Riccardo Gatto / Ocene

Last night's glorious concert at Weill Recital Hall spoke to us loud and clear. "What the world needs now is more music and less politics." Where politics is divisive, music unites. Thanks to Blossom Season International Culture Media, a creation of baritone/pianist Jiajun Hong and his beautiful wife soprano Jinghan Zhang, we heard a delightful melding of Chinese, American, and European traditions in music. It is always a treat to hear a tenor who sings with ease and Riccardo Gatto is just such an artist. Tenors risk a great deal when they take on an aria made famous by Luciano Pavarotti. Mr. Gatto owes no apologies for his very excellent performance of "Che gelida manina" from Puccini's La Bohème. It was performed with all the ardor of a young writer trying to impress a new woman. The program closed with three Italian songs. Mr. Gatto let loose with "Non ti scordar di me", written for Beniamino Gigli by Ernesto de Curtis, and popularized in our generation by Mr. Pavarotti. The singer subtly enhanced his vibrato for this piece and was accompanied by Xiaojie Fan's exquisite violin solo. Mr. Curtis was also the composer of "Torna a Surriento". Eduardo di Capua was the composer of the final selection "O sole mio" in which the entire ensemble participated.