|
Monday, 19 November 2007 |
 Hope Briggs, soprano Proud, eloquent return to spotlight for Hope Briggs
by Joshua Kosman, SF Chronicle Music Critic It's just like they always say, you can't keep a good woman down. Only a few months after being summarily cashiered from the San Francisco Opera's June production of "Don Giovanni," soprano Hope Briggs returned to the local spotlight on Friday night to sing a collection of arias with the Oakland East Bay Symphony at the Paramount Theatre. Her singing was proud, defiant and full of pizzazz, both tonally and dramatically. That's not to say anything about the rights or wrongs of David Gockley's controversial decision, which led Music Director Michael Morgan to immediately add Briggs to the lineup of this season-opening program in place of a scheduled work by Latvian composer Peteris Vasks.Whatever happened in San Francisco was the outcome of various unknowable considerations. But Friday's performance was the work of a singer unafraid to make a large, energetic statement, and able to back that up with commanding technique and smooth, eloquent phrasing. All that, and she holds the stage like a true diva.Unsurprisingly, Briggs sang no Mozart - that would have been an unnecessary and distracting provocation. Instead, she concentrated on three familiar numbers from the Italian Romantic repertoire.Her finest showing came midway through the set, with a rendition of "Tacea la notte placida" from Verdi's "Il Trovatore" that was both voluptuous and pure-voiced. The opening phrases were shaped with eloquent directness, and with Morgan's aid, Briggs then brought the aria to ever-greater heights of intensity and emotional fluency.In excerpts from Puccini's "Tosca" and Cilea's "Adriana Lecouvreur," Briggs struck a fine balance between the brawniness of her vocal tone and her ability to place musical emphases securely. E-mail Joshua Kosman at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
. Copyright 2007 SF Chronicle Read more:
Soprano bounces back from 11th-hour decision
Soprano Hope Briggs brings glamour, drama to Oakland Symphony opener
|
