I was at the performance, which was a benefit concert for La Fenice, an opera house that burnt down in Venice last January. It featured several famous opera singers, each doing a traditional opera aria. The first one was Thomas Hampson singing Largo Factotum from The Barber Of Seville; hence where the Figaro comes from. Later in the concert, Elton sang Live Like Horses (incorrectly written in the program as "Run Like Horses"). While I'm at it, I may as well offer my review of the evening:
I was thoroughly entertained all night. I am a big fan of opera and Elton John, so it was a great mix of entertainment. Although I didn't recognize all of the opera selections, I was at least familiar with most of them. There were also a few choral works, two of which I have actually sung. Anyway, it seemed odd that Elton would be there, and when he came out, he told the audience that he was doing the benefit because he was asked to participate by Versace before he died. He credited Versace with introducing him to the opera, as well as the culture of Venice.
Elton dedicated the performance to Versace. He played solo piano, with synthesized strings in the background. Since the rest of the evening featured an orchestra, I was really hoping for a live orchestral accompaniment, but it was still a very moving performance.
Elton left after his performance, which I thought was unfortunate, as I was looking forward to seeing and hearing him sing in the Brindisi, a famous chorus which ended the evening. The program had listed the finale as featuring the entire company, but that was not the case.
The audience had mixed reactions to Elton, and I overheard a few negative comments, but overall, I think it was a great evening.
Stephen Moger smoger@tcnj.edu Trenton State College (The College of NJ) http://www.tcnj.edu/~smoger
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