Under clear evening skies and warm weather, people of all ages gathered in the park on Moravske Namesti last Monday to enjoy an open-air opera performance. Some spread out on lounge chairs, while others stood near the action, taking in the music with drinks from the nearby cocktail bar. Children ran and played across the park, as the air was filled with the sound of opera, adding to the vibrant mood. Whether attendees had planned their evening around the event, or were just passing by, the performances provided a charming and atmospheric summer setting.
This final edition of Opera in the Middle was one of the most anticipated highlights of the program of this summer’s UPROSTŘED festival, and featured works by composers Gioachino Rossini and Giuseppe Verdi, performed by sopranos Lucie Kašpárková and Eva Esterková, along with tenor Ondřej Koplík, and accompanied by pianist Jitka Houfová.
The first highlight of the event was a humorous and entertaining performance of the Cat Duet by Rossini. This featured all three vocalists, but primarily Kašpárková and Esterková.
A key portion of the text was simply the word “meow”, pronounced by Kašpárková. This performance was super quirky and fun, fitting the theme for a street performance, and there were some really interesting things going on with the vocals.
The high notes were very impressive and effortlessly reached, and the soprano duo did a great job with voice projection, given that the performance was outside. Their ability to stick close to the piano, despite the untraditional atmosphere and surrounding noise, was commendable.
The cherry on top of this comedic performance was the conclusion, which saw Koplík join Kašpárková and Esterková in the circle, cosplaying as the cat with decorative eats. This display caught the attention but more specifically the laughs of the crowd.
See also
The next performance was Koplík’s version of the Duke’s aria from Verdi’s famous Rigoletto. Right from the beginning it was evident that Koplík had an amazingly bright, ringing voice that cut through all the surrounding noise. The overall energy of the performance was great, especially the dramatic build-up to the song’s end. Koplík’s massive, final note, earned a huge round of applause from the crowd.
The evening performance ended with Verdi’s La Traviata, a drinking song about raising a glass to love and enjoying life, fitting the scene perfectly. The tenor showed off his incredibly warm and booming voice, while the soprano’s voice was so bright, floating beautifully over the piano. The overall dictation of this performance was super crisp and punchy, bringing the drama with a high-energy build up to the ending. Finally, credit to the pianist, who set a wonderfully fast and bouncy rhythm.
Overall, the highlight of the performance was the interaction between the three singers and the crowd, and how they skillfully pulled the audience into their world. The crowd grew gradually as the evening went on, strengthening the sense of the Brno community united on a beautiful summer evening.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source brnodaily.com ’
