Concert performance – London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Antonio Pappano conductor; Carolina López Moreno, Magda; Serena Gamberoni, Lisette; Michael Fabiano, Ruggero; Paul Appleby, Prunier; Ashley Riches, Rambaldo; Sarah Dufresne, Yvette/Giorgette; Angela Schisano, Bianca/Gabriele; Marvic Monreal, Suzy/Lolette; London Symphony Chorus
Unusually for me, I had made a wrong judgement about seating in booking for this . I thought I was a few rows back from the platform but in the event I was in the front row about 5 feet away from the singers and the orchestra leader. I felt a bit awkward at times, but what I missed in being able to see the surtitles was more than made up by the feeling of being in the middle of a maelstrom of a performance. Because this was a very, very good performance indeed, within the limitations of the staged concert performance format – and this was one of the more minimalistic versions of the format, with serried ranks of music stands and little room to do anything on stage (it’s a big cast) than nod to each other and enter and exit.
It was disappointing to get an email about two weeks before the performance saying that the announced big star, Nadine Sierra, had had to drop out of the show (although she was singing at the re-opening of Notre Dame on 7th Dec – https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/periods-genres/national-anthems/nadine-sierra-la-marseillaise-notre-dame/). Somebody called Carolina Lopez Moreno, I was told, was taking on the role of Magda – not a singer I’ve heard of before. In the event, she was fabulous. Tall, with an expressive face, she had a very well-centred voice, very secure-sounding, and hers was a big voice, too – her higher register was gleaming and clear, the top notes pinged out, sailing over the orchestra, and at the same time she had a warm lower register and could fine her voice down to expressively quiet phrasings when needed by the text and music. She sung sensitively when in duets with Ruggero, so that her voice didn’t overwhelm his. I thought she was quite a find as a dramatic soprano – she was brought up in Germany but doesn’t seem to be part of a company there; she’s sung in various Italian opera houses. She got a huge ovation from the (pretty knowledgeable, in terms of the conversations going on around me) audience. She was also the only person singing without a score, so could be much more bodily expressive and looking as though she was fully engaged with the role than others in the cast (even Fabbiano was using a score, which surprised me – I would have assumed a tenor of his experience would know the role.
The other stand-out for me was Peter Appleby, a Met regular, as Prunier, who although singing from the score, made a lot of effort to accompany a musical phrase with an appropriate gesture and point the words clearly, with excellent diction – his opening aria “Chi il Bel Sogno di Doretta” was excellent. Michael Fabiano has a fine Puccini tenor voice but, in this context, seemed a bit wooden in presence, particularly when confronted with such a vivid characterful performance of Magda. Sarah Dufresne had the right sort of sparkle and energy about her portrayals, as did Serena Gamberoni as Lisette. All the other parts were well cast and performed.
I just loved the music – so much of it is memorable, and so cleverly scored. It’s also concise, with no longueurs. It’s, in addition, a text that gives far more dignity to the heroine than most of the other Puccini operas – and she walks away at the end, sad but with head held high and in charge of her own destiny. The LSO, a lot of the players smiling to themselves and each other at some of Pappano’s huge ritardandos, played magnificently, with Pappano driving the score forward excitingly, but always with affection and warmth . The chorus also seemed to be enjoying themselves greatly as they belted out the big tune in the second act (and what an ear-wormer that is – Bevo al tuo fresco sorriso)
Uncredited picture from Ms Moreno’s website of her playing Magda in La Rondine
John's musical journey 