro? (Cleofide, Alessandro, Poro)
24. Final Scene: Duetto. Caro, vieni al mio seno (Cleofide, Poro)
25. Final Scene: Coro. Dopo tanto penare (Poro)
In 1731, at the height of his London fame, Handel created his 28th opera seria: a vocal pyrotechnic about the rivalry, in love and war, between Alexander the Great and the Indian King Porus. Rage and spite, love and glory drive the extraordinary arias that Handel entrusted to two of his favourite singers: the castrato star Senesino for the title role, and the soprano Anna Maria Strada del Po as the treacherous Cleofide. It was a sign of the work’s success and the prestige of its cast. Poro was performed twenty times in 1731, a virtually exceptional figure. The young tenor Marco Angioloni – singing the role of Alexander – brings this opera back to life with his Ensemble Il Groviglio, and a magnificent cast that would have delighted Handel!
Poro, re delle Indie, HWV 28 (a.k.a. Poro, re dell’Indie, Poro, or Porus), a Handel opera seria of 1731, was a great success at the beginning, and modern scholars have pronounced it one of the finest Handelian operas. The work is performed from time to time, in the original Italian or in German translation, but recordings have been sparse. The opera constructs a romantic plot around the clash between Alexander the Great and the Indian king Porus, who interestingly is attested only in Greek sources, not Indian ones. Also interesting is that the libretto by Pietro Metastasio was originally called Alessandro nell’Indie, but Handel’s opera shifts the central role to Porus, perhaps because the famed castrato Senesino was set to perform the part. Here, the role of Poro is ably handled by countertenor Christopher Lowrey. However, a notable feature of the opera, and perhaps one that made this the second-most-popular of Metastasio’s libretti behind only the ubiquitous Artaserse (Artaxerxes) is the large collection of strong vocal roles, giving several singers the chance to shine. The opera seria pitfall of a series of set pieces is avoided, and the drama unfolds naturally. The role of Poro is balanced that of Alessandro himself, for tenor voice, and here, Marco Angioloni, one of a new breed of singer-directors, is very strong. Hear also Giuseppina Bridelli as Poro’s sister Erissena, a rich, compelling contralto. In his role as director of the ensemble Il Groviglio Angioloni, he favors a substantial ensemble (ten violins) capable of rough, rather percussive attacks. With an English opera, an Italian ensemble, and an international cast of singers, this release marks a step out for the Château de Versailles label, which generally emphasizes French Baroque repertory. The music is, however, a fine choice and beautifully brought off.