The Estonian National Symphony Orchestra hit on a good thing Friday night, as ERR News\u2019 concert reviewer Mike Amundsen reports.<\/p>\n
In celebration of the bicentennial of the birth of Richard Wagner and Giuseppe Verdi, a program of bits of the opera legends\u2019 works were performed. Avoiding the grueling crucible of a five-hour Wagner opera for some wonderful highlights from the great theatrical innovator\u2019s works meant getting home at a reasonable hour. Likewise the show\u2019s second half saw some fantastic arias from that most esteemed Italian Romantic.<\/p>\n
Things began in Apollonian fashion with the formal, majestic and imposing overture to Wagner\u2019s \u201cDie Meistersinger von Nurnberg\u201d. The singing that followed was the Genius of Bayreuth\u2019s art at its most emotive. International Estonian mezzo-soprano Annely Peebo sung three sublime lieder from Wagner\u2019s \u201cFunf Gedichte fur eine Frauenstimme.\u201d\u00a0 Currently employed by the Vienna Volksoper, Peebo has a remarkable resume in the Italian and German repertoire, having sung in some of the world\u2019s great opera houses. Her exquisite tone, vocal sustain and wistful far off stare gave these songs beautiful poignancy (See Annely Peebo sing in this clip: www.youtube.com\/watch?v=cgdYNa0meNw<\/a> ).<\/p>\n The Latvian National Opera\u2019s Krisjanis Norvelis brought an intense stage presence to the \u201cFlying Dutchman\u201d aria \u201cMogst du, mein Kind.\u201d Norvelis is a powerful bass, whose singing carries theatricality and gravitas in equal measure.<\/p>\n With visions of Robert Duvall dancing in the collective consciousness, the Wagner set ended with a stirring (what else could it be?) \u201cRide of the Valkyries\u201d from the \u201cDie Walkure\u201d opera of the massive \u201cDer Ring des Nibelungen\u201d cycle.<\/p>\n After a rest from all the Wagner, the program continued with some beloved works of Verdi. Verdi, no purveyor of lightweight fare either, brought Romantic melodrama Italian style.<\/p>\n The Estonian National Opera\u2019s own Heli Veskus \u2013 a crowd favorite \u2013 sung \u201cTacea la notte placida\u201d from \u201cIl Trovetore\u201d and brought the proverbial house down. Finnish National Opera\u2019s Jurki Antilla gave us the aria \u201cAh, sib en mio, coll\u2019 essere\u201d from the same opera. Antilla, well tanned for January, is suave and clearly has the right stuff as a leading man tenor. Concertgoers dug this piece with equal fervor.<\/p>\n At the end things turned festive with the famous duet and chorus \u201cLibiamo ne\u2019 lieti calici\u201d (Let\u2019s drink from the joyous chalices) from \u201cLa Traviata\u201d, featuring Veskus and Antilla. This rousing piece really got the audience going, and longtime conductor and Estonian musical theater maven Eri Klass, being a good sport, turned it into an encore as well. A night of superb art ended on a high note and with plenty of time left over to head to the bars for a highball.<\/p>\n