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La Natura Stuart Haycock Royal Academy Opera and Academy Baroque Orchestra/Anthony Legge Premiered in Venice 1651 and not revived until 1970 at Glyndebourne, with lush orchestration by Raymond Leppard and a starrycast headed by Janet Baker (I was there - the composer's name was new to us then), Cavalli's comic Arcadian farrago made for a splendid student opera at RAM. The fun and confusions develop from Giove, King of the Gods, posing as the goddess Not everyone essayed the pure non-vibrato style pioneered by Emma Kirkby which by now has become the HIP standard, and some of the florid singing tested the performers, but the standard was generally high, with some excellent characterisations from a large cast of 'Gods, priapic satyrs, chaste nymphs, peacocks, dancing bears and an astronomer' directed with flair and a light touch by John Ramster, who also designed the effective and witty staging (economical too; ladders for mountains, etc) and was supported by an inventive team. The two casts (ours, pictured, was the second) deserved more than one night each; the production should be revived.
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