Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Salustia - aria of Claudio - act I

[mossplace1]

A Beautiful aria, but then in my eyes Cyril Auvity can do no wrong..However i do find the gay overtones of the drama a bit distracting.I am as liberal as the next enlightend modern soul, but the scene only serves to make me chuckle.I cannot make my mind up as what to think of this whole scene.I read prior comments from other contributors which does explain a lot of points, but sorry the dirctors dramatic puns and historical illusions escape me and do not please me. Only Auvity's voice does that!

[perles75]

The homosexual undertone is of course an interpretation of the director, the libretto just saying that he renounces love for martial glory. The whole subplot is however a bit ambiguous (and we know what was happening in the armies of ancient times ;) ), so this idea is not -too much- far-fetched.

Auvity here is quite ok, even if I don't like too much the timbre of his voice.

[chetgeyer]

Well the lyrics essentially say "Your love had enchained me; but now my warlike spirit has set me free from the snares of love." I assume the "boy" to whom Claudio is attracted instead is a directorial innovation, meant to represent the glory of manly war? (With obvious postmodern psychosexual ambiguity thrown in for good measure.)

[orincorr]

Does anyone know what is going on in this scene? All I can understand is that Claudio isn't too excited about Albina, but I speak neither Italian nor French, so the libretto is somewhat beyond me. Thanks for posting!

[thallassocracy]

Pergolesi always seems on the point of taking his fantastic virtuosity just a shade too far - almost as if he was as ready to parody Baroque embellishment as to demonstrate it.

This pervasive irony makes his work sound almost Postmodernist - as if he is critiquing his own music as he writes it.

I sometimes hear the same effect in Schumann, and often in Mahler.

An artist who is aware enough never to take himself seriously is almost by definition a classic.

[Habrolissimo]

Auvity sings this wonderfully. The timbre of his voice is exceptionally beautiful.

[Marmalade000000]

what's this libretto about?

[eustazio]

i thought auvity was a haute contre ? it doesn't show in that, does it ?

[lalungenuictdestens]

@eustazio Haute-Contre doesn't mean: "countertenor", Haute-contre is the term for that kind of french high tenor.

[eustazio]

@lalungenuictdestens For me a Haute-Contre is a guy like fouchecourt, or agnew, or Del Pozo or... you since you are there :). This guy doesn't have easy sounding high notes on this aria, he sounds mostly like a Taille to me.

[andreasscholl]

Is it me or does it look intimate between these guys?

Like it!!!!

[oberega]

Laus Deo! Somebody else except me likes it!

[andreasscholl]

Its verry boy to boy love!

And such handsome bodys, costumes...one excepts MORE!

Ha ha ha.

(Wink!)

[grenouilleGG]

Well, I find the vinyl armor with pink skater skirt pretty comical.

I'm not sure the world was quite ready for this. Maybe in another 300 years...

[oberega]

I think after glam-rock's guys our world is ready for everything ;) He-eh, where's Senesino with-hands-in-pockets-of-his- waistcoat...

[JaRoWi1647]

Don´t  worry, dear baroque- crazy - people!

This one here is JUST " il tenore"! Let him his fun! He he.;-)

[oberega]

But as "il tenore" he was so lonely.... before this performance ;) Let's show more bearableness to his weakness for dressing. mrrr

[Thrax1982]

Great aria, great voice but the staging is bit too "sentimental" indeed. :P

[MehdiCaps]

This kind of staging makes the cheap blind seats the best of the theatre. ;)

[Thrax1982]

It's very frustrating when the ears are happy but the eyes are in pain - the poor brain doesn't know what to think. ;)

[oberega]

A little bit of humor would be useful. :)