Ramón Vargas does Ljubljana Festival - marvelously

Gallusova dvorana Cankarjevega doma je Ramónu Vargasu včeraj priredila dvojne stoječe ovacije, ki jih ta najbrž ne bo pozabil; presežka koncerta, Donizettijevi ariji "Angelo casto e bel" iz Vojvode Albe in "Una furtiva lacrima" iz Ljubezenskega napoja, sta bila na sporedu v prvem delu, a kolektivna očaranost občinstva je ostala do konca. Kako tudi ne bi – redki so umetniki, ki svojo glasbo razumejo tako iskreno, neponarejeno in col cuore kot Vargas. Na odru deluje skromno, skoraj sramežljivo, po drugi strani pa je vse kazalo, da sta z dirigentom Villaumom vzpostavila krasen odnos in zaželela sem si, da bi lahko prisostvovala vajam (generalki?) pred koncertom. Med pavzo sem ujela besede dveh kontrabasistov in starejšega gospoda iz občinstva. "Če tole primerjaš z Lotričem …" Orkester Slovenske filharmonije je vsako leto boljši in večno bom hvaležna dami v belem, ki je začela prve stoječe ovacije, ker imamo s tem v Ljubljani pogosto težave, pa čeprav gre morda za kulturni dogodek leta, ki ga bo avgusta težko prekosila celo ekipa Bolšoj teatra.

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Ramón Vargas might never forget last evening's double standing ovation at Cankarjev dom's Gallus Hall; the highest point of the concert – Donizetti's arias "Angelo casto e bel" from Il Duca d'Alba and "Una furtiva lacrima" from L'Elisir d'amore – took place in the first half, but the audience's collective enchantment lasted until the end. How could it not when it's so difficult to find artists who understand their music as incredibly honestly and col cuore as Vargas? He seems modest, almost shy on stage, although it looked like he and conductor Villaume had established a great rapport which instantly made me wish I were present at the rehearsal(s). During intermission I caught a few words between two bassists and an elderly gentleman from the audience. "If you compare this to Lotrič (Slovenia's favorite tenor) …" The Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra is getting better every year and I will be eternally grateful to the lady in white who started the first standing ovation because we often have trouble with that in Ljubljana, even on what could be the cultural event of the year. In conclusion, it's safe to say The Bolshoi Theatre's performers would better prepare themselves for August.