Sondra Radvanovsky was due to give a recital in Koerner Hall on Thursday night but she cancelled due to illness.  Toronto Summer Music did extremely well to find a replacement of the calibre of American mezzo J’nai Bridges at such short notice.  While many people turned their tickets in for refunds and others, it seems, just didn’t show up, those who did were treated to a performance by Ms. Bridges, accompanied by the ever reliable Rachel Kerr, that most certainly did not disappoint.

An arrangement, unannounced, of the Lord’s Prayer was followed by two sets of Brahms songs including the Zwei Gesänge, Op.91 where Rachel and J’nai were joined by Sheila Jaffé on viola.  This was proper lieder singing.  J’nai’s sumptuous mezzo was used with subtlety and artistry with fine contributions from piano and viola.

After the intermission it was Ravel’s Shéhérazade.  This is a setting three rather overblown poems by the notorious Tristan Klingsor.  I guess if one is going to meditate sultrily on wrongful executions and racial stereotypes an almost decadently rich sound like J’nai’s is about what you want.  Her French is pretty decent too but if you heard her Carmen at the COC you knew that already.

The final piece on the programme was Cantata by John Daniel Carter (not to be confused with jazz composer and clarinettist, John Wallace Carter).  When one looks at the titles of the five movements; “Peter Go Ring Dem Bells” etc, one might be forgiven for expecting some fairly conventional piano arrangements of spirituals.  It’s not like that at all.  In particular the piano part is rhythmically intricate and involves a fair amount of chromaticism.  Carter, in his own mind, was trying to do for the “folk music of his people” what Debussy and Bartok had done for theirs.  It’s a very fine piece and performed with skill and depth of feeling by J’nai and Rachel.

And so to encores.  I guess the “Habanera” from Carmen was inevitable but done with such panache it was most welcome.  “You’ll Never Walk Alone” sounded a lot better than it ever did when I lived across the road from Anfield!  I really doubt that anyone left the hall feeling they’d been served up a second rate substitute for Sondra.  I, for one, had a great evening.  I’d go see Ms. Bridges in recital again any day.

Photo credits: Lucky Tang