NO WONDER Lesley Garrett is a star! This English soprano's concert at the RDS on Wednesday night, given as part of the Bank of Ireland RTE Proms, included all those qualities which have made her a big name.
Her stage presence is alluring yet commanding. She uses plenty of physical gestures. She is at ease in many musical styles. Yet none of these strengths would count without that voice, so varied in colour and volume, and so secure that one becomes almost unaware of technique. Her persuasiveness in almost everything in the concert made one forget the odd blemish, such as her tendency to stretch pitch upwards at climaxes.
The first half of the programme consisted largely of extracts from operas, and the second of songs from American musicals. The RTE Concert Orchestra, conducted by Colman Pearce, accompanied well throughout, and played several orchestral items. The best of these was a sparkling performance of the "Aragonaise" from Bizet's Carmen. Lesley Garrett's skill in her varied repertoire depends on her ability to exploit the express ion of each piece and to draw the audience into her own enjoyment of it. When she hit the bull's eye, the results could be electrifying.