Handel’s Partenope returns to ENO with a terrific younger forged

Handel: Partenope – English Nationwide Opera (Picture: Lloyd Winters)

Handel: Partenope; Nardus Williams, Hugh Chopping, Ru Charlesworth, Jake Ingbar, Katie Bray, William Thomas, director: Christopher Alden, conductor: William Cole, English Nationwide Opera; London Coliseum
Reviewed 26 November 2025

Twenties Paris-set manufacturing returns with director Christopher Alden again on the helm and a workforce of very good younger soloists who sing stylishly and enter into the idea with a will

A part of the enjoyable of Handel’s Partenope is the video games it performs with gender and perceived roles. Arsace is the notional hero, Handel wrote the position for a distinguished castrato, however slightly than being an ethical instance the character is weak having ditched one girl for an additional. The secondary male lead, Armindo was performed by a girl en travestie and the character is timid, taking practically half the opera to confess his like to Partenope. However the girl that Arsace ditched, Rosmira, seems dressed as a person and the large reveal in Act Three is when Arsace insists that he and Rosmira’s male incarnation carry out their duel bare-chested. The work’s comedy thus comes from this play with the unique viewers’s expectations.

English Nationwide Opera‘s manufacturing of Partenope directed by Christopher Alden has performed further video games with the viewers since its debut in 2008. On the 2017 revival [see my review] Arsace was himself performed by a girl (Patricia Bardon) and the manufacturing has by no means, I feel, used a girl for Armindo as Handel did.

For ENO’s newest revival which we noticed on 26 November 2025, casting is firmly primarily based on the characters’ gender with a forged of younger singers bringing new power to the manufacturing. For this revival Christopher Alden returned to direct and Christian Curnyn, the unique conductor, was because of be within the pit although his sickness meant that William Cole was in cost. Nardus Williams was Partenope, with Hugh Chopping as Arsace, Ru Charlesworth as Emilio, Jake Ingbar as Armindo, Katie Bray as Rosmira and William Thomas as Ormonte.

Handel: Partenope – Nardus Williams, Jake Ingbar, Ru Charlesworth – English Nationwide Opera (Picture: Lloyd Winters)

Alden and designers Andrew Lieberman (units) and Jon Morrell (costumes) set the opera at a salon in Paris within the Twenties with all the boys flitting round Nardus Williams’ fashionable hostess, Partenope. While I’ve loved the manufacturing through the years, the setting and Alden’s method nonetheless doesn’t fairly persuade. The ‘battle’ on the opening of Act Two stays unconvincing, however then HGO’s 2019 beachside Victorian manufacturing had an identical drawback [see my review]. From the center of Act Two to the top of the opera, Alden appears to progressively abandon his personal dramatic logic and by the center of Act Three, when Jake Ingbar’s Armindo did a faucet dance throughout his aria and William Thomas’s Ormonte oversaw the duet in extravagant 18th century drag, you felt that Alden was merely throwing all the pieces on the piece to maintain the viewers entertained.

While there was a level of dramatic logic all through, there was additionally the sensation that Alden was utilizing stagecraft to maintain the work busy: arias had been hardly ever if each finished alone on stage. This sense of leisure meant that aside from the arc of the story between Hugh Chopping’s Arsace and Katie Bray’s Rosmira which was rendered with searing depth, all the opposite characters had been came visiting as trivial or floor. Handel didn’t write the opera as a comedy, it’s a severe piece with satirical moments, however right here we had been by no means actually inspired to dig too deep into the motivations of the opposite characters

The manufacturing engaged due to the sheer craft and musicality of the performers. This was an actual demonstration of the standard of Handel and Baroque opera efficiency amongst younger singers. Nardus Williams held the stage splendidly as Partenope, her fashionable and stylised motion complemented by some very good singing. Within the first act her outfit (trouser-suit) and mannerisms nearly evoked Dietrich. She dazzled and glittered, however there was thoughtfulness too particularly in her Act Two aria which was a second of introspection.

