Tuesday, February 11, 2025 4:38 PM Jan Sebastian Tomsa
“Each number was carefully thought out, with a different costume prepared for each character.”
“She spans melodic arcs with complete naturalness and, in full, long pianissimos in the highs, she touches on what is possible in her field.”
“Thanks also to the orchestra’s professional performance, the audience enjoyed a world-class opera.”
British-Australian coloratura soprano Jessica Pratt is one of the most prominent representatives of the bel canto repertoire on the contemporary opera scene. On Saturday, February 8, she visited the Prague State Opera to present her latest CD Delirio , which contains famous virtuoso scenes of mad or sleepwalking heroines from operas by Vincenzo Bellini and Gaetano Donizetti. The gala concert also featured mezzo-soprano Jana Sýkorová, tenor Martin Šrejma, baritone Svatopluk Sem, bassist Pavel Švingr, and the State Opera Chorus and Orchestra under the direction of its musical director Andriy Jurkevych, at whose invitation the diva came to Prague.
Since her European debut in 2007 at the Teatro Sociale di Como in the title role of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, Jessica Pratt has been a welcome guest at the most important opera houses, such as the Metropolitan Opera in New York, La Scala in Milan, the Vienna State Opera, the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, the Royal Opera Covent Garden in London, the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, the Zurich Opera and the Deutsche Oper Berlin. In any case, this role accompanies her to this day, only this spring she will sing it on four European stages. She is also a highly regarded performer of Bellini’s Norma and heroines from operas by Gioacchino Rossini and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Her Prague performance was not a classic concert of an opera star; instead of individual arias, the soprano, together with the State Opera ensemble, offered entire scenes, in which she was supported by the aforementioned soloists and the choir. Each number was carefully thought out, she had a different costume prepared for each character, which was not just a whim of a conceited prima donna, but an effort to present and capture her heroines as best as possible within the framework of a concert performance. She first came on stage to introduce herself as Amina from Bellini’s The Sleeping Beauty in a rich gold and white gown, and from the first notes it was clear that we were in for an extraordinary experience.
Jessica Pratt’s voice is not big, it doesn’t tear down concert halls, it is very gentle and cultivated, soundly conducted, with flawless coloraturas and the right amount of energy and emotions. Her natural acting is combined with these; in the crazy scenes she didn’t show off at all, but you could see how she deeply experienced every emotion. Right in this first scene from the opera ( Scende… corragio… È salva! – Ah! Non credea mirarti – Ah! Non giunge uman pensiero ) she was joined by the brilliantly sung State Opera Chorus (chorusmaster Adolf Melichar ).
The second number on the program was Donizetti’s early and rarely performed opera Emilia from Liverpool. It was last staged fifteen years ago in Nuremberg and before that only very sporadically. Jessica Pratt, in a sober light turquoise dress, sang the arias Madre! Deh placati , in which the main character blames herself for the death of her mother, and Ah di contento ripiena ho l’alma , when peace returns to her soul after the citizens of Liverpool thank her for her kindness and love – here the male part of the choir flashed with a compact sound.
The women’s section with the orchestra then performed the choral scene Chi può vederla a ciglio asciutto from the opera Anna Bolena , in which the ladies of the court mourn the fate of Queen Anne, who is delirious after the verdict. Unfortunately, there were inaccuracies in it and the choral sound did not achieve the desired balance.
Before the intermission, Mrs. Pratt returned to the stage in a blood-stained wedding dress, with a veil and train, to sing perhaps the most famous mad scene in operatic literature, O giusto cielo… Ardon gl’incenci from Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor . In it, she was brilliantly supported by Jana Lukášová on flute. The composer originally intended to use a glass harmonica in this scene, which would have better reflected Lucia’s madness, but the musician canceled his participation in the premiere in 1835, so the composer rewrote this part for flute at the last minute. The cabaret Spargi d’amaro pianto from this opera was also performed , in which Lucia reconciles herself with life and her love. In these two performances, the soprano demonstrated how colorful her vocal instrument is, how full, supported and equipped with endless breath in all positions. She spans melodic arcs with complete ease and in full, long pianissimos in the high notes she touches on what is possible in her field. It is admirable how simply, simply and without visible physical effort she is able to perform these extremely difficult arias. She did this even after the break, when she started singing in the foyer, then walked through the audience in a Prussian blue gown and black wig and sang the aria O rendetemi la speme … Qui la voce sua soave … Vien diletto e in ciel la luna of the mad Elvira from Bellini’s I Puriti , in which she also impressed with her velvet depths. In the last number of the program, the soprano in a red frilled dress with long sleeves and black lace applications captured the temporary insanity of Linda from Chamounix , the opera that was Donizetti’s last great triumph before he himself fell into madness (or neurosyphilis). Before her only encore, she quickly shed her rich red gown on stage, revealing a simple silver dress underneath, and delighted the audience with the aria Glitter and Be Gay from Bernstein’s Candide . In it, she pleasantly lightened the gloom of the previous program, engaging both the conductor and the audience in her performance, and received a well-deserved standing ovation.
In the opera scenes, she was accompanied by the aforementioned soloists of the National Theatre Opera, who gave good performances within their vocal capabilities. What was nice about them was that they all seemed to stay aside, aware of their supporting roles. I was most impressed by the baritone Svatopluk Sem in a very successful unison with the bass of Pavel Švinger as Riccardo and Giorgio in The Puritans and the mezzo-soprano Jana Sýkorová in the role of Pierrot in the final scene from Linda di Chamounix . However, I was very surprised that our soloists sang their small performances from the notes and, unfortunately, at some moments, the physical demands of their singing were evident. The State Opera Orchestra with its conductor provided a very sensitive and empathetic accompaniment and himself shone in two overtures to the rarely performed operas by Ambroise Thomas Mignon and Raymond, or The Queen’s Secret , i.e. in works that definitely do not belong to the standard repertoire of opera houses. Thanks to his professional performance, the audience enjoyed world-class opera, even if only in concert.
Jessica Pratt has been canceling her engagements recently due to serious family reasons. I consider it fortunate that the Prague concert was not affected, and I wish Ms. Pratt a speedy recovery.
Photo / source: Prague State Opera