The Three Tenors from Bucharest - Ethan Schmeisser conducts the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and guest Romanian tenors in an evening of opera favourites

Maestro Ethan Schmeisser © Yossi Zwecker 

 

Adrian Dumitru, Andrei Pleșca, Doru Iftene (Courtesy JSO)

Leading into the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra's 89th season, "The Three Tenors from Bucharest", a concert of solo songs and opera favourites, took place in the Henry Crown Auditorium (Jerusalem Theatre) on September 17th, 2026. Under the baton of Maestro Ethan Schmeisser, the JSO was joined by three tenor soloists from leading opera houses in Bucharest, Romania - Adrian Dumitru, Andrei Pleșca and Doru Iftene. 

 

Opening the event with much good cheer and rich orchestral colour, we heard the Sinfonia (Overture) to Un Giorno di Regno (King for a Day), Giuseppe Verdi's second opera. Premiered at Milan’s La Scala on September 5th, 1840, the opera's first performance sadly also became its last. (The work, however, is by no means a failure!)  A comic opera full of energy and bounce, it was Verdi's last in this genre until Falstaff followed 53 years later!

 

Enter the three soloists. Together, they give an upbeat performance of Eduardo di Capua’s "O Solo Mio" (My Sunshine), prior to a rich selection of solo arias by Italian- and other composers. Of Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár, we heard the fresh, warm voice of Andrei Pleșca in "Dein ist mein ganzes Herz" (Yours Is My Heart Alone) from the 1929 romantic operetta The Land of Smiles. Here, Pleșca sings the piece in Romanian. In "Che gelida manina" (What a frozen little hand) from Act 1 of La Bohème, Pleșca's pleasing, romantic Italianate sound, his fullness in the upper register and touching reading of the aria were subtly intertwined with Puccini's delicate instrumental writing.

 

As to "È la solita storia del pastore" (It's the old tale of the shepherd) from Francesco Cilea's L'Arlesiana, Doru Iftene engages his richly timbral mix, his fineness of tone and depth of feeling to give expression to Federico's pondering over the letter revealing that l'Arlesiana has another lover.  In "Cielo e mar" (Sky and Sea) from La Gioconda (Ponchielli), Iftene's breath control and lyrical phrasing convey the yearning, reflective mood of Enzo waiting on his ship at night, gazing at the sky and sea and longing for his beloved Laura.

 

From Verdi's Luisa Miller, Adrian Dumitru's presentation of the recitative "Oh! fede negar potessi agl'occhi miei!" (Oh, if only I could disbelieve my own eyes!) expressing Rodolfo's suspicions and anguish over his lover's perceived betrayal, is followed by the artist’s sensitive, beautifully phrased rendering of the aria "Quando le sere al placido" (When the evenings are peaceful), in which Rodolfo, mourning the loss of Luisa's love, tenderly recalls past tranquil evenings spent with her. And, introduced by the ever-haunting clarinet solo, "E lucevan le stelle" (And the stars were shining) from Act 3 of Tosca (Puccini), Dumitru holds the aria's emotional tension high throughout, giving veracity to Cavaradossi's farewell to life, sung as the painter awaits execution.

 

Following the evening's selection of solo arias, the soloists join once again to perform three much-loved tenor arias - the effervescent "Granada", in which Mexican composer Agustín Lara pays homage to the beauty and rich history of this ancient city (and its ladies). Then "Nessun Dorma" (Let no one sleep) from Puccini's Turandot, as the audience hums along and the soloists soar effortlessly up to the challenging final notes — high B and A. As to "Funiculi, Funiculà", composed by Luigi Denza to mark the opening of the first funicular railway on Mount Vesuvius, the jaunty Neapolitan song tells of a young man who compares his sweetheart to a volcano and invites her to join him on a romantic walk up to the summit. For their encore, singers and orchestra performed a beautiful setting of "Jerusalem of Gold" (Naomi Shemer). 

 

Attending "The Three Tenors from Bucharest", we are reminded that although opera repertoire offers many sparking, exuberant and humorous moments, opera and tragic love are also lifelong partners, incorporating words and music with heartbreak, jealousy, and fatal passion. With Maestro Schmeisser at the helm, the JSO players gave colour, meaning and eloquence to the festive evening fare, engaging in substantial, vibrant, articulate and high-quality performance.

 

Pianist, harpsichordist and vocal coach, chief conductor of the Jerusalem Lyric Festival and Studio, and former conductor/chorus master of the Israeli Opera, Israeli-born Ethan Schmeisser served as artistic director of the Romanian National Opera Bucharest from 2021 to 2023, today officiating as its conductor and chorus master.