Sadly but quite understandably, our Stage Director for the previous three productions, Jean Chothia, decided that she could not continue the collaboration after Amadigi, so I was faced with the difficult task of finding someone to replace her. A chance conversation with my friends June and Christopher Keyte led me to the ideal person: Richard Gregson. Richard had worked at the Royal Opera House for many years; his wide professional experience and expertise, as well as his interest in education in the broadest sense, were invaluable assets for CHO.
Berenice had been performed even less frequently than Floridante: after its première in 1737 it was performed in Braunschweig during the composer’s life-time (1743) in an arrangement by Georg Caspar Schürmann, and then not until 1985, when it was produced at the University of Keele. Although the radical reduction in the amount of recitative by Handel’s (unknown) librettist undoubtedly has an adverse effect on the drama, the central struggle in Berenice’s heart – should she marry for love or political expediency? – remains, and carries a strong emotional charge, especially in her Act 3 aria (more of an operatic scena) ‘Chi t’intende’.
In addition to my collaboration with Richard Gregson, two other very happy collaborations began in Berenice: Ann Mackay sang the title role, and Kay Jordan took the travesti role of Alessandro. Ann is a passionate lover of Handel’s music, and she has been greatly helped and encouraged by Brian Trowell. She appeared to embody a reincarnation of the great eighteenth-century soprano Anna Strada, who was Handel’s original Berenice. After this opera Ann sang two more Strada roles for CHO: Partenope in 1995 and Alcina in 1997. Not only the beauty of her singing and the subtlety of her acting but also her total commitment to Handel’s operas were an inspiration to everyone who performed with her. Happily Kay too sang in future CHO productions: as Morgana in Alcina, Alceste in Admeto, Angelica in Orlando, and Romilda in Serse.
Andrew Jones (Music Director)
