interview: Guitarist/lutenist Richard Savino on playing Handel’s “Partenope” at SF Opera and more
When Handel’s baroque opera “Partenope” returned to San Francisco Opera in June, Grammy-nominated guitarist and lutenist Richard Savino also returned in a special orchestra appearance to play basso-continuo. One of the world’s foremost early music instrumentalists, Savino’s sublime playing stands out, even among the magnificent arias in this zany Christopher Alden production from 2008 which had its premiere at SF Opera 2014 and marked the Company’s first ever performance of this opera. I attended Sunday’s packed matinee and Savino spent much of the intermissions fielding questions and posing for photos with his theorbo and baroque guitar. Anyone watching him can see that he loves talking about his playing and how that really fuels the audience. For this production, Savino plays both instruments in a basso-continuo ensemble with Christopher Moulds (conductor/ harpsichord) and Evan Kahn (SF Opera Orchestra principal cellist). Much of his part is quasi-improvised since “basso-continuo” is a short kind of notation that indicates the harmonic chord changes. This is similar to a lead sheet that a rock or jazz rhythm section would play from with the individual musicians determining how the music will be voiced. The intention of having the theorbo and guitar as part of the continuo section is that it is a blended sound but once you recognize Savino’s rich sound, it tends to stand out and you begin to zero in on it.
It surprised me to discover, through some oversight on SF Opera’s part, Richard Savino’s name does not appear anywhere in their program book for “Partenope”. With just one remaining performance, this Friday, they should find a way to give him credit.
Describe your experience with Handel’s “Partenope:” how many different productions have you played in over the years? Same for Handel’s operas: how many have you performed in?
Richard Savino: I have played many Handel operas including “Rodelinda,” “Giulio Cesare,” “Acis & Galatea,” “Orlando,” “Agrippina,” but this is my first “Partenope,” and it has been a remarkable experience. SF Opera has assembled one of the best casts overall that I’ve ever worked with, and I have worked with some stunning casts and soloists. Christopher Moulds is a fantastic conductor to work with. He’s a great musician who understands the pacing of the work which keeps me on my toes constantly. His musical instincts also complement Christopher Alden’s production perfectly.
I would love to be able to say that I have played every Handel opera, but that alone would be a lifetime of work. As a composer he was very unique. Beyond being a virtuoso on harpsichord and organ, he wrote in more diverse genres than any composer of his generation. And more importantly, he composed works in many languages including German, Italian, English, and Spanish, while also composing in each of these national styles. While visiting Naples in approximately 1708 (the seat of the Spanish Viceroy in Southern Italy), he composed a piece in Spanish with guitar accompaniment titled “No se emenderá jamás.” I edited and recorded this work with my ensemble El Mundo for our Grammy nominated CD “The Kingdoms of Castile.”
What is tricky or delightful about specific passages in this opera?
Richard Savino: The role for my instruments (theorbo, guitar & lute) in Handel operas is 90 percent playing basso continuo, which is a kind of improvised accompaniment. On occasion, Handel did compose an “obbligato” part, but not in “Partenope.” But he did specify occasions when he wanted just the theorbo on its own, so there are at least three or four occasions where it’s just me accompanying the singers. My playing is heard most clearly in the recitatives—the spoken/sung dialogue that propels the story forward versus the arias which then explore this emotional environment.
As for tricky, it’s the rapid fire sections of recitative where we, the basso continuo section (theorbo, harpsichord & cello) have to listen to every nuance and subtle gesture coming from the singers. For me, this is extremely difficult since the singers are behind me and I cannot see them. Also, they often change how they are singing these passages. Another difficult aspect that is that Handel usually had two “pluckers” tuned a tone apart to accommodate the diverse keys in the piece. For example: the key of C Minor is quite easy on a lute tuned in G, but very difficult for a theorbo tuned in A.
As for delightful, I really enjoy it when the singers change things because it means I can never let my guard down for three hours. It’s an excellent way to ward off dementia.
Will you elaborate more on the continuo and its function in a baroque opera such as “Partenope.”
