Christopher Purves, COC Free Noon Hour Vocal Series, Feb 9
The cup truly runneth over for Toronto voice fans this week. Not only are both COC winter productions of Siegfried and Marriage of Figaro running concurrently at the Four Seasons Centre, but there are also three noteworthy noon-hour recitals at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, and these recitals are free!
I attended the first of the three on Tuesday, given by British bass-baritone Christopher Purves, who is in town for Alberich in Siegfried. Last year, the singer was in town with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra during the New Creations Festival, singing in a concert performance of George Benjamin’s opera, Written On Skin, opposite Canadian soprano Barbara Hannigan. His many recordings include a marvelous Falstaff from Glyndebourne, and as Walt Disney in the new Philip Glass opera, The Perfect American. Surprisingly Mr. Purves also has a rock music background, as a member of the group Harvey and the Wallbangers! Perhaps that explains his chameleon-like stage persona where he can turn from dead-serious to frivolous on a dime. On opening night of Siegfried, he was a memorable Alberich, only too bad that the role is so short in one of the longest of operas.
He made up for it in this noon hour recital by showing us a lot more in a diverse program from Handel to Duparc to Mussorgsky. He opened with two arias from Handel’s Acis and Galatea. In “I rage, I melt, I burn! O ruddier than the cherry tree”, you can tell he has a choral and oratorio background, with his great flexibility in florid music. The most complex coloratura runs hold no terror for him, and he has the most delicious rolled ‘R’s’ this side of the Atlantic. It was followed by the spectacular two-and-a-half octave piece, “Fra l’ombre e gl’orrori,” a tour de force that takes the bravest of souls to attempt. Purves tackled the high passages by keeping the tone colour light and not bringing the chest voice too high. Alternately the low passages were as impressive as any from a bass. There were a few fleeting moments of some minor raspiness in the middle voice, understandable given it’s winter and cold/flu season. Liz Upchurch was the pianist, and she couldn’t have been more attentive and supportive, taking an unhurried approach to each song, allowing the music to breathe, and pausing between pieces.
This was followed by three very familiar Duparc songs like “Extase” and “Phidylé.” I have to say I am more accustomed to hearing these from higher voices. He sang them well, but the bass colouration and the slow tempo took some getting used to. The third group was the centerpiece of the recital, Mussorgsky’s great song cycle, Songs and Dances of Death. Usually sung by a bass or bass-baritone, this cycle really showed off Purves’ voice at its best. These four are dead serious songs – no pun intended – and I’ve heard it sung live by great singers. The most memorable performances for me were Dmitri Hvorsostovsky and, in particular, Ewa Podles. I vividly recalled the Polish contralto’s performance many years ago. Her face was positively demonic at certain moments, enough to give me nightmares. Purves wasn’t quite so over the top in the way he looked, with all the drama confined to his voice, and he sang wonderfully. It ranked up there in my book. His intensity was well matched by Upchurch on the piano. Without a doubt, this recital was one of the highlights of the RBA Vocal.
#LUDWIGVAN
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