The first part of the Gala was devoted to W.A. Mozart and began with the Overture of Le Nozze di Figaro. Then Anna Netrebko and Elina Garanca made their appearance on the stage to sing the duet "Ah perdona il primo affetto", followed by Erwin Schrott's first appearance to sing "Madamina, il catalogo e questo" from Don Giovanni. This was followed by Elina Garanca singing an excerpt from La Clemenza di Tito and Anna Netrebko singing "D'Oreste d'Aiace" from Idomeneo. After a March from Idomeneo, the three stars returned to the stage to sing "Soave sia il vento" from Cosi fan Tutte.
The Overture from Verdi's La Forza del Destino opened the second part of the Gala, followed by Erwin Schrott singing an aria from Verdi's Machbet. Anna Netrebko returned to the stage to sing Bellini's Casta Diva from Norma followed by Elina Garanca to sing "Nacqui all affanno" from Rossini's La Cenerentola. After an orchestral piece of Rossini's Il Viaggio a Reims, the gala ended with a spanish flavour provided by Anna Netrebko singing "Les Filles de Cadiz" from Delibes, Erwin Schrott singing the Toreador from Gounod's Carmen and Elina Garanca singing La Chanson Bohèmienne also from Carmen. After a long and enthusiastic standing ovation, the artists graced the audiende singing "La ci darem la mano" from Mozart's Don Giovanni as an encore.
The sixth evening of the 5th Abu Music and Arts Festival, Zawya, 30. March 2008
Thanks to Heather for the information
Live report from the Abu Dhabi Concert Gala with Anna Netrebko, Elina Garanca and Erwin Schrott
Written by Attila Kulcsar
I was lucky enough to be at the truly spectacular Emirates Palace Hotel for the concert which took place in the hotel's 1200 seat auditorium just a couple of days after the Bolshoi Ballet's wonderfully confident and enthusiastic Swan Lake.
The first half of the concert was all Mozart - a little disappointing for many of her fans - and in truth I think it served only as a nice warm up, especially for Anna. In the first duet from La Clemenza with Elina, Anna looked pale and unsure of herself as if suffering from nerves. She kept looking into the audience of local Emiratis and European expats as if looking for familiar faces. Certainly next to Elina who was cool and stentorian as usual, Anna seemed particularly unsettled. Both women in shoulderless beige or brown dresses, Anna's not suiting her as much as the later red gown that's shown in the photograph of the final curtain call. At the beginning of the duet, Anna sounded vocally uncertain, but by the last few phrases the bloom of the voice was beginning to rise up into the head. Erwin's first appearance singing "Madamina..." was by contrast supremely confident. He certainly raised the temperature of the auditorium - especially among many of the female members. The voice very attractive, but I wondered if he relied if a little too much on personality rather than refined technique. Elina then followed with another piece from Clemenza - "Parto, parto." - which was well sung but left me cold. Anna returned with her first solo aria of the evening - "D'Oreste d'Aiace" from Idomeneo. Her tone was stunning, the best I have heard her sing and the portrayal was full of venom, but I felt she didn't really connect with the audience and the cackles of evil hysterivcal laughter that end the aria echoed somewhat hollowly. After an unecessary orchestral interlude from Idomeneo, the three singers presented the trio, "Soave sia il vento," from Cosi fan tutte. This seemed to be the opportunity that Anna had been waiting for to step up to the level of her colleagues and surpass them. She seemed to gain the necessary confidence from their support and her beautiful tone floated above their efforts, never pushed, and at times she sang in what seemd half reverie, half ecstacy.
