Vivaldi, Antonio: Il Farnace

Early Music Today (Jun, 2016)
Vivaldi’s dramma per musica, Farnace is a swaggering, vigorous take on the story of King Mithridates’ son Farnace, his wife Tamiri and his mother-in-law Berenice, and how Farnace and his army try to resist the Roman forces led by Pompey. The drama would be more compelling in this DVD recording if there were more of an attempt at staging. The singers are ‘on the book’ (reading from scores on very basic music stands) and when Tamiri (sung by Sonia Prina) brandishes a dagger, it’s hard not to think that paper rather than throats will be slit.

The lighting is low and dingy, and the orchestra (members of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino) …