Especially impressive on Thursday were the understated eloquence of John Sharp’s cello solo in Amelia’s aria “Moro, Ma Prima of Grazia” and the spine (sometimes strong, sometimes strong) provided by timpanist David Herbert. Sometimes it was a shadow). “Baro” was full of mellow tranquility, from which the full orchestra could suddenly explode with the precision of a barbaric Mutian over and over again.
The Chicago Symphony Chorus, prepared by Donald Palumbo for the post-season stint at the Metropolitan Opera, a chorus master, sounded rich and sometimes horribly sturdy, but not noisy. did. Even powerful phrases didn’t break suddenly. Consonants and vowels also felt round and full.
The best of the notable singers was the mezzo-soprano Julia Matochkina, who conducted the fortune-teller Ulrika. The baritone Luca Salsi was a clear and sometimes moody Renato. The tenor Francesco Meri rang like Ricardo, like Muti’s favorite Salsi. His generosity only occasionally diminished at the top of his range.
Soprano Joyce El Cory sang Amelia with a soft delicacy when the accompaniment was spare and the vocal line was floating, but under pressure her tone narrowed. With her healthy melancholy, she effectively projected her character’s pathetic uneased sorrow. However, she and Meri were pushed to the limit by the ecstatic end of the second act duet.
The main conspirators were sung by two talented bass baritones: Kevin Short and (especially solid) Alfred Walker. Baritone Ricardo Jose Ribera. A clear and candid tenor, Lunga Eric Haram. And the sweet-sounding tenor Aaron Short showed the orchestra’s attention to playing a small role.
But the stars of the show never doubted. This wasn’t Muti’s final performance in Chicago, it wasn’t a long shot. Nonetheless, there was a special pain near the end, and the voice of a character named Ricardo heard a dying farewell to “Beloved America.”
UnBallo of masquerade
Repeat Saturday and Tuesday at the Chicago Symphony Center. cso.org..
