Thursday’s concert by members of the Ensemble Studio in the RBA was an all French affair (at least as far as language went) and it was rather good.  Karoline Podolak iniated proceedings with Mattia Senesi at the piano with Kurt Weill’s “Youkali”.  Now I’ve heard this sung by everybody from Barbara Hannigan to Benjamin Appl and I’d have to see that Ms. Podolak is right up there.  There was no male stripper though.

Korin Thomas-Smith has something of a penchant for the bizarre and I think that’s a fair description of two sets drawn from Apollinaire’s Bestiaire.  There were five of the Poulenc settings (about as far from Dialogues of the Carmelites as one could imagine) and six from Rachel Laurin’s more atonal and abrasive settings.  I would probably sing these songs if I had four dromedaries and could sing.  Fine work from Brian Cho at the piano.

There was some really rather beautiful singing from Wesley Harrison in Lili Boulanger’s Clairières dans le ciel.  He showed he can be both lyrical and dramatic with very stylish and idiomatic singing.  Talking about idiomatic Karoline showed she could do insane 19th century coloratura in absolutely the right style with pinpopint accuracy and apparent ease.  The aria was “Ombre legère” from Meyerbeer’s Dinorah.  It’s a strong candidate for the silliest opera ever but it still poses the technical demands of much more serious works and they were met.  I could well imagine this young lady singing a role like Isabelle in Robert le Diable (if I could imagine anyone around here producing that opera!).  She was equally good in the somewhat less elaborate “Merci, jeunes amies” from Verdi’s Les vêpres siciliennes.

There was a rather lovely version of “Au fond du temple saint” from Les pêcheurs de perles from the gentlemen and Mattia Senesi before things closed out with a spirited, crisp and rather funny “Tous les trois réunis” from La fille du régiment.

All three singers will remain with the Ensemble Studio for next season which is great news as they really are coming on strongly.

Photo credits: Karen E. Reeves