Father and son Michael Lewis (père, baritone) and Alexander Lewis (fils, tenor) make an amazing team. Each is a fabulous soloist, and singing together they invoke all that is beautiful in the male vocal register. Add sopranos Fiona McAndrew and Katherine Goyder and mezzo Caitlin Cassidy and you have the makings of a musical feast. The wonderful WAAPA chorus and a pair of amazing pianists (Anna Sleptsova and David Wickham) broadened the afternoon’s entertainment into an absolute delight.
Some musical snobs look down on concerts that pull arias and choruses out of context to provide entertainment. But the fact is that audiences love to hear their favourite arias and choruses, and some people, having acquired a taste for operatic music, will go on to attend performances of entire operas. ‘Taste and see’ programs can be justified on this alone, and this one pulled in a full house. The wonderful young artists of the WAAPA Opera Chorus (try saying that three times, quickly!) were out to raise funds for the fourth WAAPA International Art Song Academy, slated for 11-16 July. Given the packed house, I imagine they well and truly filled the coffers!
The program covered nearly two centuries of operatic endeavour, ranging from Donizetti (1797-1848) to Debussy (1862-1918), with Sleptsova also offering a modern piano solo — Miroslav Skoryk’s Paraphrase on Themes from Puccini’s Madama Butterfly.
The WAAPA chorus comprises about 70 young singers under the baton of Kristin Bowtell. Gender-wise, they are typically unbalanced – there were only about ten men in the ensemble, so four-part harmony is not the choir’s forte. Nevertheless, they gave a convincing rendition of Verdi’s Va, pensiero to open the show, and concluded it with Mascagni’s Easter Hymn from Cavalliera Rusticana. The last item was cleverly done – a septet repaired to the choir stalls upstairs to add a touch of dramatic authenticity.
In between those excellently rendered offerings, the five singers, in various combinations, entertained us with arias and duets. The two pianists also showed versatility in piano solos. I was rather hoping for a four-handed piece, but perhaps that was expecting a bit much, given their heavy workload throughout the afternoon.
The singers were all excellent but I regret to say that the ladies were outdone by the father and son team. Lewis is a good Welsh name, and everyone knows the Welsh can sing almost anyone else into a cocked hat. The Lewises have their routines down pat, and their duet, In the Depths of the Temple, showed us the beauty of well-blended male voices. Alexander gave us Ah, mes amis from La Fille du Regiment, and stopped at one point to complain about the excessive verbiage of the French. The men were then joined by Fiona McAndrew and Caitlin Cassidy to give us a rousing rendition of the quartet from Rigletto.
David Wickham and Anna Sleptsova are both fine accompanists, and their solo items were also enjoyable and well-presented. Overall, a really-balanced afternoon’s entertainment. I hope these gifted performers will do it again, and that right soon!
From Opera with Love
Music Direction by: David Wickham
Artistic Direction by: Patricia Price
Performed by: Fiona McAndrew, Alexander Lewis, Michael Lewis, the WAAPA Opera Chorus and featuring special guest performances from David Wickham and Anna Slepstova
Government House Ballroom, Perth
18 June 2017
