Joyce DiDonato | Drama Queens

Last week I was fortunate to hear mezzo Joyce DiDonato in a recital of Baroque opera arias, accompanied by Il Complesso Barocco. Ms. DiDonato must be at the top of her game, & she sang with complete control. All the pieces fit her voice comfortably, as if tailored for her, & her sound was always warm, attractive & even. I loved hearing "Disprezzata regina" from Monteverdi's Poppea. It moved restlessly from emotion to emotion, & Ms. DiDonato nailed every dramatic turn. I wanted to hear the rest of the opera.

She sang lovely quiet passages & a beautiful decrescendo in "Piangerò la sorre mia" from Handel's Giulio Cesare, though the audience applauded prematurely at the end of the B section. "Madre diletta, abbracciami" from Porta's Ifigenia was softly plangent, & Ms. DiDonata gave the long opening note a different coloration on the repeat. Her runs & trills were clean & controlled, & "Brilla nell'alma" from Handel's Alessandro sounded like a hoedown. She offered 3 encores & seemed like she could give more. The house lights stayed up during the performance, & she often looked around at the audience. She joked that it was good to be wearing a dress again in San Francisco, & she playfully sang the pitch when the orchestra took a long time tuning before the Scarlatti in the 2nd half.

The young musicians of Il Complesso Barocco were a lively bunch who stood as they played. 1st violin Dmitry Sinkovsky was their leader & an extravagant soloist for a Vivaldi violin concerto. He performed a wild, improvisational cadenza in the 1st movement that was fun & funny. He often looks like he's running in place & frequently plays to his fellow musicians, his back to the audience. There was lots of bowing off the string & a flashy up-bow staccato in the 3rd movement. It was exuberant, & some in the audience gave Mr. Sinkovsky a standing ovation. The men of Il Complesso Barocco wore red socks that matched Ms. DiDonato's elaborate red dress.

The bright wooden interior of Weill Hall at Sonoma State University is inviting, & the acoustic is clear. The facilities staff conscientiously mopped the floor as patrons came in from the rain. It was a pity that there were so many empty seats. It took my concert companion & I nearly 2 hours to drive to Rohnert Park from Oakland, & we were dismayed to find no food available at the hall.

§ Drama Queens
Joyce DiDonato, mezzo-soprano
Dmitry Sinkovsky, violin | director
Il Complesso Barocco

Antonio Cesti (1623-1669)
"Intorno all'idol mio" from Orontea
    Orontea, Queen of Egypt

Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)
Sinfonia (Presto-Grave-Presto) from Tolomeo ed Alessandro

Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
"Disprezzata regina" from L'Incoronazione di Poppea
     Ottavia, Empress of Rome

Geminiano Giacomelli (1692-1740)
"Sposa, son disprezzata" from Merope
     Irene, Princess of Tresbisond

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Concerto for violin and strings RV 242, "per Pisendel"
     Allegro-Adagio-Allegro

Giuseppe Maria Orlandini (1676-1760)
"Da torbida procella" from Berenice
     Berenice, Queen of Palestine

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Johann Adopf Hasse (1699-1783)
"Morte col fiero aspetto" from Antonio e Cleopatra
     Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt

George Frideric Handel (16S5-1759)
"Piangerò la sorre mia" from Giulio Cesare
     Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt

Handel
Passacaglia from Radamisto

Giovanni Porta (1675-1755)
"Madre diletta, abbracciami" from Ifigenia in Aulide
     lfigenia, Princess of Mycenae

D. Scarlatti
Sinfonia
     Presto-Adagio-Allegrissimo

Handel
"Brilla nell'alma" from Alessandro
     Rossane, Princess of Persia

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Reinhard Keiser (1674-1739)
"Lasciami piangere" from Fredegunda

Guiseppe Maria Orlandini (1676 - 1760)
"Col versar, barbaro" from Berenice

Handel
"Brilla nell'alma" reprise?

Tuesday, November 20, 2012 at 8 p.m.
Weill Hall, Sonoma State University