ARIODANTE - BOSTON BAROQUE
Conductor: Martin Pearlman
Stage Director: Eve Summer
Costume Design: Neil Fortin
Projection Design: Camilla Tassi
Lighting Design: Kyle Stamm
Scenic: Phil Reilly
HWMU Design: Rachel Padula Shufelt
Photos: Gentle Grace Photography
Cast: Megan Moore, Amanda Forsythe, Ann McMahon Quintero, Robin Johannsen, Richard Pittsinger, Brandon Cedel, Jason McStoots, Boston Baroque Chorus
Ariodante at Boston Baroque
“In Boston Baroque’s ‘Ariodante,’ all shines.” With ‘Ariodante,’ Boston Baroque founding director Martin Pearlman exits on a high note. A luxury cast and simple but effective stagecraft made ‘Ariodante’ the company’s strongest opera in recent years.
After the pandemic shutdown, amid a nascent partnership with GBH, the long-running company has made opera with all the trimmings — projections and costumes and lights, oh my! — a keystone of its seasonal lineup, with decisively mixed success. The casts were capable, but the overall experience was never better than pretty good, hobbled by the acoustic limitations of GBH’s Calderwood Studio (2022 and 2023) and the Huntington Theatre (2024), as well as certain production choices that favored neither scores nor performers. So it wasn’t the best precedent for this weekend’s “Ariodante,” which already felt especially significant because it marks the final engagement of founder Martin Pearlman as the company’s standing music director. So I’m glad to report that it’s the company’s most coherent and satisfying operatic endeavor that I’ve seen in the post-shutdown years, easily on par with 2019’s campy, sexy “L’incoronazione di Poppea” at Jordan; a satisfying cadence to honor Pearlman’s final bow.
Director Eve Summer kept the stage setup simple but effective, with singers in front, orchestra in back, and handsome projections by Camilla Tassi adding some visual interest at the rear. This “Ariodante” is an achievement to take pride in as Pearlman departs, and hopefully one to build on in the future. Jordan Hall is undeniably a better acoustic environment, but Calderwood offers the cast and crew the chance to get comfortable in the rehearsal space without needing to pack in and out so quickly. In the meantime, consider me convinced that future operas at Calderwood might not actually be the worst idea.”
Boston Globe
“In combination with stunning vocal performances, the dramaturgical choices in Boston Baroque’s Ariodante demonstrated Baroque opera’s potential for modern relevance outside of a traditional opera house. Modern audiences might chafe against the emphasis on static arias over the plot-based dramatic recitative and stories whose central conflict is typically resolved fairly quickly—almost always with a happy ending that can feel unearned. Yet the combination of minimal scenery with clever use of modern projection technology and lighting allowed us to luxuriate in the emotionally poignant singing, whether Ginevra’s mourning the loss of her beloved Ariodante or Dalinda’s rage at being used as a pawn by Polinesso. Instead of enticing us to immerse ourselves in the story, Boston Baroque placed our focus on the vocalists and their nuanced portrayals of character. Thus, these 18th-century aristocrats seemed less distant and more immediate; we could imagine ourselves experiencing their heartbreak, betrayal, ultimate redemption, and triumph. In this way, Boston Baroque turned Baroque opera’s perceived faults into vehicles for drawing us in.
Ariodante represents a fitting capstone in Pearlman’s 52-year tenure with Boston Baroque. A champion of Baroque opera throughout his career, Pearlman finishes his final season as music director of the ensemble this weekend with two more performances of Ariodante on Friday evening and Sunday afternoon in Calderwood Studio. This unique and long-awaited production of one of Handel’s most unusual operas is not to be missed.”
Boston Musical Intelligencer
”Handel’s opera sparkles with talent, triumph, and a touch of theatrical magic during Martin Pearlman’s final season. Boston Baroque’s ‘Ariodante’ was a luminous evening - filled with expressive performances, rich musicality, and a sense of farewell that made it even more poignant.
The costume design was wonderful - and did a great job of authentically evoking the opera’s era and aiding in transporting the audience to Handel’s imagined Scotland. A special nod goes to the inventive moving backdrops that elegantly portrayed thunderstorms, sunsets, and shifting times of day. These elements added dynamic beauty and mood to the production.”
Booked and Scene