Over ten years the Cambridge Handel Opera Group’s biennial productions have become a major attraction for admirers of the composer: they are backed up by proper scholarship, strongly cast and staged with a nice balance of modesty and purpose. Their sixth offering, Partenope, is being given complete... Ann Mackay was well cast as the cynosure of all Mediterranean eyes, and coped gratefully with the technical difficulties of Partenope’s arias. The absence of countertenors... was made up for by three well-contrasted mezzos: the forthright, nutty-toned Christine Botes as the travesti Rosmira; Catherine Richardson, lighter and more resinous of timbre as the Corinthian prince unable to make up his mind between the two ladies; and newcomer Matilde Wallevik, beautifully velvety of tone as the lovesick Prince of Rhodes. All three made light of the hurdles Handel places in their path. The tenor role (Emilio) is perhaps the trickiest of all, and Michael Bennett had a really good go at it. Andrew Jones, CHOG’s moving spirit, conducted a spirited account of his own edition...
The Times, 5 May 1995
The opera was given complete in Handel’s first version of February 1730, including a good deal of recitative sung then but suppressed in Chrysander’s edition. The resulting balance once more demonstrated the advantage of not cutting Handel’s operas. ... Catherine Richardson conveyed the basic weakness of Arsace’s character; if she lacked something in passion, she made up for it with some lovely quiet singing in slow arias (six out of nine in her part). Christine Botes was an admirable and very positive Rosmira both in voice and action. Matilde Wallevik sang Armindo’s music with a charming warmth and purity of tone. In the central soprano role of Partenope Ann Mackay commanded the stage and the taxing coloratura... ...this was a highly dramatic performance. ... The orchestra... played with admirable spirit. Andrew Jones chose good tempos and paced the opera well.
Opera, July 1995
