SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Gluck, Rossini, Bizet: Vesselina Kasarova (mezzo -soprano) National Symphony Orchestra of the Bulgarian Radio. Conductor: Rossen Milanov, The Concert Hall, Valladolid, Spain 22.1.2008 (JMI)


In   the hands of Mr. Enrique Rojas, Valladolid is becoming a point of extraordinary interest for music lovers. In this first season after the inauguration of the auditorium last November, we are offered concerts by leading European Orchestras (as an example next Friday Gustavo Dudamel and his Young Venezuelan Orchestra), whereas in the opera field this is the first concert by one of the world's leading singers in the world. Opera continues next Sunday with the opera-ballet Le Carnival Et La Folie by Destouches, following up with Cecilia Bartoli  and Il Trionfo del Tempo è del Disinganno in March. To complete the season we will also have Vivaldi’s La Fida Ninfa with Spinosi and his Ensemble Matheus, a concert by Philippe Jaroussky, then Magdalena Kozena, to finish in June with the Symphony Orchestra of the Hungarian Radio, offering Bluebeard’s Castle. Although Valladolid  has little in the way of an operatic tradition, this is a most interesting program for any opera lover, worthy of attracting a massive attendance.

Vesselina Kasarova is certainly one of the world's great singers nowadays, although her operatic presence in Spain has been limited until now to Barcelona’s Liceu. In this concert she was accompanied by the remarkable National Symphony Orchestra of the Bulgarian Radio with its conductor Rossen Milanov. The program consisted of two Arias from Gluck’s  Orfeo (or  Orphée, since it was the French version), one from Rossini’s Tancredi (Perché turbar la calma), Pensa alla Patria from L’Italiana in Algieri  and   finished with the Habanera and Les Tringles from Bizet’s  Carmen. It was a program full of difficulties, in fact.

Kasarova gave an outstanding performance, exhibiting a beautiful mezzo- soprano voice (halfway between Podles and DiDonato, as far power and colour go), with elegant phrasing, great facility in coloratura and without any trace at all of problems in the higher tessitura. The only thing that did not convince me completely was her insistence on overloading her  low notes somewhat artificially, making the voice seem rather hollow, besides  being unnecessary for the most part. Her best moments were Orphée’s aria “Amour, viens rendre a mon ame” and, surprisingly, “Les tringles des sistres tintaient” from  Carmen. She is an artist in her prime, who might  usefully  pay slightly more attention to her appearance, an important aspect of presentation these days, considering the competition that she has to face from her colleagues. As encores,  she offered two songs by the Bulgarian composer Krassimir Kuyrkchiisky both full of melancholy and beauty. Ms. Kasrova was at her best with this music.

Mr. Milanov, besides accompanying Bulgarian diva, gave us  several overtures, being least convincing in Rossini, where he lacked lightness, turning the crescendo passages from forte to fortíssimo. Outside of  this though, he is a very good conductor with an excellent orchestra.

The auditorium with a capacity for 1,700 people, had about a thousand empty seats for this concert. If aficionados want to continue enjoying the outstanding programming offerered, the people in charge of the hall will need to make stronger marketing efforts in and outside Castilla.  That would be really worthwhile.

The sparse audience though was more than happy with this concert and gave a very warm reception to Ms. Kasarova, including a great deal of sonorous cheering.

José M. Irurzun

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