Handel
's
Amadigi di Gaula, HWV 11
, was composed in 1715, early in the composer's English career. It was neglected even after the rediscovery of
was well underway, and its first fully staged U.S. performance did not come until 2011. The neglect is a bit of a mystery, for this is an immensely attractive score, and it held the stage for several years in London in its own time. Perhaps the reason is the magic effects resulting from witchcraft's role in the (admittedly overcomplicated) plot, centering on a sorceress, Melissa, who falls in love with the titular prince and tries to steal him from his wife, Oriana. However, in an age soaked in special effects, this should not be an issue. At any rate, this is not a factor on a recording, here made in the rather over-resonant St. Jude on the Hill Church. The opera is compact, with basically just four parts, and it is action-packed, with music that moves crisply through the story. The singers, all veterans, bring conviction to the story; countertenor
Tim Mead
, in the originally castrato title role, bounces nicely off the more explosive
Mary Bevan
as Melissa. There are some great unheralded
slow tunes here. Best of all is the variety of the instrumentation, with two recorders, two oboes, bassoon, and trumpet in addition to strings and a continuo group. The winds do not just surface in instrumental Sinfonias but are inventively deployed in the arias, and there is a good deal of convincing recitativo accompagnato. This is essential for those who think they know
but haven't heard it, and it's a satisfying example of early
for anybody. ~ James Manheim