So many people wanted to see Israeli-American soprano Hila Plitmann perform the world-premiere of Richard Danielpour’s “Songs of Love and Loss” that they streamed the event to an overflow crowd in a room near the UA’s Holsclaw Hall.
A few days later, the same hall in the Fred Fox School of Music was packed to see British tenor Ian Bostridge and Chinese classical guitarist Xuefei Yang perform a sublime and at times humorous sold-out Guitar Society recital of American and Western songs.
True Concord Voices & Orchestra faced a similar dilemma last weekend, selling out all three of its “America Sings!” concerts with the celebrated bass Morris Robinson. The professional ensemble, under the baton of Eric Holtan, turned to Facebook live on Saturday, Jan. 25, to broadcast its Catalina Foothills High School concert.
And while the concerts didn’t sell out, Tucson Symphony Orchestra was fairly full on Friday, Jan. 24, and Sunday, Jan. 26, when Italian soprano Federica Lombardi made her U.S. symphony debut under the baton of her fiancée, TSO Music Director José Luis Gomez.
That was just part of week one of the three-week Tucson Desert Song Festival, which continues through Feb. 16 and includes a sold-out performance with the internationally renown tenor Matthew Polenzani on Friday, Jan. 31; Arizona Opera’s staging of Puccini’s popular “La Boheme” on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 1-2; and superstar soprano Renée Fleming’s TSO debut Thursday, Feb. 6. The festival, in conjunction with several Tucson arts organizations, sponsors performances with big-name and up-and-coming vocalists.
If you weren’t among the audiences at last week’s concerts, here’s a bit of what you missed.
Duo’s long journey leads to sold-out show
British tenor Ian Bostridge and Chinese guitarist Xuefei Yang get the prize for coming the farthest.
The pair traveled from London, where they both live, for their Jan. 22 concert at Holsclaw Hall at the University of Arizona Fred Fox School of Music. it was the first of a couple American shows, including one near Chicago in Illinois.
Bostridge, a critically-acclaimed lieder singer and opera star, curated a program that dipped into the 16th century with John Downland’s “In Darkness Let Me Dwell,” pitstopped in the 20th century with a little Benjamin Britten and the 21st century with Domenick Argento’s “From Letters From Composers.”
As the vocalist on the stage, Bostridge had top billing — this is a “song” festival, after all. But Yang earned a starring role performing a pair of solo pieces in addition to accompanying Bostridge, with whom she has performed and toured since 2014. One of the evening’s highlights was when the pair performed Stephen Goss’s “Book of Songs,” written for them.
Robinson delivers tent revival-style show
“Ol’ Man River” from the musical “Show Boat” was supposed to be one of if not the highlight of Met star Morris Robinson’s concert with True Concord Voices & Orchestra last weekend.
But on Saturday, Jan. 25, in the second of three performances, the African American spiritual “Witness” stole the night.
With his rich, deeply nuanced bass that comes from a place deep in his soul, the imposing former All-American linebacker took us to church with that final refrain — “Yes, you’ll be a witness for my Lord / My soul is a witness for my Lord.”
We half expected Robinson and the 30-voice strong True Concord choir to start waving their hands and dancing around the big Catalina Foothills High School auditorium stage, or perhaps jump into the sold-out audience and get all of us on our feet praising along.
Honestly, the only thing missing from the tent revival-style performance was a shouted “Amen!”
This was the second time we’ve seen Robinson on a Tucson stage.
He joined Tucson Symphony Orchestra for Verdi’s “Requiem” in the inaugural song festival in 2013.
Lombardi shows hy she’s on the rise
It is not hyperbole to predict that Italian soprano Federica Lombardi will one day be as big an opera star as Renée Fleming.
She is on a fast track, performing with major companies in Germany, Italy and America, where she made her New York Metropolitan Opera debut last January.
Last weekend the TSO hosted her American symphony debut in a pair of performances that showcased her vocal versatility. Lombardi, accompanied by the terrific TSO Chorus, dipped into the mezzo end of her register on the “Crucifixus” movement of Rossini’s “Petite Messa Solennelle.” Moments later, she soared to breathtaking heights in the “Laudermus te,” showing off an elegant coloratura that took your breath away.
