Sarah Delaney Boyle created a set that summoned the splendors associated with Baroque opera. Massive gold towers and a sweeping garland made from the armor and weapons of the knights who had fallen for Alcina’s charms dominated the stage, while an orb suspended from above was the source of her magical powers. Caitlin Gotimer as Alcina triumphed, capturing the myriad emotions of the sorceress in a performance that was as vivid dramatically as it was vocally. Apart from a few high notes that were off the mark, she sang Handel’s vocal lines with sensitive phrasing and tasteful ornamentation. Equally winning, and perhaps just a little more delicious in her pert, enchanting characterization of Morgana, was soprano Natasha Wilson. The sparkle in her voice and eyes made Morgana more vixen than temptress, and every moment she was on stage was a pleasure. Antony Walker, the company’s music director, led a brisk, exciting performance by an ensemble drawn from the Pittsburgh Opera Orchestra augmented by Chatham Baroque, a trio made up of Andrew Fouts (violin), Patricia Halverson (viola da gamba) and Scott Pauley (theorbo). In addition to performing as a trio, Chatham Baroque regularly collaborates with guest instrumentalists and vocalists in historically informed concerts of early music. Fouts served as concert master, providing bite and flourish to the ensemble with his incisive bowing, while Halverson and Pauley, joined by Mark Trawka on the harpsichord, provided the continuo. The trio of continuo players provided color, texture and depth to the musical fabric, especially Trawka’s judicious use of the lute stop on the harpsichord. Chief among the musical delights were the dulcet tones of the recorders and the excellent horn playing in the second part.
Chatham Baroque, Pittsburgh’s early music ensemble, bolstered the Pittsburgh Opera orchestra to provide support and a more historically informed approach to the score. This collaborative ensemble of about 25 players, led by music director Antony Walker, sounded well-matched on Saturday, luxuriant in some of the slower arias and swooping and stirring in some of the more rousing tunes. A small note — the dry acoustics of the CAPA auditorium made some ends of phrases sound abrupt; more taper on resting notes might ease this issue. Antonia Botti-Lodovico was obnoxiously petulant in the pants role (a woman playing a man) of the enchanted Ruggerio. She convincingly portrayed his arc of redemption back to a more heroic bearing and was a highlight in the second act aria “Verdi prati.” Soprano Caitlin Gotimer as Alcina was enchanting as she moved from all-powerful witch to jilted lover, achieving a pitiable sense of wretchedness in her later arias with a fraught, excitable tone. The set by Sarah Delaney Boyle appeared a touch cramped at the outset but brought Alcina’s island to life with terrible grandeur. Costuming by Jason Bray was well-planned and played a visual role in the characters’ individual progressions, as did the richly varied lighting by Nate Wheatley. As for the singers and their ornamentation, Ms. Wilson and Mr. Romero seemed to take to this naturally, and the others succeeded to varying degrees. This isn’t baroque opera as it would have been heard in the 1700s, but for an evening on the town in Pittsburgh, it’s a charming window to another style of opera and a fine evening’s entertainment.