Artaxerxes
From: Friday, 30th October 2009
To: Saturday, 14 November 2009
Our Review: 
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Synopsis
Artaxerxes was premiered o 2 February 1762 at Covent Garden with Charlotte Brent (mistress to Thomas Arne at the time) in the role of Mandane and the Italian castrato Ferdinando Tenducci as Arbaces. The work received over 111 performances in England before 1790. Artaxerxes was last heard in repertory at Covent Garden during the 1842/43 Season. Thomas Arne wrote Artaxerxes in 1762 adapting the libretto from Metastasio's Artaserse. The opera is set in Ancient Asia, with its theme of love, loyalty and friendship. Arne successfully merged the florid Italian style of writing with an English libretto, with one particular aria 'The Soldier, tir'd of Wars Alarms' sung by Mandane (Xerxes daughter) becoming a popular soprano showpiece.
Our Review:
Simon Thomas - 31 October 2009
The Royal Opera’s new production of Artaxerxes by the composer of “Rule Britannia”, produced in the Linbury Studio, is a delight. Long-forgotten works can often turn out to be a disappointment but this one’s a treasure. And a national one at that.
Thomas Arne had strong associations, not just with London, but with Covent Garden specifically. Artaxerxes, his most successful opera, was performed on the site of the Royal Opera House some 111 times in the three decades following its 1762 premiere.
Its subsequent neglect was less to do with disinterest and more a conflagration which consumed key parts of the score in 1808. It did carry on in the repertoire for another couple of dozen years but in a cobbled-together recreation and it’s been a labour of love by conductor Ian Page and his associates to get it back into a workable shape. Page has provided the missing recitatives and he gave Duncan Druce the task of setting the lost finale. ...
Latest User Review
Cassox - 5 November 2009:
Hmm. Beautifully designed (the coronation outfit for Artexerxes should be forced to be on display at all times at the V&A. It is a thing of complete joy and wonder) But nothing else to excite. The staging is bland, but aspires to a cross between Bob Wilson and Julie Taymor, but unfortunately it just looks botched and hindered. Thankfully there is so much detail in the costumes, one forgives the staging a bit and looks at the pretty colours. I always felt that the music was somewhat wild, which put me on edge a bit, which is odd, because with Arne's mostly nice music i should really feel a bit safe. On the whole it's a nice curiosity piece, but i'd have edited it massively and told the story....
Cast
Christopher Ainslie (Artaxerxes)
Elizabeth Watts (Mandane)
Andrew Staples (Artabanes)
Caitlin Hulcup (Arbaces)
Rebecca Bottone (Semira)
Steven Ebeel (Rimenes)
Creative
Thomas Arne (Music)
Royal Opera (Producer)
Ian Page (Conductor)
Martin Duncan (Director)
Johan Engels (Design)
Orchestra of the Classical Opera Company (Company)
Information
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