An emotional night at the opera

Emotion and opera often go hand-in-hand. But even by operatic standards there was something special about the first night of a production of Mozart's Cosi fan tutte at Geneva's Grand Théatre.

Emotion and opera often go hand-in-hand. But even by operatic standards there was something special about the first night of a production of Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte at Geneva’s Grand Théatre.

Long used to watching Armin Jordan conduct the Orchèstre de la Suisse Romande, the Geneva audience gave a warm reception to his 25 year-old son, Philippe, making his first appearance as conductor in the Grand Théatre. Jordan senior, head of the orchestra from 1985 to 1997, was visibly moved as he watched his son’s Geneva debut. “My son is much more gifted than me,” he once said.

Jordan junior, who has played the piano and violin from an early age, studied music in Zurich and later worked as assistant to Jeffrey Tate and Daniel Barenboim. This was the first time he had conducted an opera in Switzerland.

“Philippe Jordan has applied himself to the most intriguing of the Mozart operas with the energy and naturalness it demands,” wrote the music critic of the Geneva daily, Tribune de Genève.

Praise also came from another French-language newspaper, Le Temps. “Philippe Jordan can be sure of a great career,” it said. “He has shown amazing maturity…his rapid and controlled pacing raised the orchestra to a higher level than usual.”

By Richard Dawson