El Norte May 27, 2023
Note by Gabriel Rangel
Captivating presence and voice of mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca in a triumphant performance yesterday at the City Theater.
Gabriel Rangel
MUSIC CRITIC And Elina arrived and simply triumphed. The eagerly awaited evening with the public debut of mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca, who had previously come for a private concert, took place last night in a full City Theater.
From her first appearance to perform Johannes Brahms' "Rhapsody for Alto," Op. 53, the Latvian displayed an admirable range in the lower register, while also imbuing the text with all that spiritual depth.
The accompaniment of the male voices choir with soloists from the Mexico Opera Studio (MOS) and the Nuevo León Choir, conducted by Juan David Flores, was commendable, achieving an ethereal effect at the close of the piece, under the baton of Abdiel Vázquez leading La Súper, the orchestra of the Monterrey School of Music and Dance.
Following the intermission, delving fully into the operatic segment, Garanca delivered a couple of arias, "Mon coeur..." and "Acerba voluttà," from the operas "Samson and Delilah" (Saint-Saëns) and "Adriana Lecouvreur" (Cilea), respectively. In the "Adriana" aria, she fully showcased her voice with brilliant high notes and passionate interpretation.
With the selection from the zarzuela "The Barberillo of Lavapiés," by Barbieri, she won the audience over, singing it with a charming grace and clear Spanish diction. Even better was yet to come: to close the selections from "Carmen" by Bizet, the famous "Habanera" and the "Gypsy Song."
An ideal "Carmen" in voice and presence, idiomatic, with complete stage mastery. So much so that she dared, and shone, improvising the footwork of the "Gypsy Song." The audience was won over. It's a pity that the choir sounded weak in the "Habanera."
As a soloist from MOS, baritone Alejandro Paz convincingly portrayed the bullfighter Escamillo's verses, and tenor Rafael Rojas as Don José, in their brief but crucial roles in the Seguidilla.
The second half of the program was conducted by guest conductor, Russian Constantine Orbelian, the head of the New York City Opera. His great expertise and experience are clearly evident, with a simple yet highly effective approach. The ensemble responded superbly across all instrument families.
The standing ovation brought the diva back to the stage to generously offer three encores: "Las Carceleras" from the zarzuela "The Daughters of Zebedee" (Chapí), "Granada" by Agustín Lara, and "O mio babbino caro" from "Gianni Schicchi" by Puccini.
It was an evening to remember for years to come, with a voice like few others, full of nuances, breath control for long phrases, and a wide range. The translation with supertitles greatly aided in understanding the sung text. Similarly, it was a success for ESMDM, MOS, and Conarte, but above all for La Súper.
Comments