Voices soar in people’s choice concert
Eighty-five years old and still singing.
Milwaukee’s Florentine Opera Company celebrated its 85th anniversary Friday evening with an Uihlein Hall concert of music from some of the world’s great operas, all chosen in advance by Florentine fans and supporters.
The program featured soprano Alexandria LoBianco, mezzo-soprano Elise Quagliata, tenor Jonathan Burton and baritone Corey McKern, as well as the Florentine’s Baumgartner Studio Artists: soprano Nicole Heinen, mezzo-soprano Briana Moynihan, tenor Nicholas Huff and baritone Nathaniel Hill.
Conductor Joseph Mechavich led the singers and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra through a program of selections from 15 operas, spanning nearly 200 years of opera history.
All four headliners contributed some of the evening’s highlights, including McKern’s animated communicative rendition of “Si puo?... Si puo?... Signore!” from Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacchi” and his intense, commanding delivery of “Avant de quitter ces lieux,” from Gounod’s “Faust,” both sung with a warm, lyrical, yet powerful sound.
LoBianco offered a gorgeous “Ain’t It A Pretty Night,” from Carlisle Floyd’s “Susannah,” with a pure, powerful sound and tremendous musical finesse, also bringing those qualities to the duets “Tutti I fior?” from Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” and “Mario, Mario, Perche chiuso?” (with Burton) from Puccini’s “Tosca.”
Quagliata brought a focused, riveting sound and tremendous theatrical sense and presence to “Amour, viens aider ma faiblesse,” from SaintSaens’ “Samson et Dalilah” and music from Bizet’s “Carmen.”
Burton gave a breathtaking performance of “E lucevan la stele,” from “Tosca,” singing with a soaring, powerful sound and unflagging musical and dramatic intent. He brought a variety of engaging characters to ensemble sections including a gripping “O Mimi tu piu non tormi,” from Puccini’s “La Boheme” with McKern.
Heinen, Moynihan, Huff and Hill shouldered a good deal of the program, each performing solo arias and ensemble numbers with presence, power, theatrical panache and professional polish. From Heinen's clear, ringing sound and facile technique and Moynihan’s warm, focused sound and musical grace to Huff’s power and precision and Hill’s warm, controlled sound, they were each a delight.
The singers ended the evening en masse, offering a musical toast to the Florentine via a rousing brindisi from “La traviata.”
This Florentine Opera performance repeats at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the Marcus Center, 929 N. Water St. Visit florentineopera.org or call (414) 273-7206.