Delos Diary

Saturday evening, November 15 2003, was a night to remember for the fortunate several hundred vocal aficionados who attended the Ewa Podles' recital in Sherwood Auditorium, La Jolla.
Originally scheduled for the end of last season's San Diego Opera series, the recital was postponed because of serious injuries Ewa Podles' sustained in an automobile accident last May as she was leaving a recital engagement in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Any unfortunate consequences of that incident were certainly not visible last Saturday night. Madame Podles' not only sang gloriously, but looked radiant. The legendary "force of nature" was definitely in full force, once more.
Accompanied sensitively at the piano by her frequent collaborator Ania Marchwinska, Ewa Podles' blazed through a widely varied program of Vivaldi, Rossini, Chopin, and Rachmaninoff. On full display was the gorgeous Podles' velvety contralto voice with its amazing ability to cope with all the virtuosic coloratura challenges either Vivaldi or Rossini could dream up. In the Chopin and Rachmaninoff selections, other facets of her talent dominated. Her rich identification with the emotional content of each song and her intensity in projecting every word of the texts made for a cumulative impact not often felt at any recital. The only two singers in my own experience who shared this wonderful ability to connect so directly with their audiences were Lotte Lehmann and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, both very different artists but both mistresses of their art. One felt that if Ewa were not a great singer she could be a great actress. No recording can give you the full effect of this artist's presence. A well-produced DVD with lots of close-ups might come near.
By the end of the evening the audience was in near ecstacy, standing and brava-ing. Ewa sang two encores, both delivered as freshly and exuberantly as if it were the beginning of the evening. After a rousing "Cruda sorte!" from Rossini's L'italiana in Algeri (a Marilyn Horne specialty), she concluded with Rossini's enchanting "Canzonetta spagnuola" (a Cecilia Bartoli specialty). Needless to say, she held own against all past and present competitors.
Thus far Delos is privileged to offer two CDs, both outstanding examples of Podles' art: Ewa Podles' - Handel Arias from Rinaldo and Orlando (DE 3253) and Ewa Podles' - Russian Arias (DE 3298).
Let's hope there will soon be more to follow.