Vivica Genaux - Baroque Festival 2016

Vivica Genaux - Baroque Festival 2016

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Posted 2016-04-11 by John Andrewfollow

Sun 10 Apr 2016

"Her voice is as striking as her looks: less striking, even, for the light, free upper notes or rich chocolatey lower ones than for the runs of coloratura that she releases with jackhammer speed, gunfire precision and the limpid continuity of spring raindrops."So read a review of Vivica Genaux from The New York Times .

This is a performer who, when she returned to the stage after the interval of her show with the Camerata of St John's during the 2016 Baroque Festival, gained a burst of applause simply for her appearance before she had even sung a note.

It was an all Vivaldi concert, showcasing arias from 1732 to 1737.

By choosing "Agitata da Due Venti" as her opening aria she demonstrated her extraordinary range, her superb breath control (when does she breathe?) and her capacity to master runs requiring extraordinary agility, control and accuracy. Yet this is not simply a display of technique. The beauty of her voice – rich, almost growling at the lower notes, light, clear and pure at the top of her range and warm and melodic throughout – adds lustre to the music, and her stage presence adds drama and emotion.

I have never seen a singer use her lips and jaw in quite the way Vivica does, but it works superbly for her, ensuring, as one reviewer put it, that she has the fastest voice in opera.

Nor is she simply on top of a rapid fire technique. The limpid beauty of her voice brings one close to tears when she expresses despair (as in "E Prigeriero E Re").

Here is a superlative singer who is also an accomplished actress. Simple movements of her black stole against her red dress are all she needs to capture a mood.

Vivica was well served by the Camerata of St John's, both in their individual orchestral items, and as they accompanied her. Vivaldi had provided them with challenging concerti, mostly from La Stravaganza, making huge demands, particularly on the leader, Brendan Joyce who once again proved himself to be a virtuoso. It was delightful to see how Genaux never failed to express appreciation to Joyce, and to Erin Helyard on harpsichord. It was a little frustrating that we could see Erin's skill and energy in playing, but found it hard to distinguish the sound of his instrument. That said, the Camerata, whom Leo Schofield described as one of the revelations of last year's Baroque Festival, lived up to that reputation in this concert, playing with passion and sensitivity.

All too soon it came to encore time. Vivaldi's "Bajazet" provided two pieces – the first gentle and melancholy, and the second "Qual guerriero" (which Vivica described as her "signature piece") brought the audience to their feet in homage to her skill, technique, passion, brio and beauty of person and voice.

Some concerts are competent, some very enjoyable.

Vivaca Genaux and the Camerata of St John's gave us something which was much more than either, something truly memorable.

We had been, however fleetingly, in the presence of greatness.



#classical_music
#music_venues
#april
!date 10/04/2016 -- 10/04/2016
%wnbrisbane
193663 - 2023-06-16 03:53:54

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