Actus Humanus, a festival of early music in Gdańsk, Poland, ended on December 17. I was there for the final concert, which featured the harpsichordist Christophe Rousset, the soprano Ann Hallenberg, and the period band Les Talens Lyriques. The repertoire was vocal and instrumental music inspired by the Academy Award-winning film on the life of the famous castrato “Farinelli.” Les Talens Lyriques had provided the soundtrack in 1994 and reprised the repertoire that night. (Full disclosure: the festival paid for my flights and hotel to attend, so I didn’t review the concert itself.) The performance took place in a large cathedral, backlit in purples and blues, and was packed both with regular attendees and media. A film crew operated a camera on a large crane. At times, it even seemed to interact with the music, hovering over the audience like some kind of large metallic snake refusing to be charmed. I met Rousset the next morning for breakfast. He wore a beige turtleneck and a silver bracelet, and talked with me about forgotten Italians, the Rolling Stones, and emergency harpsichord repairs.
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