Il mondo della luna (review)

Despite having composed many of his own operas, and having directed over 1000 opera performances during his long career as Kapellmeister at Esterháza, Franz Joseph Haydn is not chiefly remembered as an opera composer, or even particularly well-regarded in the history of dramatic music. The critical reception of his operas—only rediscovered and revived in the latter half of the 20th century—has been decidedly mixed, due to the often poor quality of the libretti and to the fact that Haydn's dramatic gifts did not readily or consistently translate to the operatic stage. However, Haydn's 1777 Il mondo della luna[The World of the Moon], with a libretto by Carlo Goldoni, has proven to be something of a standout in the composer's otherwise under-appreciated operatic oeuvre: with its absurdly funny, sci-fi themed libretto, and Haydn's elegant, energetic music, this work has earned itself a small niche in the repertory in recent years.

Il mondo della lunacomprises a buffafarce in which the old fool and amateur astronomer Buonafede, who opposes the marriages of his daughters and his maid to their respective boyfriends, is tricked by one of the boyfriends, Ecclitico, into thinking that there is life on the moon. After drinking a "magic" potion, Buonafede passes out, and then wakes up believing he has been transported to the moon (in reality, Ecclitico's garden). Buonafede is welcomed by the moon emperor and his retinue (the boyfriends). His daughters and his maid are subsequently "transported" to the moon, where they contrive to marry the disguised boyfriends in a lunar ceremony. Buonafede finally uncovers the hoax, but it is too late. He resigns himself to the outcome, pays the dowries and forgives everyone. Though in some ways an unremarkable dramma giocoso, with its stock characters, cross-dressing, predictable lieto fineand blending of the comedic and the serious, Il mondo della lunais ultimately redeemed by its original and imaginative fantasy, and by Haydn's vivacious score.

This DVD features Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducting Concentus Musicus Wien in a performance filmed at the Theater an der Wien in 2009, the Haydn bicentennial year. At 167 minutes spread over two discs, presumably nothing has been left out of the original opera (some modern performances have employed substantial cuts, to clean up and streamline the drama). In terms of the performance's rudimentary elements, the orchestral sound is good, with clean, crisp highs and warm, resonant lows; the vocal sound is likewise clear and well-balanced, though some numbers—the opening chorus, for example—and some pianissimopassages are simply too quiet, the voices a little too far back in the mix. In terms of lighting and general watchability, it is somewhat dark, but the dynamic, cinematic filming more than makes up for this: the camera is seldom static, but rather provides a wide range of angles and depths, enlivening the performance.

Tobias Moretti's staging is staunchly modern: it is, for instance, computer technology—including web cameras and virtual reality, with more than a few suggestive nods to the world of Internet porn—that is used to initially deceive Buonafede and lure him to the moon. The opera is visually rich in general, but is worth watching for the spectacle of the second and third acts alone, set on the "moon" and beginning with Buonafede awakening, disoriented, and finding himself in a gilded hot tub. Hilarity ensues as Buonafede is promptly dressed in a ridiculous moon costume (comprising a halter top and pink harem pants), with the other cast members playing moon dwellers in a delightfully manic buffastyle.

The main roles are all well managed, and the singing is solid throughout. The role of Ecclitico is particularly well played by Bernard Richter, who displays considerable range as both singer and actor here, providing some of the opera's funniest physical comedy while carrying the bulk of narrative. Buonafede, played by Dietrich Henschel...