Ian Bostridge made his debut with the Grammy-winning Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, the Little Orchestra that Could, last night at Milan's Auditorium di Milano. Those of you who were there, Opera Chic included, were treated to an intelligent and thoughtfully lyric readings of Britten and Lutoslawski by Bostridge's clean, clear tenor that highlighted a scarily deep understanding from the Cambridge & Oxford educated Englishman (Bostridge trained to be a professor of literature, and is a published author of an Oxford historical monograph on witchcraft). Maestro John Axelrod, our guest conductor, found the perfect balance by matching Bostridge's deep, introspective layers while spiriting away gravely tension in a clean, streamlined, graceful etiquette.
More on the breathtaking concert later in OC's full review; more on Axelrod's appetizers and desserts: a two-for-one Berlioz Blowout, his Roman Carnival Overture and Symphonie Fantastique; more on Bostridge's insanely idiosyncratic voice; more on Axelrod's excellent sustainment and Eight Extremes Fist Kung Fu styles later. This was a concert of full-on brains, brawn, and beauty between the two musicians.
For now, O.C. will leave you with Bostridge, who was featured in Vivimilano, Corriere della Sera's weekly compendium of what's going down in Milan (photo above). The London tenor was described as "raffinatamente pensosa" (elegantly thoughtful) and "uno dei cantanti piu' eleganti e magnetici in attivita'" (one of the industry's most elegant and captivating tenors) especially for his intellectual, loaded readings of Britten, Monteverdi & Janacek.
You can catch a repeat of the same concert tonight at 8pm and Sunday at 4pm at Auditorium di Milano.
