Horne and Handel represent opera’s

Handel — Semele: Deutsche

Grammophon CD #435 782-2,
Kathleen Battle — Semele,

Samuel Ramey — Cadmus,
Marilyn Horne —- Juno, John

Aler — jupiter, English Chamber

Orchestra: John Nelson — con-
ducting, Ambrosian Opera
Chorus: fohn McCarthy — cho-
rus master

HIS [S kind of an
unusual pick fora
review this week, but,
since Marilyn Horne recent-
ly.came to town through the
auspices of the Vancouver
‘Opera, | thought it only
appropriate that we thank
her for a good show while |
boosting an excellent opera
-recording that would
undoubtedly lie otherwise:
ignored,

Ross MacDonald
MUSIC REVIEW

First, Handel’s Semele: an
unusual offering from the com-
poser in that it was written in
English using a secular text and
was composed in the 1740s
when Hance! was devoted
almost exclusively to producing
sacred oratarios. Semele recounts
the story of the ill-fated love of
Semele and Jupiter as told in
Ovid's otherwise ignored
Classical poetry collection,
Metamorphosis.

Photo submitted

THE REGGAE ‘Sunsplash Tour rolls into town. on June 8,
bringing the sweltering heat and beat of the Caribbean to
the. Plaza of Nations. Sunsplash is celebrating its i0th
anniversary by bringing together different styles of reggae
through performances by 1té-year British veterans Steel
Puise, Maxi Priest, Marcela Griffiths and Beres Hammond.

BARBARA BLACK

Unfortunately, Handel's eper-
attic output is usually, or anusu-
ally, plagued by the misconcep-
lion of always being religigusty
based — largely, | suppose,
because of all those more popu
lar oratorios which aren't even
opera in the first place,
Nonetheless, all the elements
that make the Messiah or
Solomon so appealing are loving-

‘ly incorporated into Handel’s

operas too.

There's that lean, pre-
Classical, archaic aura that many
fans find ‘tefreshing afier aheavy
diet of 19th-century aperatic fat
— the harpsichord continuo has
a Jot to do with that. And, sepa-
rating him from his more illustri-
ous contemporary, Bach, Handel

takes full advantage of that fean-
ness to carry us on rather jaunti-
ly, even through the tragic bits.

All of this is couched beauti-
fully in an excellent production
of the calibre we've always

expected from Deutsche
Grammophon. Recorded at
London's Abbey Road studios in
1990, but not released until
1993, the fine cast and flawless
orchestra combine with meticu-
lous production values to breathe
new digital life into this haroque
masterwork, | would imagine it’s
time anyway for many of us to
put at least one other Handel
vocal work next to that Messiah
that’s annually dustec! off at
Christmas. His oft-overlooked
operatic talent can now be
savored year-round. It’s a good
story too!

Marilyn Horne-wise, the
Vancouver Opera brought her to
Vancouver on May 15 tor a one-
time-only performance at the
Orpheum with pianist Martin
Katz. Horne is the veteran of
more than 1,000 such recitals
ancl one of the few that can con-
sistently rouse a sell-out crowd.
She has used Katz as her accom-

Wyndham wizar

BERNKASTEL BISHOP OF RIES-
LING 1992 $8.95 (Germany)

BISHOPS OF the Rhine seem
to have been a bad tot, their
wickedness bringing down
famous plagues of rats etc., but
the Bishops of the neighboring
Mosel must’ve been good guys. -
Few things glacdder: the heart on
a Sunny afternoon nioze than a

~ glass of delicately flowery, off-

dry, low-alcohol Mosell2 from a
tal! chilled green bottle.

German wines have been
undergoing a marketing/price
identity crisis in recent years; too
bad, because traditional, well-
made riesling like this is some-
thing everyone should be able to
afford and enjoy. This one has
the clistinctive, slightly “oily”

Tiesling nose, plenty of fresh

For book reviews that will help you pick a winner
every tine, read “Barbara’s Column” every

other Wednesday.

produce another

John Moore
WINE SPOTS

summer fruit and won't object to
a dash of seltzer or a sprig of
dried Sweet Woodruff.
WYNDHAM ESTATE CABERNET
SAUVIGNON BIN 444 1992
$9.95 (Australia)

A new vintage and a new suit
for an old friend I’ve mentioned
before, still consistently one of

Bere Sees.

Sale Sc

panist fora full 27 years so now
the Wve musicians have achieved
almost perfect communication,
Like so many of the soprano
and mezzo-soprano superstars,
Horne is touted as the greatest of
the 20th century. In this case,
however, it might actually be
true. Those with ears attuned to
that sort of thing claim her voice
quality and tone is unmatched by
any other mezzo in memory,
She sang 19 songs and arias
from a variety of composers
inclucling Brahms, Rossini, Saint-
Saens and even Rodgers and Hart.
then threw in three encores
because no one in the audience
would Jet her po home. Since it's
been more than 20 years since
Horne’s last appearance here and
she’s “getting on”, it’s not likely

she'll be back.

Those that missed the concert
will have to make do with
recordings. Semele would be a
good place to start.

s of Oz
winner

the more reliable bargains
around for your wine doliar, par-
ticularly when you’re in a rush
and don’t have time to peruse
and ponder your pocket Hugh
Johnson Wine Guide. ;

Very ripe, rich and almost...
jammy, with a smooth spicy ;,
herbal finish. | poured a glass for
a friend who usually drinks in
the $40 range of rec! Bordeaux
without telling him what it was
and he made a point of compli-.
menting me on the wine. The -
new label is just a little flashier
while preserving the internation-
ally recognized maroon back-
ground. Good move. Some of
the “art” labels coming out of *
Oz lately ought to be sent back
to the Reform School for
Remedial Design.

Travaux publics at
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