The Toronto Symphony Orchestra presented a powerful evening of late-19th century musical drama on Wednesday night in the company of visiting Italian conductor Gianandrea Noseda and Caledon-based soprano Sondra Radvanovsky.
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The opera singer chose to make her long-overdue Toronto Symphony début with two signature arias that highlighted her powerful, dramatic voice, and even more potent ability to imbue every note and every phrase with meaning and purpose: “Mercè, dilette amiche” (Thank you, dear friends) from I vespri siciliani, by Giuseppe Verdi; and the “Letter Scene,” from Peter Ilytch Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin.
Radvanovsky’s performance was so fine, that it made one wish that there were two or three more substantial arias to fill the programme.
The boisterous, full house was graced with an encore, “Spring Waters,” by Sergei Rachmaninov, in which Radvanovsky easily and sang over a full symphony orchestra to fill Roy Thomson Hall with her glorious voice.
Hopefully, this was but the first of many more concert visits with the TSO.
Normally, it would be difficult for any orchestra to compete with the sheer artistic wattage of a soloist like Radvanovsky. But, thanks to Noseda, there wasn’t a single dull moment when the soprano wasn’t on stage.
The opera arias were complemented by expertly shaped Act III ballet music from the Parisian score to Verdi’s opera Macbeth, and by a better-than-jaunty “Polonaise” from Onegin.
But the real instrumental treat came after the intermission, with one of the most moving performances I have ever heard of Tchaikovsky’s often-programmed Symphony No. 6 — his passion-fuelled, 45-minute swan song, premiered a few days before his death in 1893.
It’s now nearly 10 years since Noseda’s first TSO conducting visit. As impressive as his first concerts were, the now internationally-lauded conductor has grown so much. His shaping of a musical phrase can be so strong, one occasionally feels like one can touch it and caress its contours.
Another strength of the maestro’s is how deftly he manages silence as well as sound.
Despite a couple of ragged moments during the first half, the orchestra was every bit Noseda’s equal in helping produce this memorable evening. With deep, strong work from the string and gorgeous balance from the brass, the symphony’s Finale became a cri de coeur to rival the most tragic moment on any opera stage.
It was a gorgeous moment of catharsis so precious in a concert hall.
Catch Saturday’s repeat performance, if you possibly can. If not, look for it on CBC Radio 2’s In Concert on Sunday, May 20.
For TSO tickets, click here.
John Terauds
- Classical Music 101: What Does A Conductor Do? - June 17, 2019
- Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019
- CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019
