(NOT SO) SILENT NIGHT

Brittany Renée and Daniel Okulitch

We approached Paula Prestini's production of Silent Light as we generally do, avoiding the reading of Director's Notes. We like to see if a work of art speaks for itself, without explanation.  As we recall from 15 years ago, The Carlos Reygadas film with the same title, although not our favorite, spoke for itself. By means of the absence of music, relying strictly on sound effects, visual metaphor, and spare speech by the principles, Reygadas drew a portrait of an unusual subculture, that of Mennonites living in Mexico, near Chihuahua.

Whilst watching the film, never once did we wish for a musical soundtrack. The visuals had a melody and rhythm of their own. We fail to understand why the esteemed composer thought it a good idea to compose music to decorate this work which never asked for it. We will not comment on the quality of the music, only point out that we found some pleasure in the rare quieter passages and some pain in the more raucous ones. 

During the love-making scene the music was particularly discordant; we couldn't help thinking of the music Richard Strauss composed for the opening scene of Der Rosenkavalier which was luscious and sensual, and referenced the climax with a series of "whoops" that let us know we were in for a light-hearted comedic ride.

Speaking of the sex scene (and we generally have no negative reactions to them) we found this one particularly gratuitous, in that it told us nothing about the relationship between the two lovers. (What we recall from the film is that the man left his children sitting outside in his truck whilst having it on with his paramour. And that told us something!)  By comparison, the stoic appearance of the characters in other scenes told us a lot about this laconic community.

For those of you who do not know the story, it is about a supposedly pious married man who is devoted to his wife and many children--but not sufficiently devoted to avoid an entanglement with a single woman member of the same community. He confides in his friend and in his father and to all appearances, seems tortured by this conflict. He claims to be "in love" with this woman but what we witness is lust, not love. It is an old story with an interesting twist. He has told his wife about the affair and watches her suffer. The two women know each other.

Onto this framework, Ms. Prestini has composed music that did nothing to add to our understanding. Esteemed and awarded as she may be, this is just not our kind of music. The vocal lines offered nothing to hold one's ear. Royce Vavrek's libretto was often impossible to hear over the brass-heavy music.

It is difficult to evaluate a vocal performance under such circumstances although a most illustrious cast was assembled. Under the direction of Thaddeus Strassberger, the performances were admirable. Daniel Okulitch was persuasive as the tortured husband Johan and Brittany Renee was completely convincing as the miserable wife Esther.  Julia Mintzer portrayed Marianne, Johan's paramour, and we are sure she was directed to be non-seductive; there was no way to understand the attraction the husband had for her. This must be intentionally left mysterious and undisclosed.

Our favorite performance was that of Anthony Dean Griffey as Johan's friend Zacarias because, of all the singers, he handled the English diction the best. When there are no subtitles, we must rely completely on the singer. Margaret Lattimore did an excellent job as Esther's mother, and her expressive face told us how she felt about her son-in-law.

As Johan's father we heard James Demler and Margaret Carpenter Haigh took the role of his mother. The pair appeared to be dairy farmers and the cows were portrayed by female members of the chorus (The Choir of Trinity Wall Street) wearing cow masks on their heads. We were not alone in feeling uncomfortable watching them being "milked". We wondered if the director wanted to say something about the role of women in this community.

Perhaps it was just part of the intention to make the experience an immersive one. As the work opened and the projected stars faded in the sky, Johann pours himself a cup of coffee. Then Esther comes in and prepares breakfast for the group. Yes, she actually cooks in real time and we were reminded of our very first theatrical experience in which a solo artist baked "Sweet Nut Bread to Make Your Mouth Water" while delivering her monologue, and then served it to the audience. No, Esther did not share the pancakes with us but then we expect to remember the former work long after Silent Light will be forgotten.

Mr. Strassberger's set design was apt, the furniture appearing no more than spare and functional. A complete kitchen occupied  one side of the stage and a workshop on the other side which was also utilized as a farm. A raised platform served as the cab of a truck. Bruce Steinberg's lighting was most effective as were the projections by Greg Emetaz.  Whilst Johann and Esther are driving in the rain, the illusion of being in a truck or auto was created with the projection of the shadow of a windshield wiper. Other special effects lent a sense of reality. When Esther runs out into the rain with an umbrella, water fell from above in torrents--in the same spot that was previously used to create the illusion of a pond where the children frolicked.

The performing area was wide, as were the two rows of seating. Therefore, one's point of view varied with one's location. The fortunate few sitting in the center of two long rows got an excellent view, but the rest of us, sitting to the sides, had our view blocked by the members of the chorus who were sitting directly in front. Such are the discomforts of an awkward playing space, as is the problem of the placement of the musicians. In this case, the conductor Maestro Christopher Rountree was only a couple feet away and the musicians--heavy on the brass with trumpet and trombone, as well as a cello and violin and a percussionist, playing behind what appeared to be a plastic screen.

