This opera gala saw the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra mark their 15th anniversary with an unforgettable evening. The BIPO were joined by tenor Roberto Alagna, making his Istanbul debut, and mezzo-soprano Roxana Constantinescu, a rising star, to perform extracts from Massenet’s Werther and Bizet’s Carmen, two operas completed within twelve years of one another. It was a special occasion on many accounts, and memorable as much for the encores as the programmed material.
The semi-staged performance given by Alagna and Constantinescu ensured that the excerpts from Massenet’s tale of love and loss received a suitably dramatic rendition. From the outset, the BIPO proved themselves to be worthy of these anniversary celebrations: the orchestra sounded fantastic, giving a passionate and nuanced performance. Conductor Sascha Goetzel led interpretations full of spontaneity, exploring the expressive potential of each phrase. The overture’s fatalistic D minor opening was supple yet full, softening into a warmer sound for the idyllic major-mode section. Charlotte’s Act III aria, “Werther! Qui m’aurait dit la place”, was given an appropriately wistful accompaniment; the orchestra’s sound was intense yet hushed, bringing the confession of love to its end with an atmospheric halo of sound. Despite a few issues with intonation (most notably the flute in the Act I duet “Il faut nous séparer”), the close attention paid to shaping and articulation meant that the BIPO’s performance balanced vigour with carefully considered details.
Roberto Alagna was on thrilling form throughout the evening, his combination of charisma, power and expressive depth meaning that every aria elicited an enthusiastic response from the audience. The opera’s emotional climax, “Pourquoi me réveiller?”, was undoubtedly the highlight of the evening: intense yet fragile, the aria allowed Alagna to display his luminescent upper range. Roxana Constantinescu sounded attractive as Charlotte, but unfortunately her voice lacked sufficient power to project into the vast 1735-seat auditorium (within the Istanbul Convention and Exhibition Centre) and meant that she was often barely heard above the orchestra.
Constantinescu seemed much more at home in Carmen, with her enjoyment of the role apparent. Hers was a playful and confident Carmen, savouring every word of the libretto. Although she still suffered problems with projection, the role allowed her to display her wonderfully mellow lower range. Once again, though, it was Alagna who stole the show. He owned the stage, whether sitting on the edge of the conductor’s podium to watch Carmen dance in “Halte là! Qui va là!” or his Don José in “Non, tu ne m’aimes pas”, tender and hardened in turns.