Photos: Khalid al Busaidi -
As a taste of things to come, the understudies from ROHM’s forthcoming production of Mozart’s 1791, “Die Zauberflöte” performed a delicious smorgasbord of opera arias at the Opera Galleria last Saturday lunchtime. Putting aside the culinary metaphors, a free recital of songs and snatches was presented to members of the public — shoppers and music aficionados alike — with some familiar arias, and some surprises. Chairs were provided in the Courtyard, arranged around the Grand Piano and small platform in an informal setting, to better appreciate the music on offer.
To honour the inaugural season of the intimate Royal Opera, House of Musical Arts, an original ROHM production of Die Zauberflöte directed by Davide Livermore will be performed this weekend, and this presentation was an even closer look at the singers, covers and famous Mozart arias.
The performing artists were accompanied throughout the hour-long concert by the superb Bulgarian pianist, Dr Linda Boianova, and she began with the introduction to Rossini’s 1835, ‘Tarantella Napoletana’. His third visit to Oman, the familiar figure of Omar Kamata sauntered on, and leaning against the piano delivered the lightly amusing wordy Italian patter-song with brilliantly clear diction in his relaxed Baritone.
He was followed by 23-year-old tenor, Antonio Mandrillo as Tonio in, ‘Ah mes amis’, from Donizetti’s 1840 Opéra Comique, ‘La Fille du Régiment’. It was Antonio’s first visit to Oman, but his well-placed technique and expressive interpretation in French will surely guarantee a sound future in opera. He declared he would join the army to win the hand of his love, the daughter of the régiment with sincerity, achieving an impressive quality in his sustained top register, receiving thunderous applause in recognition.
The Italian lyrical soprano, Claudia Urru transported the audience to Bernstein’s 1956 Paris in her beautiful, dramatic delivery of Cunegond’s, ‘Glitter and be Gay’ from ‘Candide’ — albeit struggling in English. It was a lovely aria, well-controlled in her high tessitura and then dissolving into laughter with a glissando down to a plaintive sob. A veritable Mad Scene, she reached the full spectrum of emotions with a wickedly agile, comic personality.
Rossini’s ‘Cat Duet’ brought the first surprise: Antonio got his claws out in his tenor feline impersonation while Ms Urru was coy and flirtatious. Then up popped three boy sopranos from the Münchner Knabenchor seated in the audience and improvised their Cat’s Chorus until Omar Kamata appeared as a protective Tom Cat, turning a Duet into four-part harmony. The duet continued stage left, when Tom Cat intervened with the three high sopranos in theatrical vein – all purr-fectly in tune!
Back to Mozart’s, ‘Magic Flute’. Mr Kamata brought a reflective interpretation of Papageno’s, Bird Catcher’s Song in his rich, warm baritone with great stage presence. If the Bird-catcher is a comic figure, Tamino has a serious quest for Pamina’s love, and Mandrillo rose to the challenge. He developed his tenderly poignant interpretation with beautifully sustained legato phrasing in the warm quality of his middle-register.
As the dubiously evil, ‘Queen of the Night’, Claudia Urru performed the highly demanding Aria brilliantly in German, with her consistently well-placed voice and faultless intonation. Her slight, Princess-build belied the regal power and control she processes, and her voice filled the space in the Galleria to perfection.
The three Munich choristers were superb as Child-Spirits, and performed their aria straight out of Magic Flute with superb clarity and confidence, stealing the show.
The next surprise came in the form of an Omani Male Quintet, under Chorus Master of RSI, (Swiss Radio Choir) Martin Steffan. They performed the quintet from the beginning of Act 2 in German in perfect harmony. The ensemble was joined by three Omani women singers, twelve ladies and ten men from the RSI Choir in Switzerland to perform the grand Finale of Die Zauberflöte, filling the hall with tremendous power and breadth of tone.
The real Finale came in the iconic, Papagena/Papageno!, as delightful as it should be from Urru and Mandrillo, their vocally blended duet was engaging and sweet, coy and flirtatious. The encore was sublime. The three boys performed a hymn-like trio arrangement of, “You raise me up” in excellent English for boys so young in spell-binding close, three-part harmony. The audience were transfixed until their theatrical comic effects at the end broke the silence.
These lunchtime concerts are facilitated by ROHM’s Outreach team to bring opera out in the open, so there are necessarily distractions in the Galleria from front doors opening, shoppers passing by and even toddlers crying. The ensemble rose above it all, handed out song sheets for audience participation, and the whole company joined in a festive arrangement of, ‘I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas’. The six soloists and pianist received a rapturous applause which they will surely carry with them into the full production on Thursday evening.
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