The increasing temperature is not the only signal that summer is just around the corner. One by one, the concert halls are wrapping up their seasons and closing the curtain until fall 2015. The Istanbul Borusan Philharmonic Orchestra — more popularly known as BIFO among the locals and BIPO among expats — also marked the end of the year with its annual closing performance dedicated to the late and legendary soprano Leyla Gencer.
For the non-opera savvy, Gencer may be relatively unknown, not having reached the pop stardom of her contemporary and colleague Maria Callas. However, for anyone remotely familiar with opera, hers is a different story: She was one of the most heralded prima donnas of the La Scala theater for over two decades, director of the La Scala Academy at the request of the legendary conductor Riccardo Muti, and a source of awe and inspiration for sopranos throughout the world. An opera diva whose funeral made headlines across the world and was attended by Italy’s Minister of Culture. It’s no wonder that BIPO dedicates their season finale to Gencer each year.
The evening was of a caliber and a magnitude befitting the commemoration of La Diva Turca. The opera selected for the evening was Aida, with the impressive Coro dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia as the choir. As for the eight solo parts, the amazing soprano Latonia Moore was in the role of Aida, mezzasoprano Stella Grigorian in the role of Amneris, tenor Fabio Sartori as Radames and baritone George Gagnidze as Amonasro. The King of Egypt, Ramfis, the messenger, and the High Priestess were sung by four Turkish singers who are internationally acclaimed: basses Kenan Dağaşan and Göktuğ Alpaşar, tenor Ali Murat Erengül and soprano Gülbin Günay. Make a note of these names, and try to catch one of their live performances, be it at a local theater, at La Scala, or in a program on the BBC.
Like last year, the orchestra was placed on the stage floor, and not in the orchestra pit like in a typical performance of the opera. This allowed us to closely follow the instrumental compositions. A friend of mine later commented that he preferred the standard setup, with the orchestra in the pit and props and scenic design taking over the stage. But I like this version — with the orchestra on the stage — and, as a violin geek, may even prefer it. It gives me the chance to follow the instrumental compositions visually, paying attention to the interaction and synergy of the orchestra and tracking the composition note by note.
The other highlight of the evening was the enchanting soprano Latonia Moore. Her voice projected lucid, clear, and strong throughout the entire auditorium, rising above the orchestra and the chorus. As she sang her parts, videos of Leyla Gencer performing the same role years ago at La Scala were projected on a white screen hung behind the orchestra and chorus. It was clear that Moore had big shoes to fill. But she took on the challenge very well, and continued to amaze us with her talent and mastery of voice until the very last note.
This particular evening had been one to which I had been looking forward ever since the announcement of the season’s program months ago. And from the ninety-member Coro Dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, whose history spans across some five centuries, to getting the chance to visually observe the instrumental compositions of a work of opera, to the out of this world vocal virtuosity of the soloists, it was surely one of the most impressive of the season.
As a bonus of the evening, we walked home with a booklet announcing the performances of the upcoming 2015-2016 season. The season boasts such grand names as Sarah Chang, Kit Armstrong, Freddy Kempf, the Pekinels, and the Labèques. Needless to say, I am already highly anticipating this October, and beyond.
