Rossini, Mezzo-Soprano Make Potent Combination

(first published in The Cincinnati Post Aug. 1, 1992)

It was viva von Stade at Friday night's Cincinnati Symphony concert at Riverbend.

Frederica von Stade, that is. And that was no chilly diva singing bare- shouldered on one of the coldest nights of the summer. The famed mezzo- soprano with the creamy voice warmed the crowd with her sunny smile and her nimble, affecting singing.

Dubbed "Viva Italia," the program celebrated the vocal legacy of Gioacchino Rossini. One of today's great Rossini mezzos, Ms. von Stade joined Jesús López-Cobos and the CSO in three of his arias.

Rossini and Ms. von Stade are a potent combination. Both can make you smile like no other, as they did in Una voce poco fa from "Barber of Seville" and Nacqui all'affano from "La Cenerentola" ("Cinderella"). Her "The Willow Song" from "Otello" projected the gentle pathos of the wronged Desdemona (kudos to harpist Caitriona Yeats).

Although the crowd was small (2,413), it was full of von Stade fans, who brava-ed lustily until she sang an encore, ironically in view of the 60-degree weather, Gershwin's "Summertime."

The May Festival Chorus offered a charming excerpt from Rossini's "William Tell," the Tyrolese chorus "Quell'agil pie."

The "Amen" from Rossini's "Stabat Mater" was well sung, but lacked punch taken out of context.

López-Cobos drew bright playing from the CSO in Mendelssohn's "Italian" Symphony, to end the concert. Especially peppy was the final Saltarello.