Kate’s Score: 4 coloraturas
If it ain’t Baroque …
The audience settles quickly once the lights begin to dim and loving applause greets Erin Helyard as he enters, conductor and harpsichordist for the Orchestra of the Antipodes. Helyard takes to the task of both conducting and playing like a latter day Mozart, all bounce and enthusiasm and his orchestra responds in equal measure, although in some pieces the horns struggled a little. They are Pinchgut Opera’s flagship orchestra and have played in every production since 2004.
Pinchgut Opera’s raison d’etre is to present “the very best masterworks from this dazzling and fertile time (Baroque) in music history “ – the rarely performed vocal gems. Within this scope surely must fall the Australian debut of Valer Sabadus; for it is this musical period which offers the best pickings for a countertenor. During and after the Romantic period, the popularity of the countertenor voice waned and fewer pieces were written and it is only since the second half of the 20th century that there has been a renewed popularity and once again, music is being written for this male singing voice which sits in fairly much the same range as a female contralto.
Sabadus’s performance through Caldara, Handel, Vivaldi and Porpora is impressive. He shines best in the mid to upper register where the notes are so crystal clear they are ring like a delicate bell. The delivery is very coloratura; expressive both facially and vocally; he slips nimbly between the notes with an athletic fluency which is completely engaging. In the lower registers, however, he tends to lose projection and it becomes clear where his comfort and joy lies – in the phrases which soar upwards. The duet style play between Sabadus and Brock Imison’s bassoon delivered some of the sweetest moments.
Much rapturous applause and a most delicious encore of Xerxes – Ombra mai fu finished off the afternoon.
Operatic concerts are a thoughtful way of making opera – especially the less well-known pieces – accessible to all. Not as colourful as an Opera House experience but certainly more intimate and offering the possibility of hearing what might be, for many, “new” music –something the larger opera companies steer clear of.
Kate Stratford – On Sounds
Photo Credir: Alex Smiles
