(Photo: Thomas Ziegler)

Händel’s 1731 opera “Poro, re dell’Indie,” his 28th opera seria, initially proved to be a success, knocking up an initial run of 16 performances at the King’s Theatre, London, followed by revivals in the city as well as productions in Hamburg and Braunschweig. Even before the composer’s death in 1759, however, it had disappeared completely from theatres along with his other operas. With the recent revival of interest in Händel’s operas, one might have expected to have witnessed its rehabilitation into the mainstream, especially given its array of sparkling arias that allow for spectacular vocal pyrotechnic displays. But this has not been the case; rather, “Poro, re dell’ Indie” has been largely ignored, relegated to the occasional performance, usually at festivals dedicated to the composer’s music. Even recordings were difficult to come by until the release of the opera last year on the Château de Versailles label. The Handel Festspiele, Halle, therefore, gave visitors the rare but welcome opportunity to experience a presentation, albeit in a concert performance.

The libretto by Metastasio contains little that differs from the standard plot of the period, which is set against the background of Alexander the Great’s invasion of India, although its connection to historical reality is, at best, a loose one. Alessandro has just defeated the Indian armies led by Poro, who is now his prisoner. He has also fallen in love with Poro’s beloved Cleofide, who uses this to intrigue against the Greek king. Unfortunately, Poro is unaware of her true intention and flies into jealous rages. There is also the usual subplot, which in this instance relates to Poro’s sister, Erissena, who has attracted the attentions of both Gendarte, Poro’s friend, and the traitorous Timagene. It is a drama, in which, although the emotions run high, Alessandro remains calm and ultimately forgives everyone who has crossed him and, as befitting of a wise leader, restores calm to the situation.

The concert took place in the pleasant surroundings of the city’s Ulrichskircke, which has been repurposed as a concert hall. Its stellar cast that included soprano Julia Lezhneva and countertenor Max Cencić, together with the (oh!) Orkiestra under the direction of Martyna Pastuszka, meant that audience expectations were running high. Unfortunately, although it was still a very enjoyable presentation, the concert did not quite live up to its promise.

The first problem was the disturbing acoustics of the church with its distracting echoing effect that made for a less-than-ideal listening experience. Two days later, a scheduled concert in the church was moved to another venue; whether or not this was a result of the noticeable acoustic problems, the audience certainly benefited from the decision.

The Two Headline Singers Do Not Fully Convince

The second problem related to performances by its two headline singers, Cencić and Lezhneva, neither of whom delivered the outstanding performance that the audience had come to see.

Cencić produced a beautifully sung interpretation in which recitatives were nicely accented to carry Poro’s subtle emotional states, while his arias were given elegant, accomplished renditions enveloped with the appropriate emotional veneer. His opening aria, “Vedrai con tuo periglio,” for example, was delicately phrased, embellished with attractive, subtle ornamentations, dynamic emphases and pleasing passages of coloratura. No one could have any complaints about the beauty with which he was able to deliver his part. The problem was that he did not capture Poro’s volatility, his raging jealousy or impulsivity. He was an insipid Poro, shorn of his emotional extremes. Everything was nicely measured; there was no risk-taking; passages of coloratura were attractive, but he never gave the impression of a man on the edge; and melody was promoted over characterization. Was it an enjoyable singing performance? Absolutely, it was, but if the question is, was it a convincing portrait of Poro? Then the answer has to be “no.”

There were no such problems concerning Lezhneva, who successfully captured Cleofide’s emotional states, which she combined convincingly with her political intriguing. Her recitatives were delivered with emotional strength, displayed vocal flexibility and were clearly focused on their meaning. Her arias were lively, detailed, littered with subtle and attention-seeking embellishments and delivered with precision and brio. The problem, of course, is that when Lezhneva sings, the audience expects nothing less than vocal brilliance, in which she effortlessly unleashes audacious passages of coloratura mixed with florid ornamentations and pitch-perfect trilling. And while this is exactly what she did, there was a definite lack of engagement in her singing; everything appeared too easy, too comfortable. The usual excitement was missing, and she even gave the impression that she was relying too heavily on tried-and-tested ornamentations. That was until the final aria, “Scoglio d’immota fronte,” in which she finally took off the brake with a joyous and phenomenal vocal display that had the audience cheering. Overall, it was a very good performance, no doubt about it, but it was nevertheless not up to expectations.

Tenor Hugo Hymas deliberately portrayed Alessandro with a restrained, balanced demeanor, opting for under rather than overstatement when voicing his emotions, thereby successfully remaining aloof from the tumult and reinforcing his superior character. He has a voice with an appealing timbre and a natural lyricism that lies easily on the ear, which gave his recitatives an attractive quality. Although his arias were beautifully delivered, in which his sensitive phrasing and clear articulation stood out, there was a tendency on occasions to appear a little too laid-back, giving the appearance, no doubt a false one, that he was disinterested.

Mezzo-soprano Lucile Richardot produced an energetic and forceful reading as Erissena. Attacking each aria head on, she appeared determined to uncover their full emotional and dramatic impact, using the clarity, colors, and flexibility of her voice along with her technical ability to furnish the line with the necessary dynamic and emotional contrasts. Each aria thus became an expressively strong statement, although this did occasionally compromise their beauty, notably so for the aria “Son confusa pastorella,” in which the delicate beauty of the orchestral sound made her voice appear too heavy. Recitatives were expertly rendered to bring out their full meaning.

Two Surprising Standout Performances

It was bass-baritone Timothy Edlin and countertenor Rémy Brès-Feuillet, cast in two relatively minor roles, that really caught the attention.

Brès-Feuillet, playing the role of Gandarte, produced a thoughtful, elegant vocal performance that beautifully and convincingly brought the text to life. His crafting of the vocal line with subtle accents and occasional colorful inflections added to the sensitivity of his interpretation, while his captivating phrasing drew in the listener. His aria “Mio ben ricordati” was particularly moving, in which he combined gracefully with Pastuszka’s solo violin to proclaim his love for Erissena. Arguably, even more impressive was his interpretation of the aria “Se viver non poss’io” which was the most sensitively fashioned and deeply expressive aria of the concert.

Restricted to a couple of arias and a limited number of recitatives, Edlin had few opportunities to show off the quality of his firm, rich and expressive voice, yet it was enough for him to stamp his mark on the evening. Cast in the role of Timagene, he created a well-defined character through his clearly articulated recitatives, which were delivered with expressive strength. His arias were dramatically convincing and presented with a confident swagger and allowed him to show off his neatly crafted ornamentations, vocal flexibility and pleasing coloratura.

The imaginatively named (oh!) Orkiestra, under the direction of its musical director Pastuszka, was certainly not there simply to provide a musical accompaniment. It was present on stage and wanted to be seen, not just heard. Pastusczka led from the front, dressed in blue, playing the violin with a strong physical presence with movements that appeared intimately connected to the music. She demanded the audience’s attention.

In line with the visual aspect, she elicited an animated performance from the orchestra with a rhythmically strong sound that possessed a focused forward momentum, that was always sensitive to the emotional nuances of the drama. The melodies were clearly expressed and, despite the poor acoustics, had a pleasing clarity. A careful balance between individual instruments and the orchestra was carefully maintained throughout to reveal its textural qualities.

Following the finale, consisting of a splendid, energetic chorus, underpinned by dance-like rhythms, that grew out of the preceding duet of reconciliation for Poro and Cleofide, the audience responded with a standing ovation. The noted shortcomings had all but been forgotten. It had certainly been a very enjoyable experience, one in which all the performers made excellent contributions, and can definitely be classed as a success.