By Giordano Durante

A ‘Celebration of Opera’ concert organised by the Gibraltar Philharmonic Society and supported by the Ministry of Culture was held on Tuesday evening at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity.

Featuring the Ukrainian tenor Dmytro Popov, the St. Petersburg-born soprano Julia Novikova and the Spanish conductor Guillermo García Calvo on piano, the programme included opera arias and duets, excerpts from operettas, and numbers from Broadway musicals.

The show started with the ‘Song to the Moon’ aria from Dvořák’s opera Rusalka. Although primarily known for his symphonies and concertos, the Czech composer was also a prolific writer of operas but Rusalka is the only one of his stage works to have established itself firmly in the repertoire. Novikova’s versatile approach really captured the feeling of this aria in a rendition that was acted, rather than just sung. Throughout the evening, it was clear that hers would not be a static, ‘voice-only’ interpretation. García Calvo, accompanying on piano, toiled away to mimic the orchestral introduction to the aria.

Tenor Dmytro Popov was next for the Prince’s aria from the same Dvořák opera. This was a high octane piece with a dramatic ending. Without wanting to sound reductive, Popov is a singer who sits in the tradition of Slavic tenors: his tone is more dark-hued than the Italianate style and his voice’s expressive power comes straight from the chest.

Puccini’s evergreen ‘O mio babbino caro’ from Gianni Schichi was delivered tenderly by Novikova, conveying the innocence of its plea and then Popov returned for more Puccini with ‘Recondita Armonia’ from Tosca.

These excerpts were all emotional peaks—one risk with this type of recital is that the arias are wrenched from their original context within the operas in which they occur. Whereas in an opera a scene will build up to such outpourings of passionate energy, here there is no contrast or respite. I think the programmers were aware of the danger of emotional saturation as the necessary lull was provided by a Rachmaninov prelude played by García Calvo. This was an opportunity for the Madrid-born pianist to demonstrate that he is no mere accompanist but a fine performer gifted with a delicacy of touch and an assured technical ability.

It was refreshing to see Novikova come on stage to sing Leoncavallo’s ‘Mattinata’, a 1904 song made popular by  Caruso and, later, by Pavarotti.

Just before the interval, both singers came on to sing De Curtis’ ‘Non ti scordar di me’.

The second part of the evening took a more popular turn with numbers from operettas and Broadway musicals. Lehár’s ‘Dein ist mein ganzes Herz’ (for tenor) was followed by Novikova’s captivating take on Künneke’s ‘Der Vetter aus Dingsda’, an operetta aria oozing with charm. 

It was then time for some of Bernstein’s genre-defying blend of traditions with Popov delivering Tony’s “Maria” from West Side Story. This was a very operatic version of a work that invites and tolerates multiple interpretative approaches.

That Argentinean mix of longing and desire was evident in Guastavino's ‘La rosa y el sauce’ for soprano followed by the enjoyable Neapolitan swagger of De Curtis’ ‘Torna a Surriento’, sung by everyone throughout the years from Dean Martin to Elvis Presley but given a slightly more sombre texture here by Popov.

Underlining the fluid musical boundaries of this second part of the concert, and providing a brief rest for the singers, was ‘Negaceando’, a samba-influenced piece for solo piano by the Brazilian composer Gnattali.

With the move from opera to operetta and then to Neapolitan song and the musicals that closed the concert, we can reflect on how enriching it is to listen to music that straddles the boundaries between genres. Perhaps we are obsessed with a need to classify and demarcate but there is so much fine music (think of Gershwin) that doesn’t fit neatly anywhere but instead draws life and colour from different musical worlds. Sometimes I’m tempted to follow the outspoken music critic and YouTube legend Dave Hurwitz who rejects strict borders between jazz, classical and musical theatre and always repeats the mantra that there are only two types of music: good music and bad music.

The two final programmed numbers were ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’ (increasingly popular in operatic soprano recitals) and the duet ‘Tonight’ from Bernstein’s West Side Story, both received with enthusiastic applause.

Aside from some minor balance issues in the duets (Popov’s powerful voice often drowning out Novikova’s in the cathedral’s acoustic setting) this was a deeply satisfying and well-programmed recital. That we are able to enjoy the voices of two seasoned professionals in Gibraltar on a June evening is a testament to the steady work of the Gibraltar Philharmonic Society and all its supporters.

Photos courtesy of the Gibraltar Philharmonic Society.

For more information about the society and its activities, visit: https://www.philharmonic.gi/