South Florida Classical Review

Orchestra Miami presented a concert Saturday evening at the Miami Scottish Rite led by Elaine Rinaldi, and dedicated to the legacy of one of opera’s most enduringly popular composers, Giacomo Puccini.

The Italian composer died a century ago this year, and Saturday’s concert featured some of Puccini’s most popular music including scenes from La Bohème, Tosca, Manon Lescaut, and Turandot. Happily, it also included unexpected gems from some of his lesser-known operas. Excerpts from the one-act stage works Il tabarro and Suor Angelica and the late opera La Rondine were not only vocally convincing but dramatically riveting.

One might expect that a nearly three-hour concert of works of a single composer might become tiresome. But the musicians proved engaging throughout, and the singers’ dramatic talents kept the audience enthralled.

The program opened with the Act IV duet from La Boheme  “O Mimì tu più non torni,” in which Rodolfo and Marcello pine over their lost loves, Mimi and Musetta. Cuban-American baritone Nelson Martinez and rising lyric tenor Minghao Liu set the tone for the evening, with Liu’s bright voice ringing resplendently through the hall, alongside  Martinez’s commanding baritone.

Cuban-American soprano Eglise Gutiérrez provided some of the most enchanting moments of the evening. The pearly gossamer threads of her voice drew the audience in, providing welcome moments of intimacy in an otherwise extroverted program. As the orchestra swelled, her voice blossomed beautifully in response. The dramatic highlight of the evening came in the second half, with her touching reading of the doomed Liu’s death scene from Turandot.

American tenor Ben Gulley and Cuban-American soprano Elaine Alvarez took the stage for the romantic Act I scene  from the first act of Tosca. Alvarez brought an authentic vernacular twang to the romanesca character. Her voice blazed through the hall, showing strength but revealing the complexity and vulnerability of her characters. Gulley’s rich caramel tenor brought an amiable humanity throughout the program. Later in the evening, though, in a darker duet from Il tabarro, Gulley suddenly became monstrous, as though possessed, showcasing his stunning dramatic versatility.

The first half of the concert concluded with the entrance of baritone Joseph Lodato as Scarpia. He was joined in the ominous Te Deum scene from Tosca by a choir consisting of students from the New World School for the Arts and the Florida Grand Opera Canto program. His presence on stage was imperious, and his malicious tone suited the villainy of the character.

The evening’s most devastating moments came from soprano Maria Natale, whose deep opalescent voice dripped with melancholy. This was offset by tenor Martin Nusspaumer, whose rugged confidence on stage was matched by the oaky amber of his voice. Soprano and UM student Congcong Wang joined only in the final Brindisi quartet with choir from La Rondine. While she had little opportunity to showcase her voice, she nevertheless made a strong impression on stage.

The orchestra provided solid and unobtrusive accompaniment for most of the evening. Conductor Rinaldi, founder of the orchestra, kept the musicians in careful control.Two brief orchestral interludes—the Prelude to Act III from Edgar and a delightful but rarely played Scherzo and Trio—provided welcome rest for both the singers and the audience, and showcased the orchestra’s talents.

Posted in Performances

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One Response to “Orchestra Miami and guests serve up a varied and enjoyable Puccini feast”

1. Posted Nov 24, 2024 at 7:35 pm by Elaine Rinaldi

   I would like to add one note to this kind review: Orchestra Miami’s performance of the Scherzo in A Minor/ Trio in F Major was a US Premiere. From the editor’s website: “Until 2014, the Scherzo in A minor was known only in a version for strings (SC 34) and its connection to the Trio in F major SC 52 was not documented. Newly found sources made it possible to identify Puccini’s orchestral version of the Scherzo and to assert that in fact the Trio is conceived for the Scherzo.”

   It has been recorded and performed in Italy, but never before in the United States.

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