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Met always lifts the spirits when a small company that can, does. Over the past 30 years, Puccini has been the main source of Opera Holland Park’s artistic vision and, in recent years, Opera Holland Park’s most popular events. The Villi and Edgar. Now it’s time for Turandot, the only one of the composer’s works that has so far escaped them, and three concert pieces in the opera’s centenary year.
Calling on great powers, it is no wonder that small companies miss out. However, Tony Burke’s orchestral reduction proved more than just explaining the sonic majesty of Puccini’s score. The unusual sound required was presented with a lent brass punch and panache. Only the opening Mandarin microphones and the low-powered electronic organ brought things to a head, a minor quibble considering the City of London Sinfonia’s 41 players played under the guidance of a colorful baton. Naomi Woo. His fluid interpretations packed an important punch while finding meaningful information sometimes buried throughout the band.
Director Eleanor Burke it brings more thoughtfulness to the table, even if the singers are sometimes placed frustratingly far from the audience and the ending, where a distraught Turandot is rejected by Calaf, feels forced.
José de Eça leads the group as powerful as Calaf, his clear voice and Italian accent. Nessun dorma was beautiful and soulful, while the top C in the chorus found the Portuguese teno sweating. Welsh soprano Fflur Wyn is a sweet Liù and a beautiful pianist, glowing in Signore ascolta and touching in her death. As Turandot, French soprano Anne Sophie Duprels has the necessary high-pitched fire to carry the orchestra, though elsewhere she lacks range and stability.
Josef Jeongmeen Ahn, Joseph Buckmaster and Zwakele Tshabalala created charismatic and distinctive characters like Ping, Pang and Pong, bringing out the music’s sound and bite. Jihoon Kim is Timur’s best friend. As he showed in this season Western GirlOpera Holland Park Chorus is the match of any choir in the region, joined here by the company’s lively youth group.
