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"The Trials of Tenducci - A Castrato in Ireland"
Tara Erraught, mezzo-sopranoa
Irish Baroque Orchestra
Dir: Peter Whelan
rec: Feb 8 - 10, 2020, Drogheda (IE), St Peter's Church
Linn Records - CKD 639 (© 2021) (65'57")
Liner-notes: E; lyrics - translations: E
Cover, track-list & booklet
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Thomas Augustine ARNE (1710-1778):
Artaxerxes (Amid a thousand racking woes; Water parted from the sea)a;
Johann Christian BACH (1735-1782):
Ebben si vada - Io ti lascio, rec & aria (Warb LG 2)a;
The Braes of Ballenden (Warb LH 1)a;
Johann Christian FISCHER (1733-1800):
Concerto for oboe and orchestra No. 7 in F (andante. Gramachree Molly with Variations)b;
Tomaso GIORDANI (c1730-1806):
Caro mio bena;
Queen Mary's Lamentationa;
The Celebrated Overture and Irish Medley to The Island of Saints;
Pierre (Pieter) VAN MALDERE (1729-1768):
Symphony in G (VR 28);
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791):
Exsultate, jubilate (KV 165)a
Andreas Helm (solob), Ana Inés Feola, oboe;
Joe Qiu, bassoon;
Jeroen Billiet, Gilbert Camí Farras, horn;
Claire Duff, Marja Gaynor, George Clifford, James Toll, Anita Vedres, Leonie Curtin, violin;
Jordan Bowron, Lisa Dowdall, viola;
Sarah McMahon, Aoife Nic Athlaoich, cello;
Malachy Robinson, double bass;
Peter Whelan, fortepiano
During the 17th and 18th centuries castratos were among the big sensations at the European music scene. They were greatly admired, but also often the centre of scandals. The latter were partly due to conflicts with colleagues and composers; many were full of themselves and did not accept any criticism. However, because they were the subject of admiration, they were often involved in love affairs. That also goes for Giusto Ferdinando Tenducci (c1735-1790), a soprano castrato from Siena, who spent most of his life in England and Ireland.
He made his debut in 1750 in Cagliari and appeared in minor opera roles in several cities in Italy and Germany, before settling in London in 1758. In 1760 he was imprisoned because of a financial affair. In the next years he frequently sang in Thomas Augustine Arne's opera Artaxerxes, both in England and in Ireland. There he became involved in a love affair, when in 1766 he secretly married a girl he had been giving singing lessons. They were married by a Catholic priest, which was part of the scandal. The next year the girl's father gave the couple permission to re-marry in a Protestant church. The marriage lasted ten years: in 1776 it was declared "void from the beginning". After the second marriage Tenducci moved to Edinburgh, where he appeared in Scottish performances of Arne's Artaxerxes. There he became acquainted with Scottish folk songs. He sang some songs as part of the production of Arne's opera. Back in London he performed with two musicians from Germany: Johann Christian Bach and Johann Christian Fischer. In 1778 Tenducci went to Paris with Bach, where they met Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who composed a scena for him. In his last years in London and Dublin he focused on teaching. In 1785 he published a treatise in London. He returned to Italy, where in 1790 he died in Genoa.
The present disc offers a programme of pieces which can be associated with Tenducci, or by composers from his environment. It opens with the Symphony in G by Pierre (or Pieter) Van Maldere, a composer from the Austrian Netherlands who was in Dublin from 1751 to 1753. There is no direct connection with Tenducci; this piece is included to illustrate the activities of composers who worked for some time in Ireland. Next are two arias from Arne's Artaxerxes. Arne was the leading opera composer in England after the death of Handel. The libretto was an English adaptation of Metastasio's Artaserse, set by many composers. Arne's opera was very successful: in Dublin it was performed 33 times. Tenducci sang the role of Arbaces. 'Water parted from the sea' made a particular impression on audiences. One wonders how well he was able to pronounce the English texts, as an English newspaper in 1760 described him as speaking "very little English, and that very bad". Maybe composers and audiences at the time did not bother that much about this.
Three pieces shed light on the connection between Tenducci and the Germans Bach and Fischer. In 1775 Tenducci had sung in Padua in a performance of Arsace, an opera by Michele Mortellari. He may have asked Johann Christian Bach to arrange the recitative and aria Ebben si vada - Io ti lascio from this opera. Bach did so, and added obbligato parts for fortepiano and oboe, played by himself and Fischer respectively. Tenducci may also have asked Bach to arrange one of his favourite Scottish songs, The Braes of Ballenden; for the arrangement of this tune a text by the Scottish poet Thomas Blacklock (Beneath a green shade, a lovely young swain) was chosen. The role of Fischer is highlighted here with the last movement from his Concerto for oboe No. 7 in F, which again sheds light on the fascination of composers working in England for folk music: this movement consists of variations on the tune Gramachree Molly.
The programme includes three pieces by Tommaso Giordani. He was from Naples, and as a singer he was part of an opera troupe consisting of members of his family, which travelled across Europe. In 1753 it performed at Covent Garden, and Giordani decided to stay in England. During a stay in Dublin he met Tenducci. Both Caro mio ben and Queen Mary's Lamentation were printed in London in 1783 and were among Tenducci's favourite songs, which he performed during the Bach-Abel concerts. Giordani's activities as a composer are further demonstrated here with the overture to The Island of Saints, and again the influence of folk music manifests itself here: the third movement is an Irish Medley.
I already mentioned the meeting of Mozart, Tenducci and JC Bach in Paris. Unfortunately, the piece that Mozart wrote for Tenducci has not been preserved. As an alternative, so to speak, it was decided to perform one of Mozart's most famous works, the motet Exsultate, jubilate, which he wrote for another castrato Venanzio Rauzzini.
In recent years several discs have been released which shed light on the music scene in 18th-century England and Ireland. Most of them include one or several first recordings. That is the case with the present disc as well. The symphony by Van Maldere is one of them; it is nice that it is included here, even though the connection with Tenducci is virtually non-existent. The performance includes crescendi and diminuendi, a hallmark of music by members of the Mannheim school. I wonder whether the score includes any indication in this matter or this is rather a decision on Peter Whelan's part. Giordani's overture and JC Bach's The Braes of Ballenden are also first recordings. Giordani is not that badly represented on disc, but is certainly not a household name. He may well deserve more attention. JC Bach is much more frequently performed, but his oeuvre includes a number of pieces that are unknown. From the perspective of repertoire this is a very interesting disc. It also adds to our knowledge of the lively music scene on the British Isles at the time.
The Irish Baroque Orchestra once again proves to be a fine ensemble, and Whelan is a musical director who gets the best of them. Tara Erraught is a new name to me. I like her voice, and she certainly has the capabilities to bring theatrical music to life. However, if the protagonist in the aria 'Amid a thousand racking woes' from Arne's Artaxerxes sings "I tremble", this is no excuse to tremble all the time. The incessant vibrato in Ms Erraught's performances is hard to swallow. At the few instances when she strongly reduces it, her voice does sound so much better. Still, considering the way the programme has been put together and the overall level of music and performances is a good reason to investigate this disc.
Johan van Veen (© 2023)
Relevant links:
Tara Erraught
Irish Baroque Orchestra