The Foley effects (by Nathan Repasz) like chirping crickets and a loudly ticking clock were intense. Amanda Gladu was responsible for the costuming--overalls for the men and shapeless drab dresses for the women.

We always try to bring someone new to the opera, hoping to make converts. Alas, the visual artist who accompanied us may never be willing to set foot in an opera house. What a gap there is between traditional opera and what is currently being called opera!

© meche kroop

YALE OPERA MEETS GERDA LISSNER

Gerald Martin Moore, Jillian Tate, Leah Hawkins, Rosario Armas and Ryan Capozzo

(photo by Rezi Aliaj)

One didn't need to be outdoors last night to watch the stars. They were all inside at WQXR's Greene Space, introduced by the lovely Midge Woolsey. This dazzling array of opera stars all had connections to Yale Opera, past or present, and the concert was generously sponsored by The Gerda Lissner Foundation. Both institutions can be honored for supporting the careers of young singers. The evidence of effective training was readily available to the thirsty ears of the attendees.

Let us begin with the prodigious achievements of mezzo-soprano Rosario Armas whose total investment in her artistry is immediately evident. Zarzuela is such an immediate art form that goes from ear to heart and when Ms. Armas sang "Al Pensar" from Ruperto Chapi's La hijas del Zebedeo, the emotions of a woman crazy about her man came through loud and clear, (her man being the one on the front row, the gifted accompanist Ahmed Alom Vega). This was IRL, not acting! This challenging aria has rapid fire vocal effects that were brilliantly executed but our attention was riveted by Ms. Armas' total emotional immersion.

This quality was also noted in her duet with Ryan Capozzo, a very engaging young tenor who was new to us, but one we cannot wait to hear again. The pair performed the scene from Act II of Bizet's Carmen that takes place in Lillas Pastia's taverna (hopefully not in a gas station as The Metropolitan Opera would have it!). We treasure the moments when singers show us something new about the characters and that can only happen when the vocal technique is so exemplary and so revealing of character that we can forget about the technique and focus on the interpretation.

We came to realize, as Ms. Armas' Carmen went from seductiveness to disbelief, to rage, to vindictiveness, that the volatile Carmen lives from moment to moment, responding with immediacy and emotional honesty. Mr. Capozzo drew a portrait of Don Jose who was on a more steady arc, one of obsession. His hamartia is that he is unable to shift emotional gears. One could actually believe that Carmen has cast a spell on him. The scene was nothing short of riveting.

Mr. Capozzo distinguished himself elsewhere in the program. His warm tone and ardent expressiveness were evident in the Prince's aria "Vidino divna přesladká" from Dvořak's Russalka. We cannot comment on his facility with the Czech language but we can say that he gave the vowels full measure so that it sounded as beautiful as Italian.

We do speak German so are in a position to comment favorably on his diction in "Dein ist mein Ganzes Herz" from Lehár's Das Land des Lächelns. A new tenor on the horizon who is both talented and handsome is always welcome.

Famous soprano Leah Hawkins made a stunning appearance and gifted the audience with the lighthearted "Nobody's Business", a traditional song arranged by Peter Ashbourne. She also lent her powerful instrument to a pair of French mélodies--Lili Boulanger's "Nous nous aimerons" evincing a subtle vibrato and a pianissimo note that seemed to hang in the air, and Poulenc's "Les chemins de l'amour" to which she added far more dramatic intensity than cabaret singers we have heard. Once again we were taken with a  pianissimo spun out of silver. 

A young soprano new to us, Jillian Tate, performed a text by Toni Morrison which was so densely set by André Previn that her voice was rather overwhelmed. We liked the text of "Take my Mother Home" from the cycle Honey and Rue but we can't say we were thrilled by Mr. Previn's piano score.

We got a better appreciation of Ms. Tate's vocal skills when she joined Ms. Armas and Ms. Hawkins for the final trio from Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier. She made a very fine Sophie and the balance between the three voices was perfect. Since the singers were "on the book", we took the opportunity of closing our eyes and just listened to the manner in which Strauss wove three very different voices together into a rich tapestry.

The superb accompanist for the evening was the well known and well loved Gerald Martin Moore. It was a thrilling recital, giving us the opportunity to hear two voices we have admired for several years, and to be introduced to two voices we look forward to hearing again.

© meche kroop

A PAIR OF NEW STARS

Pianist Kanae Matsumoto Giampietro, soprano Alexandra Razskazoff, and baritone Yeongtaek Yang

Nothing gives us greater joy than observing the growing accomplishments and concomitant fame of young singers. The recital we heard yesterday at The American Opera Center celebrated the prodigious talents of two winners of awards from Opera Index, a most worthwhile foundation that supports the same young singers whose careers we diligently follow. One could not have imagined a more thrilling afternoon.

