Article Contributed on: 3/30/2009 10:24:00 AM
The Denver Philharmonic Orchestra keeps renewing its image. The concert they presented at the King Center on Saturday night, March 28th, was one of the best yet. Entitled "A Night at the Opera," the program included four opera overtures, 8 arias, and one duet. It was a momentous occasion for many reasons, not the least of which was the return to Denver of the Denver Phil's long time conductor, Dr. Horst Buchholz. The Denver Philharmonic audience, and the orchestra members alike, were sorry to see him leave his post.
Buchholz opened the program with the overture from Mozart's, "Cosi fan tutte," or, as it is often translated, "Women are like that." Buchholz' conducting was a clear and precise as ever, and done with great vigor. The orchestra was excellent, except it seemed that when the violins were in their lower register, they were a little out of tune. However, they soon came into their own and completed the overture in splendid fashion.
After the overture, came four arias, two by Mozart and two by Donizetti. The first Mozart aria was "Una aura amorosa," from Cosi fan tutte, in which Ferrando tells Guglielmo not to complain of his hunger, for even the hint of love will satisfy any hunger. This area was sung by a remarkable tenor, Joel Burcham, who is on the voice faculty at the University of Colorado at Boulder. And what a welcome addition he must be. He possesses a very powerful voice that seems to be produced with great ease. It is a very clear sound that would seem to be perfect for any operatic role. It was quite apparent that his musicianship and power gave the audience something unexpected, for they responded with enthusiastic applause. The second aria was Pamina's from "The Magic Flute." Her character sings "Ah, I feel it, it has disappeared," when she goes to meet Tamino, failing to realize that he has sworn a vow of silence and cannot speak to her. It was sung by Dr. MeeAe Nam, who has been very busy of late, with several performances in the last month. As memory serves, Dr. Nam has performed The Magic Flute in full. No matter in any case, because she sang beautifully Saturday night. She too, has a powerful voice, and has no problem fitting dramatic gestures into her performance which convey the character's personality. This must surely be a little difficult to do without the benefit of scenery and sets, but she always makes it seem very natural, and draws in the audience as she sets the mood.
Next, Burcham returned to the stage to sing "Una furtive lagrima," from Donizetti's Elixir of Love. He seemed a little more relaxed this time, and was freer with dramatic nuance himself. And I must say that Joel Burcham's diction was much better in this aria as well. In addition, this aria really fit Burcham's voice very well. Buchholz' conducting was superb in this aria. He kept a careful eye on Burcham and followed his every rubato, bringing the orchestra in very precisely and with great aplomb. It was wonderful sympathetic conducting. Of course, this is what conductors do, but Buchholz is beyond compare, and I sometimes think the city of Denver took him for granted while he was in residence here. MeeAe Nam's final aria on the first half of the program was "O luce di quest," from Donizetti's Linda di Chamounix. I wish this opera would be performed more than it is. I heard it live many years ago and it is a scintillating work. Briefly, it is the rather typical story of rich boy loves poor girl, is not allowed to marry her, she goes mad and is cured when his mother says, "Oh, alright, you may get married." This aria, "O light of my spirit," is a terrific coloratura aria, and that is exactly what Nam is. Her singing in the aria was effortless. It would be great if Nam and Burcham could appear in this opera together.
After this series of arias, the Denver Philharmonic played the overture from Rossini's "La Cenerentola" - Cinderella. This overture has its dark moments, as well as light hearted ones. The woodwinds were truly fine, especially the clarinet. The DPO filled the overture with life and the long crescendos were wonderfully controlled and exhilarating.
The second half of the program began with the overture from L'Amico Fritz by Mascagni. The violins were very powerful and very impassioned as they need to be in this work. Dr. Buchholz used sweeping arm movements to encourage them through the long phrases, but used subtle flicks of the wrist to keep the beat. This is a fine opera that is not often performed, but if anyone is looking for a good recording, search out the Pavarotti/Freni recording of a few years ago.
Next came two of the all-time great arias from one of the all-time great operas, "La Boheme." The first aria by Burcham comes from the Act I, where Rodolfo is being shown an apartment by Mimi. The candles go out, and their hands touch as they look for the key on the floor. Rodolfo begins, "Che gelida Manina, - How cold is your tiny hand." Later in the opera, Rodolfo learns that Mimi is dying. Unable to bear her death, he breaks up with her. Her aria, "Donde lieta usci," is where she tells Rodolfo she holds no resentment, as she asks for him to return her belongings. Sung in concert format, this is still heart-rending. On stage it is well-nigh overpowering. Burcham and Nam were, again, quite remarkable, both showing great ease of vocal production which, of course, means they will be singing for a very long time.
The DPO then played Dance of the Hours from Ponchielli's opera, La Gioconda. When was the last time you heard this live? Everyone knows this piece of music, and I hope that it was easy for the audience to see how hard the DPO had to work in order to play this difficult work. It is so popular that I have heard many express belief that it is quite easy. It was done very well, but there was a puzzling aspect. In the difficult spots for the violins, they were very nicely in tune. In the easy spots, they were not so much in tune. They were certainly not out enough to cause great concern, yet they were out.
Closing out the program were two arias and a duet from Franz Lehar's operettas the Land of Smiles, Giuditta, and The Merry Widow. Burcham sang "You are my heart's delight," form The Land of Smiles followed by Nam's "My lips kiss so hotly," from Giuditta. Then these two excellent musicians sang the famous duet-waltz "I love you so," from the Merry Widow. And they waltzed as they sang. What a finish!
The Denver Philharmonic Orchestra, once again, demonstrated that it is the best and most professional community orchestra in the Denver metro-area. They continue to work hard and carefully audition new members. That is why they are always moving forward.