Anthony Hart reviews tenor Cliff Zammit Stevens’s recent concert, where he was accompanied by the national orchestra and Scottish soprano Hannah Sanderson.

Pjazza Teatru Rjal was the venue for the seventh annual concert given by the tenor Cliff Zammit Stevens who, this year, was accompanied by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO).

The concert provided the audience with an excellent choice of programme, which included varied styles and periods of music from 17th-century opera arias to 20th-century pieces. While combining well-known favourites with lesser known works, the programme provided a coherent whole, balancing solos, duets, orchestral and choral interludes.

Setting the tone for the evening, the MPO, under the direction of the Australian conductor Natalie Murray Beale, gave a lively performance of the overture to Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. In the popular Polovtsian Dances from Borodin’s Prince Igor, the orchestra performed this work to perfection.

Zammit Stevens, who has received support from the BOV Joseph Calleja Foundation, displayed his vocal qualities in the interpretation of two contrasting works, Tosti’s L’alba separa dalla luce l’ombra and Ideale. A performance of the Mario Lanza classic Be My Love and Because revealed his capability to sing both romantic arias and more popular works. Zammit Stevens created an instant rapport with his audience, who didn’t take long to warm up to his relaxed approach.

In the poignant Una Furtiva Lagrima, his voice contrasted well with different styles of Tchaikovsky’s Kuda Kuda from Evgeny Onegin and the Ah! Je vais l’Aimier by Berlioz. Through this concert, Zammit Stevens showed his ability in mastering many styles. Purcell’s Dido’s Lament, When I am laid in the earth, was brilliantly performed by the young Scottish soprano Hannah Sanderson. Sanderson’s voice was beautifully controlled and portrayed the pathos of the aria. In Handel’s Lascia ch’io Pianga. Sanderson’s clear, controlled voice was wonderfully accompanied by the orchestra, with a hint of harpsichord continuo emanating from the depths of the orchestra between the violas and cellos. The contrasting and haunting aria Song to the Moon by Dvorák was beautifully sung by Sanderson and demonstrated her controlled upper registers.

The programme provided a coherent whole, balancing solos, duets, orchestral and choral interludes

Sanderson was joined by Zammit Stevens in several duets performed during the evening. In Pur Ti Miro, from Monteverdi’s Coronation of Poppea and Donde Lieta Usci from Puccini’s La Bohème, the pair demonstrated an intimacy in the love duets where their voices blended beautifully. The performers appeared to be very relaxed, enjoying themselves and at very much ease with the audience.

The Amadeus Chamber Choir gave a performance of Verdi’s Va Pensiero, much to the pleasure of the audience. There was a hummed accompaniment to be heard from many members of the audience. The work was performed to perfection, with a good balance of the voices and a beautifully-controlled ending drifting away to complete silence.

Having enjoyed and appreciated this evening’s performance, the audience was treated to a further display of the singers’ varied qualities with encores of the popular O Mio Bambino Caro, sung by Sanderson and the aria no ti scordar di me, by Zammit Stevens. As with most parties there is always a few slightly inebriated members and this was so this evening and our party was brought to a conclusion with a brilliant performance of the duet Brindisi from La Traviata, to the obvious delight of the audience.

Throughout the whole evening, Zammit Stevens’ voice was unstrained and extremely relaxed and he was very much in touch with the audience. Sanderson is a seasoned singer, having already an impressive range of operatic and concert credits to her name. Her voice was a joy to listen to. The evening was a great success, as demonstrated by the standing ovation from the appreciative audience. The programming of the concert was just right, appealing as it did to a wide range of tastes. It is hoped that there will be more opportunities to hear Zammit Stevens perform on his home turf.

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