Review | A glittering turn from Elina Garanca and Macao Orchestra in Hong Kong operatic gala
Showcase for mezzo-soprano’s vocal virtuosity sometimes came at the expense of musical purity, but Macao Orchestra impressed nonetheless
Latvian mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca is one of opera’s biggest international stars. A beautiful woman with a beautiful voice and dazzling vocal technique, she delighted the audience at her Hong Kong debut on October 29 with a crowd-pleasing selection of songs, including a suite of extracts from Bizet’s Carmen – her signature role.
The arias were interspersed with equally well-known instrumental interludes, performed by the Macao Orchestra under the baton of British conductor Karel Mark Chichon, Garanca’s husband.
Hong Kong was one stop on Garanca’s tour to Greater China, Hungary and Poland, and the programme, both vocal and instrumental, was clearly designed to be entertaining and accessible to a wider audience rather than aimed at music specialists.
The evening opened on a Russian note with the overture to Glinka’s Ruslan and Ludmila, followed by the Aria of Johanna from Tchaikovsky’s opera about Joan of Arc, The Maid of Orleans.
In this aria, powerfully sung by Garanca, Joan bids a poignant farewell to her beloved native woods and hills as she prepares to answer the call from God to fight for her country.
