"An afternoon of a Faun" (Live at Lunch, 10.02.2023, Royal Opera House)

Paul Hamlyn's Hall, where all the recent "Live at Lunch" events happen, has a special atmosphere thanks to its enormous skylight roof, which allows the sun or the clouds to create an instant and unique momentum, enhancing the mood of the event. Such was the case of the last recital of Jorge Carlo Mariani (the tenor) and Varvara Tarasova (the pianist). Although Varvara didn't play Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun (she played Debussy's Arabesque instead), the whole concert, in that beautiful sunshine-lit, almost orangery-like Hall, felt like an enjoyable impressionist moment if the Faun's afternoon.

Varvara, apart from accompanying her husband - the tenor Jorge Carlo Mariani, was our hostess of the event. She began the recital by playing 1st movement of Mozart's piano Sonata in C major, the lovely and playful piece from the composer, who was really "fun to play" (as she mentioned). Jorge also started his recital with Mozart, singing Ferrando's aria from Così fan tutte.

Meanwhile Jorge rested his voice, Varvara entertained us (she prooved to be a very good hostess) with Debussy's Arabesque, the perfect piece, and played with great emotion, to create that special afternoon atmosphere. Jorge then joined with the French aria Quel trouble inconnu me pénètre from Gounod's Faust, where he deployed his beautifully resonating, young- dramatic voice to its full potential.

The Russian's romantic soul and music afterwards - how could it not be, as Varvara herself comes from St Petersburg? In the last recital, we heard a movingly performed Aleko's aria by Ben Knight from Rachaminoff's opera Aleko. This time, it was Tchaikovsky's music, which penetrated our hearts. For her piano-solo piece, Varvara chose "May" from Tchaikovsky's short piano work The Seasons. Jorge, staying withTchaikovsky for his third recital piece, sang Lensky's aria Kuda, kuda, vi udalilis from the opera Eugen Onegin. If, until that moment, we heard a beautifully-timbered, colourful and well-controlled tenor, in Lensky's aria, we heard the nostalgia, drama and passion. That was the moment in the recital, where the true singer's persona appeared. The moment, when there is just the music, the interpret and their feelings ... and when we, the public, forget our whereabouts. Jorge's Russian pronunciation and diction were admirably good, too (for a non-Slavic person). I wondered, at the time I listened to him, that he must have had a good coach. Well, as I later on learnt, indeed he had the best one - his wife, Varvara.

However romantic or nostalgic the previous pieces were, the end was "sunny" and full of Spanish tempetament - not surprising either, with Jorge being a Spanish-speaker himself. Varvara introduced the "Spanish mood" with a piano piece from Manuel de Falla and Jorge performed two arias: one from Fernando Obradors Del cabello más sutil and the very famous, fervent and uplifting Granada, composed by a fellow Mexican Augustín Lara.

Well - what and impressing, little momentum in our life that afternoon proved to be! The next Live at Lunch will be the 3rd of March.

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