The OFM opens its season with a lyric concert

Yesterday, the first subscription program of our Philharmonic brought to the stage of the Cervantes a hugely popular proposal, carefully crafted and brilliantly executed by all participants at the gala. The first part was dedicated to selected pieces of Italian opera (Verdi and Puccini, with some sampling in the verismo repertoire). The second part was devoted to zarzuela. As guest stars of the concert, two major national figures of the opera: Ainhoa Arteta and José Bros, who teamed up with the reliability provided by a deeply refined craft.

Although the soprano from Guipuzcoa (Tolosa) Ainhoa Arteta may not be at her best form, her undeniable vocal technique, the chromatic warmth of her voice—especially in the middle and low registers—and the dramatic power of her stage presence were enough to captivate the audience in Puccini's 'Sola, perduta, abbandonata' (from "Manon Lescaut") and 'Vissi d'arte' (from "Tosca"), as well as in the duet 'Già nella notte densa' (from Verdi's "Otello"). In the Spanish part of the program, she skillfully performed her two romanzas: 'No corté más que una rosa' (from "La del manojo de rosas" by Sorozábal) and 'De España vengo' (from "El niño judío" by Pablo Luna). Where the risk of the challenge could have been a threat, Arteta always managed to triumph.

The tenor from Barcelona, José Bros, was very confident from his opening 'Donna non vidi mai' from "Manon Lescaut", through the demanding 'Tutto parea sorridere' (from Verdi's "Il corsaro") or the duet from "Otello" mentioned above. In the zarzuela aspect, he excelled even more, and his 'Bella enamorada' (from "El último romántico" by Soutullo and Vert), 'No puede ser' from "La tabernera del puerto" by Sorozábal, and the duet 'Caballero del alto plumero' ("Luisa Fernanda") fully showcased a vigorous voice, with robust breath control and exquisite taste for the musical phrasing of texts that he outlines majestically.

The conductor José María Moreno, attentive and clear, effectively supported the voices, managing to overcome the challenges of music that is sometimes very demanding for the orchestra (like the two symphonic interludes from "Le Villi" or the prelude from "El tambor de granaderos"), skillfully avoiding the dangers—there were some—of faltering. Noteworthy were the solo roles of Tilman Mahrenholz (cello) and Esperanza Martín (harp).

The magnificent Opera Choir of Málaga, directed by Pablo Guzmán, was undoubtedly another star of the night: balanced in voices, compact in attacks, rich in the spectrum of nuances, either resounding or intimate, always flexible under the baton.

Thus, the enthusiasm of the audience deserved no less than three encores: 'Torero quiero ser' (from "El gato montés" by Penella) plus the Verdi pieces 'Va pensiero' ("Nabucco") and 'Libiamo ne'lieti calici' ("La traviata").