Thursday night at Kodak Hall the Rochester Philharmonic
Orchestra presented a lovely evening of the music of love by Rossini, Puccini,
Respighi, and Verdi, led by guest conductor Neil Varon.
Soloists Karin Wolverton, soprano, and Dinyar Vania, tenor, gave exquisite
performances from “La Boheme” and “Madama Butterfly.” The program will be
repeated Saturday; it’s a not-to-be missed concert.

Maestro Varon brought out the best
in the RPO. He balanced sections and soloists, drew out subtleties, and shaped
the dynamic range from the quietest moments in the strings to the most rousing portions
of the full orchestra. In particular, his interpretation of “Le Fontane di Roma” by Ottorino
Respighi was just beautiful. The work has four movements, each depicting a
different fountain in Rome at different times of the day, from dawn to sunset. The
composition was a gem and Varon brought it forward as a truly memorable
experience.

Varon appeared last night as a
guest conductor to the RPO. He is on faculty at the Eastman School of Music,
where he leads the Eastman Philharmonia, the Eastman School Symphony Orchestra,
and the Eastman Chamber Orchestra. Previous positions include principal
conductor at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein Duesseldorf-Duisburg and general music
director of the Musiktheater im Revier in Gelsenkirchen.

The show-stopper of the night was tenor Dinyar Vania,
singing excerpts from “La Boheme” by Giacomo Puccini. Vania’s voice is
sensational. Vania filled the entire hall in a
seemingly effortless manner, while communicating the depth of the emotion
called for by the score. How can we not have heard of him before? He is young. He
is working his way along. But do not underestimate his potential. I recommend that
you get to hear him on Saturday night, as it is only a matter of time before
his career carries him into plum roles and venues in the world of opera.

The Rochester
Philharmonic Orchestra repeats the program Saturday, March 2, at 8 p.m. at Kodak
Hall at Eastman Theatre. For more information visit the website.

This article appears in Feb 27 – Mar 5, 2013.