Last weekend the members of The Philharmonic Orchestra of Jamaica (POJ) hosted The Concert Chorale of Harlem (TCCH) giving audiences a reason to get dressed up and go to the theatre — Little Theatre to be exact — for Eclat Opera.

The well-attended two-day feast featured presentations of arias, classics, spirituals, and jazz from a list of noted composers, among them Wolfgang Mozart, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, alongside Jamaican masters Franklin Halliburton, Andrew Marshall, Jon Williams.

The works on show were excerpted from stage greats such as La Traviata, Lakme, Porgy & Bess, Marley Symphony (Williams), and Nyabinghi Symphony (Marshall).

Dr Tyrone Clinton Jr of The Unsung Collective in the US served as the evening’s guest conductor. His turn at the conductor’s podium was much-celebrated.

The POJ opened the show with the Overture from Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro to the thrill of the audience.

They were then introduced to two members of TCCH with Chauncey Packer (Recondita Armonia) and Laquita Mitchell (Vissi d’arte) delivering pieces from Puccini’s opera Tosca.

Programme notes and the concert’s compere would signal mezzo soprano Daveda Browne for her rendition from Georges Bizet’s Carmen.

An excerpt from Lakme, The Flower Duet, followed. Made popular by a British Airways commercial in the late 80s, the piece was delivered with much control, and the audience was lulled to a state of quiet. That tone would continue with Patrice P Eaton’s interpretation of Mon coeur s’ouvre a ta voix from Samson and Delilah with TCCH founder Rodari Simpson.

Donizetti’s sextet from Lucia di Lammermoor, the Act II finale Chi me frena in tal momento then displayed the grandness of orchestra and chorale in seeming full flight.

The first local composition to take the stage was Halliburton’s Ave Maria, performed by the POJ and TCCH. The building intensity of the piece brought audience members to the edge of their seats. It was both of visual and aural appeal.

Luigi Denza’s Funiculi Funicula elicited laughter and cheers from the audience as the tenor trio gave a somewhat comical show in delivering their interpretation of the lyrics. Younger audience members would recognise the theme from the Spide-Man video game.

A drinking song from Verdi’s La Traviata would take the show into intermission with Mitchell and Packer again doing solo work.

The applause came even before the final note.

The second half opened with Jon Williams’ Marley Symphony, drums and syncopation brought the cultural texture to the presentation.

TCCH member Nedelka Prescod would stay on track with a solid rendition of Marley’s No Woman, No Cry.

Strong soli would also come from her colleague line members Olanna Goudeau (Glitter and Be Gay by Leonard Bernstein) and Laquita Mitchell (I Never Has Seen Snow by Harold Arlen).

A show tunes feel would come from Packer leading It Ain’t Necessarily So from George Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess and Clayton G Williams’ funny America Online from Newsical.

The show was carried to its close by the stirring Climb Every Mountain sung by TCCH member Geraldine McMillian. She was followed by TCCH singing Great Day arranged by Gwendolyn Simmons. The final item was POJ’s powerful rendition of Nyabinghi Symphony.

The evening was well spent with the music greats of Europe, US and Jamaica. The mixed audience was appreciative of every note.

The stage has been set for even more in collaboration from POJ and TCCH.

— MAT