Tenor, Jonathan Ansell who came to fame as part of G4, an Il Divo style boy band, exuded a cheerful willingness to engage with the audience and to ham it up as chief gondolier. The Neopolitan numbers suited him best and I would like to have heard a little more sotto voce in the operatic arias. Li Li, soprano had a great range of dynamic control and excelled in the big Puccini hits. A duet, Offenbach's Barcarolle with Maria Kesselman was one of the first half highlights. They were well served by The European Baroque Ensemble. A flautist added much to the string arrangements.
Between numbers, the singers added personal anecdotes from their own lives. While the device did help create an informal soirée mood and connect the singers to the audience, it didn't work that well for me. I would have preferred to hear something more in keeping with the theme of the evening. A few gossipy scripted notes about the works, a tale or two from the opening nights reports perhaps.
Remarkably good value at less than €20 a ticket, this was a most enjoyable, fun night out and it was good to see the stalls at the Theatre Royal full on a midweek night. The hard working ensemble are at The Everyman Cork tonight and Drogheda on Saturday before they return to the UK for a month of dates.
(Set list not complete)
O Sole Mio
Una Doce Poca Fa Rossini
Barcarolle Offenbach
La Matinata
Funniculi Funnicula
Che Gelida Manina
Vissi d'Arte
Parigi Caro
O Mio Babbino Caro
Luefan le stella
Nessun Dorma
Un Bel Di
Thieving Magpie
Santa Lucia
La Traviata Prelude
La Donna Mobile
Be My Love
No comments:
Post a Comment