Haydn wrote his three-act opera 'Armida' in 1783; it was the last stage
work he composed for the Esterhazy household.  Recordings of this opera are
not thick on the shelves.  Antal Dorati's set on Philips is likely the most
known and respected.  Now, Nikolaus Harnoncourt has recorded for Teldec a
new issue featuring Cecelia Bartoli.  The specifics on these two sets are:

Antal Dorati conducting the Orchestre De Chambre De Lausanne on Philips
432438 (2 cd set) 1979.  Vocal soloists are:

Armida (Enchantress) - Jessye Norman.
Rinaldo (Christian Knight) - Claes H. Ahnsjo.
Zelmira (Enchantress) - Norma Burrowes.
Idreno (Heathen King) - Samuel Ramey.
Ubaldo (Christian Knight) - Robin Leggate.
Clotarco (Christian Knight) - Anthony Rolfe Johnson.

Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducting Concentus Musicus Wien on Teldec 81108 (2
cd set) 2000.  Vocal soloists are:

Armida - Cecilia Bartoli.
Rinaldo - Christoph Pregardien.
Zelmira - Patricia Petibon.
Idreno - Oliver Widmer.
Ubaldo - Scot Weir.
Clotarco - Markus Schafer.

Armida is a very simple story which highlights the right religious
folks vs. the wrong ones, duty vs.  love, whites vs.  non-whites, and
the unhealthy but time-honored theme that women play a crucial role in
deterring men from completing their necessary functions; the mode of
operation is through seduction, using their bodies and feminine ways to
weaken the male spirit and sense of duty/honor.  When the opera has ended,
right wins over wrong, good over evil, white over non-white, and man over
woman.  You can see why this opera wouldn't go over big in the present day
opera house.  Also, the ending couldn't be weaker.

Yet, there is a redeeming and hopeful aspect of our simple story.  The
hero takes giant steps toward a total treason and betrayal of his culture,
country, and deepest principles.  He is willing, in effect, to deny his
character.  But at the last moment, our hero reverses his downfall and
redeems himself.  This theme captures the basic truth that humans make
mistakes, but that they also can rectify them, learn from them, and become
better persons for the experiences.

I indicated earlier that the opera tells a simple story.  My meaning
is that no true depth of emotion is explored.  Every individual in the
opera thinks and acts in expected fashion; humanity becomes somewhat
automated (snap your fingers and you get what you want).  As a listener,
I'm going to concentrate more on the music than the themes covered in the
story.  At the same time, I'm looking for the musical performances to *add*
life and character to the opera.

Story Background:  The Christian Knights are striving to take over
Jerusalem from the heathens.  The Prince of Darkness, being somewhat in
favor of heathens, sends Armida upstairs.  Her mission is to enchant and
seduce as many knights as she can, rendering them useless for battle;
killing them's not a bad idea either.  But the best plans tend to go
astray, and that's what happens with Armida.  She gets fixated on the
handsome Rinaldo who is the best knight of them all; he also gets fixated
on her.  Given this development, Armida doesn't kill him and also does not
try to sap his powers.  Rinaldo, on his part, is about ready to turn his
life upside-down and lead the heathens into battle in order to be as one
with his lover; Armida must have been quite a woman.  As it turns out,
Rinaldo has a change of heart and goes back to his own people to lead the
charge against the heathens.  The ending leaves us hanging as to whether
Rinaldo and Armida will have any future together, but my insight tells me
that their relationship has no hope.

I was going to go through the opera track by track, but frankly, the plot
and libretto are too weak to spend that kind of time and concentration.
So, I'll just do a synopsis.

Sound Quality:  The new Harnoncourt recording is excellent - crisp and
appropriately full.  The Dorati isn't bad at all; everything comes through
clearly.  The sound is rich, but lacks the crispness of the Harononcourt.

Conducting:  Both conductors are excellent.  The opening Sinfonia lets
us know the approach of each conductor.  Dorati is smooth and looking
for maximum tonal beauty.  Harnoncourt drives the music harder, and his
accenting is more pronounced.  He is also the more 'martial' of the two,
and that aspect does have some significance in this particular opera.
Overall, any edge that Harnoncourt possesses is very slim.

Armida:  Jessye Norman displays a lovely and creamy voice.  Bartoli's voice
does not possess quite the tonal beauty of Norman, but she is significantly
better at characterization.  She brings her character to life, a character
which has multiple facets.  Norman is somewhat generic.  Overall, Bartoli
gives the better performance.

Rinaldo:  Rinaldo is a Knight, a fighter.  His voice should display
strength and even give the listener the feeling that Rinaldo is a man to
follow into battle.  Dorati's Claes Ahnsjo does have a strong tenor voice,
but it has a nasal and whimpy quality to it.  Pregardien, for Harnoncourt,
has a wonderful and manly voice worth following into dangerous situations.
This is a big advantage for the Harnoncourt set.

Idreno:  The advantage here goes to Dorati.  He has the excellent Samuel
Ramey.  Harnoncourt's Oliver Widmer has a weak bass voice, not what I look
for in a warrior.

Ubaldo:  Robin Leggate, for Dorati, has a better tenor voice than Dorati's
Rinaldo, but there is still a nasal quality.  Harnoncourt's Scot Weir is
just a little improvement over Leggate.

Zelmira:  Both Patricia Petibon and Norma Burrowes have lovely and
expressive voices - take your pick.

Clotarco:  As usual, Anthony Rolfe Johnson is outstanding for Dorati.
However, Markus Schafer is no slouch and almost as enjoyable as Johnson.

The Music:  I'm not going to try to say that Haydn's music for the opera
is among his best compositions.  However, it is readily identifiable as
Haydn and easily surpasses most other operas of the period which are given
glowing reviews in periodicals due to the obscurity of the composer.  The
problem with Armida is the libretto and the typical social themes of the
day; the music is excellent.

Don's Conclusion:  Excepting for Dorati's bass singer, Samuel Ramey, the
Harnoncourt set is the one to get.  His principal soloists, Bartoli and
Pregardien, are a big plus as are Harnoncourt's marital attacks.  Even so,
the Dorati set is not one to retire; the modern instruments, different
approach to the score, and the fine vocalists insure that his set is worthy
one.  Big Haydn fans would undoubtedly want both versions.  For others,
rest assured that either set will provide many hours of pleasure.  A Haydn
opera might not be at the level of the Creation, or one of the Opus 76
quartets, or one of the London symphonies, but it still offers us wonderful
music.  It's just a shame that the story and libretto are so lame, but
that's typical for the period.

I should mention the packaging of the Harnoncourt set; it is a slim
version which is lavishly packaged.  My sole problem is that it's next to
impossible to get the cd's out of the package without putting one's hands
on the playing surface.  So far, nothing has gone wrong, but my confidence
is not strong.

Don Satz
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