It was during the Paul Kellogg era of the nineties and the aughts that New York City Opera became a force for Baroque opera—specifically works by Handel, which, with their historical-mythical plots and arrays of pleasing arias, were eminently adaptable to a plethora of production styles. The newly resurrected City Opera, under the direction of Michael Capasso, has tacked away from Handel, showcasing the company’s heritage as a producer of verismo works and contemporary pieces. But this week Baroque opera makes an intriguing return with a piece by a Spanish composer whom Handel could have claimed as a colleague: Antonio Literes (1673-1747), whose “Los Elementos” (“The Elements”) will be offered at the Harlem Stage Gatehouse (May 4-7).
The production is part of a new initiative, “Ópera en Español,” led by Capasso, who is interpreting the company’s mandate as “the people’s opera” in a new way, emphasizing outreach to the Hispanic community while inviting connoisseurs to sample an out-of-the-way treasure. The program began with last season’s presentation of Daniel Catán’s “Florencia en el Amazonas,” a work squarely in the post-Puccini tradition, which was offered in a production by Nashville Opera. But “Los Elementos,” directed and choreographed by Richard Stafford, is an entirely original effort. And, with City Opera currently floating on a wave of critical acclaim for its recent productions of Bernstein’s “Candide” and Respighi’s “La Campana Sommersa,” its timing seems to be superb.
“Los Elementos” has none of the range or ambition of those twentieth-century works: it is an hour-long serenata written circa 1708 for the entertainment of members of the Spanish royal court, who had brought Literes into their service in the sixteen-nineties. Literes, a prolific master of vocal works both sacred and operatic, followed the fashions of the time by writing a work that combined Spanish traditions with the sonic and structural innovations of the Italian Baroque. With one exception, the cast is entirely female, following Spanish practice. The instrumental accompaniment calls not only for Italian violins but also for the vigüela de arco, a bowed instrument with a medieval Iberian lineage, while the opera’s fetching sequence of arias and choruses mixes Italian da-capo arias with Spanish-style songs that incorporate haunting miniature refrains. Written to amuse the Bourbon aristocracy, “Los Elementos” is now for everyone. ♦
