“Dopo notte”

However, the period of dominance of the Neapolitan opera school brought another breakthrough. While until then Italian opera had been almost exclusively the domain of Italian composers, in the first half of the 18^th century, two German composers managed to achieve extraordinary success in Italy itself – George Frideric Handel (1685‒1759) and Johann Adolph Hasse (1699‒1783). The lives of these giants intersected – some of the singers cast in both composers' productions, and both also worked in London. While Handel remained in England permanently and many of his works became part of the canon of English Baroque music, for Hasse his work in London became only an episode in his life. He returned to the continent, accepted the prestigious position of Kapellmeister at the court of the Elector of Saxony and the King of Poland in Dresden, where the orchestra was then among the best in Europe, and kept returning to Italy, where he also spent the last years of his life. Both the mezzo-soprano Faustina Bordoni (1697‒1781) and the castrato Giovanni Carestini (1700‒1759) were among the top stars of the period who performed in both composers' operas. Bordoni also became Hasse's wife.

The aforementioned aspects come together on the solo recording of mezzo-soprano Megan Kahts entitled Dopo notte (based on Handel's aria of the same name from the opera Ariodante), which was recorded on February 6^th, 2025 under her own direction (Solo Musica label – recording catalog number SM 493). It is a selection of arias composed for Faustina Bordoni and Giovanni Carestini by Handel (operas Ariodante, Alessandro, Alcina and Tolomeo) and Hasse (operas Arminio, Tito Vespasiano and Cleofide). In terms of the repertoire, these are compositions that place really high technical and interpretative demands on the performer. This is also evident in the performance of Megan Kahts, who handles the demanding technique bravely and relatively well, including large intonation leaps. There are just some coloratura figures which she is unable to keep in the correct intonation; it also applies to some improvised ornaments which then makes their suitability questionable. However, I see a greater issue in the very uneven pronunciation of the libretto. While in technically very exposed passages I completely understand the secondary role of the text, in some arias the words are incomprehensible to the listener even where there is sufficient technical space for clear pronunciation. This then logically detracts from the overall articulatory intelligibility of the music and the emotional plasticity of the da capo arias. In some places, on the contrary, Kahts is able to use the dramatic potential of the text, but generally these are rather isolated places. The stylistic aspect is also not very sophisticated. Namely, Kahts has invested quite significantly in technical brilliance which can work effectively in a live performance but is not enough for a recording. The monotony of interpretation is most evident in the slow ten-minute aria Scherza infida in grembo al drudo from Handel's opera Ariodante, in which Kahts is unable to maintain the necessary tension and the solo parts tend to fall apart into individual sections. The orchestra, on the other hand, contributes to maintaining the whole.

Orchestral parts in this type of repertoire are usually not particularly elaborate, but the Wiener Akademie Orchestra, led by harpsichordist Jeremy Joseph, gives a very reliable and good performance here, which undoubtedly represents an important support for the soloist. However, the one-sided orientation towards the presentation of the singing performance was reflected in a flawed recording balance. This is evident, for example, in the difference in sharpness of the harpsichord recorded up close compared to the bassoon in continuo, whose timbre is recorded from a more significant distance. It is also significant that the booklet completely lacks information on the orchestral line-up.

Solo records of singers with selected arias represent a specific genre, where the presentation of vocal qualities in the chosen repertoire is given priority. However, Megan Kahts was not able to fully achieve the intended effect and the overall interpretative impression of the recording remains somewhat hesitant. The technique itself, which is not always completely perfect, is not in itself a sufficient prerequisite for the implementation of such an ambitious project as the selection of coloratura arias for some of the best opera stars of the first half of the 18^th century undoubtedly is.