The recital went from one high to another; by the time intermission rolled around we were breathless from excitement, hoarse from repeated "bravos", and sore of hands from applauding. We would have been completely satisfied if the recital had ended there but there was another half, leaving us giddy with enthusiasm.

We have written about soprano Alexandra Razskazoff for about nine years, admiring the way she gave consummate vocalism and dramatic artistry to such an amazing variety of roles as a student at Juilliard and as an Apprentice Artist at Santa Fe Opera.   Baritone Yeongtaek Yang did not appear on our horizon until about two years ago as a student at Manhattan School of Music when it was plain to see that he embodied the qualities necessary for operatic success. The mark of James Morris is upon him!

Leaving the past aside (although, Dear Reader,if you wish to know more about the past glories of these two young artists, you may enter their names in the search bar), let us create a snapshot of the present. The recital opened with Mr. Yang delivering the Prologue to Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci. It was the perfect introduction to the concert itself, speaking of what we had to look forward to, with Mr. Yang embodying the persona of Tonio who, in his moment of fame, gets to prepare the audience for the upcoming performance. Audience members did not fail to notice a well-trained voice, skilled at the refinements of singing, and lavish at dramatic intent and focus.

Ms. Razskazoff followed with a group of songs by Puccini, sung with delicacy and charm, saving the ample breadth of her instrument for material later in the program that requires those qualities. We suspect that "Sole e amore" was a study for the role of Mimi in La Bohême. We loved the expressivity of her voice, the delicate diminuendos, and the floated high notes which would be the envy of many a tenor. The sorrowful "Do not Sing to Me" by Rachmaninoff captured the extent of the poet's grief so successfully that we were more than close to tears.

In a set of Duparc songs, performed with excellent Gallic flair, we preferred the existential terror of "La vague et la cloche", the images limned solely by Mr. Yang's vocal coloration. Notes that reached deep into the lower register were delivered in fine pianissimo.

The second act of Verdi's La Traviata presents a challenge for both Violetta and for Germont Père. The latter must shift from an angry father to a position of respect for his "wayward" son's mistress. The former must also make a profound shift from a dignified woman angry at Germont's invasion of her home to a submissive position, willing to accept reality and sacrifice her present happiness. We have previous written our theory about why she does so. For the moment we will not repeat our psychoanalytic musings and just say that the scene worked brilliantly. Ms. Razskazoff clearly showed the exact moment in which Violetta makes the emotional adjustment, demonstrating a clear understanding of her character.

Mr. Yang gave a thrilling rendition of Gérard's aria "Nemico della patria" from Giordano's Andrea Chenier. This is a cynical moment in the opera when Gérard realizes that, in spite of The Revolution, he is still a servant, just of another master. Mr. Yang captured it all with strong singing in realismo fashion.

Ms. Razskazoff astonished us with the aforementioned breadth of tone in the cavatina "Tacea la notte placida" from Verdi's Il Trovatore in which Leonora sings of her love for Manrico. The cabaletta was exquisitely rendered.

To add some humor to the evening, Mr. Yang offered "The Green Eyed Dragon" by Wolseley, showing off some impressive skills with comedic storytelling. If you never heard this song, Dear Reader, you owe it to yourself to look up the lyrics. It is in such comic works with short phrases that the English language sings best.

Proving our point that the operatic tradition is well represented by 20th c. American musical theater, Ms. Razskazoff offered "Somewhere" from Bernstein's West Side Story and "I Could Have Danced All Night" from Loewe's My Fair Lady. While well done, we prefer a more British style but the artist made it her own by Americanizing the accent and the acting.

The evening ended with a charming duet from Mozart's Die Zauberflôte in which Pamina and Papageno get acquainted--"Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen".

As encore the pair gave us an English translation of the waltz from Lehar's Die Lustige Witwe. We cannot write a review without finding some small quibble and that was it. Although well sung, it missed the particular marriage of text and music that makes the duet so charming. Well, maybe next time they will sing it in German!

The excellent piano accompaniment was provided by Kanae Matsumoto Giampietro who has an admirably delicate touch.

To those of you who are not aware of the great and generous support given young artists by Opera Index we urge you to find out. There will be more recitals like this one with exposure to young singers on the brink of world stardom. Indeed these singers have had multiple awards showered upon them by various foundations who believe in their respective futures as much as we do. Note that Sir Bryn Terfel will be honored by Opera Index on January 19th at The Metropolitan Club, a yearly event that draws the luminaries of Planet Opera, many of whom were in attendance at yesterday's recital.

© meche kroop