CANTATA AMOROSA - Scene III/VIII
Susie Vaughan
Re-imagining Barbara Strozzi's L'Eraclito Amoroso
Cantata Amorosa
Programme and performance notes
Cantata Amorosa: III/VIII
largo, sarabande & fantasia
re-imagining barbara strozzi's l'eraclito amoroso
Cantata Amorosa: Re-imagining Barbara Strozzi's L'Eraclito Amoroso
CANTATA AMOROSA
An OPERA-CANTATA with Dance in Eight Scenes
Re-imagining Barbara Strozzi's L'Eraclito Amoroso from Op.2 Cantate, ariette e duetti (1651)
SCENE III/VIII: Largo, Sarabande and Fantasia
Ogni martire aggradami, Ogni dolor dilettami
Every anguish pleases me, Every pain delights me
INSTRUMENTATION, VOCAL & DANCE REQUIREMENTS for the whole work:
VOICES:
Soprano Solo - Role of Barbara Strozzi
Alto Solo - Role of Eleonora Gonzaga of Mantua
Countertenor Solo - Role of Emperor Ferdinand III
Tenor Solo - Role of Robert Vidman
Bass-Baritone Solo - Role of Eraclito - a singing statue mirrored by a Solo Dancer
SSSSAAATTBB Choir
EIGHT PAIRS OF DANCERS
WIND: Traverso I & II, Treble Recorder, Tenor Recorder
BRASS: Cornetto I & II, Trombone in Bb, Trombone Doppio
CONTINUO: Baroque Triple Harp, Theorbo, Organ, Bass Viol (also Obbligato)
DOUBLE BAROQUE STRING QUARTET:
BAROQUE STRING QUARTET I: Violin I Obbligato, Violin II, Viola, Violoncello
BAROQUE STRING QUARTET II: Violin I, Violin II, Viola, Violoncello
BASS VIOL OBBLIGATO
INSTRUMENTATION, VOCAL & DANCE REQUIREMENTS for SCENE III/VIII
VOICES: Soloist: Soprano - Role of Barbara Strozzi
SSSSAAA Choir
EIGHT PAIRS OF DANCERS
INSTRUMENTS:
BRASS:
Cornetto I - in LH Gallery
Cornetto II - in RH Gallery
Trombone in Bb - in LH Gallery
Trombone Doppio - in RH Gallery
CONTINUO: Organ Bass Viol (also Obbligato)
DOUBLE BAROQUE STRING QUARTET:
BAROQUE STRING QUARTET I: Violin I Obbligato, Violin II, Viola, Violoncello
BAROQUE STRING QUARTET II: Violin I, Violin II, Viola, Violoncello
BASS VIOL OBBLIGATO
PERFORMANCE NOTES
MISE EN SCÈNE:
The scene is set in the Great Hall of a Venetian Palazzo, with the four heraldic Eagles of the Gonzagas, Dukes of Mantua, in each corner of the stage. There are raised galleries at the back and to the LH and RH sides of the stage. The Choir and Barbara Strozzi stand in the gallery at the back. The Brass players stand antiphonally in the galleries on the LH and RH side. There is a Cinematic Backdrop behind the gallery at the back which extends the stage into a balcony and beyond: to the bridges, waterways, gondolas and lagoon of Venice. There is a light installation above the circle of string players who are centre-stage, of Rain and Tears, to reflect the words: Ogni martire aggradami (Every anguish pleases me) Ogni dolor dilettami (Every pain delights me).
SCENE III takes as a Cantus Firmus, in real time and in 'slow motion' augmentation, the vocal line of Section III of Strozzi's L'Eraclito Amoroso. The Sarabande, for eight pairs of dancers, is a ballet, with emphasis on the 2nd beat of the bar and the 2nd syllable: EG: Og-NI. The Sarabande is an extravagant Waltz with elements of La Volta: lifts and turns.
The dancers are dressed in red and black. The female dancers' full skirts are black with triangular panels of red that are revealed during the lifts and turns.
The two Baroque String Quartets are seated centre-stage in the formation of a nearly-closed circle:
BSQI on LH side, BSQII on RH side, with BSQI Violin I Obbligato and BSQII Violin I nearest the audience, making two horse-shoes facing with a gap in the middle so that the Bass Viol Obbligato can be seen and heard.
The Bass Viol serves as both a continuo and Obbligato instrument. During the Obbligato part in the Fantasia, the Bass Viol is seated in the middle of the circle, facing the audience, visible through the gap between BSQI Vln I Obbligato on the LH side and BSQII Vln I on the RH side. During the Solo in the Fantasia at Bar 49, BSQI Violin I Obbligato stands on the LH side of the Bass Viol in the middle of the circle of players.
Bowing: I have bowed out the string parts in the Fantasia, as the notes are very long, and also because the players are on stage as part of the action, so the bowing needs to be co-ordinated and choreographed and at times quite flamboyant.
The SSSSAAA Choir parts in the Fantasia from B49 onwards - which form a slow motion backdrop to the Violin Obbligato and Bass Viol Obbligato solos - have been notated with one voice per part, but can be doubled: EG. Soprano I with Soprano II, Soprano III with Soprano IV, Alto I with Alto II, Alto II with Alto III, so that the very long notes can be shared and breathing co-ordinated between the singers.