by usia review
Handel’s Allegory Between Time and Pleasure at Teatro São Luís
This staged oratorio by Georg Friedrich Handel, performed by Teatro Nacional de São Carlos and presented at Teatro São Luís, brings to life the allegorical characters of Pleasure, Time, and Disillusionment, who assume human form and compete for the soul of Beauty.
Handel (1685–1759) travelled to Rome at the age of 22 to deepen his engagement with opera, working there primarily as an organist. At the time, public operatic performances were prohibited by papal decree. Nevertheless, Cardinal Benedetto Pamphili, a cultivated patron of the arts, welcomed leading musicians into his palace. Handel—already the author of several works in Italian and German, and later of Messiah, his English masterpiece after settling in London—received from the Cardinal a commission to compose La Bellezza ravveduta nel Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno. Despite the operatic ban, the work was conceived in a distinctly operatic form, albeit presented as an oratorio.
The vocal demands of this score require refined expressiveness and a stylistically informed Baroque technique. In the central role of Beauty, sung here by Eduarda Melo, one regrettably missed the necessary sweetness, stylistic elegance, and vocal nuance across the nine arias entrusted to the character.
The highlight of the evening was undoubtedly Ana Vieira Leite, who delivered the famous aria “Lascia ch’io pianga” with sensitivity, expressive depth, and refined vocal control, earning well-deserved applause and bravos from the audience. This aria, later incorporated into Handel’s opera Rinaldo, was originally known as “Lascia la spina, cogli la rosa”.
The musical direction by Maestro Michael Hofstetter was elegant and well balanced, offering stylistic clarity while never overpowering the singers—an essential quality in Handelian performance.
The staging, directed by Jacopo Spirei, was modern yet coherent, effectively serving the allegorical nature of the work without distracting from the music.
Cast
Pleasure – Ana Vieira Leite: outstanding in vocal expression and style
Disillusionment – Cátia Moreso: a solid and convincing interpretation
Time – Marco Alves dos Santos: notable for his evolving technique and increasing musical refinement
This production was presented within the framework of the Buxton International Festival, in collaboration with Teatro Nacional de São Carlos, offering Lisbon audiences a thoughtful and musically rewarding encounter with one of Handel’s most philosophically rich early works.
#HANDEL @TNSC ©Carlos Pinto
Thanks to: TNSC, André Quendera, Raquel Maló Almeida