When the première of Handel's opera 'Berenice, Regina d'Egitto', HWV 38, took place at the Covent Garden theatre on 18 May 1737, the London opera scene and particularly the composer himself could be found at a critical point of existence. In April 1737, just a month before the 'Berenice' première, Handel suffered a stroke and his right arm was paralysed. Furthermore, he was in serious financial troubles, and the English audience who made him a celebrated composer seemed to be no more interested in his Italian operas with their complicated plots and foreign singers. The same unfavourable situation predominated over the whole London opera scene: both opera houses, Covent Garden and the competitive Opera of the Nobility, had long-term problems with the visit rate and they suffered a financial loss. During the year 1737 Handel presented, on the stage of the Covent Garden theatre, his three new operas: 'Arminio', 'Giustino' and 'Berenice' followed each other at relatively short intervals. None of these works enjoyed a significant success, and the last one received only four performances. The reasons for the failure of this opera even in Handel's own lifetime were barely its musical qualities, but more likely the whole unsatisfactory situation on the London opera scene in the mid-thirties of the 18th century. With a falling interest in opera in Italian language, the London audience could, with difficulties, support one opera company, but certainly not two ('Berenice' was introduced for the first time nearly a month before the fall of the competitive Opera of the Nobility, the Covent Garden theatre finished its season a little bit later with a significant loss). In this situation Handel came with an opera composed to an older libretto by Antonio Salvi, first time set to music in 1709 in Florence. We do not exactly know who adapted Salvi's original text for Handel (according to some opinions it was often Handel himself). Salvi was the author of libretti for Handel's operas 'Rodelinda' (adapted by Niccolò Francesco Haym, Handel's librettist during the first Royal Accademy of Music), 'Sosarme', 'Ariodante' and 'Arminio'. We can say then that Handel used his libretti quite often. In so complicated a plot as 'Berenice', filled with amorous intrigues set in ancient Egypt, we do not find so much 'The Contest of Love and Politics' (as Salvi's libretto was subtitled), but much more a spicy mixture of both. It is not the ambition of this review to tell the whole plot, so let us just say shortly that it is a story of Egyptian Queen Berenice who is asked to marry a young Roman nobleman, Alexander (Alessandro), in the name of friendly relations with Rome. Berenice refuses this offer because she is already betrothed to Prince Demetrius (Demetrio) who is secretly in love with Berenice's sister Selene. In order to thwart Berenice and set his beloved on the throne, Demetrio plots with an Egyptian enemy to overthrow the Queen. After his secret activities have been discovered, he is imprisoned and sentenced to death. However, after many new reversals the opera ends happily: Demetrius gets back his freedom and Alexander who proved his unshakable love to Berenice becomes her husband and co-ruler. As we can see, it is a common opera subject of this period, completely within the conventions of opera seria. From the musical viewpoint there are some remarkable moments in this opera. It is opened with an exceptional overture, which also appears separately in concert halls from time to time. There is also a favourite menuet, mentioned even by Charles Burney. Also both 'sinfonie' from the third act are composed in the splendid style typical for Handel. He reused the theme of the first of them in his overture to the 'Music for the Royal Fireworks'. Best music in this opera was written by Handel for the characters of Berenice, who was at the première performed by his prima donna Anna Strada del Pò (the first Ginevra in 'Ariodante', and Alcina), and Prince Demetrius (together with the main characters in 'Arminio' and 'Giustino', one of the three roles that Handel wrote for the alto-castrato Domenico Annibali). One of the most beautiful arias in the opera is undoubtedly Berenice's aria from the third act 'Chi t'intende?', with a solo oboe. There is an interesting progress of the character of Demetrius: it begins in the first act with a simple soft melody of his aria 'No, soffrir non può' and continues in the second act in the dramatic aria 'Su Megera, Tesifone, Aletto!', full of disappointment and jealousy. His next aria, 'Sì, tra i ceppi', is a brilliant example of the so-called 'aria di bravura', and it was sometimes presented in the last decades by baritones and basses in an octave transposition. One of the opera highlights is also the heroic duet of Berenice and Demetrius 'Se il mio amor fu il tuo delitto' from the end of the first act.
