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Ermonela Jaho and Carlo Rizzi at the Wigmore Hall | Photo: Russell Duncan

Opera Rara continues its Donizetti Song Project which got off to a flying start last year with Lawrence Brownlee providing a tenorial contribution. The second concert saw the ever-popular soprano Ermonela Jaho taking the Wigmore Hall stage alongside pianist Carlo Rizzi, the company’s Artistic Director.

Jaho instilled confidence from the moment she appeared. She has natural charm and a megawatt smile that sweeps across the audience. And, though this was a lunchtime concert, she made that extra effort to bring some glitz to event, in off-the-shoulder cobalt silk. 

The programme was book-ended by sets of early and late Donizetti. In-between came a short exploration of his contemporaries: Bellini, Verdi, Gounod and Viardot. Almost every number had a hook or something catchy to latch on to, but some stood out from the crowd. ‘Venne sull’ali ai zeffiri’ was composed in 1836 in honour of Bellini’s early demise, and has trademark most associated with the late composer – a long, sinuous line, snaking through some elaborate words by poet and soon-to-be Verdian librettist, Andrea Maffei.

Jaho’s phrasing was on the breath, culminating in some repeated octave jumps, the second sung piano, and a dreamy cadenza. Bellini’s own work came later with ‘La ricordanza’, the melody of which presages Elvira’s ‘Qui la voce’ from I Puritani. Verdi’s ‘In solitaria stanza’ is a strange song, its almost jaunty 3/4 time at odds with the misery of the text, but Jaho injected as much pathos as she could into her tone; the music, composed in 1838, suddenly burst into Leonora’s rising phrase in ‘Tacea la notte’ from Il Trovatore, an arresting moment.

Jaho’s tone shifted and changed with skill. Her opening Donizetti song was forthright, the second a much darker vocal colouration, the third displayed vocal and dynamic range, a thrilling forte followed by an elegant legato for the final lines. She switched from Italian to French for two songs, and Viardot’s ‘Haï luli!’ proved a particular delight.

Jaho’s final programmed number was Donizetti’s later piece ‘Era l’ora che i cieli’, almost operatic in format – recitative, aria then another aria verging on cabaletta, expressing a range of emotions and taking the viewpoint of two characters in turn, one male, one female. Here, Jaho’s partnership with Rizzi was at its most apparent. He generally seemed happy to take a back seat and support his soprano with discretion – he must have excellent peripheral vision as often she turned to cue a start and off they went. But for the final piece there was more eye contact, necessary given the ebb and flow of pace and emotion. Rizzi showed off more, and why not, playing with excellent violinist Marco Rizzi, who gave a Donizetti Sonata and Impromptu, covering a range of skills (some good double stopping in the latter) and a lot of interplay between the two performers.

To sum, a short and immersive concert that grabbed the audience from the start.

opera-rara.com