Good intentions (and more) to open the season at L'Auditori

Little by little, we're opening seasons. And L'Auditori's season kicked off this weekend with an OBC supported by the new artistic direction of the house headed by Víctor Medem, but prepared by the previous team. The inaugural program can be read as full of good intentions, although on paper it can be said that things go a little further, starting with the choice of repertoire, with the opening of Sestri by Domènec Terradellas, The Death of Cleopatra by Berlioz and the everlasting Novena by Beethoven.

Terradellas' piece was played without much fanfare under the baton of Ludovic Morlot, who seemed to want to go to work before Berlioz's cantata (whose correct title should be Cleopatra), directed with knowledge of the subject matter and which was the most successful of the evening. The Lebanese-Canadian soprano Joyce El-Khoury fits the model of the lyric-dramatic soprano (or hawk) very well suited to this repertoire, although with some strained high notes. Looking forward, however, to hearing her with us in staged roles.

The programming of Beethoven's symphony is well-intentioned: it may sound like a cliché, but in times like the ones we live in—steeped in violence and pre-war (or even war-like) tensions—the words of Friedrich Schiller's poem that culminates the fourth movement are appropriate. You don't have to be naive to think that the song of joy and peace, underscored by the Bonn composer's marvelous music, is of no use in a turbulent world like ours. But it is at least comforting to think that for fifty minutes we were able to reflect on the possibility of a much better present than what we have and what Schiller and Beethoven were already thinking about. A good incentive in the context of a concert held with Citizen street mobilizations in support of ending the genocide in Gaza.

Artistically, perhaps more emphasis could have been placed on homegrown talent when choosing the symphony's soloists, because the chosen talent reached a notable level, but without notable excellence among the voices of the aforementioned El-Khoury, the Valencian mezzo Silvia Tro-Santafé, and the Mexican tenor Tines.

The Orfeó Català performed unevenly in a piece its members are deeply fond of, but they performed with an enthusiasm and commitment that they convey with conviction. However, there was little consistency: the male strings were good, the female strings uneven. Ludovic Morlot's conducting didn't always achieve a balanced soundscape, and more than a few passages were heard out of place. This was thanks to a well-balanced OBC, with sections that were more polished than others at the beginning of the season.