American soprano Nadine Sierra and Spanish tenor Xabier Anduaga performed alongside the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional, the National Symphony Orchestra, on Friday at the Gala de Grandes Intérpretes Margarita Copello de Rodríguez, held in the Sala Carlos Piantini of the Teatro Nacional in Santo Domingo.
Conductor José Antonio Molina led the orchestra through a demanding program spanning Italian and French opera, Spanish zarzuela and Broadway musicals. Sierra and Anduaga, both performers sought after by major opera houses worldwide, showed the vocal command that has built their reputations from their opening numbers, according to Diario Libre.
Traviata scenes open the night
Sierra's standout moment came in Violetta's extended scene from the first act of Giuseppe Verdi's La traviata, moving from the reflective aria "E strano!... Ah, fors'e lui" into the virtuosic "Sempre libera," a passage that showed off her agility and a bright upper register. Anduaga followed with Alfredo's aria "De' miei bollenti spiriti," delivered with elegant phrasing and the vocal expansion Verdi's writing demands. The two then joined for "Parigi, o cara," the opera's final duet, in which Violetta and Alfredo dream of leaving Paris even as death draws near.
High notes and French repertoire
Anduaga produced one of the evening's most spectacular moments with "Ah! mes amis... Pour mon ame" from Gaetano Donizetti's La fille du regiment, an aria famous for its nine high C notes, which he delivered with confidence while keeping the smooth bel canto line intact. Sierra answered with "Je veux vivre" from Charles Gounod's Romeo et Juliette, a piece suited to the brightness and agility of her voice.
A playful duet and Puccini's La boheme
The pair showed a lighter side in the duet between Adina and Nemorino from Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore. They then performed "O soave fanciulla," the duet that closes the first act of Giacomo Puccini's La boheme, capturing the sudden, intimate infatuation between Mimi and Rodolfo. The piece is considered especially demanding because both singers must blend their voices as the music rises toward its climax, with Rodolfo reaching a famous high C and Mimi completing the phrase, on a different line than Rodolfo's as Puccini wrote it, before the two exit singing "Amor!"
Zarzuela and Broadway in the second half
The second part of the program turned to Spanish and American repertoire. Anduaga performed "No puede ser" from Pablo Sorozabal's La tabernera del puerto and "Flor roja" from Jacinto Guerrero's Los gavilanes. Sierra brought charm and wit to "Me llaman la primorosa" from Francisco Asenjo Barbieri's El barberillo de Lavapies before turning to "I Could Have Danced All Night" from the musical My Fair Lady. The two closed the evening together with "Tonight" from West Side Story.
The orchestra under José Antonio Molina
The Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional had its own moments to shine under Molina's energetic and careful direction. The program included the overture to Leonard Bernstein's Candide, full of rhythmic drive and humor, and the intermedio from Geronimo Gimenez's La boda de Luis Alonso, which brought the flavor of Spanish tradition to the hall. The Intermezzo from Pietro Mascagni's L'amico Fritz stood out for its depth, growing from a restrained opening into a passage of striking musical fullness.
A night for Fundación Sinfonía
The gala was staged by Fundación Sinfonía, described by Diario Libre as the organization behind classical music activity in the Dominican Republic. The program brought together works by Donizetti, Verdi, Gounod, Puccini and Mascagni alongside zarzuela, Bernstein and West Side Story, performed by two internationally recognized singers and an orchestra in strong form.
