Michael Spyres and Sara Blanch, a fireworks display in Peralada

The last weekend of the 40th edition of the Peralada Festival offered a high-level opera and zarzuela recital, starring American tenor Michael Spyres and Catalan soprano Sara Blanch, accompanied on piano by Giulio Zappa.

In each of their performances, the two singers displayed their best talents. Spyres possesses an absolutely privileged instrument: his voice has an innate ability to transition with extreme skill and ease from the low baritone range to the high notes of a lyric or light tenor, and covers an extremely extensive repertoire, from Handel to bel canto and Wagner. This versatility of registers, unique in the operatic scene, overcomes the pigeonholing of any voice type: neither baritone nor tenor; the term that best suits him is baritenor. Blanch, for her part, is one of the great light sopranos of today, a regular in the seasons of Europe's most prestigious opera houses. With an agile and fresh voice, especially adept at coloratura, she possesses a beautiful singing line, of great expressiveness, shaped over a truly lovely timbre.

The American singer began by performing Il était une fois, from Les contes d’Hoffmann, by Offenbach, with a theatrical and comedic presence, showcasing that dual register of rich low notes and, at the same time, a bright, vibrant high range full of harmonics. Beside him, Blanch, who was returning to Peralada 10 years after her debut, offered a delightful Je veux vivre, from Roméo et Juliette, by Gounod, followed by a O mio babbino caro of great quality.

From here, the program continued with one success after another, creating an evening of great fireworks and filigree, but which overall ended up being a bit too pompous and self-indulgent. Especially in the zarzuela passages, such as Las carceleras, Granada, or the bullfighter duet from El gato montés, performed with an unnecessarily imposed castizo pomp, which sounded a bit out of place inside a church in Empordà.

From the remaining repertoire, in the first part Spyres shone especially in the famous Largo al factotum, from Il barbiere di Siviglia, by Rossini, with impossible tongue twisters, a torrential emission, vocal games and an absolute command of dynamics. In the second part, Blanch thrilled with a very heartfelt version of the particular mad scene from Hamlet, by Ambroise Thomas. And, among the joint performances, especially celebrated was the playful Caro elisir! Sei mio!, from L’elisir d’amore, by Donizetti and the amusing Addio, addio from Rigoletto, with which they concluded the final encores.