HAYDN: Arias & Cantatas

Although Haydn is commonly
recognized for his contributions to the symphonic genre, many music lovers
view him as just that, a composer of symphonies. Perhaps they have not yet
had their ears tickled by the beauty of Haydn’s vocal writing, which
some scholars believe exceeds the symphonic. This recording of Haydn’s
Arias and Cantatas, with soprano Arleen Auger, conductor Christopher Hogwood
and the Handel and Haydn Society, is a fantastic way to introduce ones’
self to the vocal music of this multi-faceted composer who is often placed
second to Mozart…but should he be? And why was it that the most
significant symphonic composer in history, Ludwig Van Beethoven, who
consequently studied from Haydn, struggled inherently to compose what he
wanted to be his finest work, an opera: Fidelio. Was Haydn more
influential than we think, and are we perhaps ignoring his position as a
composer of vocal works?

There is no question, that at a time imbued with classical ideals:
symmetry, form, and melodic gesture, Haydn single handedly influenced the
symphonic genre and expanded it from its early beginnings in Mannheim into a
dramatic machine that could express the most intimate emotions of the private
sphere, and yet scream out the social demands of the public one. And yet, the
eighteenth-century is really one of the most interesting epochs because opera
was certainly the entertainment of choice, a significant reason why Mozart
and Haydn composed so many operas. In effect, without the popularity of the
opera, the symphonic genre may never have developed as it did, to combat the
popularity of opera and to effect a large-scale instrumental work that could
be both dramatic and sensitive. A master at symphonic structure, as is noted
in his London Symphonies, and the magical properties of the Sturm und
(a period of works that exhibited high strung emotions through
driving, dotted-rhythms, and a propensity for dark and light shades
(chiaro-scuro)) one cannot argue that Haydn was not a great
symphonic composer, but perhaps Haydn’s true genius is noted when his
mastery of the orchestra is combined with an elegance of vocal writing and
melodic treatment; a mastery that is exemplified in this recording of Arias
and Cantatas. Of course, no matter how good the music is, it cannot achieve
its greatest potential without the contributions of competent and diligent

Arleen Auger’s performance here is not only competent, but
extraordinary. Her attention to detail, technical prowess, and the care with
which she effects every single note, almost as if caressing each pitch to
make it as beautiful as it could ever be, is truly a definition of a true
performer and interpreter. She is most widely known for her performance at
the 1986 British Royal wedding where she performed Mozart’s
Exsultate, Jubilate. Auger died on June 10th, 1993 of brain cancer
and, although she is no longer with us, this CD stands as a memoriam and an
everlasting impression of her artistry. Through her recordings, she will
remain with us through her incredible musical gifts.

Nowhere are her vocal abilities more exquisitely expressed than in the
Scena di Bernice, Hob. XXXIVA: 10. Cantata composta per la
Signora Banti in “Antigono” di Pietro Metastasio
. This
dramatic evocation of a woman abandoned by her partner is marked by an
authoritative entrance by Christopher Hogwood and his orchestra, only to be
equally matched by Auger’s opening statement and questioning manner.
Her Italian is well enunciated and her diction is impeccable and superbly
inflected. The upper notes of her melody are silvery and shimmery and yet she
easily flips into the mid and lower tessitura where her vocal colour is a
luscious crimson. The opening recitative culminates in a thrilling climax at
Fermati” (Wait!), a true example of what
squillo means to the soprano voice. Auger’s approach is like
lightning. It strikes and is gone, leaving the listener to anticipate the
next bolt with exhilaration. Part II of the recitative suggests the influence
of Gluck’s reform opera, Orfeo ed Euridice, where in the
middle section of Orfeo’s aria, Che Faro Senza Euridice, the
mood changes rapidly from sadness to agitation in confronting the darkness of
death. Here Auger vocalizes the “aspetta, anima bella
(wait my exquisite soul) with a loving caress that foreshadows the beauty of
the ensuing aria.

The aria, “Non Partir, bell’idol mio” (Do not
leave, my beautiful one), is effected with a luscious legato where the
character’s dramatic impetus is one of wanting to share death with her
love. Auger’s vocal passages are creamy and well-connected from the low
tessitura to the higher, with profound agility and an inner-depth that is
indicative of her artistry. The following recitative demands a mood change to
show the anger that now affects the character, thus a thicker orchestral
texture and rapid vocal virtuosity move the recit towards its peak at
Misera Bernice, ah tu deliri.”

