Spain Handel, Tamerlano (concert performance): Soloists, Freiburger Barockorchester / René Jacobs (conductor). Teatro Real, Madrid, 16.5.2025. (JMI)
Cast:
Tamerlano – Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian
Bajazet – Thomas Walker
Asteria – Katharina Ruckgaber
Andronico – Alexander Chance
Irene – Helena Rasker
Leone – Matthias Winckhler
Handel has returned to Teatro Real, where just two weeks ago we were offered another of his operas, Jephtha. Tamerlano was last seen in Madrid seventeen years ago, with Plácido Domingo making his debut as Bajazet.
There is no doubt that Tamerlano is one of Handel’s more important operas. It had its premiere at London’s His Majesty’s Theatre in October 1724, the year, incidentally, when Handel composed two other great operas, Giulio Cesare in Egitto and Rodelinda. But while Tamerlano is indeed an important work, it doesn’t reach the level of Handel operas such as Giulio Cesare, Alcina or Rinaldo. We could even add Jephtha, which enjoyed a great success here.
This Tamerlano concert version was led by conductor René Jacobs, who often visits Madrid on his European tours with Baroque operas. The same applies to this tour, with visits scheduled for the Palau de la Música in Barcelona and the Palau de Les Arts in Valencia as well as Teatro Real. Jacobs’s conducting was not particularly convincing, especially in the first half of the opera, where an unexpected and unwelcome monotony prevailed in an hour-and-a-half of music that was short on life and emotion. Things improved in the second half, and Jacobs was more in line with the conductor we know. He led the excellent Freiburger Barockorchester.
The soloists performed without score and moved around the stage, trying to bring the opera to life. The protagonist, the Ottoman king Tamerlano, was sung by countertenor Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian, whose voice seems more natural than what we sometimes hear from countertenors. I have always said I don’t like countertenor voices, and I still feel that way, but I have to say that Bénos-Djian gave an excellent display of coloratura and moved easily about the stage.
His rival, Tartar king Bajazet, was tenor Thomas Walker, who has a well-suited baritenor. Although the quality of his voice left something to be desired, he did well with more florid lines. A few days ago we had another baritenor, the excellent Michael Spyres, in Jephtha (review here) and the difference between the two is notable.
Soprano Katharina Ruckgaber was Asteria, Bajazet’s daughter and the object of Tamerlano’s desire. She was correct in her singing, although her voice has a somewhat reduced volume and is rather weak in the lower notes.
Andronico, the Greek prince and Asteria’s fiancé, was countertenor Alexander Chance, whose singing and acting were both fine. Tamerlano’s fiancée Irene, at first rejected by him and finally welcomed to the throne, was sung by contralto Helena Rasker. Her voice lacks a more beautiful timbre, but she was good in her arias. Of lesser importance is the servant Leone, played by Matthias Winckhler, who performed well in the one aria that he sings.
José M. Irurzun