They called it “Three Tenors Plus One” for a music scholarship benefit concert Friday in the Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center.
But it was really “Three Tenors Plus Two.”
Number Two was the late Oscar Feliu and he was inspiration Number One in the hearts and minds of the performers; the sellout audience and members of the Opera Club of The Villages.
Death stills the body, but the spirit endures. And the musical and generous spirit of Feliu enveloped The Sharon once more.
“Oscar still inspires us,” said Gerri Piscitelli, president of the Opera Club. “We sold every seat in this beautiful facility because people responded to Oscar. He was the one who helped us get into the Sharon. We wouldn’t be here tonight if it wasn’t for Oscar.”
The Three Tenors included Villages favorite Fernando Varela, along with Davide La Verde and Fabio Valenti, both from Italy. Broadway and television performer Renee Lawless played the Plus One. The singers were under the direction, guidance and piano accompaniment of Maestro Bill Doherty.
All owed a debt of gratitude to Feliu, who died unexpectedly in November. He was a guiding force in the Opera Club and also the Harold S. Schwartz Scholarship Program. It raises money for musically talented high school students.
Nearly 20 years ago, Feliu started the “Three Tenors” concert series to raise scholarship money. “I want you to know that I’m the only tenor to have been here for every ‘Three Tenors,’” Feliu said last February during the scholarship concert.
Both Varela and Lawless knew him well and seemed infused with a kind of vocal grace that paid homage to his memory.
Three extraordinary performances of Feliu’s favorite songs – “You Raise Me Up,” “The Prayer” and “Nessun Dorma” — reflected the intense emotional bond Feliu had with The Villages and the performers he helped mold.
Varela talked about Feliu before singing, “You Raise Me Up.”
“Oscar was my dear friend and mentor,” said Varela, whose recording career is about to burst into international stardom with a new album this year. Before the concert, Varela talked about how Feliu was a “great friend, not to just me, but to all singers in The Villages.
“One of the greatest lessons he taught me was that without the people sitting in the seats, we wouldn’t be on stage. He told me to take care of those people and treat them right. He also taught me how to emotionally connect with an audience.
“This song’s for you, Oscar,” Varela said and then sang “You Raise Me Up.” The performance not only showcased his magnificent voice but he also imbued the song with a prayerful embrace.
Lawless starred in “Beauty and the Beast” on Broadway and currently appears in “The Haves and the Have Nots” on the OWN TV network. She has often performed in The Villages and told how Feliu called her last year asking her to appear in the “Three Tenors Plus One” concert.
“I’m here tonight because of Oscar,” she said. “I wanted to be up here singing with him tonight. I remember singing with him at the Church on the Square.”
She teamed with La Verde on “The Prayer.” Once again, the lyrics and music were charged with spiritual emotion.
“Nessun Dorma” by Puccini was the closing number and all four singers were in vintage form on the challenging number. It seemed to sum up everything about this concert and Oscar Feliu. The music percolated with the essence of life, not death because, “none shall sleep” and “the night shall vanish.”
Feliu loved a good time and laughter and there were moments of joy. Varela, La Verde and Valenti hammed it up on “O sole mio.” Varela even gave La Verde a tap on the back, to halt him from singing a high note.
La Verde had some fun with “Be My Love,” holding a piece of paper, pretending to read the lyrics.
Then the four singers had the audience singing and clapping along to “Funiculì Funiculà,” and the Sharon was jumping.
Lawless showed her comic side with a vain and delicious “Art Is Calling For Me” from “The Enchantress.”
On a more serious note, Valenti gave a stirring rendition of “America The Beautiful,” and those in the packed house stood up and sang along. Lawless was near tears on “Beauty and the Beast.” She explained that song turned her career around when she landed a role on Broadway and “it still means so much to me.”
Maestro Doherty, one of Feliu’s closest friends and fellow opera pioneers here, was the glue that held the concert together. The master pianist set the mood, tone and atmosphere for a night of luminous performances and touching memories.
“This was so meaningful and so much fun,” Doherty said after the show. “What a blessing to be on this stage with these performers and all those wonderful people in the audience. Oscar would have loved it.”
