The Garden of Love in the House of Nobility in Helsinki, the 14th of February, 2020

I am surely not the only person in the world, who has often thought, where goes the line between an opera and other types of music. This question popped into my mind once again when I was sitting on a Friday night in the House of Nobility in Helsinki listening the serenata “The Garden of Love” (or Venus and Adonis) by Alessandro Scarlatti. When in the early 18th century the papal seat attacked operas, many composers, who had earlier written operas, started composing oratorios and serenatas, which are sometimes surprisingly close to operas at least in the ears of a layman. I could have easily classified “The Garden of Love” by the Finnish Baroque Orchestra (FiBO) as an opera, if the programme leaflet hadn’t told me otherwise. The work was an absolute pearl performed by an orchestra and two singers. The acoustics of the House of Nobility also fit this serenata on the dot even if the singers moved around in the hall. 

”The Garden of Love” is a love story. Venus and Adonis both year for their love and when they meet each other, after some skirmishes they notice that they cannot live separate from each other. Birdsong plays an important role in this serenata and the warble of the fipple flute (played by super skillful Hanna Haapamäki) and bird whistles made the audience feel as if they were in the middle of a garden.  

FiBo played during the evening in addition to the seranata (actually mixed with it) a symphony by Nicola Porpora’s , two sonatas for cembalo from Domenico Scarlatti and a part of a sonata by Francesco Manicini. They all fit the seranata well. All in all, FiBO was in great shape and especially violonist Aira Maria Lehtipuu was the soul of the performance.   

But the greatest stars of the evening were the soloists, that is, Susanna Lagner as Venus and Tuuli Lindeberg as Adonis. Lagner’s alto fit perfectly to baroque music and was a pleasure to listen to. Flawless technique and unbelievably effortlessly flowing voice made an unforgettable impression. Especially in the aria ”Augeletti, sì, cantate” the atmosphere was truly gripping from the first note to the last. And Tuuli Lindeberg was in no way second best. Her soprano glowed even in the most difficult parts. The most wonderful moment was when she sang in “competition” with the trumpet played by Miikka Saarinen in the aria “Con battaglia di fiero tormento”. If I had not heard it myself, I would not have believed how well a trumpet and Lindeberg’s strong soprano voice fitted together.

When both soloists had already had a chance to exhibit their supreme singing skills, what more can you expect from their duet than perfection. You really did not want that duet to end. No wonder, the audience had difficulties to stop clapping. What a fantastic performance and a wonderful start for my opera weekend!