PerchÈ se tanti siete,” the final aria of the scene
is agitated and drama is created orchestrally by Haydn as the low strings
play in unison matching the vocal melody on “Che delirar mi
” (How you make me suffer). The agitation culminates towards a
lovely descending string passage that suggests both tenderness and sorrow at
Affanni del mio cor?” (Worries of my heart). Haydn
creates even more drama here by moving the next phrase into a harmonic
direction that is eschewed. The listener anticipates a movement into a major
harmony, but instead Haydn diverts our attention by moving the harmony to a
minor sonority on “L’eccesso del dolor.” On the
repeat of this phrase, Auger offers a dynamic display of range from low chest
tones that are growly and intense to the highest shimmery peak of her range.
Oftentimes, sopranos use vowel modification in the upper range to allow for a
more open sound, but this leaves the diction unclear. This is definitely not
the case here. Auger’s diction is impeccable and her vocal production
is even and liquid from the top of her range to the bottom. Her triplets and
display of fioritura is magnificent and Hogwood is supportive with his
orchestra but yet captures the full effect and emotion of her character.

The following track, Son Pietosa, son bonina, Hob. XXXIIb: 1,
Aria per “La Circe, ossia L’isola incantata” di
Pasquale Anfossi e Gottlieb Nauman
is a pastiche based on two operas. In
two parts, the aria begins with an orchestral introduction that features a
clear and brilliant flute with strings doubling the melody; from this, the
voice enters and Auger’s tone here is a beautifully rounded crimson.
She takes specific words, such as “poverina” (poor one)
and vocalizes each to match their emotion; in this case, pity. The point of
the aria is to educate women on how “all” men are deceivers. It
is in typical ABA format, but Auger doesn’t make this typical form
boring by any means. At the repeat of A, she adds appropriate ornaments that
are presented with elegant taste. They are not overdone and relegated to the
ends of phrases. Auger also changes moods vocally, often applying a more
breathy sound to evoke her character’s being out of breath and even
short staccato spurts to suggest laughter. Her portrayal of this character is
a precursor to the heroines of Rossini, a kind of Isabella from
L’Italiana in Algeri who possesses similar qualities.

Another heroine who intrigued many composers, not just Haydn, is
Arianna auf Naxos and here in Hob. XXVIb: 2 (orchestral version:
Cantata) her character is portrayed with an elegant and yet strong persona.
Originally sung by the Italian castrato, Pachierotti, in 1791, Haydn wrote
this Cantata for pianoforte and voice, but later an adaptation for orchestra
was written by an anonymous composer. Hogwood opens the Cantata with a regal
orchestral motive that includes dotted rhythms and continuo. The oscillating
ostinato increases the tension of the ensuing vocal entrance, as the strings
effect ascending scale motives. The recitative opens tentatively and caring
as Auger sings “Teseo” (Theseus) in a most yearning
manner. The entrance of the next phrase “Vicino
” (I need to have you near me) is so well effected
that Auger’s voice seems to be born out of the orchestral texture. An
effect that Richard Strauss would later view as crucial to operatic success,
the voice should be viewed as an instrument that could emanate from the
orchestral texture. This popular late nineteenth-century effect is used here
by Haydn, and some 100 years earlier. The orchestra is in a descriptive role
as it creates the atmosphere for Arianna’s aria. The last section
before the aria discusses Arianna’s heart, and Haydn’s genius is
evident, as he uses the orchestra as a heartbeat, to intersperse with the
vocal texture. The aria, “Dove sei, mio bel Tesoro?” is
begun with a lovely legato line in contrast with rapid ascending 16th note
passages in the strings. Auger effects another one of those magnificent
entrances here on, “se non vieni, io gi‡ mi moro” (if
you are not coming here, then I will die) where her voice seems to emanate
from within the orchestral texture. Immediately following, the orchestra
begins to interrupt the voice with low strings and woodwinds to create a dark
and sinister effect. The idiom of “interruption” is not uncommon
in Haydn and is found most effectively in The Creation. This section
also foreshadows the orchestral style of Verdi, where the accompaniment to
arias is often chordal ostinati.

