Partenope was Handel’s first comic opera and was first performed in1730 at the King’s Theatre, London. It is the tale of Queen Partenope’s search for love and the romantic complications she and her circle of suitors encounter along the way.

I attended the opening night of Partenope to see Christopher Alden’s award-winning staging of Handel’s work. It had been received very favourably by the press in 2008. The question remained whether the staging would stand the test of time.

The Coliseum curtain rose to reveal the bright white interior of a luxury liner. Partenope, elegantly attired and sporting a neat bob haircut, was threading a multitude of bracelets through her slender arms. The scene referenced British heiress, Nancy Cunard, who was muse to countless writers and artists in the 1920s. Very neatly, Handel’s baroque muse had been updated into a society queen of the 1920s.

The sets and costumes of Alden’s production artfully demonstrated the surrealist and absurdist aesthetic. Man Ray-inspired masks were de rigeur in the party setting and were effective in showing a society in flux, intent on mischief. The relational ‘landscape’ is uncertain for Partenope and her group. Who is to be trusted?

Partenope however is an adventuress and regards love as a ‘battlefield’. She is left exposed however as her “moth” aria suggests. She may flutter around, not staying in one place for too long, but in truth she is passionately attached to Arsace, who in turn, is in love with his former fiancée Rosmira.

This thought-provoking reimagining of Handel’s opera really was raised to new heights by a youthful, talented cast.

Nardus Williams as the radiant Partenope, possessed the edge of vulnerability the role required. Hugh Cutting too, as Arsace, deftly mirrored Partenope’s sexiness and self-doubt. His soulful counter tenor voice was captivating. Meanwhile, Ru Charlesworth, in the role of chancer, Emilio, was a comedic master! American counter tenor, Jake Ingbar, as Armindo, was a new discovery for me – a voice that took flight in the third act.

And of course, there was Handel’s wondrous score and witty libretto to sustain you throughout!

Go and see this intelligent production of Partenope before it comes off on December the 6th.

KH

Partenope has 5 performances left at ENO Nov 26 and Dec.2 at 19.00, Nov 22, 29 and Dec 6 at 18.00