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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Allegro Sparkles Despite Setback

William Berry Correspondent

Allegro Tuesday, Nov. 11, The Met

Allegro gave Tuesday evening to the sweet, melodic music by Gaetano Donizetti and a couple of his buddies from the beginning of the 19th century. The Met concert suffered some serious bad luck with the last-minute cancellation of bassoonist Susan Wadsworth, due to a family emergency.

This is not to imply that Allegro’s directors, David Dutton and Beverly Biggs, and the remaining musicians did not shoulder their musical responsibility admirably. In fact, the burden is quite heavy when the program has to be changed at the last minute.

A bassoon showstopper on the Cavatina from Rossini’s “Thieving Magpie” and a trio by Stanislas Verroust which has not seen the light of day for a long time both had to be shelved. Replacement selections which fit the program had to be found and rehearsed on short notice.

But the Allegro folks get a star for bouncing back.

Spokane soprano Tamara Schupman made the program sparkle. The variety offered to the ears because of the participation of a singer is welcome, and even helps the instrumental numbers to stand out better. Beyond that, Schupman’s light and clear voice was a good match for the French bel canto arias on the program.

Two from Donizetti’s “Daughter of the Regiment” were on the first half. Schupman sweetly thanked the boys for all they had done for her in “Child of the Regiment,” and their anthem, “The Song of the Regiment,” was boisterous and powerful in a delicate French way.

Schupman’s contribution to the second half was a pair of Donizetti songs, “Sull’onda cheta e bruna” and “Tu mi chiedi.” “Over the silent and dark water” was a happy barcarole depicting a lover’s serenade via gondola, and “You ask if I still adore you,” a light love ditty. Schupman conveyed the lover’s joy in both songs with ringing clarity.

Instrumental transcriptions of a couple of arias from Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor” opened the program. Henri Brod’s pilfering of the tunes for the double reeds was contemporary with their popularity. Lucia’s “Mad Scene,” from which Brod created a Fantasy, was rendered with tasteful outbursts by Dutton’s oboe and Biggs’ fortepiano. The performers offered great command of dynamics and emotion, but the instruments just seem too delicate to be passionately mad. That takes a soprano.

The duet between Lucia and Edgardo, the star-crossed lovers, was achieved with the addition of bassoon. Lynne Feller-Marshall, principal bassoonist with the Spokane Symphony, was brought in at the last moment to cover the part, and did so admirably, contributing a rich sound with plenty of propulsion.

In some gender swapping, Lynne took the part of Ed and David “sang” Lucy. The two made a real lover’s conversation of it with intimate solo moments and breast-heaving togetherness.

Dutton played the English horn on a Donizetti concertino, a piece written in his student days. An oboe d’amore might have been better suited for this selection. The English horn brought a wonderful dark sound, but was stretched to the upper limits of its range. This, plus a few intonation problems between the fortepiano and English horn sapped the confidence needed to carry this work off - theme and variations of this ilk require absolute bravado.

A Verroust substituted for the one originally programmed closed the concert. This sweet and operatic “Solo de Concert” was not far from the style of Donizetti. Dutton, back on oboe, did some pretty playing in the melodic Andante and pulled off some impressive technical stuff in the Rondo finale.

, DataTimes