San Diego Symphony’s magnificent performances of Felix Mendelssohn’s Old Testament-based oratorio, “Elijah” ended Sunday afternoon, March 5. Listeners were thrilled despite such annoyances as talkative toddlers and ubiquitous cell phones that seemed to pervade every glorious pianissimo effected by the San Diego Master Chorale.
Part Two, which we heard from the last row in the orchestra section, began without the banished children, but there is nothing ushers can do about those other, concealed banes of the concert hall. As the oratorio goes, “He that shall endure to the end shall be saved.”
Annoyances aside, those who endured reaped many blessings, among them the most extraordinary baritone in memory to sing the title role. His name is Richard Zeller. He is imposing, with an immense persona and physical body, dark hair and beard. He employs his large voice without strain, and it is beautiful in all registers. One hardly needed the text projected above the proscenium. Beyond all these attributes, Zeller delivers the text like a believer. His dramatic “It Is Enough, O Lord Now Take My Life” was a high point of the performance, as affecting as Giuseppe Verdi’s “Eri Tu.”
The other soloists were meritorious as well. Janice Chandler-Eteme returned to San Diego Symphony to sing the soprano parts. She was most affecting in her portrayal of the Widow whose son Elijah revives. She has a glorious high voice and a great sense of drama perfectly suited to her Part Two aria, “Hear Ye, Israel.”
Mezzo-soprano Gigi Mitchell-Velasco was pleasing in her aria “O Rest in the Lord” and truly scary in her chest-produced interpretation of the nasty queen whose hatred brings down the prophet. Though his voice is not beautiful throughout its range, tenor Robert Breault was particularly effective in his singing of the aria “If With All Your Hearts.”
Have I mentioned music director Jahja Ling’s stupendous understanding and finesse? In places he interwove the pianissimo chorale and the strings so delicately that one heard the harp and comprehended subtleties as never before. Have I praised the Master Chorale and its conductor Martin Wright enough?
Say what you will about Mendelssohn, “Elijah” is the most glorious and uplifting outpouring of melody ever penned by a composer. Despite kids and cell phones, I am grateful.
Musical March
“¢ 8 p.m. Friday, March 10, Copley Symphony Hall, 7th and B streets: Under the auspices of La Jolla Music Society, Osmo Vanska, music director of the Minnesota Orchestra, conducts the London Philharmonic in Benjamin Britten’s Simple Symphony, Sergei Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony and Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1. For tickets ($20-$105) www.la-jolla-music-society.com or (858) 459-3728.
“¢ 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 10 at St. Paul’s Cathedral and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 12 at Sherwood Auditorium, 700 Prospect St., ebullient and informative Nuvi Mehta conducts San Diego Chamber Orchestra in Gioacchino Rossini’s Overture to “The Barber of Seville,” Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4, Op. 58 (Chu-Fang Huang is soloist), and Antonin Dvorak’s Serenade for Strings, Op. 22. Tickets ($15-$20) at (858) 350-0290, ext. 7.
“¢ 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 10-11, at The Neurosciences Institute, 10640 John Jay Hopkins Drive, Mainly Mozart presents the Borromeo String Quartet in an all-Mozart program that comprises String Quartet in G Major (“Spring”) K. 387, String Quartet in E flat, K. 428, and String Quartet in C (“Dissonant”), K. 465. Tickets ($42) and info: www.mainlymozart.org or (619) 239-0100.
“¢ 7:30 p.m. Sunday, March 12, Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., the Barbara and William Karatz Chamber Concert Series presents Canada’s Borealis String Quartet in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s String Quartet No. 23 in F Major, K.590, Maurice Ravel’s String Quartet No. 1 in F Major, and Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Quartet in C Major, Opus 59. Tickets ($25-$30) at (858) 454-5872.
“¢ 2 p.m. Sunday, March 12 at Copley Symphony Hall, James DePriest conducts the Juilliard Orchestra in its 100th anniversary concert, comprising William Schuman’s New England Triptych, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 (the “Emperor” with pianist Joseph Kalichstein), and Bela Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra. Tickets ($15-$58) www.sandiegosymphony.com or (619) 235-0804.
Later this month
“¢ 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 17-18 and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 19 at Copley Symphony Hall, San Diego Symphony Jacobs’ Masterworks Series presents performances of Anatol Liadov’s “Kikimora,” Tchaikovsky’s Concerto for Violin in D Major (guest soloist Min Lee) and excerpts from Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet.” Tickets ($20-$85) available by calling (619) 235-0804 or visit www.sandiegosymphony.com.
“¢ 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 21, at Sherwood Auditorium, La Jolla Music Society’s Revelle Series presents pianist Mikhail Pletnev in recital. Tickets ($55-$75) www.la-jolla-music-society.com or (858) 459-3728.
“¢ 8 p.m. Thursday, March 23 at Copley Symphony Hall, 7th and B, San Diego, La Jolla Music Society presents the Russian National Orchestra under the direction of founder and artistic director Pletnev in performance of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Festive Overture, Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 (soloist, Alexander Moglievsky) and Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Suite No. 3 for Orchestra in G Major, Op. 55. Tickets ($20-$85) www.la-jolla-music-society.com or (858) 459-3728.
“¢ 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 24-25 at The Neurosciences Institute, Mainly Mozart presents The Altenberg Trio in an all-Mozart recital comprising the Piano Trio (Terzett) in G., K. 496; Trio in E, K. 542, and Piano Trio (Sonata) in G, K. 496. Tickets ($42) www.mainlymozart.org or (619) 239-0100.
“¢ 7 p.m. Saturday, March 25, San Diego Opera opens Georges Bizet’s popular “Carmen,” featuring Siberian soprano Marina Domashenko in the title role, directed by Tony Award-winner Mark Lamos. The opera has four additional performances through April 5. (Tickets ($27-$142) www.sdopera.com or (619) 533-7000.
