Soprano should be household name
Barbara Hannigan with TSO (out of 4) Roy Thomson Hall ,Wednesday, Oct. 7
After busting onto the classical music scene with a five-minute mini-opera, Toothpaste, about the marital importance of putting the cap back on the tube, Barbara Hannigan has set herself apart from the soprano pack. Not only does she sing, she conducts, sometimes even simultaneously.
As a prelude to Haydn’s Symphony No. 49, “La Passione,” Hannigan began with Luigi Nono’s a cappella “Djamila Boupacha.” It was a graceful opening.
Easing into the water, Haydn’s opening Adagio stirred up, and the audience became transfixed not only with the music but with Hannigan’s unusually fluid style. She articulated the music with her hands, elbows, hips and knees.
A mild distraction was Hannigan’s habit of “shushing” the orchestra at points of climax. As a soprano, voice is still clearly her most powerful means of expression, but after hearing more than a few audible “shhhs” she was at odds with the unfolding sound, rather than in control of it.
The highlights of the night, and likely (and predictably) what repelled those who missed it, were Gyorgy Ligeti’s Romanian Concerto and Stravinsky’s Symphony in Three Movements.
For Ligeti, a composer with a reputation for thorny work, it was a surprisingly harmonious affair. Like a runway controller leading the plane to flight, Hannigan had the orchestra arranged in a sideways H shape, with the centre line pointing directly at her.
Ligeti and Hannigan share a penchant for hair’s-breadth accuracy and manic intensity. It’s a stylistic match and one that I hope Hannigan will continue to explore.
Stravinsky’s Symphony in Three Movements, which opened with Mozart’s “Bella mia fiamma, Resta o ca- ra” after the intermission, was the triumph of the evening. As with most of Stravinsky’s music, there is a ritual almost cheeky twist to it, evoking a Cheshire grin.
Notably, Hannigan’s hand slipped during the Andante, launching the baton 10 feet in the air to land in the lap of a lucky audience member in the second row. She continued without hesitation, her hands cupping and folding the sound. The orchestra obliged with enthusiasm.
The audience became transfixed not only with the music but with Hannigan’s unusually fluid style. She articulated the music with her hands, elbows, hips and knees
We hear a lot about innovation in the classical music world, but truth be told there is not much of it. It’s a simple recipe, really: program music that speaks to us. The challenge comes when concerts include music that requires attention to the details and some effort to enjoy thoroughly.
Despite the innovative program, and a star soprano, the turnout was far too low. It might suggest Hannigan has yet to become the household name she deserves to be.