Richard Savino: It came about at the turn of the 17th century and was meant to be a quasi-improvised manner of performing that would respond to the way the singers would sing a particular piece. It was the consequence of the meetings of the Florentine Camarata, a group of humanists that included Giulio Caccini, Vincenzo Galilei and Jacobo Peri, who got together to emulate Greek oratory and music. They hypothesized about how it must have entailed spontaneity and improvisation between poets, singers and how it would be accompanied by a lyre. That was the birth of monody, the initial basis of opera. Much of these early operas by Monteverdi, Caccini, Peri and Cesti consist of collections of these little monodies which consist of a bassline and harmony that supports a singer, much like the way the rhythm section functions in a jazz combo. When I’m playing continuo, I’m reading from the bassline, and am enhancing that. The idea is to reflect the affection of the text and to create some sort of dialogue with the singer and reflect their interpretation of what’s going on and that’s a gas. Our job is similar to that of a rhythm guitar player in a rock or jazz band. We’re providing harmonic, rhythmic, and bass upon which the singers will lay their voices.
What theorbo you are playing at SF opera? Is this an actual baroque theorbo or a replica? In terms of sound, do the period theorbos have the best tone when compared to the replicas, or, are the replicas just as good?
Richard Savino: For this production, I am performing on a copy of a 17th century Vendelio Venere theorbo by Anna Radice of Bologna. I have played on some original lutes and, as far as we can ascertain, my copy has the same sound. Original lutes and theorbos are very delicate instruments. Most that have survived from the 17th and 18th centuries are now in museums.
The sound of the theorbo is quite diverse. It can provide harmony, but also little melodic passages that, for a lack of a better word, sound like velvet. But it also has these long extended bass strings that I play with my right hand thumb and are quite powerful. Whenever you hear a big, booming pointed bass note, that I describe as a “doing!”…that is me.
The baroque guitar I play is a copy of one made by Antonio Stradivarius made by local San Francisco builder Mel Wong. The guitar is an interesting instrument in that it can be both aggressive but also very sensitive and delicate, and, just like today, is perfect for dance music.
You played in Christopher Mold’s conducting debut with SF Opera Orchestra in 2019 for Handel’s “Orlando.” What does he bring to this production of “Partenope” and what is special about his conducting?
Chris has a deep understanding of baroque music; he’s demanding in the best ways, but knows how to work with musicians. His conducting is extremely succinct, and he hears everything. For a person with that kind of talent it’s easy to become full of yourself, but Chris is always genuine. He’s one of the few true maestros who does not suffer from “Maestro Syndrome.”
We have a shared passion for baroque music and that has led to a natural comradery and both of our careers are quite varied. In addition to conducting baroque works, Chris also loves to conduct Mozart and bel canto pieces. Similarly, roughly18 of my 38 recordings are on 19th century or modern classical guitar. I have at least eight CDs of music by the great Mauro Giuliani, who was a contemporary of Beethoven.
Will you talk about a moment in this production of “Partenope” that you have come to love through experiencing it performed?
Richard Savino: The end of act two is incredibly intense. (Dramatically, this is where Rosmira and Arsace, who are alone together, struggle and it’s with deep conflicting emotions.) I feel like I’m playing in a death metal band like Judas Priest or in an intense Jazz Fusion band like the Mahavishnu Orchestra. After playing at Chris’ intensity and tempo, I have a fantastic high.
How do this production’s references to the Man Ray, Surrealism and Dada add to the overall production?
Richard Savino: This production is sleek and visually stimulating, but I’ve only had a couple of chances to actually watch since I’m facing the audience and the singers are behind me. This opera is primarily a vehicle to exploit the vocal virtuosity of the singers. When Handel first proposed the libretto by Silvio Stampiglia to the Royal Academy of Music in 1726, it was rejected. He then proposed it four years later to the Kings Theater where it received its premier in 1730. Interestingly, it had also been set by a number of other composers, including Antonio Vivaldi. But most remarkably, to me at least, is that it was set to music by Manuel Zumaya and premiered in Mexico City in 1711. Below is a copy of the printed libretto for this performance:
If somehow you had the chance to speak with Handel, what would you ask him?