Handel: Partenope – Hugh Chopping, Nardus Williams – English Nationwide Opera (Picture: Lloyd Winters)

Hugh Chopping’s Arsace started the opera merely as one of many moths fluttering round Partenope’s flame, however because the plot arc with Katie Bray’s Rosmira developed, so did Chopping’s efficiency deepen. This was not a shallow Arsace, Chopping imbued him with fascinating battle and complexity, allied to Chopping’s very good musicality. His voice appeared to fill the Coliseum effortlessly and his huge Act Three aria was searing in its depth, rendered all of the extra placing by all of the mad campery occurring within the manufacturing. This was a far larger position than Chopping’s efficiency as Unulfo in Ariodante at Garsington this summer time [see my review] and most undoubtedly a promise of treats to return.

Katie Bray’s efficiency as Rosmira was equally extremely charged, with Bray actually bringing out the character’s conflicted depth. The manufacturing avoids among the complicated layering of the unique. Right here, when Arsace and Rosmira turn into intimate in direction of the top of Act Two she shed a few of her disguise, eradicating the homoerotic component however you surprise what that authentic viewers would have seen. It’s maybe, important additionally, that Handel gave the ultimate arias within the first two acts to Arsace and Rosmira. Remaining arias in acts in Handel are sometimes a spot for deep reflection or highly effective intent, and that was the case right here thus showcasing these two characters extra.

Armindo is the lesser ‘male’ position, with fewer arias however nonetheless an vital cog within the drama. American countertenor Jake Ingbar, making his ENO debut, impressed together with his musicality and skill to form character. However what most individuals will bear in mind from the manufacturing is his bodily dexterity, his means to creep, slide and usually use his physique. I’m not certain what this was meant to say about Armindo’s character, however definitely there have been scenes the place Ingbar’s antics slightly pulled focus from the musical plot.

Handel: Partenope – Katie Bray – English Nationwide Opera (Picture: Lloyd Winters)

The manufacturing appeared considerably conflicted about Emilio, whose forces assault Partenope on the opening of Act Two. Right here Emilio was portrayed as a Man-Ray-like determine who prowled round unnoticed. But, after the ‘assault’ in Act Two he nearly turns into one of many boys. Ru Charlesworth stood in at quick discover for the manufacturing’s 2017 revival and he returned to the position. Charlesworth’s musical efficiency definitely made you neglect any doubts you might need. Singing with a finely heroic sense of line, with actual vibrant tone but nonetheless loads of definition in his passagework, Charlesworth nearly gave a heroic really feel to the character, undercut by a component of camp that crept in steadily. Subsequent cease, Bajazet we hope.

The character of Ormonte is one thing of a spare wheel, extra an on-looker to the drama. However William Thomas sang engagingly and never for the primary time you slightly regretted the Baroque opera conference that confined bass voices to smaller roles.

Diction was glorious all spherical and phrases had been splendidly understandable. I used to be significantly impressed at by Nardus Williams’ admirable readability, one thing that doesn’t all the time occur with elaborate soprano elements, however all of the singers labored arduous and from row G within the Stalls the work paid off.

Within the pit William Cole drew a wonderful efficiency from the orchestra. The ENO Orchestra has lengthy expertise off performing Handel and there was definitely nothing half-hearted about their espousal of a suggestion of traditionally knowledgeable fashion. There was rather a lot to take pleasure in musically on this remarkably wealthy rating; the arias could be largely slightly shorter however Handel was filled with creativeness.

Handel: Partenope – Hugh Chopping, Nardus Williams, Katie Bray, William Thomas – English Nationwide Opera (Picture: Lloyd Winters)

What actually came visiting on this efficiency was not simply the grasp of Baroque fashion that the younger singers had however the sense that they loved it. There was a palpable feeling of engagement and pleasure concerning the manufacturing.