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Bayrakdarian, Braun mesmerize audience
By Harry Currie
Kitchener Waterloo RecordWhat a pleasure to be in the audience for the joint recital of two brilliant world-class Canadian singers and two equally talented accompanists.
Soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian and baritone Russell Braun yesterday held the large Centre in the Square audience spellbound as they poured out their hearts in song.
It is indeed remarkable that Kitchener-Waterloo Opera was able to bring two performers with soaring international careers together for this inaugural concert of their Great Singers Recital Series.
Beginning with lieder by Robert and Clara Schumann, it was quickly evident that the voices matched perfectly. In Erfund Sike, Braun's remarkable range and superbly covered tones - not matter how high - blended marvellously with Bayrakdarian's soaring soprano and superb shading, setting the stage for a performance that was filled with such power, subtlety and humour that the audience was mesmerized from beginning to end.
Braun slips easily into a bel canto in his upper register that is as smooth as velvet, yet he has rich, full-voiced low tones which escape many lyric baritones, Mondnacht was a marvellous example of both qualities.
Bayrakdarian is the consummate professional, making everything seem effortless, every musical utterance mirrored in expression, movement and posture, her eyes the dramatic focus of her interpretation. In Er is gekommen she displayed dynamic, controlled intensity, full of dramatic expectancy, and her voice flowed with breathtaking flexibility, but a totally different character emerged as she became the sprite in a sprightly waltz.
Honouring her Armenian heritage, Bayrakdarian sang four Armenian folk songs by Rev. Gomidas, and her vocal approach changed dramatically for the first, Akh, Maral Jan. Her tone was pure and clear, absent of vibrato. She has all the traditional vocal tricks for her heritage genre, notably what is almost a single yodel.
Braun departed from the printed program by switching from the expected five Greek popular songs by Ravel to three which the composer had written for a proposed film about Don Quixote. All three use rhythms of Spanish or Basque origin. In the Prayer, Bruan tacked on a marvellous falsetto amen, and in the final Drinking song his diaphragm-punctuated runs were the text-book example of what all fine singing teachers attempt to elicit from their students.
During the second half on the program, Bayrakdarian and Braun treated everyone to arias and duets from The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni and the Barber of Seville, and what a treat it was.
Bayrakdarian's Mozartian runs are flawless and fabulous. She acts everything with a grace, ease and total changes of character and a terrific sense of fun.
Braun brought the house down singing superbly and clowning his way through Largo al factotum, and, not to be outdone, Bayrakdarian did the same with Una voce poco fa.
both accompanists, Seruj Kradjian and Carolyn Maule, accomplished pianists in their own right, were superb in their care and attention to detail, and contributed outstanding four-handed duets in both halves of the concert.
Brought back for three encores, Bayrakdarian and Braun did one each and finished with the popular Papageno, Papagena duet from The Magic Flute.
This concert will be long remembered.
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