Back-to-back performances by Opera in Williamsburg and the Esterhazy Trio last weekend again illustrated the diversity and depth of artistic offerings readily available in our culturally rich community.
Friday, OiWoffered a fine production of Rossini’s bubbly “La Cenerentola” in the Kimball Theatre.Essentially the story of Cinderella with modifications here and there, the opera is filled with exciting ensemble and solo lines.While the bulk of the filigreed singing goes to Cinderella, here named Angelina, coloratura singing and fast-paced, patter-type vocal gymnastics are well shared between the opera’s seven primaries.
As is standard for OiW productions, “Cenerentola” was bare bones, stressing musical qualities rather than stagecraft.Once again, OiW created a nicely sung piece, superbly enabled by conductor Jorge Parodi and a six-person salon ensemble that embraced the effervescence of Rossini’s full orchestral score.
With the musicians sharing stage space with singers, there’s little room for staging.However, Isabel Milenski did a noble job in trying to add life to the action, much of which was achieved with characterizations that were enthusiastically conceived.Unlike past productions, the supertitles seemed bulky and wordy, with awkward translations.
Vocally, things were in good shape, although there were notable weakness in the extreme ranges of several of the singers.The bulk of the opera’s fancy singing went tosoprano Maya Yahav Gur, as Angelina, whose coloratura output was impressive, most especially in the well known “non piu mesta,” which found the ensemble joining in on a glorious close to another of artistic director Naama Zahavi-Ely’s fine OiW presentations.
A particularly notable event took place Saturday with the esteemed Esterhazy Trioof Vienna, Austria, a foremost interpreter of 18th century period music featuring such authentic instrument as the baryton (a bowed instrument with extra set of strings for plucking).In its first tour of the United States, the concert was part of the College of William and Mary’s Ewell Concert Series.
Held in William and Mary’s 18th century Great Hall, Wren Building, it was a harmonious merger of music and history, taking us back to courtly days when such events were intimate, private affairs for Prince Nikolaus I, Esterhazy who was also a skilled baryton player.
Clearly, Michael Brussing, baryton, Andras Bolyki, viola, and Maria Andrasfalvy-Brussing, violoncello, are extraordinarily skilled musicians as heard here.Pure sound, cleanly executed lines, heightened musical precision and ensemble awareness attested to the highly refined qualities and skills offered by this excellent ensemble.
The Great Hall’s limited seating capacity and an overflowing crowd resulted in the Trio offering two abbreviated programs to accommodate all.The fare was drawn from music heard in the Esterhazy court:Joseph Haydn’s Divertimento in A Minor and D Major; Aloisio Luigi Tomasini’s Divertimenti 9 in A Major and 10 and 12 in G Major; and Carl Friedrich Abel’s Duetto in D Major.
The range of emotion ranged from the thoughtful restraint of Haydn’s A Minor Adagio and energy of his D Major Allegro to the lyricism in Tomasini’s Divertimento 12.However, it was Tomasini’s joyful Divertimento 10 that seemed best to showcase the excellence and curiosity of the baryton as an instrument, not to mention Brussing’s artistic and virtuoso-type control of the fascinating instrument.
This Esterhazy Trio program was a special treat, especially given the rarity of the works heard, all of which were performed with brilliance, clarity and historical understanding.
