Italian arias recreated exquisitely on the piano/ Top Malaysian pianist due

Prior to the 19th century, Monteverdi and Scarlatti laid the foundations of opera in Italy. Later, Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti came up with more developed operas. But the two titans who reigned supreme were Verdi and Puccini.

Bringing to life through the piano, the arias of these two as well as those of Rossini and Donizetti were Luciano Bellini and Antonella Vitelli in a concert entitled “Four Hands at the Opera.”

Bellini, conductor, pianist, composer of symphonies, sacred, vocal, chamber and electronic works heard virtually around the world, made the piano arrangements and transcriptions for four hands. The much younger Vitelli is an outstanding Italian conservatory graduate, winner of several international competitions. These two pianists, who have been playing as a duo for years, vividly, spiritedly and artistically recreated the arias from the operas by the aforementioned composers. They gave an entirely new, uniquely delightful dimension, an experience distinctly different from listening to vocally rendered arias with orchestral accompaniment. Throughout, four hands played as two, with instinct, intuition, acute musicianship and long rehearsals behind the seamless togetherness. How delicately nuanced their phrasing! Exquisite melodies and similarly exquisite harmonies, enhanced and enriched by Bellini, were enjoyed for their own sake.

To avid opera lovers, however, especially to those who have consistently attended operas here or abroad — at New York’s Met or in Europe’s opera houses — or listened to records of Met and other stars, the remembrance of their singing was often interwoven with the piano pieces. This occurred for instance, in the Mad Scene aria from Lucia, interpreted magnificently by Amelita Galli-Curci, in the incomparable arias in La Traviata — Libiamo (Drinking Song), un di felice eterea (Rapturous Moment), Ah! Fors E Lui (The One of Whom I Dreamed), Sempre Libera (I’ll Fulfill the Round of Pleasure).

The inveterate opera-lover recognized with immense pleasure arias from Puccini’s Tosca: Recondita Armonia (Strange Harmony) and Lucevan Le Stelle (The Stars Were Shining), both arias for tenor; Vissi d’Arte (Love and Music) for soprano; the rapid, riotous Largo al factotum (Room for the Factotum) for baritone, the tenor’s aria Ecco ridente in Cielo (Dawn with her Rosy Mantle), the soprano’s aria Una voce poco fa (A Little Voice I Hear) – all three from Rossini’s Barber of Seville.

The voices of Met sopranos Amelita Galli-Curci, Rosa Ponselle, of tenors Enrico Caruso (yes, on records!), Tito Schipa, Jan Peerce (who performed in Manila decades ago), Jusi Bjoerling (whom this reviewer heard in Sweden’s Opera House), baritones Lawrence Tibbett (on records) and Leonard Warren (at the Met) echoed and re-echoed.

Likewise remembered were our own Rachelle Gerodias and Arthur Espiritu in the local production of Traviata, Andrew Fernando’s aria Oi Provenza il Mar (Thy Home in Fair Provence).

To honor Verdi on his 200th birth anniversary, Bellini performed his only piano pieces: Romances sans Paroles and Waltz in F Major, these revealing a hitherto unknown facet of the opera composer’s talent. Bellini also played the overture to his La Forza del Destino.

Many in the audience must have left the CCP Little Theater humming the beautiful arias as interpreted by four hands, playing superbly as two while glorifying opera as intrinsic to Italian culture.

Welcome remarks were delivered by Rustan’s Nedy R. Tantoco, president of the Phil-Italian Association, and by Italian Ambassador Massimo Roscigno.

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Performing on July 27, 7 p.m. at the Ayala Museum is Malaysia’s leading pianist Claudia Yang. She has received accolades from conductor Lorin Maazel who praised her as a “pianist who really plays from her whole heart and soul,” and pianist Paul Badura-Skoda who described her as “one of the rare pianists who bring joy to their audience.”

A graduate of Vienna’s Hochschule, Yang was given a Bosendorfer scholarship which led to concerts and festivals in Europe. Since 2010, she has been a jury member of Poland’s Chopin Competition for Young Artists. To mark Liszt’s 200th birth year, she gave concerts of Liszt’s works in Asia and Europe and is due to give recitals there and in Russia.

Under the auspices of the Manila Chamber Orchestra Foundation she will perform Chopin’s complete Ballades and Rachmaninoff’s ten Preludes. On July 28, 2-5 p.m., she will conduct a free workshop.

Errata: In Wednesday’s review, Liszt’s last resources should be vast resources; a bot metallic should be a bit metallic.