It was a real pleasure for me to open Stephen Davies‘ exhibition “Inhale/Exhale” at the Art Café in Winchester. The exhibition by the New Zealand artist featured beautiful paintings by the theme of inhalation and nature, and the venue provided a suggestive and cozy atmosphere for my performance. I came up with a programme of songs by a theme that could evoke the title of the exhibition. The Breath of Love: Of Sighs, Whispers, and Other Deeds spanned from baroque arias to romantic music, all using musical onomatopoeias to depict breath, whispers and palpitations. John Hayes, the curator of the art gallery was a perfect host and made the evening very enjoyable, allowing everyone to sit back and relax in a very informal yet intellectually engaging environment. Staff at the Art Café were all nice and friendly, and showed good dupport both during the rehearsals and the actual performance. All of those ingredients made the recital very successful, and the post-performance reception very productive and pleasant. I was especially delighted to become friends with Stephen and his wife Tracy. Singing immersed  in beauty and creativity was a fantastic experience, and I promised myself to commit to pair up visual arts and music more often in my recitals in the future.

The Breath of Love: Of Sighs, Whispers, and Other Deeds

Francesca Placanica, Voice
Gilly Slot, Piano
W. A. Mozart, ‘Voi che sapete’ from Le nozze di Figaro
C. W. Gluck, ‘O del mio dolce ardor’ from Elena e Paride
G. F. Handel, ‘Dove sei, amato bene?’ from Rodelinda
G. F. Handel, ‘Tutta tremante ancor’ from Scipione
G. Paisiello, ‘Nel cor più non mi sento’ from La bella molinara
Giordani, ‘Caro mio ben’
G. Pergolesi, ‘Se tu m’ami’
A. Caldara, ‘Sebben crudele’ from La costanza in amor vince l’inganno
V. Bellini, ‘Vaga luna che inargenti’