Richard Savino: I would probably be too intimidated to ask him anything. He was a consummate and complete artist, I believe the most diverse of his generation. There is an account of one of his pieces being performed in Rome and being conducted by the great violinist and composer Arcangelo Corelli. It was an overture in the French style that was frustrating Corelli and he finally threw his hands up and said something to the effect of “Caro mio Sassone,” My dear Saxon, I have no idea how to perform/direct your music. From that point forward, Handel took over. There is another account of a keyboard competition of sorts between Handel and Domenico Scarlatti on harpsichord and organ. If I’m not mistaken, the result was that Scarlatti was deemed the greater virtuoso on harpsichord and Handel on the organ. While in Rome, Handel was a participant in musical academies at the Palazzo Pamphili and, oddly enough, I have a relationship with the present Marchese Pamphili.
When we last spoke, you were working on a number of projects related to various artists, such as the Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi and were creating videos for a billionaire’s collection of old masters. What now? Any interesting archive diving?
Richard Savino: I have been extremely busy with a number of different projects. I’ve been engaged by the Leiden Collection, founded in 2003 by Thomas S. Kaplan, the metals investor and art collector from New York, and his wife Daphne Recanati Kaplan, to create original soundtracks for the videos that accompany their art, the world’s largest private collection of Rembrandts (13), the only privately owned Vermeer (“Young Woman Seated at a Virginal”(ca. 1670–72), and dozens of paintings by Dutch masters, many in Rembrandt’s circle, over 250 rare paintings. They call their holdings “The Leiden Collection,” after Rembrandt’s Dutch birthplace. (view videos at: https://www.theleidencollection.com/videos/)
I also continue to edit works from archives of the Guatemala City cathedral. I recorded the CD “Archivo de Guatemala” for Naxos which received a four-star review and was a featured disc of the week for London’s Sunday Guardian newspaper. (https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/apr/22/el-mundo-richard-salvino-archivo-de-guatemala-review-andrew-clements-classical-album-of-the-week)
My most recent project is editing and planning to record the music of the early 19th century Peruvian composer Pedro Ximénez Abrill y Tirado (1784–1856). He was an incredible figure who composed over 40 symphonies, 40 masses, dozens of chamber works, and over 200 solo pieces for guitar. He was well known and published in Europe, and was eventually appointed Maestro di Capella at the Sucre Cathedral in Bolivia. In the fall, I plan to travel to Bolivia and I will be archive diving. I find sleuthing rewarding and exciting. A coup attempt was just averted a few hours ago, so I’ll go if it’s safe.
When you are working on a project like the Abrill y Tirado premiere recording, how do you balance staying true to his music and feeling like you are creating something of your own that is not a just copy of his style?
Richard Savino: My first priority is to respect the music and, if it’s a premiere recording, to attempt to “recreate” the sound performance qualities that I imagine the composer would have experienced. Having studied the performance practices of many different epochs, and being a wise old sage, I’m relatively confident with my approach. That being said, there’s always the chance that I have missed the mark and I also believe that there is no such thing as absolute authenticity. I have an adage that I often say before giving a masterclass or lecture: “dogma is the antithesis of art”.
Where can we hear more of your playing?
Richard Savino: In July, I’ll be performing in Purcell’s 1688 opera “Dido and Aeneas” with Festival Opera in Walnut Creek. In September, I have been invited to participate and share the stage with the great classical guitarist (and one of my idols) John Williams at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and the multiple concerts in Los Angeles, Houston, and New York. In November, I’ll perform “La Flora,” an opera composed by Antonio Sartorio and Marc’Antonio Ziani in 1681, with the cutting edge opera company Ars Minerva, created and run by my dear friend and wonderful singer, Celine Ricci. I also have over 38 commercial CDs as soloist, principal performer, or director most of which can be heard online or on the physical CD, my preferred choice.
Details:
There is one remaining performance of Handel’s “Partenope” at SF Opera: Friday, June 28, 2024 at 7:30 PM. The performance is sung in Italian with English supertitles and is approximately 3 hours and 30 mins with two intermissions. Savino is in the pit before the performance and at intermissions. Info and tickets: https://www.sfopera.com/operas/partenope/
No comments yet.
ARThound 
Leave a comment