Ok, the story of the GREAT
EVENING. I start from afar to make you feel how I felt during the last
hours before the concert. It was unbearable waiting, I thought there
wouldn't be an end to it. The beginning was delayed - people were coming
endlessly (many of them had problems with finding a place for parking, I
guess). I was at the place at 5.40 and the concert began at 7.25 or so.
To the moment I arrived I couldn't control my excitement anymore, so I
was almost running along the streets, with my heart ready to jump out of
my chest. Finally it started... with the overture, of course, another
several minutes of waiting while I knew that Andrea was so close, ready
to walk on the stage. Ouverture must be cancelled at Andrea's concerts!
But Glinka's piece to Russian and Ludmila was finished and the conductor
Marcello Rota left the stage to come back with Andrea. Oh, btw, let me
introduce the others to you.
Conductor - Marcello Rota
Soprano - Daniela Bruera
Bariton - Gianfranco Montresor
Russian Chaikovsky symphonic orchestra
State Academic Choir of Russia
And the list of arias and songs ( I'll write only Andrea's parts, if you
don't mind)
Brindisi. Mascagni. Cavalleria Rusticana
The Pearl Fishers duet.
E lucevan le stelle
O soave fanciulla
The duet from La Boheme. Act IV (with Montresor)
Di quella pira
entr'acte
Vieni sul mar
Granada
Mamma
Funiculi funicula
O surdato 'nammurato
Marechiare
Brindisi. Verdi. Traviata
As you can see, the first part of the concert was operatic and the
second - Canzoni Italiane e Napoletane. And of course, there was a
surprise in the very end (not for me, because I didn't doubt a second
that it would be there) - The Prayer, O Sole mio and Con te partiro.
Well, to Andrea now. Apparently he felt a little bit uneasy at the first,
opera part of the concert,though he smiled from time to time. Have you
ever notice the great difference in him when he sings arias and
everything else. Even classical Neapolitan songs he sings in much more
relaxed and calm manner. But opera arias are something sacred for him.
He smiled only a couple of times before the interlude and that state of
his was communicated to me. I was sitting with one thought - God, let
him sing his best, let him be perfect and I can say my heart sank in the
most difficult passages. But he WAS perfect or very close to perfect.
High notes - incredible! And that tembre,.. covering you all over softly
and gently... Pearl Fishers duet was great, baritone was very good too
and they made a fantastic sounding together. The second favourite of
mine was O soave fanciulla from La Boheme. I think Andrea knows better
than anyone how to sing this duet. I saw several versions before and all
of them very wonderful. There's a moment when he takes Mimi's hand and
smiles and they sing of Amore together... Brilliant!
Well, I'm not able to tell you about every piece he sang... In the
second part of the concert he was, as I've already mentioned very
relaxed and smiled all the time. I think there must be a special number
of any concert's programme when Andrea stays on the stage and... just
SMILES!!! The best smile I've ever seen, so open, so sincere and so shy
and grateful! Well, when the official programme was finished he came
three times more and sang three extra songs (see above). When the
audience heard the first notes of each one it burst out with applause so
loud that it muffled the orchestra for several seconds. He sang all
three songs incredibly well and at the end of Time to say goodbye a
woman next to me started crying... I'm sure she wasn't the only one. As
for me I was smiling like a happy idiot and this smile was on my face
all the way home and it's still there! And joy is pumping through all my
veins. All I feel is a pure delight, ecstatic joy and a feeling of
simple childish happiness.
When all musicians left the stage an announcer said: "See you next
year"! Hope he said it seriously and we'll see Andrea again in a
short period of time.
All people were excited and amazed. They walked out the arena smiling
and chatting about how great it was. When we crossed the street a car
passed by and we could hear Con te partiro from its' open window. don't
know if it was somebody from the concert or just a coincidence, but all
in the crowd who heard it burst with a happy laughter.
The end...
And P.S. specially for Andrea
THANK YOU so much for this glorious evening!!! I hope you liked Moscow
audience at list a half as it liked you! I want you to know that people
were standing and clapping long ago you left the stage, and that they
couldn't help shedding a tear or two and then smile happily. Thank you
many times and WELCOME BACK to Moscow next year!!! With fondest love and
gratitude,
by Alexandra
|