Cavalli  Giasone  David Hansen counterten     Giasone Celeste Lazarenko sop         Medea Miriam Allan sop            Isifile Andrew Goodwin ten             Egeo Christopher Saunders ten       Demo David Greco bass            Orestes Nicholas Dinopoulos bass     Ercole Adrian McEniery ten           Delta Alexandra Oomens sop         Alinda 

Pinchgut Opera; Orchestra of the Antipodes / Erin Helyard Pinchgut Live [F] [2] PG004 (151' * DDD) Recorded live at City Recital Hall, Angel Place, Sydney, December 5 & 7-9,2013

Cavalli's Giasone (Venice Carnival, 1649) was originally structured into a prologue and three acts, but the short prologue and numerous comic scenes are omitted from Pinchgut Opera's production and the three acts are restructured into a game of two abridged halves. This involves tinkering with the order of scenes and tampering with the content, such as relocating Medea's incantation 'Dell'antro magico' (in which she petitions the underworld to support Jason's quest to steal the golden fleece) to a slightly later position in the drama; the sorceress's explosive infatuation and dark powers are thrillingly communicated by Celeste Lazarenko, and the playing here of the Orchestra of the Antipodes provides a few punchy shocks. The hilarious flirting duet between Alinda and Besso is retained but all of Besso's contributions are transferred to Hercules (sung convivially by Nicholas Dinopoulos). These decisions were presumably made to fit the practical priorities of a flesh-and-blood staged production, and admittedly a few alterations help the plot to flow more logically. …