It is frustrating to encounter three fine Russian voices in a programme where only one item, an encore, comes from their native repertoire. That said, one couldn't complain about the quality of singing on offer at the NCH on Saturday in pieces from operas by Gounod, Bizet, Charpentier, Bellini, Leoncavallo and, especially, Verdi, who was represented by excerpts from eight of his works.
Lolita Semenina's well-focused lyric soprano has considerable carrying power and is securely pitched over a wide range. She is not particularly expressive, but she phrases well and maintains a steady line. She also offers a reasonable trill and has the necessary flexibility for Marguerite's jewel song and the cabalettas from I puritani and Ernani.
Expressiveness is one of Badri Maisuradze's strongest assets. This robust spinto, who sang Radames in Belfast some years ago, is a splendid Verdi tenor. His baritone-like middle register knits smoothly with trumpet-toned high notes and his tonal colouring is admirable, if a trifle mannered at times. His sustained head notes in the final phrase of the Otello/Desdemona duet were magical.
Yuri Nechaev is a big man with a big baritone voice. His generous all-out delivery may lack subtlety, but his warm tone and strong top notes added dramatic credibility to the various warriors, fathers and bullfighters represented in his choice of arias. He blended well with each of his colleagues in Verdi duets and excelled in Robert's short but impassioned love song from Tchaikovsky's Iolanthe.
Philip Thomas accompanied strongly, as ever, and offered a piano version of the Dance of the Hours as a bonus. William Halpin directed the DIT Wind Ensemble in rousing marches by Fucik, Verdi and Strauss as well as a sensitively-paced and sonorous wedding processional from Lohengrin.
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