At the beginning of the first branch, after the overture to "Force of Destiny" and the Prayer of Santuzza, which performed excellently Marina Tregubovich when Shicoff sang Cavaradossi's aria first (Recondita armonia ...), thought that he was on it as if raspelsya - even before the concert, tenor by expropriating the dressing room the other soloists, singing almost one and a half hours (incidentally, a good example for some of our soloists, singing directly during the show). However, the voice sounded perfectly Shicoff, and she and the output is written by Puccini aria without undue emotional "overheating" and special vocal difficulties.
But in the aria of Lena Shicoff not only flashed vocal skill, but also showed the audience its own merits as a musician: singer showed a broad, beautiful phrasing, and, as a characteristic of his creative nature, has made fairly "sing" Room at the dramatic monologue, his Lensky - this is not the character of opera jokes, and genuinely suffering hero, torn serious passions. From vocal "chips" demonstrated Shicoff gorgeous breath and shiny tapering to the "fork" in the diminuendo-crescendo («... my golden days of spring").
To be fair, that his Russian language (as in the recent Herman on the scene of the Mikhailovsky Theatre) was, shall we say, not as close to perfect as his vocals.
But the "highlight" of the first branch, of course, was the aria from Eleazar's "Jewess" Halevy - she Shicoff "made" even dressed with a rare perfection. It's not just the words - literally every note was painstakingly built with extraordinary care and a jeweler's precision "inserted" into the overall "picture". Shicoff sang so earnestly Eleazar, with the real drama, if after Cavaradossi's aria hall applauded, the audience is literally roared.
Here we must note another feature Shicoff vocals: sometimes it fermata, crescendo, specific stretching and flattening the sound, it seems, is about to turn into a salon or even vulgarity. However, for maximum expressiveness, the singer never crosses the edge of good taste. Nevertheless, the tenor often "pulls the blanket over himself," forcing the conductor to "catch" the soloist here and there. But if the opera, for obvious reasons, it is not always appropriate, in a concert of individual issues may have a right to exist.
Incidentally, the orchestra under Peter Feranec was perhaps the most prominent member of the concert. Compared with the performance (also in BZF) last season, progress is obvious and undeniable: the strings have gained European velvety and soft, copper sounded loud and not bitter, but the bright and deep. In the overture to "Force of Destiny", an orgy of "Samson and Delilah" and other orchestral passages excellent acoustics of the Great Hall has allowed to fully appreciate the perfect balance of groups of the orchestra and the entire expanse of dynamic gradation of the collective - of the five piano to forte-fortissimo. In their speeches with singers Feranec showed himself a sensitive and flexible accompanist - so that the speakers fine young soloists Marina Tregubovich, Tatiana Ryaguzov, Sophia Feinberg, Marina Pinchuk, Natalya Mironova and Dmitry gifts were no problems. Also showed himself very well and a choir.
In the second part of the song on Klyaynzake of "Tales of Hoffmann" Neil Shicoff proved to be quite different, he reveals the comic side of a public actor's talent and tearing neshutochnye ovation hall. At the end of the concert the audience was waiting for a few surprises, the first of which was the appearance of a star of the Moscow Helikon Opera Larisa Kostyuk as Carmen. And if in the final duet with Don Jose Shicoff - it is literally a psychopath on the verge of nervous collapse, and unhealthy people obsessed, then Carmen Larisa Kostyuk - willful and temperamental, but in many "Russian" character - one of those who, if not love, then necessarily "regret" a loser.
Once as a "cannabis" soprano Tatiana sang the song about Ryaguzov Villiers from "The Merry Widow" Lehar, the public was in no hurry to disperse, while continuing to applause. Unlike many touring "star" rank, Neil Shicoff "break" did not "grab" on the way to the scene baritone Dmitri gifts, sang along with him duet ("The Oath"), Don Carlos and Rodrigo of "Don Carlos" by Verdi.
Cyril Veselago