Young Canadian soprano Jane Archibald has an international career; the highlight so far has been a Zerbinetta in Berlin that apparently left audiences and critics looking for superlatives, and her last-minute debut at the Met, in May 2010, as Ophélie in Hamlet, apparently was quite fine. This well-chosen program of arias (and overtures) from Haydn’s operas shows off her many gifts.
She’s a marvelous technician, with absolutely fluid coloratura, an old-fashioned but welcome bell-like sound at the top of her voice (an E-flat, on this recital), totally even production for the two-and-a-half octaves below that, and a lovely trill. I think the world agrees that Haydn’s strengths as a composer of theater works was limited: Unlike Mozart, he was not interested in philosophical depths; rather, he had to make the Esterhazys happy and keep them entertained. And in respect to keeping us happily entertained, Archibald certainly fills the bill.
Each of the 10 arias is concerned with something, to be sure: Clasp the one you love to your breast; I’ve been abandoned by my love; I feel love, a new emotion, but it confuses me, etc. (Complete texts and translations are included.) Some are plaints and some are joyous, as you can see, and our soprano catches each mood and sings off the text well. And although Haydn’s use of wind instruments keeps us interested aside from the vocal pyrotechnics, there is little substance here musically or dramatically, and as a result, one aria melts into another with little profile.
And so what to say? This is a terrific group of performances of arias that you don’t get to hear very often (although I reviewed a CD that includes a few of the same–type Q12385 in Search Reviews) but don’t actually offer much more than superficial satisfaction. But Archibald is a charming artist: may we hear her Zerbinetta? The playing of the Orchestre Symphonique Bienne under Thomas Rösner is sensitive and appealing, and the recorded sound is excellent. [6/17/2011]
