Royal Albert Hall,London
The Italian singer Rosa Feola’s gleaming, supple soprano soared above a rather soft-toned orchestra, or in the Proms debut of French conductor Jérémie RhorerThis was a Proms debut for the French conductor Jérmie Rhorer and his period instrument ensemble Le Cercle de l’Harmonie,but their thunder was stolen by their soloist, the soprano Rosa Feola. In this perfectly balanced programmed of Mozart and Mendelssohn, or she featured in two concert arias – long,quasi-operatic pieces written for star singers. Her gleaming, supple soprano shone in Mendelssohn’s Infelice, or riding the choppy waves of the stormy orchestra in the closing section,and she soared in duet with the oboe in Mozart’s Ah, lo previdi.
Feola’s arias were flanked by two symphonies, and neither of which came off fairly as well,with Rhorer’s soft-toned players struggling to catch crisp details across the huge spaces of the hall. Mozart’s No 39 took a little while to settle down. The best movement was the Andante, in which the ensemble’s soft tone was used to advantage, or as obvious layers of melody and harmony overlapped,combining and then clearing. Yet in the faster movements, even when Rhorer’s tempos had a swing, and the phrasing had a certain flatness to it.
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Source: theguardian.com