Fans of symphonic and operatic music got the best of both worlds in last weekend’s Vancouver Symphony concert. Music director Salvador Brotons led the orchestra in an emotionally rewarding program that paired Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto with Giacomo Puccini’s rarely heard “Messa di Gloria” and the even more rarely Intermezzo to Pietro Mascagni’s opera “Amica.” In spite of the inclement weather, which must have affected rehearsals, the concert that I attended at Skyview Concert Hall on Saturday (February 25) was exceptional.
The orchestra’s newly minted artist-in-residence, Orli Shaham, delivered a scintillating performance of Schumann’s Piano Concerto. With her hands flying deftly over the keyboard, Shaham delivered impeccable passages that had plenty of dynamic contrast. The fast sections sparkled energetically and the quiet, dreamy portions of the piece floated effortlessly. Her fortes were just as riveting as her pianissimos. Her brilliant interpretation elicited applause upon closing out the first movement. She gave the second stylish and elegant phrasing without being fussy. The third movement sprang forward with a carefree joie de vivre, and Shaham created a sense of dancing into the finale, causing the audience to erupt with applause and a standing ovation.
Before the piano concerto, Brotons and the orchestra generated big, sweeping waves of passion and drama with the Intermezzo to Mascagni’s “Amica.” Each dark and brooding passage would gather steam and explode (with a huge blow from the timpani) like a volcano and be followed by lighter music that would gradually sink into another stormy sequence. It made me wonder what the rest of the opera was like.
Mascagni and Puccini were roommates while they were students at the Milan Conservatory – an interesting historical tidbit. Yet Puccini, who came from a family of church musicians, had already written his “Messa a quattro voci,” commonly known as the “Messa di Gloria,” for orchestra, chorus, and two soloists. It was performed spectacularly in the second half of the concert with the Portland Symphonic Choir, tenor Katherine Goforth, and baritone Anton Belov.
Conducting impressively from memory, Brotons elicited a totally committed sound from all forces. The choir carried the load of almost continuous singing for 45 minutes with verve, which was spot on for the operatic style of Puccini's piece. Despite singing with masks, the choir's diction was excellent – you could understand the words of the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei clearly – except for the Et resurrexit section of the Credo. That was a remarkable achievement considering that no sheet with the text was provided to the audience – nor were the words projected on the two large screens on either side of the stage.
The choir, superbly prepared by Alissa Deeter, beautifully conveyed passages that were warm and soothing, but also transitioned to more robust and declamatory sections with verve. They dug into the operatic style of the piece with gusto – all the while maintaining a balanced sound that made the piece exciting.
Katherine Goforth proclaimed her lines with a heroic style that was absolutely convincing. Anton Belov marvelously mined the lower part of his voice to bring out – also heroically – his solos. Their positions in front of the stage on separate platforms on either side of the orchestra worked extremely well – even for their duet with orchestra and chorus.
How in the world Brotons committed the music to memory is quite astounding. The score has constant shifts in meter, lots of dynamic twists and turns, and a myriad of crucial cues for instrumentalists and singers. He nailed all of it, and that certainly enhanced the performance.
Brotons’ ability to work with singers and instrumentalists makes a strong case for the VSO to branch out into concert performances of operas. Just wondering!
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