Winston-Salem Journal, NC
May 20 2007

Meet Handel the Storyteller

Opera institute preparing work that tells of dysfunctional
first-century family
Sunday, May 20, 2007

By Ken Keuffel

JOURNAL arts reporter

Steven LaCosse is directing opera singers from the N.C. School of the
Arts in Handel’s Radamisto. But Baroque opera isn’t the only thing on
his mind these days.

He described Radamisto, which will open Wednesday in De Mille Theatre
on campus, as "The Sopranos of its day."

That "day" would be 1720, the year that Handel wrote Radamisto for
the then-fledgling Royal Academy of Music in London. The work, though
Handel’s first success in opera, fell into obscurity for nearly 200
years. It has been revived by scholarly editing that has made its
score performable for contemporary ensembles.

"It’s all about what I can get, who I can use, who I need as an ally
or who, when I’m done with them, is not an ally anymore," LaCosse
said. "We have a ruthless king who takes everything he wants, and
he’s surrounded by a bunch of people who will help him as long as it
benefits them. And if it doesn’t benefit them anymore, then they go
to the other side."

Radamisto is set in Asia Minor during the first century. In it,
Tiridate, the King of Armenia, falls for Zenobia, his sister-in-law.
To prove his love for her, he wages war against neighboring Thrace.

Thrace is ruled by Farasmane, the father of Radamisto, Zenobia’s
husband, and Polissena, Tiridate’s wife. Prince Tigrane, who assists
Tiridate in the attack of Thrace, hits on Polissena.

Farasmane is taken prisoner and his kingdom is seized. Radamisto and
Zenobia take refuge in Thrace’s capital; they resist attack and
escape. What LaCosse describes as "various confusions of disguise,
capture and recapture" ensue.

In the end, Tiridate is defeated, but, in keeping with the conventions
of opera that Handel knew, the final scene is very much unlike The
Sopranos in character.

"It still had to have a happy ending," LaCosse said, referring to the
conventions of opera in Handel’s time. "He couldn’t avoid that."

But LaCosse was quick to add that Handel also "kind of broke the
rules a little bit, to tell the story."

He noted that Radamisto’s characters don’t always leave the stage
when they sing and don’t always sing arias in da capo form. (A little
Music 101: A da capo aria is in ternary form, with the third section
the same as the first; singers ornament the third section with
improvisation.)

"I like it (Handel’s music) a lot," said Christa Ruiz, who will play
Polissena. "It’s a little bit of an acquired taste…. There’s
repetition. It can get a little dull for people who aren’t really
paying attention."

Those who do pay attention will discover intense music with a great
deal of emotional content, she said.

Adam Ulrich, who will play Tigrane, has discovered that Handel, who
is best known for his Messiah, was "a very good storyteller through
music."

"He’s very good at characterizing through music and at matching mood
with music," he said. He also said that the slow ballads are "really
beautiful" and that the more up-tempo fare can take on a "really
exciting" character.

Ulrich also expressed thanks to NCSA for introducing him to a "very
challenging" style of singing that has become something of a
specialty among singers as Handel’s operatic star has risen.

"Learning how to sing Handel is always good; that’s No. 1," LaCosse
said.

– The A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute at the N.C. School of the Arts
will present Handel’s Radamisto at 8 p.m. Wednesday and Friday and at
2 p.m. next Sunday in De Mille Theatre on campus. Tickets are $12,
$10 for senior adults and students. Call 336-721-1945.