Despite an appearance by the always-wonderful Dawn Upshaw, Friday evening’s debut concert of the Colorado Symphony’s 2008-09 season proved disappointingly unsatisfying.
The main problem was the puzzling mishmash of a program. Because of the festive nature of the opener and Upshaw’s versatility, it made sense to divide the concert between mostly lighter operatic favorites and show tunes.
But music director Jeffrey Kahane went further, adding two works that seemed out of place. The most bizarre inclusion was Nico Muhly’s “Wish You Were Here,” which, as hard as it is to imagine, was premiered last year by the Boston Pops.
It didn’t belong on this program at all, but coming right after Upshaw’s ebullient take on Vernon Duke’s “Not a Care in the World,” it stopped the second half cold.
The first half opened with an upbeat version of the Overture to Giuseppe Verdi’s “La Forza del Destino,” and three of Verdi’s most popular operatic choruses, with the Colorado Symphony Chorus sounding a bit rusty after its summer break.
Then, Kahane inserted an a cappella version of a short choral work not on the printed program — Morten Lauridsen’s “O Magnum Mysterium.” It is a stunning piece, but it, too, seemed ill-suited to the evening.
Highlighting the concert was an 1786 concert aria by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart— “Ch’io mi scordi di te?” and “Non temer, amato bene,” scene and rondo for soprano and orchestra with piano obbligato, K. 505.
Here, the audience got at least a taste of Upshaw’s voice, with Kahane at the keyboard.
Upshaw was at home in six delightful Broadway selections. But she left the stage with nary an encore, making her contribution feel a bit lightweight.
The concert will be repeated at 2:30 p.m. today.
Kyle MacMillan: 303-954-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com
