Mylinda Joyce at Pitt Street Uniting Church

http://www.sydneyartsguide.com.au/mylinda-joyce-in-recital-pitt-street-uniting-church/ Rather rich, dark and heavy, the latest Resonance concert at Pitt St Uniting Church featured the great talents of dramatic soprano Mylinda Joyce accompanied by Chris Cartner on piano. The warm acoustics were splendid for this performance. Cartner, as usual, introduced each piece and opened with a breathless, blistering fast, darting performance on piano of Grieg’s ‘Puck’. Three short, passionate, turbulent songs by R. Strauss followed featuring the amazing voice of Mylinda Joyce who, with long dark hair and flashing dark eyes, wore a stunning turquoise evening/recital gown. Cartner then followed with a proud, emphatic rendition of I. Albenitz’s Asturias from his Suite Espagnol, featuring Moorish and Flamenco influences and cascading repeats. Lo son l’ultima ancilla from Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur was given a dark, lushly romantic performance by Joyce. O del mio amato ben by S. Donaudy , with its fractured, ghost like, waltz like ripples for a lover seeking her lost love, was lyrically and wistfully performed. The concert changed tack with the confident, teasing , flirtatious Quando m’en vo- Musetta’s waltz from Puccini’s La Boheme- revealing another enchanting aspect to Joyce’s rich, secure, firm voice. Two extraordinarily impressive pieces by Wagner followed– first Cartner was solo on the piano performing the wonderful Elsa’s procession to the Cathedral music from Lohengrin- lyrical and stately, yet it also bubbled, cascaded and rippled in a bravura performance. Joyce then enthralled in an amazing performance of Seglinde’s sword song from Act 1 of Die Walkure , surging darkly and passionately with the tempestuous music. Then came a gripping, thrilling rendition of Rusalka’s Song to the Moon by Dvorak that was melancholic and filled with yearning. For a well deserved encore we heard an enchanting, dramatic, passionate, wistful version of the lovely, rather poignant O Mio Babbino Caro from Puccini’s Gianni Scicchi. The concert ran for an hour without interval. MYLINDA JOYCE IN RECITAL played the Christ at Lavender Bay on the 17th July, the Pitt Street Uniting Church on the 24th July and the Hunter Baillie in Annandale on the 26th July. For details about upcoming Resonance concert events visit- http://www.resonance.net.au/