- How can Andrea's voice get
better and better!? His voice is BETTER than the Sentimento
CD! I've never really liked his "Because"...I always felt
that he was straining and reaching for it. BUT last night,
his high notes were so rich and full bodied in this song and
the whole repertoire...so...so...there's no other word to
describe it accurately except for one word:
breathtaking...LITERALLY breathtaking!
He was totally, totally relaxed. His interaction with Maria
Luigia Borsi was beautiful! In "Gia nella notte densa" he
held her in his arms, they sang to each other, facing each
other closely, so closely that when they sang "baci, baci,"
I thought they were going to kiss. It was so romantic and
sexy! And what I noticed is that Borsi didn't have to prompt
him to initiate the gestures, he reached out for her and she
came willingly on cue. It was beautifully rehearsed and
executed. In the
past, his gestures in these duets are a little off cue
sometimes because
he is concentrating on the note or phrase he's singing. Not
last night! He moved and emoted according to what he was
singing. That duet was absolutely beautiful! Not as lyrical
as the ones we love so much (Puccini's), but very dramatic
and lovely.
When they sang "O soave fanciulla" they really acted it out.
He leaned over into her for the "e al ritorno?" and she
waved her index finger at him when she sang "curioso." The
last notes were astounding! She hit it
beautifully! That duet brought the house down!
He opened the concert with "Aranjuez." Usually Andrea is a
little reserved in the first few minutes of the concert, but
he came out and sang this with so much emotion! His baritone
and middle range pulsed and flowed out like warm wine. The
violinist Lidia Baich was wonderful and so very beautiful!
She wore two different gowns that shimmered and glittered
next to Andrea's new dark and classical tuxedo. As they
stood side by side, their outfits were perfectly matched and
in harmony with one another. The whole production is
aesthetically pleasing to the eye, even down to this detail.
His "Lucevan le stelle" was brand new! He sang the torture,
he gasped in remorse and longing! I've never heard Andrea
sing with so much drama in his phrasing. It's not overly
done or melodramatic. It's as if in that moment he
transports himself on to the opera stage and in the middle
of the concert we find ourselves, not in an sports arena,
but in the middle of Act 1, Scene 2 of an opera and Andrea
is in character. All that's missing are the costumes.
He really gave it his all when he sang "Core 'ngrato." His
shoulders bent forward slightly in the emotion, his
shoulders danced up and down and the cry in his phrasing
made me sigh!
Steven Mercurio was flying high too! He was out of breath
when he finished the "William Tell Overture." He actually
bounced off his feet when conducting this. When Andrea came
back out on stage, Steven took the mike and said a few
words, and he explained that he was really catching his
breath, which made the audience laugh.
The house went wild when Andrea was handed his flute for
"Melodramma," and after that it was pandemonium when the
piano was rolled out for "My Way." The audience could not
stop themselves from applauding after every stanza,
applauding in agreement to the lyrics that apply to Andrea
so perfectly. I don't think Andrea will ever be able to sing
this song straight through without such a reaction from the
audience, and it's because when he sings this song, you can
hear him personalize it and apply it to himself. He is
really singing this song about his own life, and he lets you
know that as he sings it.
The jumbo screen is huge! And the beautiful photos of roses
and Andrea are wonderful. The program and song titles are
flashed on the screen in beautiful settings before the songs
begin. And the camera action was great, fading in and out,
catching the expression of the musicians as they played
their hearts out, and Andrea's passions and emotions as he
sang. We saw Steven's back towards the audience, and all you
had to do was look up at the screen to see the view the
musicians had of him, that strong, determined face and that
baton pointing at them...at you, it seemed...as he
conducted! This is a wonderful feature that he has brought
to this concert. It was like watching a TV production on
PBS! Very professionally done. No shaky camera images or
angles. Each camera angle flowed gracefully from one into
the other.
This "Sentimento" tour is not just a classical concert. It
is a Broadway production! It's beautiful, it's romantic and
sensual, and Andrea is at his very best. He is at his peak
musically, physically and emotionally. You can hear it in
every note, see it in his stance. He is the maestro, and we
are the grateful recipients of this beautiful gift he gives
to us all with so much love. It was a memorable night!
-
- - Nilsa Pagan/"Piccina"
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