Always ready to celebrate with a day at the circus, an afternoon movie matinee, or a night at the opera, Dutch saxophonist Bo van de Graaf and his I Compani ensemble marked Giuseppe Verdi's 200th birthday with their 2013 program Verdi 2.00, recorded live and then released on CD and digitally early the following year. I Compani previously covered Verdi on 2001's Aida, with tango, circus music, blues, and improvisation tossed into the Italian composer's famous opera -- drawing cheers from fans of Dutch jazz while perhaps generating a few harrumphs from classical music purists. Not atypically, they start the fun this time around with the CD's hexagonal cardboard package, which opens to reveal the disc masquerading as a scrumptious (albeit flattened) Italian torte, presented on a fancy doily. So cut yourself a generous slice and let the party begin. Verdi 2.00 leads off with "Dies Irae" from Requiem, and "Ella Mi Fu Rapita" from Rigoletto appears later (both arranged by Joop van Erven), but the lion's share of the album continues I Compani's fascination with Aida, as van de Graaf arranged the opera's music on seven tracks with two further tracks arranged -- as on the 2001 album -- by former I Compani pianist Jeroen Goldsteen. On "Dies Irae," a soulful I Compani initially tip toward Mingus Ah Um more strongly than Requiem, but the octet (featuring violin, cello, saxophone, trombone, bandoneon, piano, bass, and drums) is soon off and running through Verdi's recognizable themes, moving effortlessly into the classical realm with both passion and finely honed skill.
Ably capturing I Compani's capacity for energy and momentum, a pair of highlights are derived from Aida's ballet music: the sparkling "Ballabile" features some killer plunger-muted, growling trombone from Hans Sparla, counterpointed by van de Graaf's high-flying soprano sax, while roiling free jazz is suddenly harnessed into a brief breathless run through "Schiavi Mori." Also on his soprano horn, van de Graaf swings like mad on "Ella Mi Fu Rapita" and takes up the challenge of the "Ritorna Vincitor" aria with both force and gentleness. Elsewhere, an initially regal "Chi Ti Salva" builds dramatically with Makki van Engelen's rolling drumwork, van de Graaf's screaming tenor, and the powerful entrance of soprano singers Quirine Melssen and Lucia Caihuela, while "Nel Fiero Anelito" finds I Compani pianist Christoph Mac-Carty joined by guest Guus Janssen (who plays on six tracks overall) in a spirited two-piano interlude marked by classic jazz and blues stylings. Meanwhile, "Triomphrasch" offers a seemingly satirical take on military pageantry, with fractured and reharmonized pianisms joined by wild improvs from the other musicians and a lightning-fast full-band sprint through the theme. Yet for all the liberties taken across Verdi 2.00, the evocative performances of Caihuela on "Numi Pietà" and Melssen on "Padre!...a Costoro," with support from Susanne Degerfors' plaintive singing saw in the former and cello in the latter, reveal the utmost respect -- and indeed reverence -- at the heart of I Compani's birthday celebration.