This was a marvellously enjoyable concert in a glorious setting. Tetelman is, deservedly, highly acclaimed and in this concert, we heard the best of him. It’s a rich, well-produced voice, perfect for Puccini with a rich throatiness that occasionally recalled Bergonzi or Di Stefano. Occasionally he ‘milked’ the top notes a tad too much, but nothing that was unforgiveable. The final item in the official programme was, understandably, Nessun Dorma and he charmingly dedicated it to one of the great Turandot’s of the previous century, Eva Marton, who was in the audience. It must have been a strange, emotional experience for both of them; for him to sing it to one of the great exponents of the role and for her, to connect with a new generation of singers. I suspect that she felt that it was a pity that they would not perform to it together.
There were subtleties in the performances too, particularly with B. F. Pinkerton (surely the number 1 s**t in opera…). He had an engaging stage presence, looked particularly spiffing in the white suit into which he changed for part 2 and gave a couple of encores, concluding with a gorgeously sentimental version of O Sole Mio, much to the delight of all.
The Opera House orchestra were on characteristically superb form and it was an excellent idea to intersperse the arias with preludes and intermezzi from the operas, particularly as they often go by relatively unnoticed as we are often waiting for the next scene, watching directorial fancies, which can distract from the power and dramatic effectiveness of the music. It was also good to be reminded of the power and characteristic effectiveness of Puccini’s Opus 1, the Sinfonico where he started as he went on in the rest of his career, with superb melodic invention, great emotional power and highly effective orchestration.
A wonderful summer’s evening.