The American record companies Newport Classic and Vox have a merit in creating some notable recordings of Handel's rarely performed or almost unknown operas and oratorios. Thanks to the producer John Ostendorf they have released from the 1990s until the present many world première recordings of his works. No matter how this fact is important for the musical world, we must openly say that the artistic level of their recordings is unbalanced. However, it would be a big mistake to simply ignore them because they can also offer many merits. First of all, it is of course Handel's glorious music. Even in his weaker or just for different reasons less known works we can find pieces full of great music. Then it is also the rare opportunity to hear works that appear on stage or even in concert halls only very seldom, and some of them (as in the case of 'Berenice') could be heard after more than 250 years. And after all, we must say that these recordings have also their very nice moments. All of these general aspects apply also to the 'Berenice' recording. The title role of Berenice is performed by the American soprano Julianne Baird. In the 1980s she co-operated on several Bach projects and from the 1990s until the present has created most of the main soprano parts in Handel's operas and oratorios in the Newport Classic and Vox recordings. Her crystal-clear voice seems to be created especially for baroque music, and she is also a fine interpreter of Handel lyric parts. We must mention here that her lovely voice has also certain limits, and it would be quite difficult to imagine her, for instance, in the role of Alcina which was, like Berenice, written for Handel's singer Anna Strada. However, in her many recitatives during the opera she proves that her voice has also its dramatic side, and in the beautiful aria 'Chi t'intende?' sounds nearly perfect. The role of Prince Demetrius came to the mezzo-soprano Jennifer Lane who has received certain reputation thanks to her frequent appearances at the Handel Festival in Göttingen and other places around Europe. The listener can appreciate the velvet colour of her dark voice somewhere between mezzo and contralto, with a considerable vocal range, well-voiced low register (displayed especially in cadenzas) and remarkable dramatic expression. The minor role of Arsace is also well performed by the American countertenor Drew Minter. This smaller part, written for Handel's contralto Maria Caterina Negri (a specialist in male roles), offers a virtuoso but not very profound music. Mr Minter took the opportunity and it was a pleasure to listen to his light flexible voice. Through the 1990s he performed regularly at the Göttingen Handel Festival where he created important roles in Handel operas. Most of these performances were recorded by the French company 'harmonia mundi' and are still available. Countertenor puritans might have a problem with his occasional jumps into the baritone register, but for most listeners it will be just a welcome complement to his bright falsetto voice. Other parts were cast more or less problematically. The role of Alexander, originally performed by the soprano-castrato Gioacchino Conti called Gizziello, was committed to the soprano Andrea Matthews. There is too much vibrato in her voice for this kind of music and her high notes sound often unpleasantly. The role of the Queen's sister, Selene, was written for the mezzo-soprano Francesca Bertolli, one of those singers who had deserted first to the Opera of the Nobility and then came back to Handel. In this recording we can hear the mezzo D'Anna Fortunato in the same role. I consider her unpleasantly coloured and sort of tired voice as a big minus of all Newport Classic and Vox recordings. Unlike other Handel's recordings of these companies where she sung the main castrato roles, in the smaller part of Selene her voice could not, fortunately, do an extensive damage. The minor roles of the Roman ambassador Fabio and the Egyptian minister Aristobolo are well performed by the tenor John McMaster and the bass Jan Opalach. All da capo parts of arias are tastefully embellished, as was usual in opera seria of the 18th century. A special chapter of these recordings is the orchestral part played on period instruments by the Brewer Chamber Orchestra conducted by Rudolph Palmer. According to the sleeve-note, there were twenty-eight players in the string section in this recording (except that only a not doubled oboe, a bassoon and a harpsichord were added to the orchestra), but the real sound that we hear is very subtle. More importantly, the orchestral play is in my opinion inexpressive and monotonous and does not reach the level of specialized European baroque ensembles. It sounds a bit better in independent orchestral parts of the opera, but in arias falls into a tonelessness and loses dramatic expression.
Summary: The Newport Classic recording of 'Berenice' (No. NPD 85620/3) is a very welcome addition to the Handel catalogue, although its quality is quite unbalanced.