The second half was really something else. After a rousing Forza del Destino aria, Erwin followed with a not unimpressive but maybe a little uninteresting Macbeth aria. Anna then walked on stage looking spectacular. Dripping with diamonds in a stunning red silk gown that really made her look radiant, dispelling the slightly sick pallour she had begun the evening with. Revealing a slight pregnancy bump, she turned to the conductor for reassurance as he began the opening bars of Casta Diva, and she remained motionless without facing the audience as if waiting for divine inspiration. When she finally turned to face us, the reverie had returned and she sang with a fluidity of tone I had not heard from her before. The voice soared effortlessly, the tone never pushed or catching in the throat. The trills and runs were still not those of Callas, but the ease and transfiguration were total. She finished the aria looking possessed, like a shaman in contact with another world. Anyone who has seen the DVD of the 2007 Gala from Baden-Baden will be pleased to hear that this Casta Diva was something very different, in everyway better and in itself made it worth the effort and expense for all those attending the Abu Dhabi concert. She didn't sing the cabaletta as she did in Baden-Baden, but the audience was satisfied. After an unconvincing Cenerentola aria from Elina (but again, much better than the same aria sang at Baden-Baden), Anna returned with the playful "Les Filles de Cadiz" - the high priestess was replaced with a kitten that held the audience in the centre of its paw. At the Barbican in 2006 I found this bravura piece impressive, but this time it was the total effortlessness and total indentification with the piece that were breathtaking. Again, the voice was never forced or squeezed up, and the high notes especially were full of bloom and ecstacy. Nothing after that mattered. Erwin and Elina followed with rather hollow pieces from Carmen, and when all three returned to the stage to take their final bows the audience rose in a standing ovation. For some time there seemed no possibility of an encore, despite the shouts and cheers and demands for more. Eventually, Anna and Erwin came on - later followed by Elina - in a playful rendition of "La ci darem la mano" which was full of wit - especially when Anna dragged off the conductor before the end of the piece, leaving the orchestra to continue on their own. But there was no final spectacular aria from Anna to seal the evening, which certainly left the audience wanting more. But with the impact of Casta Diva very much engraved in people's minds and souls, no one could say they went home unsatisfied.
I myself felt the concert marked a new stage for Anna, a purer tone, a more sublime and less physically bound approach to singing. The confidence that was missing at the beginning became supreme by the end, and when I replayed the Baden-Baden DVD I felt I had been lucky enough to see a completely different singer here in Abu Dhabi.
Thanks to Attila for writing this report for the blog
Move over, Edinburgh, Abu Dhabi wants its arts festival to be the envy of the world
Updated on 4. April 2008
Thanks to Heather for getting to the internet before I managed to. I was lucky enough to be at the truly spectacular Emirates Palace Hotel for the concert which took place in the hotel's 1200 seat auditorium just a couple of days after the Bolshoi Ballet's wonderfully confident and enthusiastic Swan Lake.
ReplyDeleteThe first half of the concert was all Mozart - a little disappointing for many of her fans - and in truth I think it served only as a nice warm up, especially for Anna. In the first duet from La Clemenza with Elina, Anna looked pale and unsure of herself as if suffering from nerves. She kept looking into the audience of local Emiratis and European expats as if looking for familiar faces. Certainly next to Elina who was cool and stentorian as usual, Anna seemed particularly unsettled. Both women in shoulderless beige or brown dresses, Anna's not suiting her as much as the later red gown that's shown in the photograph of the final curtain call. At the beginning of the duet, Anna sounded vocally uncertain, but by the last few phrases the bloom of the voice was beginning to rise up into the head.
Erwin's first appearance singing "Madamina..." was by contrast supremely confident. He certainly raised the temperature of the auditorium - especially among many of the female members. The voice very attractive, but I wondered if he relied if a little too much on personality rather than refined technique. Elina then followed with another piece from Clemenza - "Parto, parto." - which was well sung but left me cold.
Anna returned with her first solo aria of the evening - "D'Oreste d'Aiace" from Idomeneo. Her tone was stunning, the best I have heard her sing and the portrayal was full of venom, but I felt she didn't really connect with the audience and the cackles of evil hysterivcal laughter that end the aria echoed somewhat hollowly.
After an unecessary orchestral interlude from Idomeneo, the three singers presented the trio, "Soave sia il vento," from Cosi fan tutte. This seemed to be the opportunity that Anna had been waiting for to step up to the level of her colleagues and surpass them. She seemed to gain the necessary confidence from their support and her beautiful tone floated above their efforts, never pushed, and at times she sang in what seemd half reverie, half ecstacy.
The second half was really something else. After a rousing Forza del Destino aria, Erwin followed with a not unimpressive but maybe a little uninteresting Macbeth aria. Anna then walked on stage looking spectacular. Dripping with diamonds in a stunning red silk gown that really made her look radiant, dispelling the slightly sick pallour she had begun the evening with. Revealing a slight pregnancy bump, she turned to the conductor for reassurance as he began the opening bars of Casta Diva, and she remained motionless without facing the audience as if waiting for divine inspiration. When she finally turned to face us, the reverie had returned and she sang with a fluidity of tone I had not heard from her before. The voice soared effortlessly, the tone never pushed or catching in the throat. The trills and runs were still not those of Callas, but the ease and transfiguration were total. She finished the aria looking possessed, like a shaman in contact with another world. Anyone who has seen the DVD of the 2007 Gala from Baden-Baden will be pleased to hear that this Casta Diva was something very different, in everyway better and in itself made it worth the effort and expense for all those attending the Abu Dhabi concert. She didn't sing the cabaletta as she did in Baden-Baden, but the audience was satisfied.
