BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2015
Concert Two - 16th June 2015
Orchestra of Welsh National Opera
Martyn Brabbins
It was the turn of the higher voices tonight - three sopranos and two tenors, but all with vastly different repertories.
Kelebogile Besong (soprano, 28. South Africa) : Come scoglio (Così fan tutte, Mozart), Morrò, ma prima in grazia (Un ballo in maschera, Verdi), The heart is never satisfied (Princess Magogo, Mzili Khumalo), Ah, je ris de me voir si belle (Faust, Gounod)
Kelebogile Besong has a medium-scale soprano voice that is likely to turn lyric-dramatic later on in life. She also has a timbre that might be called a bit of an acquired taste, with a fairly prominent vibrato. Her programme was mostly picked to demonstrate the range of the voice, Fiordiligi's first big aria being particularly a case in point, as the soprano for whom Mozart wrote it was particularly known for her ability to make huge vocal leaps. Besong managed those well, but the overall impact of the aria was not all it could have been, and there were glancing problems with intonation. The Verdi aria lacked line, and seemed indifferently suited to her. Then came what is surely going to be the absolute rarity of the competition, an aria in Zulu from Mzilikazi Khumalo's 2002 opera celebrating the life of Princess Constance Magogo. I said yesterday it was good to perform at least one number in one's native language - I'm assuming Zulu is Besong's, although South Africa boasts 11 official languages so I could be completely wrong. In any event, I'm hardly in any position to judge the quality of the diction, but I stand by what I said, that it erases some potential problems for the singer, and Besong certainly seemed more relaxed in this lament for a lost love. Finally, Marguerite's Jewel Song from Faust, with passable French, a good trill and fluid coloratura, concluded a solid presentation, but a difficult voice to assess, and a rather stolid stage presence.
Nico Darmanin (tenor, 30, Malta) : Questa o quella (Rigoletto, Verdi), Dalla sua pace (Don Giovanni, Mozart), Dal labbro il canto estasiato vola (Falstaff, Verdi), Tu seconda il mio disegno (Il Turco in Italia, Rossini)
Ever since I saw Nico Darmanin's name amongst the candidates, I was plagued with a nagging feeling that I knew him, yet at the same time was sure I had never heard him before. Then I read his bio, and it clicked. This was the tenor supposed to sing Prince Ramiro in Scottish Opera's production of La Cenerentola last October; he did sing most of the performances, I believe, but the night I was there, he had just fallen ill, so recently that his substitute had to sing the part from the side of the stage, while Darmanin acted it out mutely. So I had seen Darmanin, but not heard him. If, when you read "tenor" and "Malta", you were hoping for another Joseph Calleja, I'm afraid not. This is another tenore di grazia, light-timbred and agile. However, he seems to want to venture into the more lyric area, and both the Verdi arias were a mistake, his tone is not honeyed enough for this music. "Dalla sua pace" was rather bland, and a tactical error, since it meant that all of his programme was in Italian. He could have picked some Mozart in German instead. His best item was the Rossini, where the slightly nasal quality of his timbre (and I do not mean that unkindly) is suited to the music, and the coloratura was largely successfully negotiated. However, compared with Palchykov last night, the programme lacked variety, appropriateness and polish of execution.
Céline Forrest (soprano, 25, Wales) : Dove sono (Le Nozze di Figaro, Mozart), Donde lieta uscì (La bohème, Puccini), Kommt ein schlanker Bursch gegangen (Der Freischütz, Weber), Amour, ranime mon courage (Roméo et Juliette, Gounod)
The Welsh almost always manage to get a candidate into the Finals week of the Cardiff Singer, though I don't think they've had any luck with an outright winner as yet - the closest they've come was Bryn Terfel. However, I didn't feel too much pressure from the audience as Céline Forrest took her place on the platform, just a good deal of friendly support. She has a fine, clear, lyric soprano, and most of her programme was very nicely done indeed. "Dove sono" was the weakest element, sung quite correctly, but without much in the way of expression. The Bohème aria was gently touching, but sometimes the tone was a little too intimate, and covered by the orchestra. Then came a really delightful performance of Ännchen's little aria from Der Freischütz, fresh and flirtatious and very neat. Finally, a dramatic interpretation of the oft-cut (regrettably) "Air de la Coupe" from Gounod's Roméo et Juliette, with slightly obscured French that nevertheless sounded right when it could be made out, and full-blooded accompaniment from the orchestra. I think Martyn Brabbins must like Gounod; the Jewel Song earlier was also particularly excellently supported. At this stage of the evening, Forrest was the clear leader.
Jaeyoon Jung (tenor, 31, South Korea) : Una furtiva lagrima (L'elisir d'amore, Donizetti), Di rigori armato (Der Rosenkavalier, Richard Strauss), Che gelida manina (La bohème, Puccini)
Another tenor with an all-Italian language programme, and repertory that put him smack-dab in the middle of Pavarotti territory, with all the associations that brings. Not that I expected him to match those lofty standards, but he wasn't even within hailing distance. There were problems of intonation throughout, and the very end of "Una furtive lagrima" in particular went badly adrift. The top was oddly constricted, as if he was afraid to really let the sound bloom. Yet there were lovely things in this voice, and his Italian was beautifully clear, the kind of diction to which every singer should aspire. A revised coaching programme, to sort out the intonation and the tight upper notes, and he could become a very interesting singer indeed, but for tonight, he was only a disappointment.
Lauren Michelle (soprano, 31, USA) : Ain't it a pretty night (Susannah, Floyd), Embroidery in childhood (Peter Grimes, Britten), È strano (La traviata, Verdi)
Lauren Michelle is a slightly lighter, cooler-toned soprano than Forrest, with a crystalline top, and good coloratura, and her programme was decidedly refreshing. The Britten turned out to be a miscalculation, she did not really seem to sympathise much with Ellen Orford, and the Embroidery Aria's shifting harmonies gave her trouble in one or two places. The Floyd aria, now well-known in Europe thanks to such singers as Cheryl Studer and Renée Fleming, was good, yearning and evocative, though the balance with the orchestra should have been discussed more carefully beforehand - at the climax of the aria, the start of her phrase, which begins in the lower voice, was inaudible. Her pièce de résistance, however, was Violetta's big scene from the end of Act 1 of La traviata, recitative, aria and cabaletta delivered with burning energy and commitment, the voice brightly gleaming throughout. Her aria reminded you that Violetta is still very young, and that although her life as a courtesan has aged her far beyond her years, sometimes she can still dream as a girl might dream, while "Sempre libera" smouldered fiercely. This was an excellent performance, bold, original and compelling.
It was clear now that the contest this evening would be between Forrest and Michelle, and they both had their plus and minus points. In the end, the originality of Michelle's programming, and the daring of her Violetta, gave her the edge over Forrest's more conventional performance, and the American soprano was the winner tonight.
[Next : 17th June]
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