Review
B-W Symphony Orchestra with Jane Eaglen & Timothy Mussard (September 24)

by Daniel Hathaway

English dramatic soprano Jane Eaglen made a grand entrance not only to the stage of B-W's Gamble Auditorium on Friday evening but into Cleveland's musical life as well. Her debut performance here celebrated her newsworthy appointment to the Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory's voice faculty, but her Flying Dutchman duet with Heldentenor Timothy Mussard and her stunning performance of the Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde brought a level of opera singing to our region that hasn't been regularly heard since the cessation of the Metropolitan Opera tours nearly twenty-five years ago.

Obviously, word had gotten around. The hall was packed to the gills and the overflow crowd was directed to the adjacent recital hall where they presumably heard (and hopefully watched) the performance on a closed-circuit system.

Eaglen and Mussard were the stars of the second act of a Baldwin-Wallace Symphony Orchestra concert under the baton of conductor Dwight Oltman which began with a spirited chamber orchestra performance of Rossini's La Scala di Seta overture and continued with the full orchestra in an energetic reading of Beethoven's Symphony No. 2 in D -- not an easy assignment for an undergraduate ensemble, but one that they brought off with aplomb.

Jane Eaglen and Timothy Mussard received the kind of ovation only enthusiastic students can initiate when they took the stage. Singing from scores, they delivered the kind of assured performance of Senta and Erik's duet that only seasoned opera stars can put across. Mr. Mussard may have taken a few minutes to warm to the task, but once he was completely up to speed, he matched Eaglen note for note in dramatic focus and power. The orchestra provided solid support and some lovely wind solos (unfortunately, programs ran out along with empty seats, and I can't credit anyone by name).

After returning to the stage for a second ovation, Mr. Mussard waved auf wiedersehen to the audience and left Ms. Eaglen regally alone for the Liebestod, one of her signature arias. Instantly mesmerized, the audience soon understood the source of her renown as a Wagnerian soprano. Vocally, she is a force of nature who can use her instrument to fill a much larger hall than Gamble with pure, clear sound, but she can also float a soft phrase with complete mastery and control. The Love-Death soliloquy was pure, compelling drama. Mr. Oltman and the B-W Symphony rose to the occasion with rich tone and responsive phrasing.

Now that Jane Eaglen is officially in residence, we hope to have the opportunity to enjoy more of her splendid artistry in Cleveland very soon.