Soprano takes audience on dazzling journey

A troubadour can be defined simply as a wandering singer or minstrel or the term can be extended to a class of lyric poets who lived during the 11th to 13th centuries and wrote songs and poems, chiefly on themes of courtly love.

Knowing this hardly prepared Tuesday night's Manitoba Chamber Orchestra concert audience for the dazzling debut of Serouj Kradjian's Trobairitz Ysabella, created for and sung by his wife, the incomparable Armenian-Canadian soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian.

Based on the story of the real-life Ysabella, a female troubadour, Kradjian's commissioned work is his interpretation of Ysabella's enigmatic personal journey.

As mystical and arresting as this all sounds, it is the performance that brings it all to life. Bayrakdarian, fully embodying the character of the ancient troubadour, was utterly entrancing. We all believed she was the real Ysabella.

The work opened with an instrumental overture, full of tension in the strings and the incredible clarinet playing of Connie Gitlin, whining and wending its way through mysteriously exotic lines. Pastoral moments exploded with life and the abrupt ending provided an exciting segue to the singing.

Concertmaster Karl Stobbe gave a gypsy-twist to the introduction of A Woman from Perigord, two songs by Contessa del Dia, a famous contemporary of Ysabella. Bayrakdarian approached these with supreme sensitivity, her stately bearing enhancing the effect. Singing in the Occitane language, she turned sorrowful, the violins matching her grieving tone. A section of humming was deeply communicative.

From Jerusalem to Andalusia (in two parts) began with Gitlin's clarinet creeping in on cat feet, while the violas introduced a stormy theme. Bayrakdarian sang in Hebrew, making this prayer reverent and passionate. Her ability to move from soft and gentle to a spine-tingling climax was astonishing. Gestures made with the most graceful arms seemed to be natural extensions of the music and her fine vibrato evoked undeniable emotion.

The pensive and atmospheric Part Two was sung in Arabic and featured Arabic drum and infectious rhythms. Bayrakdarian performed this with great freedom, despite its challenging intervals and meandering melody. Dance-like in feel, it showcased the unbelievable suppleness of her voice.

Conductor Anne Manson showed impressive versatility managing the many different styles in this new work that is full of fascinating challenges.

The finale Duel with Elias Cayrel is based on the sole surviving poem written by Ysabella. Bayrakdarian played the parts of Ysabella and Cairel, who courted her. Sung in English, it allowed us to revel in her impeccable diction. She acted out every word, every feeling, building dramatically until the final "ah," smooth and languid. Kradjian gave the clarinet the last limpid word.

It was clear that Kradjian drew great inspiration from this marvellous artist. The audience rewarded the performance with three curtain calls.

The concert began with a wonderfully authentic performance of Mozart's Serenade No. 6 in D Major, K.239 with Stobbe at his lyrical best and Manson keeping the MCO tight and tidy.

The evening ended with Dvorak's bucolic Serenade for Strings, played with gracious legato, with a waltz movement that Manson injected with a swaying flow. By the finale, however, the violins' energy seemed to wane and shrillness ensued, making for an unfortunate ending.

gwenda.nemerofsky@shaw.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 31, 2011 D4