Wagner : Lohengrin - Prelude, Act 3*
Wagner : Wesendonck-Lieder (Karen Cargill)
Wagner : Tannhäuser - Overture
Verdi : La Forza del Destino - Overure
Verdi : Simon Boccanegra - Act 1, Scene 2; Act 3
Royal Conservatoire Chorus
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Symphony Orchestra
Orchestra of Scottish Opera
*Gordon Bragg
Francesco Corti
Another collaborative effort between the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Scottish Opera, this time a celebration concert for the two big birthday boys of 2013, Wagner and Verdi. This time, the orchestral balance was reversed, the majority of players hailing from the RCSSO, with about one in three from the Scottish Opera orchestra, and the chorus was constituted of current students at the RCS. On the other hand, they had really pushed the boat out for the soloists, almost all of them either alumni or on the staff of the RCS, and including more than one significant name on the international circuit.
The first item was conducted by Gordon Bragg, a Conducting Fellow of the RCS, and current assistant conductor to the Music Director of the BBCSSO. The Lohengrin Prelude was bright and breezy, appropriately whooping brass and well articulated strings. If I have a comment to make about Mr. Bragg, it's perhaps that he needs to learn to communicate more "backwards", as well as forwards. That may sound like a daft statement; of course the conductor's primary focus has to be on his players. However, he is also a conduit towards the audience. Good conductors tend to be physically expressive even viewed from behind, and Bragg was a bit blank in that respect. Nevertheless, his rapport with the orchestra appeared sound, and the Lohengrin Prelude was an invigorating start to the concert.
Karen Cargill has been singing Waltraute at the Met, her Wagnerian credentials are as solid as they come, and her rich, lustrous timbre was a real pleasure to hear in the Wesendonck-Lieder. Excellent diction, her sumptuous tone and sympathetic accompaniment from the orchestra brought the passage of time to a halt, and banished the outside world in the lush, almost claustrophobic atmosphere of these songs.
Coming back to a much earlier work, the Tannhäuser Overture was at once something of a regression, yet also a release. I do think they missed a (small) trick; we could have had the Overture and Bacchanale, as the chorus was available, and it's far less often heard than the Overture on its own, but it was well enough performed, the brass again making a notable contribution to proceedings.
The Wagner half of the concert was good, but right from the start of the Forza Overture (arguably Verdi's best), it was clear where Francesco Corti's heart lay. This was very well-paced, tense and exciting, and skilfully shaped. As for the substantial extracts from Simon Boccanegra, frankly, this was a performance that would not have been out of place on the most illustrious of international stages. Both orchestra and chorus were positively electrifying in the Council Chamber scene, touchingly plangent in the final scene.
The soloists were well-matched, headed by Julian Tovey's authoritative Boccanegra, singing with a sure, forward tone, very slightly metallic, but quite appropriate for this part. Judith Howarth was a limpidly clear Amelia, the voice soaring easily in the ensembles. Brian Bannatyne-Scott has lost a little power at the very top of his range, and did not make his presence felt as Fiesco in the Council scene, but his scene with Boccanegra at the start of Act 3 was truly moving. Jung Soo Yun's Gabriele was bright and ardent, with a good, Italianate timbre, while Mikhail Pavlov, who is still in postgraduate studies at the RCS, brought one of those treacly black Russian baritone voices to the role of Paolo, and an apt reminder that the part can be considered a sketch for Iago, which was soon to follow the revised version of Simon Boccanegra. Nice to see Dominic Barberi again, too, though his part didn't offer him much opportunity to shine.
As centenary celebrations go, this was an excellent start to the year, and I doubt I'll see much better. There was enthusiasm and conviction in abundance here, and how I'd love to see a complete Boccanegra performed with such fervour!
[Next : 9th February]
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