After an unconvincing Cenerentola aria from Elina (but again, much better than the same aria sang at Baden-Baden), Anna returned with the playful "Les Filles de Cadiz" - the high priestess was replaced with a kitten that held the audience in the centre of its paw. At the Barbican in 2006 I found this bravura piece impressive, but this time it was the total effortlessness and total indentification with the piece that were breathtaking. Again, the voice was never forced or squeezed up, and the high notes especially were full of bloom and ecstacy. Nothing after that mattered. Erwin and Elina followed with rather hollow pieces from Carmen, and when all three returned to the stage to take their final bows the audience rose in a standing ovation. For some time there seemed no possibility of an encore, despite the shouts and cheers and demands for more. Eventually, Anna and Erwin came on - later followed by Elina - in a playful rendition of "La ci darem la mano" which was full of wit - especially when Anna dragged off the conductor before the end of the piece, leaving the orchestra to continue on their own. But there was no final spectacular aria from Anna to seal the evening, which certainly left the audience wanting more. But with the impact of Casta Diva very much engraved in people's minds and souls, no one could say they went home unsatisfied.
I myself felt the concert marked a new stage for Anna, a purer tone, a more sublime and less physically bound approach to singing. The confidence that was missing at the beginning became supreme by the end, and when I replayed the Baden-Baden DVD I felt I had been lucky enough to see a completely different singer here in Abu Dhabi.
Wow, thank you for such a complete and detailed review of the concert Gala. If you agree I could copy and paste the review on the main page, obviously saying that you are the author of the review. I could say Attila or if you prefer I would add your real name. Just let me know. Thanks and I am glad you enjoyed a great concert in such a nice place. BTW, as far as I know, Heather was not there. She gave me the information on the web link (included in the post) and I did extract from there the main details of the concert program.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great review. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Anna is doing something different. Her Traviata at ROH was spectacular. I only heard what was transmitted over the radio, and even though you don't hear the power and bloom of her voice, you can tell there were some differences to her approach.
I've always loved the tone she produces. So incredibly opulent and that she is so consistent throughout her range. I've never been one to say that she sings everything forte and have always admired her ability to sing piano but that Traviata had some of the most ravishing pianissimos I've heard from her and some incredible colors to her voice that were unique.
I know she's entering what opera singers consider their prime so I can only hope she keeps getting better, which is actually a little scary. ;)
I agree with what Rock says about the range of tone and colour in the ROH Traviata, but what was amazing about this concert in Abu Dhabi was the effortlessness and purity of tone which seemed far above what I heard in the Traviata broadcast.
ReplyDeletePerhaps as a journalist I should reserve my comment but I amimpelled to break those vows when I read such nonsense as "perhaps so-and-so was not like Callas". Of course nobody is like Callas other than Callas. and so be it. Admittedly, it is supreme difficult to write an interesting, literate review of a musical performance--unless you went to college in England. For some to me incomprehensible reason the Brits continue to have the best musical criticism in the English language. It goes back to the old days of The New Statesman and Nation which used to have two of the most formidable critics--something Seton Watson and later on, Andrew Porter. I have seen no similar prose except for the culture pages of the Financial Times. Congratulations! hraymont
ReplyDeleteAnd now to Erwin Schrott. A very remarkable Don Giovanni here at the Met. His youth and flashy appearance is a close to ideal embodiment of the role. It reminds me of the anecdote about Bruno Walter iwho, at some point int he 1940s was desperately looking of a Don for his Met performances and for the subsequent recording with Columbis. He interviewed numerous candidates. Thgen, one day, Ezio Pinza showed up. Mrs. Walter opened the door and bade him to come in. Then she went into the study and called "Bruno, your Don Giovanni has now arrived". The mere looks of Pinza had captivated Frau Walter. And she was right.
ReplyDeleteI altro Corno di Baseto,
NY.