An evening of opera favourites performed at St. Andrew's Scots Memorial Church, Jerusalem, by the A-Cappella Jerusalem Vocal Ensemble and soloists (conductor: Assaf Bènraf)

Photo: Assaf Ofek

 

A visit to the opera house is an exciting affair. Orchestras and ensembles sometimes offer semi-staged operas or concert opera performances (the latter having no sets and only very minimal props.) Taking place at St. Andrew's Scots Memorial Church, Jerusalem on June 20th 2024, "Twelve Dramas in one Act", a festive opera concert performed by the A-Cappella Jerusalem Vocal Ensemble (conductor/musical director Assaf Bènraf) and soloists, took the listener on a whirlwind tour of some of opera’s best-loved moments. Accompanying on the piano was Dor Gidon Amran. Soloists: were Efrat Raz (soprano), Ilona Toivis (mezzo-soprano), Marc Shaimer (tenor) and Roi Witz (baritone).

 

In a sparkling evening presenting love and tragedy (the theme of most operas), the audience was treated to a rich potpourri of arias and choruses. Starting with the comical yet serious dimensions of W.A.Mozart's "Don Giovanni" sounded like a good strategy, as choir, Efrat Raz and Roi Witz sang of the legendary libertine's amorous escapades, of love, morality, and the consequences of people's actions. Raz, her voice fresh and honeyed, her phrasing fine-spun, evoked the countess’s deep sadness expressed in "Porgi amor".  In "Se vuol ballare", Witz was convincing as a Figaro seething with rage over Almaviva's agenda and vowing to make the Count "dance to his tune". Then to well-shaped, silken choral singing of the heart-rending "Ah! se intorno a quest' urna funesta" from Christoph Willibald Gluck's "Orfeo ed Euridice", punctuated by moving "comments" on the part of Toivis.

 

Works by Giuseppe Verdi formed a substantial part of the program. "La Traviata", the story of the unconditional and hopeless love between Alfredo and the terminally ill Violetta was represented by Raz and Shaimer in the popular Drinking Song duet and by the women choir members in the light-textured Gypsy Chorus, its cheeky parlance intersected by Toivis and Witz. A theatrically effective and finely intonated Anvil Chorus (Il Trovatore) was followed by well-blended, sensitive singing of "Patria oppressa" (Macbeth), one of opera repertoire's great choral moments, with Amran's discerning gestures completing the bleak canvas. From "Nabucco", the much-loved "Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves'' (also known as "Va, pensiero" - "Fly, thought, on golden wings''), emerging introspective and subtly phrased, concluded the Verdi set. 

 

And to the world of French opera, first with excerpts from Georges Bizet's "Carmen" (the third most-frequently performed opera and the most-performed French opera!) The choir opens with "A dos cuartos" from Act IV, a market scene taking place in a square in Seville, with merchants selling their wares - water, oranges, fans, programmes, and lorgnettes. Then to the fiery “Habanera” aria (Act 1) in which Carmen sings of the untamed nature of love. Toivis, displaying her rich timbre in the lower register, presents the piece with admirable control and sensuality, as she and the choir strike a pleasing balance. As to the deliciously heady "Seguidilla", (a traditional Castilian dance), in which Carmen seductively invites José to join her at a tavern outside Sevilla, Toivis' easeful and agile singing highlights the message, as she remains within the bounds of good taste for concert performance. In "Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour" (Barcarolle) from Jacques Offenbach's "Tales of Hoffmann", Raz and Toivis weave the duet threads through the piece's lilting, caressing fabric.

 

We heard two numbers from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin", beginning with the Chorus of Maidens, sung by the women choir members with warmth and stylistic relevance. Light and playful as it was, the maidens' singing here has a reason: all are slaves of Tatyana's family; they are picking berries for their masters and are forced to sing so that they cannot eat the berries at the same time. This chorus was followed by ‘Where have you gone, O golden days of my Spring?’, sung by Marc Shaimer with emotion and conviction, a poignant, reflective moment as Lensky sings of the loss of his beloved Olga.   

 

And to America and George Gershwin's 1935 folk opera "Porgy and Bess". In "It ain’t necessarily so" (lyrics: Ira Gershwin), drug-dealer Sportin' Life offers his irreverent take on stories from the Bible. In its call-and-response form for soloist and chorus, Roi Witz gave the piece his theatrical all, stepping into the brazen shoes of the charming, challenging and witty Sportin' Life, communicating the text with crystal-clear diction and the wink of an eye.

 

The two final items of the evening gave the audience one last opportunity to hear the four fine soloists side-by-side with the choir. “Dal tuo stellato soglio”, the famous prayer of Moses and the Israelites on the banks of the Red Sea from Gioachino Rossini’s "Mosè in Egitto", opened with Mosè’s hushed, reverent prayer in the minor key, to be taken up by the other soloists and chorus, before soaring into a sublime ensemble in the major key The result was eloquent and majestic. Then to the rollicking, exuberant Champagne Song from Johann Strauss II's "Fledermaus", a chorus espousing the extravagance and light-heartedness of Viennese social life, in which champagne symbolized the carefree joy of living.

 

Taking on the role of "opera house orchestra", Dor Gidon Amran (also known as a mandolin player, conductor and composer) gave coherent, tasteful and colourful expression to the piano accompaniments, supporting choir and soloists in attentive playing. 

 

It was quite a tour! This is Assaf Bènraf's first concert with the ensemble since taking on the role of conductor/musical director in early 2024. Maestro Bènraf gave the audience concise, informative (sometimes candid) introductions to the stories and characters behind each opera. The audience delighted in the music, in the singers' rich, well-blended voices and in the high-quality, polished and finely-detailed approach to each work.