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Joshua Bell
triumphs; Turandot a mixed bag |
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HOLLYWOOD, CA (Aug 15) -- Imagine
the possibilities: An outdoor operatic spectacle featuring lavish
sets that evoke ancient China, with the Hollywood Sign in the
background. It is a magical, surreal picture that would mesh well
with the opera’s mythical settings. It is also a fairy tale that,
alas, shall remain elusive in these financially-challenged times.
Soprano Andrea Gruber was too vocally unsteady to make a sympathetic case for the Icy Princess. Richard Margison's tenor, while more secure vocally than Ms. Gruber's, was one-dimensional and devoid of color. The comprimarios were all strong, even though I still could not suffer through Ping, Pang, Pong's overlong, maudlin number without a yawn -- an unfunny commedia dell'arte routine overstaying its welcome. The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and Pacific Chorale did a credible job under John Mauceri and John Alexander, respectively.
It speaks volumes for Ms. Hong's artistry that this "Turandot"
managed to triumph even without a Turandot x x x
Being able to hear the other musicians definitely helped Joshua Bell in his persuasive account of the Brahms Violin Concerto. Bell's extroverted, highly expressive playing was always spontaneous-sounding, never self-conscious. He rounded the first movement off with his own big cadenza and a magically hushed link into the coda, rapt and intense. Marin Alsop and the L.A. Phil provided weighty and sympathetic support throughout. On her own, Maestra Alsop conducted (from memory!) a beautifully articulated, smooth Shostakovich Symphony No. 5, drawing wondrous sonorities from the brass. The Largo was deeply felt and full of angst of an artist in exile. The cathartic Finale was like a well-executed implosion, intense and grandiose without getting out of control. It was an auspicious Bowl debut for Alsop and I hope we'll get to see more of her in the future. For
tickets to the Hollywood Bowl or the Los Angeles Philharmonic, go to
www.laphil.org or call (323)
850-2000.
Truman C. Wang is editor-in-chief of Classical Voice, whose articles have appeared in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, the Pasadena Star-News and other Southern California publications.
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Ironically,
for all the virtuosic lighting effects, it was the Liu' of Korean
soprano Hei-Kyung Hong that shone the brightest light. In my
assessment of her Liu ('02 L.A. Opera), I opined "Ms. Hong made
Puccin's Little Girl seem almost heroic... the finest Liu in living
memory." I shall not alter that view, except to add that, this
time around, Ms. Hong's Liu easily upstaged Princess Turandot on
both vocal and dramatic counts. 
(Aug 17) The new band shell of
the Hollywood Bowl has been highly touted for its "exceptional
acoustical qualities" (KCAL 9 News).
To these ears, it sounds no better or worse than the old one. It
was built primarily for the musicians so they could hear one
another, and matters preciously little to those of us in the
audience. The four Jumbo-Tron monitors surrounding the shell seem
like a neat idea at first, but they detract attention from the live
performance on stage. (I am reminded of a famous conductor, unaware
of the live video feed, adjusted his undergarments and drew sounds
of mirth in the audience.) The new shell is fine, but those screens
have got to go, or at least be better scripted.