Sydney's wonderfully named Pinchgut Opera is committed to Baroque and Classical repertoire that rarely finds its way into traditional opera houses, and its 2005 production of Dardanus was the work's Australian premiere. The company uses the original 1739 version of the opera, with a brief interpolation from the composer's 1744 revision, and entirely omits the allegorical Prologue.
Anthony Walker leads the
Cantillation choir and the
Orchestra of the Antipodes, which specializes in music of the Baroque era, in an elegant and idiomatic performance of the opera. Beginning with the jaunty sprung rhythms of the overture, the performers demonstrate a lively grasp of the idiom, and the skill to pull off its difficulties with panache. The soloists, too, perform with style and grace, and are especially accomplished in their grasp and execution of the elaborate ornamentation of the French High Baroque. The performance by the largely Australian cast is characterized by dramatic urgency and absolute commitment. While they may not have the polish and consistency of the soloists on the Archiv recording under
Marc Minkowski, they sing with more naturalness and expressive freedom. The roles of Iphise, Anténor, and Isménor are sung with significantly more vocal distinction on the Archiv set, but baritone Stephen Bennett as Teucer is more secure than his Archiv counterpart. Tenor
Paul Agnew, in the title role, is especially compelling in his tonal purity, musicality, and dramatic urgency, and his "Lieux funestes" is a real show-stopper. The sound of the live recording is clean and natural and creates a good sense of theatrical space.