Many years after her debut at La Scala, Metropolitan Opera, and at the Salzburg Festival, Korean diva Sumi Jo made her triumphant Philippine debut Feb. 1 at the Samsung Hall of SM Aura, which ended with a rousing standing ovation by the teary-eyed audience.
The audience was doubly rewarded when Filipino pianist Najib Ismail and flutist Raymond Sarreal did equally well in an evening devoted to the works of Henry Bishop (“Lo! Here the Gentle Lark”), Antonio Vivaldi (“Sposa son disprezzata”) and Adolph Adam (“Ah, Vous dirais Je, Maman”).
Her opening number, “Lo! Here the Gentle Lark,” set the tone for the recital even as she coped with the drone of the air-conditioning system and the bad lighting that obviously hurt her eyes. (The air-conditioning was later turned off.)
Here you see three excellent artists at work: the soprano with her amazing and secure coloratura; the pianist with his fingers flowing spontaneously along with her; and Sarreal providing the superb flute obbligato. The perfect harmony of the three was such you’d not suspect this was the first time they were working together.
It was obvious the soprano was also in awe of the pianist and the flutist, and in the Adam aria from “Le Toreador,” she asked to be hugged and kissed by the flutist, who had delivered beautiful and precise obbligato as though he was part of the singer’s vocal chord.
The Adam aria was recognizable to the audience, who associate the piece with the children’s rhyme, “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and the alphabet song.
On the whole, the soprano showed her amazing vocal range and a musicality that could only come from a major talent of earth-shaking proportion.
Sumi Jo was poignant in Jean-Paul-Égide Martini’s “Plaisir d’amour” and ravishing in Leo Delibes’ “Chanson Espagnole,” which ended a la “Carmen.”
At first blush, the program looked like it was from a graduation recital.
But in interpreting the songs from the program, Jo applied her incredible vocal gifts, giving them a rarefied version never heard from standard versions.
Thus her “Beautiful Blue Danube” by Strauss Jr. was entrancing. It was the same with “Villanelle” by Eva Dell’Acqua, which was breathtaking.
On top of that, her diction was as crystal-clear as her voice, sounding very French in the aria from “Le Toreador” and in the Martini art song, and very English in Michael Balfe’s “I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls.”
Her ability to sustain notes and phrases found another ravishing showcase in the popular Gershwin piece, “Summertime.”
She brought a bit of her country in the Korean song, “Ari Arirang,” which drew thunderous approval from her countrymen in the audience.
Her concluding numbers, Rachmaninoff’s “Vocalise” and Verdi’s “Sempre Libera” (from “La Traviata”) left no doubt that she was an opera star of the first magnitude.
In “Vocalise,” the line was incredibly sustained and the sound was solid at it was limned with a texture that brought special appeal to the piece.
In the finale Verdi number, acting and voice so magically merged that afterward, the audience stood up to give her and the pianist a rousing standing ovation that she richly deserved.
Jo obliged with two encores, “O Mio Babbino Caro” and Schubert’s “Ave Maria,” dedicated to her father.
But the audience asked for more. Jo sang a Korean song and asked the Koreans in the audience to sing with her. Since Ismail didn’t know the piece, the soprano took over the piano and sang with the audience.
The feedback was euphoric.
Heavenly
“The voice was heavenly, and, indeed, it was a delightful and memorable evening,” said writer Alma Miclat. “And she has a heart of gold.”
Pianist Daphne Jocson said no words can describe the performance. She added the Korean diva’s “unbelievable musicality was at its best.”
Netizens had a field day.
Posted Nix Lopez: “She carries everyone with each soaring note. The recital was simply superb and I am star-struck!”
Pianist-composer Jed Balsamo said he was blown away. “Our very own Najib Ismail gave her splendid support.”
Jaydee de Ocampo, probably a student at the Conservatory of Music of the University of Santo Tomas where Ismail and Sarreal are faculty members, posted: “What a performance! I was really moved, I cried a bit. It was perfect chamber music for Sir Ismail and Sarreal.”
Eloise Gonzalo agreed: “My God, I was moved to tears by her performance and Sir Najib was just divine.”
Opera observers noted that Sumi Jo has joined the league of the famous divas who had earlier performed in Manila and who also got electrifying response from Filipino music lovers: Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballe with pianist Lorenzo Palomo at the Manila Metropolitan Theater in 1979, and Romanian diva Nelly Miricioiu in 1984.
After her free master class at St. Scholastica’s College, Sumi Jo flew to Hong Kong as part of her Asian tour. After three more concerts in the region, she will do a special gala with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.