So I am on my way this afternoon after three pretty frantic days packing and tidying......but yesterday I had a wonderful afternoon at the Mayne Stage where the Haymarket company were rehearsing a delightful youthful comic cantata by Handel - written when he was just 22 years old.
Josefien Stoppelenburg, Alison Wahl, and Angela Young Smucker - plus dog!
This was Clori, Tirsi e Fileno, completely new to me, except that Handel reused some of the best numbers later, notably in Agrippina. The show opens of Friday and is an essential ticket for anyone professes interedst in baroque music. It is a charmer, and short too - just 85 minutes I guess with intermission. I urge you to go.
The cast is just three and the orchestra some of finest ealy musiuc player in Chiocago, and also from further afield - Michael Leopold brought his arch lute all the way from Milan!
There was some wonderful singing from the three high female voices, tewo sopranos and a mezzo. Alison Wahl, whom I had notices in the Northwester concerto competition, was a charming Clori, and the two boys were the spelendid young Dutch soprano, Josefien Stoppelenburg as Tirsi, and mezzo Angela Young Smucker.
With no early operas on the immediate horizon from COT the work of Haymarket is all the more important. They provide work for the fine musicians here in this city, and opportunities for gifted young singers emerging into the profession. So more power to them.I hope that the larger Chicago organisations, such as COT and Music of the Baroque, take note. It is good to know about such stylish and accomplished singers living here in Chicago!
I am now at O'Hare en route to London where I arrive early tomorrow morning. More news from there in due course!
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