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Starting with the third edition, the Key Festival of the National Music University of Bucharest was opened on the evening of April 5, 2011 by the performance of Prof. asoc. Dr. Anda Tăbăcaru Hogea with Alcina by G. Fr. Händel, directed by Adrian Butterfield (UK). The soloists, mostly second year students, were accompanied by the Barockers Orchestra conducted by Adrian Buciu, who used modern instruments and tuning, with exceptions, of course, the presence of clavecin and chaff.

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The invited conductor began his musical training as a coroner of St. George's Cathedral, Cambridge, graduating from Trinity College. Currently, he is the Music Director of the Tilford Bach Society and Associate Director of the London Händel Festival. He directs ensembles such as the London Händel Orchestra and Players and Theater of Early Music in Montreal, often leading from the position of master / soloist concert. His discography includes both recordings as a conductor and violinist. Written on the libretto L'isola di Alcina attributed to Riccardo Broschi, a libretto inspired by Ludovicico Ariosto's epic Orlando furioso epic poem, Alcina, a fantasy opera series, premiered in 1735.

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The action takes place on an island dominated by the witch Alcina, who, for her own amusement, seduced foreigners who had come to her territory and then transformed them into plants and animals. The witch is eventually defeated by those who are looking for loved ones and discovering the truth by managing to get away with illusion. Extremely interesting were the directorial design of Anda Tabacaru-Hogea and the scenography made by Anca Albani.

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Modern costumes, but with antique elements and video projections adapted to each scene, were elements integrated into the narrative of this work. It is worth mentioning here the decorators Oana Micu and Nevenka Todorovska and the costume assistants Raluca Fratiloiu, Ioana Nestorescu and Elena Gheorghe, students of the National University of Arts in Bucharest. The design of the wigs was made by Andreea Sandulescu and the stage movement by Monica Mihaescu - another powerful point of the show, which combines elements of baroque and contemporary dance especially in the figurative plane, "animals" and "plants" taking part in the action.

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Very often, when we watch a show on the stage of the national opera, we can notice some beautiful voices, and if the score is particularly difficult, a few performers who managed to play correctly. Conservative student production seems to bring hope for a quality show that revives the professional stage. Some of them, at the beginning of their career, learn, the seven soloists have proved not only vocal and technical qualities, but especially a good understanding of style, although baroque music is the subject of study of a separate module, and singing teachers and students alike are more interested in the 19th century opera.

It is especially the merit of those who assured the musical training of the students (Mihai Vartosu and Andreiana Rosca in the first phase and Verona Maier and Mihai Ghiga in the stage preceding the orchestra). Impressive was how soprano Rodica Vica gave life to the main character. The soloist really managed to enchant the public through the expressive wealth of interpretation, easily passing from control and domination to panic and despair. Alcina's role is provocative both as a game but especially from a vocal point of view, demanding virtuosity, lyricism at certain moments, dramatic accents in others, evolving from the hypnotic trilogy in the first area to aggressive tones sustained on broad vocalizations. Interpreter of the role of Oberto, soprano Ana Cebotari shone through both technical qualities and vocal warmth as well as scenic nature, the character being the exponent of innocence that overcame Alcina's evil play.

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Pradesh Bradamante - Ruggiero (mezzo-sons Adina Secobeanu and Emanuela Pascu) and Melisso (bass Justinian Zetea) were two other values: love and wisdom. Simpatic was the couple Morgana - Oronte performed by soprano Veronica Anusca (1st Prize at the 2011 edition of Lyrical Art Master Contest) and by tenor Nicolae Simonov. The two performers brought the color spot, the comic element in the action, being first confused, misled and then confronted with reality.

The only points below the orchestra are where the intonation was not always clean. With this issue resolved by the use of antique instruments, the representation could have stood on any European scene. Violinist Mihai Ghiga has made a major contribution, making solo moments. It was a convincing performance whose "course" was performed in spite of the many and complicated solistic pages (Alcina had not less than 5 areas), balanced in terms of tension, color, tradition and modernity at the same time.

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We have witnessed not only the success of artists, but the triumph of Baroque music in the Romanian artistic environment, where such initiatives belong only to enthusiasts. It is interesting that the ambitious projects of the National University of Music always have a large, enthusiastic and satisfied audience, whether it be a baroque or contemporary opera, as was the case with the Orestia II show by Aurel Stroe, presented in October 2010.

Alcina de Handel will be interpreted by the same young artists on May 7 a.m. on the stage of National Opera in Bucharest, led by conductor Adrian Buciu. We wish them success and we hope the production will be integrated in the next season!

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