Wexford Festival: RTE Concert Orchestra Gala Concert
National Opera House ( O’Reilly Theatre) Wexford 28/10/25
RTE Concert Orchestra; Francesco Cilluffo (conductor); Claudia Boyle (soprano); Axelle Saint-Cirel (mezzo-soprano); Eduardo Niave (tenor); Giorgi Lomiseli (baritone).
This tenth and final report from this year’s Wexford Festival Opera programme covers another Gala Concert in the O’Reilly Theatre, this one on the night of 28th October with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and four international vocalists (three of whom had featured in the principal casts of this year’s Festival main-stage operas). French mezzo-soprano Axelle Saint-Cirel (a stunning Watawa in Delius’ ‘The Magic Fountain’), Mexican tenor Eduardo Niave (a spellbinding Manrique in Verdi’s ‘Le Trouvère’) and Georgian baritone Giorgi Lomiseli (a compelling Comte de Luna in the same opera) were the three. Compèring the show, and singing soprano solos, was Irish international star Claudia Boyle. Although, with a WFO audience, Claudia was undoubtedly “among friends”, her charming, genial and witty presenting style was an object lesson in “how to hold an audience in the palm of your hand”. Wexford Festival Opera’s principal guest conductor Francesco Cilluffo conducted a programme of expertly curated operatic goodies, including two instrumentals, with the same interpretative finesse that had characterised ‘The Magic Fountain’.
The programme opened with an instrumental favourite that has won longevity outside the opera house, Ponchielli’s ‘Dance of the Hours’ ballet music from ‘La Gioconda’. The RTÉ Concert Orchestra has always had an eclectic repertoire, but (and I cringe now to admit this) in my youth (and we’re talking half a century ago), I thought of them as the “other” orchestra, specialising in light music, leaving the “serious stuff” to the then RTÉ Symphony Orchestra (now the National Symphony Orchestra) and, as such, a kind of “poor relation”. That was probably unfair then, but it would be definitely untrue now. They have a gorgeous ensemble sound, which the evident rapport with Francesco Cilluffo served to shape beautifully. In the Ponchielli, the cantabile playing of the cellos was particularly delicious.
Giorgi delivered the first aria of the night, that of the King Alfonso to his mistress (or ‘favourite’), ‘Vien, Leonora’ from Donizetti’s ‘La Favorita’. Great to hear that rich baritone again in a classic two-part aria, melancholy and pensive giving way to confident resolve. Lovely flute playing from Silvija Ščerbavičiūtė. Sticking with the fertile operatic ground of love triangles further complicated by a background of political intrigue, Eduardo sang Rodolfo’s challenging tenor aria ‘Quando le sere al placido’ from Verdi’s ‘Luisa Miller’, aghast at an apparent ‘Dear John’ letter (actually written under duress), then wistfully recalling happier times with Luisa. Marvellously poignant. Two marvellous, if perhaps relatively obscure, arias.
Introducing Axelle Saint-Cirel, Claudia quipped that she was “experiencing serious name-envy” (and, fair play, that is a beautiful name for a stunning performer, but then so is ‘Claudia’). Axelle sang the ever-popular ‘Habanera’ from Bizet’s Carmen, a polished performance with exquisite tone, phrasing and expression. To my highly subjective personal taste, shaped by Callas in the role, I prefer my Carmen to be a little more ‘dangerous’ and edgy, but I am not going to criticise a mezzo for not being Callas.
It was finally Claudia’s turn to shine, and shine she did with the soprano aria ‘Depuis le jour’ from Gustave Charpentier’s (N.B. not the 17th century Marc-Antoine Charpentier, as appeared in the printed programme) 1900 verismo opera ‘Louise’, an aria expressive of the bliss of love, freedom and the sense of being where one belongs. With the support of shimmering orchestration, and her flawless sense of melodic line and shaping of both note and phrase, this was absolutely exquisite. Wexford agreed.
The first half concluded with two famous duets. First, Eduardo and Giorgi sang Rodolfo and Marcello’s duet ‘O Mimì, tu più non torni’ from Act IV of Puccini’s ‘La Bohème’, their lives empty and meaningless in the absence of Mimi and Musetta. Heartrendingly beautiful, with a lovely violin solo from leader Mia Cooper. Claudia and Axelle followed with ‘Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour’, the ‘Barcarolle’ from Offenbach’s ‘Contes d’Hoffmann’. Fabulous playing and deliciously blended vocals. A magical girls’ night out in Venice. Men bonding over their misery; women over their bliss. That’s opera.
The second half began with an instrumental, the wonderfully evocative ‘Walk to the Paradise Garden’ from Delius’ ‘Village Romeo and Juliet’. Glorious ensemble tone from the muted strings. The arch of mood and melody, with a climax in the middle, is one of those immensely satisfying pieces of music and Francesco coaxed a reading of the utmost cogent advocacy from the players. Super.
Giorgi set the vocal ball rolling again with the dramatic accusatory but conflicted baritone aria ‘Nemico della patria’ (Enemy of the State) from Umberto Giordano’s opera set during the French Revolution, ‘Andrea Chénier’. Fabulously powerful with stunning playing from the orchestra.
Massenet’s short but very moving mezzo aria of inconsolability from ‘Werther’, ‘Va! Laisse couler mes larmes’, received a poignant and heartstoppingly beautiful performance from Axelle. I assume that the alto saxophone part was played by one of the versatile clarinettists, but as it was not credited in the programme, I can only say that it was very beautiful and yes, the larmes did couler.
By contrast, and from genuine heartbreak to performative emotional blackmail, Puccini’s evergreen soprano aria ‘O mio babbino caro’ from the comedy Gianni Schicchi. Daddy dearest, if you don’t fix it for me by getting this will changed so I can marry my disinherited crush, my life will be over. It got the full Claudia Boyle treatment. Perfect.
From a comically fake matter of life and death to the tragically real thing: Puccini’s ‘E lucevan le stelle’ from ‘Tosca’. Cavaradossi’s heartrending despair as he awaits execution, unaware of the double irony that means he should be spared but won’t be. An obsessive musical phrase returns like a sob. A candidate for the most moving tenor aria in all opera. Eduardo gave it everything. If there was a dry eye in the house, it wasn’t either of mine. And the playing from the orchestra was phenomenal.
Sweeping away all thoughts of morality and pondering eternal verities, Claudia gave us the ultimate abdication of both and the flippant embrace of frippery and frivolity in Cunégonde’s aria, ‘Glitter and Be Gay’ from Bernstein’s ‘Candide’. A phenomenally virtuosic romp, it was superb.
The programme conclude with more Puccini (how could it not?). The inspired quartet at the end of Act III of ‘La Bohème’, beginning with ‘Dunque è proprio finita’ where, even as Rodolfo and Mimì are reconciled and resolve to stay together till spring, Marcello and Musetta have a blazing row. It’s always very satisfying, both musically and dramatically. Thoroughly excellent.
There was an encore: the four vocalists and orchestra joined in the ‘Brindisi’ from ‘La traviata’. The ultimate “life is short, so sup up and have another”. As I wrap up another year’s set of WFO reviews from a another great Festival, I’ll drink to that. And here’s to next year’s milestone, the 75th WFO.