Arias, duets and orchestral selections from Le nozze di Figaro, Gianni Schicchi, Macbeth, Samson et Dalilah, Carmen, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Romeo et Juliette, Eugene Onegin, Le Cid, La traviata, Turandot, Martha / Mané Galoyan (Armenia), sop., Carolyn Sproule (Canada), mezzo., Matthew Cairns (Canada), ten., Vito Priante (Italy), bar. Canadian Opera Company Orchestra, Johannes Debus, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, December 31, 2023.
Now that 2023 has been relegated to history, Toronto music fans can look back on the past year with fondness, a year that was filled with marvellous music, despite the ever-present pandemic, and the overwhelming social and political problems of the world. Thanks to the Hungarian Canadian impresario couple Attila and Marion Glatz, Toronto audiences were treated once again to a doubleheader of musical events on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, in the form of Bravissimo! and Salute to Vienna.
Bravissimo! the opera gala made a welcome return after a forced hiatus due to COVID, and not a moment too soon. I am fond of joking that these musical extravaganzas are the equivalent of comfort food, designed for the ear and for the heart, if not for the stomach. With its program of “opera’s greatest hits,” it is a veritable musical smorgasbord to suit every taste.
Instead of a pickup orchestra, the 2023 concert had the distinction of the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra under the expert baton of its Music Director Johannes Debus. The attendance was not quite up to the pre-pandemic level, but the audience was every bit as enthusiastic as in the past. The program opened with the lively Overture to Glinka’s Ruslan und Ludmilla. Debus led the COC Orchestra with brisk tempo, with the musicians responded splendidly, playing with great precision, every note in place. A terrific start to the proceedings.
Italian baritone Vito Priante kicked off with Figaro’s aria “Non piu andrai” from Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro. His beautiful, warm baritone was a real pleasure. Opera fans will remember his other Figaro, back in 2020 in the COC’s Il barbiere di Siviglia. Great to hear again his striking “Largo al factotum” from the Rossini warhorse, vividly sung and acted, wisely not resorting to falsetto in the comic moments. He also offered a terrific Toreador Song from Bizet’s Carmen for good measure.
This concert marked the Toronto debut of Armenian soprano Mané Galoyan, the Donna Anna in COC’s upcoming Don Giovanni. Her “O mio babbino caro,” had beautifully focused sound, a shimmering quality in her high piano. She followed it with a sparkling “Je veux vivre,” and ended with the archetypal showpiece, “Estrano….Sempre libera” from La traviata. The over-enthusiastic audience applauded before the cabaletta — I suppose a bit of over-enthusiasm on New Year’s Eve is not going to hurt anyone. Incidentally, she eschewed the interpolated high E flat at the end, but what she did sing was wonderful.
Canadian mezzo Carolyn Sproule, in town for rehearsals of Cunning Little Vixen, contributed two showstoppers — Carmen’s Habanera and Seguidilla. Hers is a lovely lyric mezzo, a bit light to be Carmen — no truckdriver chest tones for this Gypsy! Instead, hers was a beautifully poised reading.
Fast-rising Canadian tenor Matthew Cairns offered Macduff’s aria “Ah, la paterna mano” with clarion tone. It was a role he sang to great notices at the COC last season. His is a budding dramatic tenor that recalls a young Ben Heppner. Cairns followed with “O souverain” from Le Cid, a tenor aria that used to be Heppner’s drawing card. No Bravissimo can be without the obligatory “Nessun dorma” which Cairns sang to great effect.
The regular program ended with a surprise: the quartet “Schlaf wohl! Und mag dich reuen” from Flotow’s Martha. Given this opera is hardy ever done on this side of the pond, its choice was a huge surprise. But the encore that followed the regular program was not in the least a surprise — I am referring to “Libiamo, libiamo” from La traviata. With the audience applauding vociferously, the four soloists reappeared onstage with bubbly in hand, and launched into the high spirited drinking song.
But something wasn’t quite right — hmmm, where’s the chorus? Sadly, there was none! Unlike previous Bravissimo! concerts where there was always a chorus of two dozen or so choristers, the choir loft was empty this time. Sadly, it was probably the result of cost-cutting, a crying shame. How do you do a choral piece without a chorus? Only two of the four soloists — the soprano (Violetta) and the tenor (Alfredo) — were singing, with the mezzo and baritone standing onstage looking silly. That to me was the only fly in the ointment of a most enjoyable evening.
On that note, I wish all Ludwig van Toronto readers a Happy New Year!
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