Bella Italia: Orchestra London; Cathedral Series Opener September 2011
Kevin Mallon Conducting; Monica Whicher; Soprano

by Brian Hay

The orchestra was in top form right from the start. Saying their rendition of Rossini's 'Overture from The Barber of Seville' was spirited doesn't do it justice. Each section was played with vigour and each had its specific importance without detracting from the larger whole. Under the baton of Conductor Kevin Mallon the musicians looked and sounded as if they were having fun. When Rossini's work is performed well its always easy to imagine the composer chuckling somewhere, regardless of how serious the piece is or isn't. He seems to always slip in reminders that people are there to enjoy themselves.

Monica Whicher took the stage to sing a pair of arias by Rossini. She opened with 'Di piacer mi balza il cor' ('My Heart is Leaping with Joy') from 'La Gazza Ladra' ('The Thieving Magpie') and sang it as if her heart was doing just that. This lady has a lovely voice, superb control and executes coloratura passages with great agility. She also brings out the personality of the songs. She followed this with 'Dove son io' ('Where Am I') from 'Armida' and delivered a heart wrenching performance. She projected the pathos and the vindictive fury of a woman scorned with intensity enough to make it seem she was working in a staging of the opera rather than presenting the number as a concert piece.

The first half concluded with an astonishing performance Respighi's third suite of Ancient Airs and Dances. Their rendition captured everything from the beautiful melodic lightness to the great dramatic weight of the different segments to their fullest. The piece also featured some splendid work from the viola and cello players. Many segments seemed to begin with the bass line performed by the viola underlined by pizzicato accompaniment from the cello before the violins took up the melody and expanded on it. It was a great performance. Ailene Wittstein (who happened to be sitting beside me) summed up perfectly when she said "she wanted to hear that one again".

Mallon displayed his sense of humour in the second half by changing the performance order of the pieces "because, he could". It proved to be an excellent decision. Donizetti's 'Ah ciascun lo dice, ciascun lo sa' ('Ah Everyone Says So, Everyone Knows It') from 'La Figilia de Reggimento' is, as Mallon pointed out, "a bit of fluff". It's a brilliantly written bit of fluff though. Monica Whicher's enjoyment of singing this piece was written all over her and the joy she carried was contagious. Her last number (officially anyway) 'Del fire duo che il cor mi fringe' (The Savage Grief that Breaks My Heart') from Cherubini's 'Medea' was a show stopper. She captured the rage and horror the character feels at this stage of the piece magnificently. Again, it was easy to envision her working in a staging of the opera as she sang. She carries a deep sense of the dramatic spectrum of each piece she works with.

The finale of the show was a performance of the Symphony in D by Cherubini. This piece was a revelation. The Largo that opened it reflected the character established by Haydn while the Allegro that followed conjured images of from some of the early symphonies by Beethoven. After that the work quickly assumed a character entirely its own and trying figure out whose work the piece sounded like was enough to drive anyone nuts. It's a trap to avoid so after a moment or so I took the work on its own merit.

The Larghetto Cantabile that forms the second movement contained some dramatic passages that were absolutely stunning. At one point the orchestra built the tensions to a crescendo before ending abruptly only to be replaced by the playing from a solitary flute. Mallon brought this to a fever pitch before pulling it back and replacing those tensions with that solitary passage of sublime and gentle beauty. Brilliant dramatic stuff, and enough to leave one breathless. The Menuetto (Allegro Non Tanto), with its timpani part and richly coloured scoring carried dramatic weight often associated with finales. The Allegro Assai that closed the work was a showcase of breathtaking musical drama brought to perfect closure. It was fabulous.

Kevin Mallon seems to see music from the perspective of a singer. He read the translations for each aria like an actor would by drawing attention to the dramatic importance of each word. He seems to do the same thing with music whether the number is a vocal or instrumental work. Notes become words and/ or syllables. Bars assume the form of sentences while groupings of bars become paragraphs. Tempo is measured carefully with emphasis placed on individual segments or notes and the music breathes as actors or actresses do as they perform their roles. The expression forms from within that and is rich and varied.

At the end of the show the only question left was how to make a perfect night better. Bringing everyone back and having the singer share her lovely rendition of 'O Mio Babbino Caro' ('Oh My Dear Father') turned out to be a good answer. From the way the orchestra played the opening bars of the piece it was obvious the moment was a special one. Most eyes were probably misty even before Monica Whicher began singing. If they weren't they had to be once she started. Music is for the heart and she warmed many passing these riches around.

Simply beautiful, as this entire show was.

'Bella Italia' took place at St. Paul's Cathedral in London, Ontario on Wednesday October 21, 2011. This article was written to convey an impression of what it was like to be there.

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