It is hard to believe that Sir Charles Mackerras is an impressive 82 years old, merely because he continues in his illustrious career with no perceivable signs of slowing down. He received a rousing surge of applause as he entered on stage – something that the audience repeated with increasing fervour upon each of his stage re-entries. Clearly Sir Charles alone was enough to pull many in the crowd to this prom. Indeed, Mackerras's stamina continued to astound. He took the lengthy performance calmly and confidently in his stride.
A strong and energetic beginning from the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment was confidently and precisely directed from the sturdy and vivacious Mackerras. Rosemary Joshua as Nitocris made an articulate start, progressing expressively through her first recitative and aria. There was something a little sparse and isolated in the supporting sound in the opening stages, but in time a fuller and warmer sound prevailed.
Iestyn Davies gave a mellifluous, honey-sweet performance of Daniel's first aria – a quality which he maintains throughout. Davies brings a sublime quality to the music with his performance. Bejun Mehta as Cyrus offered a counter-tenor timbre in great contrast to Davies. A sharper, edgier timbre is combined with by far the most exuberant and energetic acting performances of the evening.
The Choir of the Enlightenment started the second scene with a wonderful explosion of clear, rich sound. Crisp, sparkling consonants were flying off the stage, fired into the audience on every word. Not a syllable was missed in their glorious opening chorus. Robert Gleadow's mellow bass tones were captivating, drawing the audience in with his earnest execution of Gobrias. For the most part, his acting skills added impetus and meaning to the text, although perhaps a little to excess at certain points (the 'monstrous human beast' aria, for example).
Paul Groves' initial aria as Belshazzar, at the opening of Scene Four, was disappointingly fraught in comparison to the sturdiness of the performance up until that point. Groves seemed uncomfortable with the music and had an awkward stage presence. As a result, the tempo seemed a little uneven and there was not the precise ensemble playing that the audience had become accustomed to. It was frankly quite unsettling to watch, fearing what would happen next, though perhaps this was a musical representation of Belshazzar's drunkenness. Either way, it certainly rocked the steady flow of the performance, if only for a few minutes. His subsequent recitatives and arias were acted with increasing conviction and good ensemble, but at points it still felt like his reliance on his copy was less subtle than that of his fellow performers. That said, he certainly portrayed the arrogance of Belshazzar well, and his portrayal of the oratorio's climax, with the appearance of the severed writing hand, was effective and dramatically persuasive.
Joshua's return to the stage quickly and happily rectified the slight glitch in proceedings. She demonstrated great vocal dexterity, rising to the challenges set by Handel, especially in the athletic writing of the 'leafy honours of the field' aria.
The rich sound of the Choir of the Enlightenment resonated and glittered like gold in the acoustics of the Royal Albert Hall. Impeccable tuning and diction made them a true aural pleasure and much the highlight of the evening. The OAE offered lively support throughout, especially during the choruses. The continuo was wonderfully unified, with an exuberant and dextrous double bass section.
Act Two seemed to have a renewed sense of vigour and energy, even more so than in Act One. The timpani also made a welcome appearance, which added to the cumulating dramatic tension. Act Three contributed further to the mounting excitement established in Act Two, which was a little lacking in the lengthy first act. As the general narrative and musical paces quickened, trumpets and timpani became a regular feature. Act Three also welcomes the return of Gobrias to the stage, whose spongy, smooth tones sets the new muted mood that immediately follows Belshazzar's death.
This was a warm and well-executed performance, authoritatively directed by Mackerras. Belshazzar made a welcome and worthy addition to this year's Proms programme – only the second time it has done so (previously directed by Trevor Pinnock in 1991 with The English Concert). Perhaps though, it is the slightly more muted dramatic qualities of the piece, in comparison to the Italian opera that Handel had so fervently focused on previously, that has caused its under-appreciation and underperformance in recent times.
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