The second recitative of the Cantata contains the typical mood change, as
Arianna asks, “to whom am I speaking.” She makes continual
reference to Theseus in this section; a common Baroque trait of pleading for
a deus ex macchina. The mood becomes even more somber and Hogwood
does an excellent job of projecting his low basses to create a rumbling
effect that might suggest that God is, in fact, listening to Arianna. One of
the most affective moments on the entire CD occurs in the following section,
at “Gi‡ pi˘ non reggo,” where the orchestral ostinato
creates a lulling and almost hypnotic effect that is matched by Auger’s
breathless quality in the voice. The text here, “I can barely stand,
with knees trembling” is understood aurally as well as textually. An
appropriate orchestral introduction for the concluding aria, “A che
morir vorrei in sÏ fatal momento
” is followed by a very simple
orchestral accompaniment with commenting inflections at the ends of each
vocal phrase, such that the orchestral responses never interfere with the
vocal line. At “Misera Abbandonata,” Auger maintains a
rapid and clear tone with a spinning vibrato. The onset of her phrases are
remarkable and she is in even voice throughout every technical difficulty.
This Cantata would be an excellent study for voice students as an example of
a technically sound and precise vocal production.

The Solo e Pensoso, Hob. XXIVb: 20, Aria da “Il
canzoniere” di Francesco Petrarca
(Sonetto XXVIII) was actually
written in 1798, the year of The Creation’s premiËre. The
orchestral introduction is typical Haydn, with lovely treatment of the melody
and consonant harmonies that support the vocality of a melody that is passed
on to the voice in the aria, “Solo e Pensoso.” Sparse in
orchestration, the voice carries the drama of this opening with Auger
effecting a creamy legato and exquisitely carried phrases. At the second
stanza, the orchestra enters more fully and supports the ends of phrases by
rounding them off with its own commentary. Auger is in grand vocal form, even
while producing the most intense vocal pyrotechnics. She takes on the
character of the orchestra in the B section, with a light, airy tone which is
a testament to her musicianship and interpretive skills.

Miseri noi, misera patria! Hob. XXIVa: 7 Cantata, is one of those
works for which not much information is known. It was composed before 1786
and describes the destruction of a city by invaders. The opening is ominous
and the homophonic chordal texture suggests that the invasion is being
represented musically. The woodwinds, in their melancholy tone, carry the
melody over an oscillating string ostinato. Accents begin to interrupt the
melody (an idiom of the Sturm und Drang period). Culminating in the
recitative, an ode to a country in ruins, the low strings continue to support
the textual description: il ferro, il foco (the iron, the fire).
Auger’s Italian here is impeccable and her artistry is made evident as
she gives a eulogy-like listing of all those who have perished: “I
padri, figli, mariti, spose, dolci amici
” (fathers, sons,
husbands, wives, sweet friends) with such poignancy that the listener feels
that they too have lost someone to this catastrophe. Her following aria,
Funesto orror di morte” is sung as wonderfully as
anything else Auger has performed on this recording. Her lovely spinning
triplets and resonance is breath-taking. Hogwood’s orchestra is
sensitive, especially during imitative moments where woodwinds respond to the
vocal phrases. However, here Auger’s voice is presented in its fullest
grandeur in a thrilling cadenza on the word “risuonar
(resounds). Present day performers, such as Cecilia Bartoli, RenÈe Fleming,
and Jose Cura are known for their impeccable fioritura and their
ability to make coloratura passages seem effortless, but here Auger
was doing the very same thing more than 20 years ago. Do we pay her the same
respect? We most definitely should.

Overall, this CD is worth a listen to, and especially if you haven’t
experienced Haydn’s vocal music. If anything, it is an excellent
purchase for any soprano fans or anyone who hasn’t had the pleasure of
hearing Arleen Auger. It has been a distinct pleasure reviewing this last of
her recordings, and it is with great respect and honour that I write her name
here as a truly remarkable performer, and a gift to the music world for the
short time we had her. Wherever you are, Arleen, we listen, and we

Mary-Lou Patricia Vetere, PhD (abd), M.A. Mus.B

image_description=Franz Joseph Haydn: Arias and Cantatas
product_title=Franz Joseph Haydn: Arias and Cantatas
product_by=Arleen Auger (soprano), Handel & Haydn Society, Christopher Hogwood (cond.)
product_id=Avie AV 2066 [CD]