Eric Laine / Léirmheasanna

In a contrasting vein, the ensemble took a giddy, wine-inspired romp through “Par nos chansons et par nos cris célèbrons Paris” from Offenbach’s La vie parisienne, a comic opera excerpt that allowed tenor Eric Laine to flaunt Brésilien’s bellicose pomposity with brazen assurance and vocal allure.

Kudos to Eric Laine for projecting the gravitas of Britten’s “Tarquinius does not wait,” skillfully traversing the composer’s acute, angular themes in the opening half and deftly shifting to secure but aptly fiery declamation in the agitated second half.