APA, Jockey Club Amphitheatre, Friday January 13

“I love her singing, but she needs a stylist!” an elderly western woman quipped while walking out of the APA Amphitheatre. The subject of her remark was Catrin Aur, the Welsh soprano who was making her Hong Kong debut in a concert accompanied by the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong with Welsh guest conductor Gareth Jones. Aur had just finished a concert of Italian opera arias, interposed with Italian orchestral music and the Welsh soprano’s frequent costume changes (three gowns in seven arias!).

The overture to Rossini’s Il Signor Bruschino opened the evening and labored under an excess of intonational disunity and occasional pitch glitch, though it may have been just the orchestra having a difficult time adjusting to the theatre’s dry acoustics. The rest of the orchestral pieces improved in the second half, in particular the Intermezzo No 2 from Wolf-Ferrari’s I gioielli della Madonna, which was lovely for its uniform sonority and spirited intensity.

Catrin Aur, on the other hand, fared better. Her programme was designed to please, showcasing her voice. Some arias were more successful than others and the evening progressed from a talented student’s recital to one of a professional. Rich and gorgeous in tone, Aur was particularly effective in the Verdi-Puccini arias (Sempre Libera from La Traviata and Quando m’en vo from La Boheme) and showed immense ability to sing with exquisite gleam and expressive nuance. Her Donizetti-Bellini arias were fine though she tends to rush over coloratura notes.
Overall, the evening progressed from acceptable to delectable even in this unforgiving theatre, and the encore number – Puccini’s O Mio Babbino Caro – was a dazzling end to a fine evening.

As to whether she needs a stylist or not, the answer is – not really.

Satoshi Kyo