An Evening of Symphony and Opera

Last Wednesday evening, a rare concert was given by the Muscat Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Opera Choir Group at the Oman Auditorium, Al Bustan Palace.
The musicians took their places, the women in deep pink and blue national dress, the men in smart quasi-military coats. Under the capable baton of Ilham al Toqi, in dazzling green and gold dress, they opened with the first movement of Mozart’s Symphony no 25 in G minor, ‘Allegro con Brio’. It was a challenging choice for a new orchestra, especially for the strings, but they came up trumps with a fully rounded Mozartian sound, featuring some fine wind playing. The auditorium was full with family and followers of the ensemble, forming an attentive, appreciative audience. One aspect which was not appreciated was the poor back-lighting which shone throughout into the audience’s eyes, making the performers’ silhouettes on stage.

A beautiful string opening brought a dark, brooding mood to the solo Aria from Act 1 of the 1978 opera, “Maria Desislava” by the prolific Bulgarian composer, Parashkev Hadjiev. It was performed by soprano, Maisa al Amri, appearing slightly nervous at first and a little overpowered by the full orchestra without amplification. However, Maisa rose to the challenge singing in Bulgarian and showing control in her high tessitura in a sterling performance.

A veritable highlight came in Camille Saint-Saëns’ “Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in A minor”. The sensitive, lyrical playing of this familiar piece by solo violinist, Muwiyad al Habsi was simply stunning. A gorgeous, warm timbre was heard in the romantic sections while his brilliant virtuoso technique — such as double-stopping — was executed with great accuracy against the humorous orchestral score. Muwiyad’s Paganini-like style to imitate a gypsy fiddle provided an exciting juxtaposition between soloist and orchestra in this amusing ‘giocoso’ interpretation. Despite the length he captivated the audience with his sustained focus throughout — receiving a well deserved, rapturous applause.

A full orchestral opening introduced “Spuntato Ecco Il Dì D’Esultanza” from Act 3 of Verdi’s ‘Don Carlo’. It has a tricky trumpet part introducing the choir’s fine intonation and ensemble voice-blending. Some warm cello and bassoon themes accompanied the male chorus in a rousing military-style ending.
Part one concluded with the Arabic composition “Ahiafu’ Alqad” by Head of Music, Dr Khalid al Jabri. It opened with some dark string writing on an Arabic scale introducing a well sung unison for chorus, low in their tessitura. The piece uses changes in rhythm and tempo for variety rather than developing thematic material. It employed full orchestral forces plus keyboard-Oud, bass guitar and extra Omani percussion. Some tuneful horn and woodwind themes and 2-part chorus built up to a syncopated climax. Programme notes on the items performed would have been helpful.

“Honour and Arms” from Act 2 of Handel’s ‘Samson’ began with a stylistic Baroque string opening. Baritone, Abdul Rahman al Rahbi took the solo in Handel’s popular aria with commendable technique in the demanding melismatic vocal runs, gaining military confidence and good projection by the end.
The whole choir came to the fore in the romantic language of Wagner’s ‘Prelude’ to Act 3 and ‘Bridal Chorus’ from Lohengrin. The orchestral tuttis were excellent with splendid horn and trombone passages. It was a pleasure to hear the strong Wagnerian brass playing in an almost professional presentation. The delightful German chorus, “Here Comes The Bride” included good choral part-singing, tenderly accompanied by three harps.

Fairuz Medley, (“Al Bint Al Shalabiyah” and “Yadara”) was sung by the whole choir rather than a rising star among the female vocalists. Precise punctuation and attention to timing in the chorus reflected careful training and musicianship. The typically Lebanese-Arabic orchestral arrangements of the famous Rahbani brothers’ beloved songs were enthusiastically performed and enjoyed by choir and audience alike.

To finish, the patriotic fanfare “Glories of Oman” was another substantial composition by Dr Khalid al Jabri; almost a Concerto for Orchestra. After some rhythmically contrasting sections and particularly fine singing from the women the Leader, Mohammed al Harthy, played a delightful solo with beautiful intonation and mellow timbre. A burst of triumphant vocal nationalism brought the work to its final climax and a standing ovation.
The show formed a fitting Christmas Eve celebration for some and an early weekend opener for others. Keep an eye out for further public performances by the Muscat Phil.