On Friday, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra delivered another fine Opera in Concert with Puccini's Turandot, justly rewarded by a full house and standing ovations.
Such was the impact that, come interval, a patron was cheerily singing one of its five-note "Chinese" tunes en route to the ice-cream wagon.
Turandot is the ultimate operatic blend of the spectacular and exotic, an extravagant tale of an icy Chinese Princess who makes Cruella de Vil seem like a potential SPCA sponsor.
The APO, responding to the palpable energy of conductor Eckehard Stier, thrilled with its clashing and crashing in Puccini's opening pages. Later, there would be wind solos as finely executed as classic Chinese pen-and-wash as well as strings so lush that, in the final act, one could almost imagine moonlight flooding the palace gardens.
The chorus, made up of Freemasons NZ Opera Chorus and chamber choir Viva Voce, revelled in the big sing of Turandot, fit and fiery in their early barbaric chanting, full-bodied when they wrap the opera up with its most famous tune. A small children's chorus sang with precision and style.
