The El Paso Symphony Orchestra eased audiences into the second concert of its season this weekend with Giuseppe Verdi’s Nabucco: Overture setting the stage for a night of emotional operatic highs and lows.
The Verdi overture opened the Great Italian Arias concert with gorgeous low brass chords suddenly interrupted by the full orchestra, making audience members jump. It was the perfect way to prepare for the journey El Paso Opera members would take us on soon after. Truly an overture for the evening’s concert.
The rest of the first half was filled with selections of Italian Arias by Verdi, Gaetano Donizetti, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Vincenzo Bellini. EPO singers Jamille Lea, Brian Downen and Jonathan Hays wowed the audience with their vocal ability and acting.
Despite not understanding the Italian language, we heard and felt the happiness, flirtation, sadness and everything else in between. You could tell that the orchestra was trying to reign itself in a bit so as not to overpower the vocalists, which was successful for the most part.
Instrumentalists did have the chance to shine through in special moments though. The flute solos in Bellini’s Norma: “Casta diva” were beautiful and the bassoon solos in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore: “Una furtiva lagrima” were absolutely stunning. In the same piece, the upper woodwinds’ combined melodies were like butter, I couldn’t get enough of them.
The last aria, from Verdi’s Rigoletto: “La Donna e mobile,” was the obvious favorite of both audiences and musicians. The theme was recognizable to both avid opera fans and newbies.
The standing ovation for the three opera singers was much deserved.
The second half of the concert featured one composition: Richard Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier Suite, arranged by Arthur Rodzinski. The opening notes chat with Nathan Black provided a comprehensive background on Strauss’ opera and the circumstances that led to the arrangement of the suite for full orchestra.
The French horns give a grand start to the suite and continue to impress all throughout the roughly 25-minute piece. Through full brass sections to light flute and harp combinations and incredibly high register cello, we experienced the love, angst and triumph of the opera.
Black mentioned in his chat that we should be proud to have a local symphony that can perform such intense, skillful programs, and I for one am definitely proud. It was a light concert featuring some weighty works that were really enjoyed by audience members. It was a shame not more seats were filled.
I can’t recommend joining the pre-concert chat enough. You get to sit down in your seat a little more knowledgeable about what you’re about to hear which only adds to the experience.
Leah Romero is a freelance writer based in southern New Mexico. She can be reached at .
