Spotlight Concert
Nicola Said, soprano; Nicholas Darmanin, tenor; Ian Peter Bugeja, piano
Manoel Theatre

This concert burst with talent and I feel that only few of those who packed both wings of the Sala Isouard were not similarly affected. Here were well-prepared singers and an accompanist to match, who left no detail to chance, was brilliantly supportive of the singers, sympathetic, flexible and in full rapport with them.

This tour took one to several cities and countries where the music was composed or the plot set: Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, France and England.

Both soprano Nicola Said and tenor Nicholas Darmanin have the very admirable and highly satisfactory ability to make each phrase count, each nuance well and truly underlined thanks to excellent diction, using both delicacy and power as needed and absolutely very convincing.

They were utterly engrossed with their singing, displaying ample evidence that they were thoroughly enjoying themselves, both in solos and in the duets. It would not have been possible had the accompaniment not been of a superb order, and despite their being so engrossed in their singing the singers easily transmitted their enjoyment to the audience because their attention was also channelled towards the public. The feeling was nigh tangible.

Going back in time, I had heard these young singers singing in solo recitals. That they were promising was easily discernible, but now they are blossoming forth having made rapid strides in their current studies abroad.

Said is star material: presence, looks, interpretation and technique. She also sings with her eyes and supple movements sailing along as the conniving Norina in Quel guardo, il cavaliere... So anch’io la virtù magica from Donizetti’s Don Pasquale; the coquette in Non, je ne veux pas chanter from Isouard’s Le billet de loterie with its touch of virtuoso coloratura.

More of the latter came in the wondrous plaintiveness of O, quante volte from Bellini’s I Capuleti e I Montecchi: pure bel canto crowned by a lovely clarity of tone, and in Deh vieni, non tardar from Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, sang with all the ardour of young love.

Darmanin’s voice has improved greatly with a timbre that has become warmer and ideally suited to the style and idiom of the pieces he chose. A pretty competent rendering of Dalla sua pace from Mozart’s Don Giovanni was later followed by a much better rounded off Deh! Tu m’assiti amore, from Rossini’s Il Signor Bruschino.

He increased in earnestness in Ernesto’s Sogno soave e casto from Donizetti’s Don Pasquale. His spirits were well and truly boiling with ardour in another successful rendering: Dei miei bollenti spiriti from Verdi’s La Traviata.

As a duo the two singers seemed ideally matched and complementary. They sang two duets with an identical title. The first one was from Rossini jewel, La cambiale di matrimonio, the other one was from the Donizetti’s masterpiece, Don Pasquale. Both were sung with great charm and came at either end of the evening, but in the latter there was some strain in the tenor’s voice.

After the performance he said it was because of having had many consecutive engagements. It was very wise to leave out the strenuous duet Vieni fra queste braccia from Bellini’s I puritani. Better counsel should prevail and one should avoid risking vocal fatigue and damage. It is too precious a gift to throw away.

There was certainly no fatigue in Ian Peter Bugeja’s solo, a very elegant performance of Haydn’s Arietta con 12 variazioni in E flat major, Hob. XVII:3. Of their very nature variations provide plenty of contrasts and these were not lacking and the music came across very smoothly and clearly.

That same articulation marked the three Lieder ohne Worte (Songs without Words), Opus 30 No.3 and Opus 102, Nos. 3 and 6. Here one found very well-expressed contrasting moods in true Romantic spirit: moving and melodious.

At concert’s end, Said, in a lovely gesture of appreciation, gave a rose to Juliette Bisazza, who had a big part in preparing this concert and another one to Janatha Stubbs, one of the main supporters of all three musicians.

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