The first of this year’s Les Adieux concerts for departing members of the Ensemble Studio took place Tuesday lunchtime in the RBA.  It was supposed to feature Brian Cho, Mattia Senesi, Korin Thomas-Smith and Karoline Podolak but Karoline was indisposed so Emily Rocha (not leaving) jumped in at the last minute.

The rearranged programme worked pretty well with maybe a bit more opportunity for the pianists.  Sio, Mattia  played the Intermezzo from Brahms’ Op 118. No. 2, which was very nicely done and Brian closed things out with just the piano part from Schumann’s Widmung which works surprisingly well, at least if one is familiar with the song.

In between Korin performed seven of the songs from Vaughan Williams Songs of Travel.  Every anglophone baritone and quite a few others besides sings these songs because they are fantastic.  Korin showed sensitivity to the gorgeous texts and power subtelty and beauty of tone.  If I were being hypercritical (and with these songs it’s hard not to be) I might say he doesn’t need to convince us about the power bit and more of the qualities he displayed in “The Infinite Shining Heavens” might lift a very good performance even higher.

Emily’s “jump in” consisted of three opera arias; “Je suis encor tout étourdie” from Massenet’s Manon, “Deh vieni, non tardar” from The Marriage of Figaro and “Laurie’s song” from Copland’s The Tender Land.  They were really nicely done and the last was especially interesting both because it’s a piece I’m unfamiliar with and because Emily will sing Laurie in Toronto City Opera’s production of The Tender Land next month.

I can’t believe I haven’t heard Korin sing Ravel’s Don Quichotte à Dulcinée before.  They seem so obviously suited to his talents!  He didn’t disappoint with top notch singing coupled to a really rather impressive comic sensibility.

Next up in the Les Adieux series are Queen Hezumuryango and Wesley Harrison, plus, of course Brian and Mattia again.  That’s on May 29th.

Photo credit: Karen E. Reeves