The Ghosts of Hamlet by Le Concert de l’Hostel Dieu and Roberta Mameli

The legend of Prince Hamlet, as told in  Gesta Danorum  of Saxo Grammaticus, served as the basis for Shakespeare’s tragedy, while also inspiring a number of Italian operas of the 18th century.

One point these operas have in common: they are all lost! It was the meticulous research and restoration work of musicologist Paolo Vittorio Montanari that enabled Le Concert de l’Hostel Dieu to come up with this totally original project based on fragments found in various Italian libraries.

This previously unpublished music by Scarlatti, Gasparini, Carcani, and Vignati is mainly inspired by two female characters revolving around Hamlet: the romantic Veremonda (whom Shakespeare calls Ophelia) and Hamlet’s mother Gerilda (Gertrude), torn between love for her son and passion for her cold, unfaithful husband. 

Roberta Mameli, a charismatic and passionate soprano, interprets the different figures who inspired Scarlatti and his contemporaries to write expressive, brilliant, and charming arias. In addition to discovering these completely new musical gems, this project will transport you into the exciting, mysterious, and fascinating world of Hamlet, whose ghosts will enliven this lovely stroll through a rediscovered baroque Italy.

Program

Francesco Gasparini 
Sinfonia: Andante/Presto/Andante/Presto – Excerpt from the opera Ambleto (Venice, 1705) 

Giuseppe Carcani 
“Segui ad amar costante” – Excerpt from the opera Ambleto (Venice, 1742) 

Carlo Francesco Pollarolo 
“ D’ire armato il braccio forte” – Excerpt from the opera Ambleto (London, 1712) 

Johann Joseph Fux 
“Aria per la furie” – Excerpt from the opera Angelica vincitrice (Vienna, 1716) 

Domenico Scarlatti 
“Nella mia sfortunata prigionia” – Excerpt from the opera Ambleto (Roma, 1715) 

Francesco Gasparini 
“Cinto d’amiche rose un dì crescea” – Excerpt from the opera Ambleto (Venice, 1705) 

Johann Adolf Hasse 
Sinfonia in G minor: Allegro/Andante/Allegro (Paris edition, 1740) 

Georg-Friedrich Handel 
“Tu indegno sei dell’allor” – Excerpt from the opera Ambleto (London, 1712) 

Francesco Gasparini 
“Nella mia sfortunata prigionia”  – Excerpt from the opera Ambleto (Venice, 1705) 

Giuseppe Carcani 
“Più fido non poss’io” – Excerpt from the opera Ambleto (Venice, 1742) 

Georg-Friedrich Handel 

Gavotte and Tamburino – Excerpt from the opera Alcina HWV 34 (London, 1735) 

Francesco Gasparini 
“Stelle voi, che de’regnanti” – Excerpt from the opera Ambleto (Venice, 1705) 

Giuseppe Carcani 
“Son sdegnato e son geloso” – Excerpt from the opera Ambleto (Venice, 1742) 

 

Cast

Roberta Mameli, Soprano 

Le Concert de l’Hostel Dieu 

Franck-Emmanuel Comte, Harpsichord and Musical Direction 

Paolo Vittorio Montanari, Musicology and Edition 

On Stage: One soloist, six instrumentalists 

Roberta Mameli, Soprano 

Franck-Emmanuel Comte, Direction and Harpsichord

Le Concert de l’Hostel Dieu 

Minori Deguchi, Violin 

André Costa, Violin 

Aurélie Métivier, Viola 

Aude Walker-Viry, Cello

Ulrik Larsen, Theorbo 

Le Concert de l’Hostel Dieu 

Since its inception, le Concert de l’Hostel Dieu has been a major player in the French Baroque scene. The set is distinguished by a sensitive and dynamic approach to interpretation of the vocal and instrumental repertoire of the 18th century, promoting systematically an historical and philological approach. Under the direction of Franck-Emmanuel Comte, passionate artist and committed educator, the ensemble defends the originality and specificity of a regional repertoire by highlighting baroque manuscripts preserved in the libraries of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. It thus realizes various renditions and editions of unpublished scores, rich of the privileged links, which Lyon maintained with Italy. 

Transposing the richness and diversity of baroque music to our time is one of the strengths of Le Concert de l’Hostel Dieu. Nourished by stimulating artistic collaborations, the ensemble brings together the different baroque aesthetics with various cultures and artists from diverse backgrounds. Its creations reinvent the concert format and aim at reaching at new audiences of different ages and also to perform in outlying areas. 

As well as creating and performing, Le Concert de l’Hostel Dieu also supports young soloists at the beginning of their careers, noticed at international singing competitions or academies. 

Read more about Le Concert de l’Hostel Dieu here.

Franck-Emmanuel Comte 

Conductor and harpsichordist specialized in the performance of baroque and classical repertoires on historical instruments, Franck-Emmanuel Comte strives above all to share his passion with the broadest possible audience. His artistic projects are habitually developed in tandem with musical outreach initiatives. 

In 1992, he founded le Concert de l’Hostel Dieu (CHD), a Lyon-based instrumental ensemble dedicated to the baroque repertoire, which he is continues to lead as artistic director. He has directed the orchestra in more than 1500 concerts and recorded more than 20 CDs. Regularly invited to conduct in cultural capitals in Europe and worldwide, Franck-Emmanuel Comte is particularly interested by regional baroque repertoires and interdisciplinary or out-of-the-ordinary projects. 

Strongly committed to transmission and professional integration, he teaches baroque aesthetics at the Université Catholique de Lyon and is a member of the jury of the Concours international de chant baroque de Froville, which discovers new vocal talents every year. 

Franck-Emmanuel Comte is also the artistic director of the Centre Musical International J.-S. Bach de Saint-Donat and of the Festival baroque du Pays du Mont-Blanc. 

Roberta Mameli 

Born in Rome, Roberta Mameli graduated in singing at the Nicolini Conservatory in Piacenza and in violin, followed by master classes with Bernadette Manca di Nissa, Ugo Benelli, Konrad Richter, Claudio Desderi, and Enzo Dara. 

She is currently considered one of the spearheads of the Baroque repertoire, thanks to her versatility and her great qualities as a performer and actor. 

Roberta Mameli is a regular guest at the most prestigious opera houses and music halls and she is much in demand for her crystal-clear voice and brilliant, powerful timbre in the baroque repertoire. She also works with a number of ensembles on period instruments, including Accademia Bizantina, Contrasto Armonico and Ensemble Inégal, Il Complesso Barocco, L’Arte del Mondo, La Risonanza, La Venexiana, Le Concert des Nations, Cappella Cracoviensis, Europa Galante, Stuttgarter Kammerorchester, Modo Antiquo, Cappella Mediterranea, I Barocchisti and the Akademie für Alte Musik. L’incoronazione di Dario by A. Vivaldi (CD and DVD) on Dynamic is the latest solo album Anime Amanti on Alpha that won the prestigious Diapason d’or 2017 prize. 

Security Rules: Each person attending the event must have a ticket registered in their name and a government-issued ID that matches the name on the reservation to enter the Embassy. No one will be admitted without a reservation and official ID. Due to strict security measures, please arrive on time, as doors will be closed at 7:30 pm sharp. Please allow for extra time for security screenings.