As per yearly New Year's Evening tradition, OC boogied down to Audtiorium di Milan to hear Orchestra Sinfonica and Coro Sinfonico di Milano Giuseppe Verdi's annual ~Concerto di Capodanno~. If you missed OC's adventures in the years prior, here's 2005/2006 and 2007. Again, we were signed on for Beethoven's 9th, but this time a bright & lovely additional surprise greeted us, in the form of Beethoven's Fantasia in C minor, opus 80. Holy unf, that was insanely good. Like a lovely little wedge of Beluga & crème fraîche before lobster. Novara-born pianist, Simone Pedroni, played with excellent control, well-paced fingering, and flawless pedal work. We loved his creamy & almost meditative approach. Even better, in his catalog biography, it's revealed that he cut a recording of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition with *LOL-Records*. omg whut? I mean, ok, it's a serious typo (because Simone Pedroni is actually with *LoL Productions*) but it still makes us looool!
After a brief intermission, OC smoothed some of the wrinkles out of her Halston black silk shirtdress and shook the cold from her Marni black platform boots (it snowed all night, so her sweet, delicate little Louboutin booties had to stay behind). Then it was time for Beethoven's 9th with conductor Leopold Hager filling-in last minute for an ill Vladimir Fedoseev (who felt so terrible that he sent apologies in the form of a program insert stating that he fell ill with a cold and a virus after a concert in Berlin). We really liked Leopold Hager cuz he looked just like Ted Knight...you know, Henry Rush from 80s sitcom "Too Close for Comfort"?
Under direction of the adorable chorus master, Erina Gambarini, Coro Sinfonico di Milano Giuseppe Verdi sang with lovely phrasing, a nice range of dynamics, showing-off the rewards of good practice. Soloists were German soprano Dorothee Jansen, Milanese mezzo Gabriella Sborgi, Austrian tenor Kurt Azesberger, and Latvian bass Egils Silins. Everyone sang, well, you know...let's just focus on the spirit of the event here.
Sadly, no outings to Cernobbio this year...OC is still recovering from a double-punch of flu/cold that possibly felled poor Maestro Fedoseev as well. Happy 2009, y'all!
(below: Fedoseev's sweet apology)
(below: a glimpse of the program)
