MISSION

We are here to encourage the development of gifted young singers and to stimulate the growth of New York City's invaluable chamber opera companies. But we will not neglect the Metropolitan Opera either. Get ready for bouquets and brickbats.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

THE HIGHS AND THE LOWS


Anthony Kalil
Ryan Speedo Green
Nimrod David Pfeffer
Bryan Wagorn

The highs and the lows referred to the notes; tenor Anthony Kalil had some ringing high notes and bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green had the sonorous low notes; we had a grand time feeling the resonance in various body parts.  Just sayin'!

Expectations for participants in the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program run high and are generally met or surpassed.  Such was the case at yesterday's recital when yearling Anthony Kalil demonstrated real tenor chops to an audience that may not have been familiar with his work elsewhere but will surely be seeking him out in the future.  With Bryan Wagorn as collaborative pianist, the teamwork paid off in a stunning performance of three selections from Copland's Old American Songs.  But it was in the three Italian selections that one could appreciate the promise of his impressive Italianate style.  There was no hint of sharp raw garlic in his voice but rather the mellow flavor of long-roasted garlic.  We particularly enjoyed that old Donaudy chestnut "O del mio amato ben" which he made sound fresh and new.  His "When the sun arises" from Kurt Weill's The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny was powerful and Mr. Wagorn was with him every step of the way.  It is such fun to hear a young singer for the first time and to imagine him in all the roles you see in his future.

Mr. Green, on the other hand, is quite well-known in the New York area and hearing his booming base-baritone makes one feel as if all is right in this world.  Partnered by Nimrod David Pfeffer he performed "Arise, ye subterranean winds" from Purcell's The Tempest with all the force it required.  Mr. Pfeffer's piano let us feel the very tempest in our bones.  He was a fine storyteller in Liszt's "Die Vätergruft".  Mr. Pfeffer did some fine piano work in two songs by Florence B. Price which sounded appropriately mysterious.

At a bare one hour, the recital seemed too short by half.  We look forward to Mr. Kalil's Met debut as the Young Man in Die Frau Ohne Schatten and have already seen Mr. Green on the Met stage in Parsifal and Turandot.  Stay tuned.  So much more to come from these fine artists.

(c) meche kroop

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