I always look forward to events at Blue Mansion—the venerable Cheong Fatt Tze—whether as a performer or member of the audience. The stately courtyard with its small, intimate stage offers a perfect salon-like setting for chamber music or other small-scale performances that reward the audience with a relaxed atmosphere and an “up-close” experience. This made it the perfect venue for Music Makers’ offering of Rossini’s Realm: Charm, Comedy, and Coloratura—an evening of vocal treats from the always entertaining composer Gioachino Rossini.
Music Makers is a group of mostly Penang-based musicians who gather monthly to, well, make music together, share experiences, and promote artistic development among its members. They are to be commended for their steady offerings of performances since their inception just four years ago, providing regular performance opportunities for members while also giving Penang audiences—including, importantly, student musicians—the chance to hear and grow to love classical music.
Showcasing Rossini was an inspired programme choice, both for the setting and the performers’ goal of nurturing the notion that “opera is for everyone!” The first half of the programme featured “salon songs” by Rossini. As a longtime Rossini fan, I didn’t know he had a collection of salon songs, so I was delighted to learn about and hear them in this perfect “salon” setting. This trio of singers—Ong Geok Theng, soprano; Lim Yee Fen, mezzo-soprano; and Louis Ong, baritone—along with brilliant and fearless pianist Zhang Chi, definitely delivered charm in these six “easy listening” songs.
Baritone Louis Ong introduced each piece on the programme, always a welcome feature in a concert, providing just the right amount of background to make the song more meaningful. The first, “La regatta veneziana,” was a three-part story about a young woman watching her lover compete in and win a Venetian boat race. Yee Fen delivered warm, enthusiastic support for her young friend in the boat, who was no doubt rowing his heart out with her encouragement to win. From mezzo magic, the programme moved to Geok Theng’s sparkling coloratura in “La pastorella delle Alpi,” as a young shepherdess handing out apples and flowers while making it clear that her own heart was already taken. The folk-like melody, with a hint of Tyrolean yodel, was a perfect showcase for Geok Theng’s vocal artistry, as were her two other songs from Rossini’s Soirées musicales collection.
Louis brought the first half to a comedic close with “La Danza,” a rapid-fire song in the form of a Neapolitan tarantella. Classic Rossini, it was a tongue-twister of a “patter song” for the singer, with breathless runs and lots of dramatic flair. He pulled it off with aplomb. And it was a finger-twister for pianist Zhang Chi, who already had been busy with everything in the first half, but for this song my notes said, “furious piano playing!” His fingers were flying over the keyboard, seemingly dancing a tarantella—an old Italian folk dance supposedly inspired by the bite of a tarantula. Even in these salon songs, you could tell that the operatic story and musical drama were never far from Rossini’s heart.
The second half took us fully onto the opera stage. Rossini wrote no fewer than 39 operas, and arias from five of them were featured here—works equally brimming with charm, comedy, and coloratura. The selections were cleverly chosen, giving each of the three singers opportunities to display their vocal fireworks, while pianist Zhang Chi—“accompanist” seems hardly an adequate description when he was required to play dizzyingly busy full orchestral parts with only ten fingers at the piano—matched them note for note. One audience member commented afterwards, “The pianist was exceptionally good. I’m not very familiar with Rossini beyond the famous pieces, but I thoroughly enjoyed it!” Surely this is exactly the kind of response every performer hopes to inspire.
The opera aria excerpts began serenely, with just a hint of the operatic fireworks still to come. Yee Fen’s warm rendering of “Tanti affetti in tal momento” from The Lady of the Lake was graced with musical poise while also revealing Rossini’s fondness for coloratura mezzo-sopranos. This was followed by two arias from Rossini’s comic masterpiece, The Barber of Seville. In “Una voce poco fa,” soprano Geok Theng leaned into Rossini’s playful style, handling the agile coloratura writing with confidence and bringing theatrical sparkle to the hall. Baritone Louis Ong then brought the evening’s biggest theatrical moment with the famous Figaro aria, “Largo al factotum.” Entering from the back of the audience and proceeding to the small stage in full operatic stride, he immediately had the audience in his hands, singing with the confident bravura the role requires. Having mentioned beforehand that this was his first public performance of the aria, he delivered it with confidence, humor, swagger, and impressive vocal agility, fully embracing Rossini’s comic flair. If there were any opera doubters in the audience that evening, this trio of singers would have won them over.
Music Makers deserves great credit not only for assembling such an entertaining programme, but also for continuing to nurture Penang’s classical music scene through performances that are welcoming, engaging, and accessible. Judging from the enthusiastic audience response, Rossini’s Realm: Charm, Comedy, and Coloratura fully delivered on its promise. More than two centuries later, Rossini’s music remains the operatic equivalent of champagne—effervescent and exuberant, almost impossible to resist—capable of winning over even those who think they do not like opera.
About the writer:
Katie Coolbaugh’s career path took a scenic detour—from programme evaluator to life at sea. For over 20 years, her sailboat had everything except space for a cello. Now anchored in Penang, she’s making up for lost time as principal cellist of the PPO.
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