Tenor soloist Asher Hainovitz made an impressive operatic debut at last night’s concert by the Bulawayo Municipal Orchestra under Hugh Fenn. In fact credits were earned all around.
Cantor Hainovitz showed lots of technique – the high-lying tessitura of Donizetti’s “Una furtive lagrima” and the long lines of “Il mio tesoro” caused no apparent difficulty.
Everywhere his characterization was generous, but instinct with musicality.
The occasional pushing of his tone in the lusty “Questa o quella” and the Mozart aria suggest that his milieu is lyric rather than heroic.
His capacity to shape and feel a musical phrase promises exciting things if he should ever turn to lieder.
The Handel Overture showed that all was well with the orchestra – the pomp of the opening, the brave sound of the fugal entries and the quiet humanity of the clarinet’s lament over string accompaniment.
Almost everything went well with Schubert’s sparking B flat Symphony. Excellent string playing occasionally lost clarity through slurring of semi-quavers.