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By HARRIET CUNNINGHAM
Sydney Morning Herald | 17 May 2011
IT TOOK 21 years for Paul Dyer to get around to inviting a mezzo soprano to headline with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra but it was worth the wait.
Fiona Campbell is a spectacular musician and a compelling actor who changes characters with the same energy and style as she changes dresses. Her
first aria (long red dress, sequins) was from Vivaldi’s Orlando,
a stormy opening that tested her lower register. She tumbled onto the stage (jet-black sheath, black veil) for a wonderfully gothic mad scene from Handel’s Hercules, played with chilling restraint and amazing virtuosity.
As the vain prince Serse (white tailcoat) she worked Handel’s music to its full dramatic effect, giving the line ”Se bramate d’amar” a boisterous, swaggering lilt, then melting into self-doubt with ”Ma come, non so”.
Her final showpiece, Dopo Notte, where she wore oyster satin, is the climactic aria of Handel’s Ariodante. It was a joyous performance, with every run and ornament, both in the voice and accompaniment, ringing out with breathless clarity. But despite the fierce demands of the virtuosic vocal lines, it was never about the notes: everything about Campbell’s delivery, from her phrasing to her posture, served the story and the character.
The vocal fireworks were interspersed with a series of orchestral interludes and lyrical arias. The flautist Melissa Farrow joined Campbell for a spell-binding duet, Sol Da Te Mio Dolce Amore, from Orlando. Then the oboist Kirsten Barry gave a ropey account of Vivaldi’s Concerto for Oboe (RV 450), and the concertmaster Rachael Beasley led a thrilling rendition of Handel’s Concerto Grosso Op 3 No.2.
But the highlight of the concert was Lascia Ch’io Pianga from Rinaldo, where our heroine, Almirena, laments her fate. Campbell outlined the simple melody with heart-stopping beauty, gradually adding in modest ornamentation until, as if overcome by emotion, she fell silent, leaving the ensemble to play out the final verse. Just beautiful.
