BRAVO INDEED

[schlomo]

Bravo Indeed!

The baritone soloist in the Hawaii Symphony’s rendition of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana was outstanding. He effortlessly segued from falsetto fluttering to cavernous bass expostulations. I was amazed at his emotional range as well as his vocal versatility: With appropriate pagan elan, he sang joyously and proudly with utter conviction. At other times, he smirked and sneered and chuckled at whatever fate had deliciously or deviously allotted to him. The baritone was a consummate entertainer; I was transported by his dramatic singing and his boisterous mannerisms.  His performance was a tour de force.

When the baritone came out to take a bow at the end of Carmina Burana, the awe-struck audience vociferously clapped, whistled, and hooted. Besides my own, I also heard a few bravos, so richly deserved and how appropriate. After all, the baritone’s last name is Bravos.

As always after I attend an inspired in-person concert, I go to YouTube to bookmark snippets of performances by the same musician(s). Evan Bravos is now on my list, singing an aria from Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro.  In that excerpt, he is relatively subdued compared to his rousing debut in last night’s extravaganza, a celebration of primal life that will be seared into my memory forever.