Xerse 2018 Reviews
Opera Magazine
Yehuda Shapiro
November 2018
‘They took a pragmatic line on meeting the expectations of a modern audience. Their approach was borne out by a smartly-paced, absorbing evening that ending with da Silva’s own take on the supposedly lieto fine, evoking shades of Poppea..’
‘The production, stylized but penetrating, had lucidly traced the opera’s web of relationships and manipulations, similar to that of Handel’s Serse.’
‘In something of an operatic caucus race, each of the eleven soloists deserved a prize… the smaller roles were just as strongly articulated and characterized..’
★★★★
Plays to See
Owen Davies
31st August 2018
‘The Grimeborn season at the Arcola Theatre often achieves minor miracles. This production… is a triumph – both for Marcio da Silva and his team and for the festival.’
‘Da Silva explains the background to the career of Cavalli and the genesis of the opera in his fascinating and informative notes in the programme – which is as good as anything from Covent Garden and, thanks to Grimeborn, is free.’
‘The limitations of the Arcola “stage” are turned to advantage by da Silva and his colleagues Stephanie Gurga and Benajmin Reidel in finding a stylised mode of performance that matches perfectly Cavalli’s exquisite music. Black and grey modern dree – except for Amastre’s final appearance – and formal choreographed movement for most of the drama works to heighten the portrayal of conflict and emotion. All the performances are adequate – some are much more than that.’
‘The musicians are splendid. Stephanie Gurga guides a proper baroque ensemble, including harpsichord, lute, and cello continuo and they provide just the right underpinning for some very demanding singing roles. It is difficult to explain why such a foolish plot and such formal and ancient musical conventions can combine to provide an evening of operatic magic in Dalston 564 years after its premiere. But they absolutely do, and it is another feather in Grimeborn’s cap.’
★★★★
The Idle Woman Blog
September 2nd 2018
‘Unsurprisingly, I leapt at the chance to see Cavalli’s version of this fabulous story performed by Ensemble OrQuesta.. Unlike most of the audience, I suspect, I’d actually seen Cavalli’s rare opera before.. and so the bar was high. But it turned out that the OrQuesta show was actually a fascinating complement.. Very simply staged, with costumes in sombre shades of black, and with a stunning silver-wire tree as the only prop, it was a pared-down, effective performance of a seldom-seen opera – and a welcome introduction to some exciting young singers.’
‘To my delight, they cast male singers in all three roles, which meant that I was introduced to no fewer than three countertenors I hadn’t heard before. In fact, I only recognised one member of the cast and that was the ever-impressive Helen May, whom I’ve seen on several occasions. She was perfectly cast here, as an introspective, world-weary Amastre.’
‘The performance space in the Arcola Theatre is pretty small, so productions must bear this in mind. OrQuesta cleverly put their small band up on a gallery… and the musicians beautifully captured the spare yet elegant music.’
This was definitely worth seeing and a worthy addition to my Xerxes portfolio. With a small production team… Ensemble OrQuesta came up with a dramatic, gripping and surprising telling of what is (to me) a very familiar story. The subtle inclusion of choreographed sequences emphasised the ritual nature of the Persian court but also nodded to those Lully ballets (excised here, so as to avoid a five-hour running time). With commendable performances all round, and some promising new names to watch out for, it brought Cavalli to life – and it’d be great if some of the audience were now inspired to seek out more of his dramatic and subversive operas.’
This Week London.com
TW Editorial
17th August 2018
‘Get out your hankies, not because this show is tragic, but because it’s the last of our picks from Arcola’s Grimeborn opera fest. I suppose we should look on the bright side and assume that it will definitely be back next year with loads more good stuff...’
Seen and Heard International
Roderic Dunnett
17th August 2018
‘This festival… will climax on Friday 24-Sunday 26 August with a compact version of Cavalli’s Serse (Xerxes) by Ensemble OrQuesta. They triumphed last season with Philippe Quinault’s Armide and you don’t get much rarer than that. Since its founding by Mehmet Ergen in 2007, a vital part of Grimeborn’s whole ethic has been to revive and polish up overlooked or neglected opera repertoire. Hurrah.’