UTAH SYMPHONY CHAMBER ORCHESTRA, SOPRANO CELENA SHAFER, FLUTIST LISA BYRNES, Abravanel Hall, Friday
With its rich tradition in the arts, Utah has a number of musical treasures, not the least of which is soprano Celena Shafer. She has been making quite a name for herself throughout the United States and Europe since graduating from the University of Utah, singing in some of the best known opera houses and concert halls. And she still seems to find the time to perform in Utah.
Friday, returning to Abravanel Hall for the first time in more than a year, Shafer was one of the soloists at the Utah Symphony's Chamber Orchestra concert, under the baton of music director Keith Lockhart.
Singing three arias by Handel in the first half and J.S. Bach's "Wedding" Cantata to open the second, Shafer showed once again that she is an immensely talented and versatile artist.
Baroque music requires a specific vocal type, and Shafer has it — a voice that is light, expressive and fluid, yet also powerful and dramatic.
Shafer had ample opportunity to display her vocal artistry in the three arias ("O Had I Jubal's Lyre" from the oratorio "Joshua"; "Cara selve" from the opera "Atalante"; and "Let the Bright Seraphim" from the oratorio "Samson").
With a voice that can sing the long florid lines of baroque music, Shafer made short work of these arias. What is so amazing is that Shafer makes this rather demanding music sound easy. There is a naturalness to her singing that makes her a stunning baroque interpreter.
She was no less impressive in the "Wedding" Cantata. Shafer gave an engaging performance of this work. Her singing once again was polished and refined and full of rich expressiveness.
The other soloist at Friday's concert was the symphony's assistant principal flute, Lisa Byrnes, in Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor. It's always a treat to see one of the members of the orchestra in the soloist's spotlight, even if it's not in a full blown concerto. One can still appreciate the talent that's in the orchestra.
In her first solo appearance with the symphony in Abravanel Hall, Byrnes gave a wonderfully expressive performance that was richly embellished and seamlessly phrased.
The concert opened with Handel's "Royal Fireworks Music."
E-mail: ereichel@desnews.com