Glorious night of singing
Garth WilshereA regular on the musical calendar The New Zealand Opera Society End-of-Year Recital always showcases young singers and a headline act. Thhis year it was recently returned baritone Simon Christie and his Dutch wife mezzo-soprano Maaike Christie-Beekman. They sang in solos, duets and ensembles in an excellently conceived programme.
Rossini featured with fine young baritone Kieran Rayner in the popular Figaro aria Largo al factotum from The Barber of Seville.
Continuing from that opera Maaike characterised well Una voce poco fa joined by her husband for Dunque io so.
Mozart brought a radiant Bryony Williams to the stage with Per pietá from Cosi fan tutte.
More Figaro, this time Mozart’s with the fun opening duet by Bryony and Kieran.
Handel from Maaike was an exquisitely sung Cara speme from Julius Caesar.
Bryony joined the couple for the trio from Beethoven’s Fidelio Gut, Sönchen , gut which was performed with power and feeling.
The languorous Spanish feeling in Ravel’s Don Quichotte á Dulcinée, three lovely songs in French, were sung with wit by Kieran. The luscious quality in R. Strauss’s Cäcile was caught by Bryony
Russian language with arias from Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin and The Queen of Spades added variety to the mix.
A centrepiece in adventurous, challenging repertoire was a Scene and Quartet from Verdi’s Don Carlos, which was well done with Bryony’s developing spinto quality especially arresting and later the big, deeply felt Don Carlos aria Per me giunto e il di sopremo; Simon’s best singing of the night. More spinto quality from Bryony in The Willow Songfrom Verdi’s Otello.
Emotional intensity came with Kieran’s beautifully realised, heart-wrenching, Look Through the Porthole from Britten’s Billy Budd. arguably the most poignant moment in all of opera.
The mood deliciously lightened with Sondheim’s ironic, droll trio “Old Friends with Maaike, Simon and Kieran.
And to end, the wonderful quartet from Bernstein’s incandescent “Candide.
A suitable end to glorious night of singing!









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