In concert:
Jospeh Calleja
Joyce DiDonato
Thomas Hampson
Vasko Vassilev, violin
Antonio Pappano, piano
(Sorry the graphic of Pappano is so small, I hoped they'd all be the same size!)
This was a programme put together at rather short notice by Pappano and his colleagues..originally it was to have been a recital by Villazon and Pappano, then Villazon cancelled and Hvorotsovsky took over, then HE cancelled!! Fortunately, Thomas Hampson and the others are in London at present, Hampson and Calleja are appearing in LA TRAVIATA, and Joyce DiDOnato is rehearsing for IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA. The violinist Vasko Vassilev is Concert Master of the Royal Opera House Orchestra.
It was a very varied programme, which served as much as anything else to demonstrate Pappano's range and versatility as a pianist. Calleja began the recital with three songs by composers of verismo opera, of which I preferred the third, 'A Vuchella' by Franceso Paolo Tosti, a setting of a poem by Gabriele d'Annunzio,
http://www.recmusic.org/lieder/get_text.html?TextId=250
as this gave not only Calleja but Pappano the opportunity to demonstrate his virtuosity in the piano reduction of the score. Not all operatic arias survive this treatment, and I felt they chose their programme very well.
Johyce DiDOnato then sang Rossini's La Regata Veneziana, which was written with piano accompaniment.
And then Thomas Hampson sang Mahler's LIEDER EINES FAHRENDEN GESELLEN, which for me was the high point of the first half of the programme. Hampson is IMO the greatest Mahler interpreter around today, and I was delighted that he had chosen to perform Lieder...earlier in the pub with friends we had been speculating upon what they would choose to perform, and I said Hampson would probably do Mahler, and I was right!! Because I thought he would do something he had rehearsed, if not performed, with Pappano, and it was a very passionate, involved performance by singer and pianist.
After the interval, the violinist Vasko Vassilev performed two pieces by Tchaikovsky, the secons of which, 'Scherzo' from Souvenir d'un lieu cher was another virtuousic demonstrating of the resources of both violin and piano. He followed this with Rachmaninov's Vocalise.
Calleja then sang a not very interesting extract from Massenet's Le Cid - I find Calleja a pleasant enough singer, but never particularly involved or interesting. Perhaps the choice of repetoire has something to do with this.
This was followed by Joyce DiDonato in the Willow Song from Rossini's OTELLO, again of course in a piano reduction. Is it possible that Pappano made the piano reduction himself? He reproduced the harp music from the prelude exquisitely, making it sound almost like an actual harp.
I haven't finished my euology of Pappano's pianistic virtuosity! Having accompanied Hampson in two less well-know American songs (one of which Hampson discussed on Music Matters on Radio 3 last Saturday...Harry Thacker Burleigh's 'Ethiopia Saluting the Colours', a setting of Walt Whitman), he accompanied DiDonato in 'Can't Help Loving Dat Man' and 'Somehwere over the Rainbow', and he does jazz piano well also!!
The recital finished with Bizet's Au fond du temple saint, sung by Calleja and Hampson.
They all deserve our thanks and congratulations for compiling such an adventurous programme at such short notice.
Can you guess whether I am looking forward to seeing LA TRAVIATA next month??!!
