Page 302 - Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Coverage Book 2023-24

gradual crescendo. Observing this not only allows the organ and harp to register without
having to fight to be audible, but also makes the con forza climax all the more impactful
when the strings are finally let off the leash.

It wouldn't be quite right to feature some Cav without any Pag, and so it's fitting to have the
Intermezzo from Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, which again allows the Liverpool strings to soar
most affectingly, as indeed they do in another Intermezzo from Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur.

While there is plenty of drama and raw emotion on offer, what makes the album so satisfying
is the way that Hindoyan prevents it from being wearisome by switching the mood
completely: I've already mentioned the graceful delights of the Ponchielli extract, and
similarly, just as you might start to feel you have had about as much angst-ridden fervour as
you can manage, along comes the fizz and sparkle of a piece such as the Overture to Ermanno
Wolf-Ferrari's Il segreto di Susanna, or the upbeat energy of the Sinfonia from Mascagni's Le
maschere, to cleanse the palate and raise the spirits.

Running through the album are passages from several Puccini operas, including
heartbreaking excerpts from Manon Lescaut and Suor Angelica. His more obscure output is
represented too, notably with the Prelude to Act Three of Edgar: a stirring funeral procession
carrying a suit of armour that the crowd (mistakenly) believes to contain the body of Edgar.
For such an early work it's fascinating to hear how it already contains many of the hallmarks
of the more mature Puccini's style, and Hindoyan and his players successfully wring every
last drop of feeling from the piece.

The album closes with more Puccini: the orchestral interlude before the final scene
of Madama Butterfly. In a way it is the perfect choice to conclude proceedings, as it neatly
encapsulates the changing temperaments of verismo, from the incandescent tragedy of the
opening phrases, to the more reflective pathos of the bulk of the piece, and finally the
morning light of dawn with (literal) bird calls. It's perhaps a bold move to end an album of
extreme passion and turbulence on such a fragile note, and yet it works beautifully, with the
violins gently fading away on a contemplative note of relative calm.

Verismo
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Domingo Hindoyan

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