Vivaldi: Motezuma

Stunning singing, but this Frankenscore doesn't come to life
Despite fabulous singing by all 6 members of the cast, Alessandro Ciccolini's reconstruction of this "lost" Vivaldi opera is less than satisfying. Only 17 of the opera's 28 original pieces survive; I have to wonder if, among the missing numbers, there were settings for chorus, as the contrast & conflict between conquistadors & Aztecs would naturally have made for some thrilling religious & martial choral music.

What remains of the score is chorus-free, a series of dramatically unlikely & unconvincing confrontations between the 2 Cortes brothers, Motezuma, his wife & daughter, & an Aztec general. The music, mostly formulaic Vivaldi, seldom approaches the vibrancy or poignancy of the composer at his best. No help comes from conductor Alan Curtis who, no musical Dr. Frankenstein, fails to create the sharp attacks & energetic rhythms that could have breathed a semblance of life into this long-buried, fragmentary operatic carcass.

The minimal, abstract set also...

The Future of Opera is in Its Past!
In the glories of its first two centuries, from Monteverdi to Mozart! In the restoration and economic viability of the many historical opera stages of Europe, including the Teatro Municipale of Ferrara where this production of "Motezuma" was produced and recorded in Januray, 2008. In the vitality of smaller but bolder opera companies in Europe and North America: "Motezuma" had already been staged in Long Beach CA and Houston TX, as well as Düsseldorf and Rotterdam before the Ferrara. This same production, I believe, has been or will be produced in Lisbon, Piacenza, and Modena. Currently, the New York City Opera, which went broke in Lincoln Center, is preparing Telemann's Orfeo for performance in a smaller, more acoustically suitable venue. Small theaters, chamber orchestras, and smaller but more agile, expressive voices! I'm sure I'll elicit resentment by saying so, but "all the best singers" these days are committed to 17th and 18th Century "historically informed" vocal...

Glorious singing
Glorious singing and great customs- the sound is marvelous and the minimal stage is done with great taste. You can tell when a good creative team got together to create a masterpiece.
. I wish for more Opera DVDS like this. The sound is so wonderful that you will feel right there in the pit with the orchestra. Subtitles are exquisitely done .

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