Ensemble Offers Jeanine De Bique with Concerto Köln, Probably the Best and Most Dynamic Guest Artists to Date
By George B. Parous
How is it possible that, until this weekend, I did not know the vocal sensation that is soprano Jeanine De Bique? And this, after hearing her just this month, when she was the soprano soloist with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra when they performed Mozart’s Requiem.
It’s true that she was surrounded by a mob and equipment on that occasion, since the performance was being recorded and the work calls for a huge body of vocalists. But the soloists don’t have huge solo parts in the Mozart work. So, nothing could have prepared me for the glorious sounds that poured from the stage of Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland, or the charming, gracious woman who sang a lengthy program yesterday afternoon, generously adding several encores before she finally was able to wave goodbye. If she hadn’t made this gesture, with a beaming smile on her face, the audience would have gladly listened to her repeat the program – with new encores – all evening long.
The marvelous Concerto Köln chamber orchestra had just played a finely rendered Händel overture when the soprano made her entrance in a dazzling black gown. From the first notes she sang, she had the audience under her spell – which may seem like hyperbole from a press agent, but it’s not. True, the concert was a part of a promotional tour for her Mirrors CD, but it’s safe to say that anybody in the audience who doesn’t already own the compilation of Baroque arias will soon be adding it to their collections.
The Pittsburgh audience was extraordinarily lucky to hear her and the Concerto Köln. After a couple of California stops, she came here then moves to a sold-out Carnegie Hall, New York, and then it’s back to Rotterdam, Zurich, Salzburg, etc. Three cheers to Chatham Baroque for getting our city a spot on the U. S. tour. Her voice is a pure and clear soprano of the first rank. Her diction is precise, and she has thoroughly mastered the art of bel canto, which allows for elegant, seamless phrasing.
Operawire has perfectly described her as “one of the most exciting sopranos to catch onstage these days. Animated, joyful and technically flawless, the Trinidadian vocalist [has a] light, starry voice that soars before landing on audiences’ ears like a musical meteor shower.”
Despite the generosity with the titles she sang last yesterday afternoon, there simply wasn’t the time to include all selections from the Mirrors CD, especially since the program opened with the wonderful Concerto Köln. This orchestra has been giving top-notch performances for more than three decades and is in demand for its “historically informed performances” of early music delivered in venues the world over.
Ms. De Bique chose wisely when it came to timing and arranging her program for yesterday afternoon. Handёl was well represented on her list, as he is on Mirrors. She sang with a beauty of tone and a perfection of technique, to fine orchestral accompaniment, ”Ritorna, oh caro,” from Handёl’s Rodelinda, and his “M’hai resa infelice,” (Deidamia) and others from a representative program.
She sang exquisitely pieces which may have been less familiar – arias from Ricardo Broschi’s L’isola d’alcina, Gennaro Manna’s Achille in Sciro – these and more swelled through the audience room with a sumptuous soprano sound I’m not sure that I have ever heard the likes of before. As if to complete the perfection of the picture, there was no clutching of hands to the heart or the flailing of arms that usually follows a dramatic theatrical singer to the concert platform. AND she takes a little time to talk to her audience! Not the pre-planned speech of some prima donnas, but genuine interest questions after noticing, for example, some unusual detail in the architecture of the hall.
The audience’s cheers of approval brought Ms. De Bique back for three encores, before she finally departed with a warm smile and a timid wave of her hand.
After this singular performance, I was left mesmerized by a new favorite soprano, and I will definitely be hunting down her recordings.
I thought the same thing, how did I not know who Jeanine was until I saw her perform with the Pittsburgh Symphony for Mozart Requiem? I immediately bought a ticket to the Chatham Baroque performance that same night when I saw the ad in the PSO program and was beyond delighted in her performance and that of Concerto Koln. Much praise to those that coordinated this performance in Pittsburgh, we were lucky to have her! I, too, am a new Jeanine De Bique groupie.
great review, thank you for sharing.