GABRIELLA REINA

 Andrés Sarre and Gabriella Reyes

Soprano Gabriella Reyes is, yes, every inch a queen and the adoring audience comprises her loyal subjects. She rules by means of a generous instrument with many colors, by means of supernal audience rapport, by means of a deep understanding of the text, and by means of that intangible Latin American soul, a quality that manifests in most Latin American music.

We love hearing emerging artists at the inception of their careers and then, sadly, we lose sight (and sound) of them as they make their way through opera stages around the country and around the world. It is a cause for celebration when they return to New York City and we can bear witness to the fulfillment of their potential.

In the case of "La Reina" we first heard her at the Metropolitan Council National Competition Finals eight years ago when she dazzled the audience with "Il est doux, il est bon" from Massenet's Herodiade and took a leap into the then-new territory of Daniel Catan's Florencia en el Amazonas. We made note of the ear-thrilling upper register and fine vibrato.

Her acceptance into the Lindemann Program gave us two further opportunities to hear her facility with different repertory. We recall some Strauss songs which fit her large voice like a glove, and a couple performances of "Carceleras" from Chapi's Las hijas de Zebedeo--memorable because we are so fond of of zarzuela, so fond that we sat in the summer rain to enjoy it.

And we heard Ms. Reyes the following summer at the Santa Fe Opera where she made quite a sensation as an ice-skating Musetta in Puccini's La Bohême. Is there anything this versatile artist cannot do? Now that we have stirred the pot of our memory we recall a very moving performance of Liu's aria "Tu che di gel sei cinta" from Puccini's Turandot.

Last night, gracias a Dios, she returned to New York City for her first solo recital (coulda fooled us on that point) at Carnegie Recital Hall. Most recitals attempt to show off the singer in a range of styles and languages, but Ms. Reyes is no ordinary artist. She held the audience captive with a well curated program of Spanish songs, most of which were new to us. Along with her superb collaborative pianist Andrés Sarre, she treated us to songs from all over Latin America--from Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, and Peru. We even heard songs sung in Quechua, a language we don't understand but one we recognize since a Peruvian friend has sung for us in that language. 

Each song brought out a different aspect of Ms. Reyes' vocal technique, here a very expansive upper register, there a deeply affecting vibrato, here a significant pause, there an exquisite pianissimo.  But each song was melodic, reminding us that the lamentable influences of serialism and atonalism that infected 20th century vocal music in Europe and the United States was nowhere to be heard. The Latin American soul is too sensual and passionate to fall for such intellectualism. Most of these 20th century composers made good use of folk music and refined it with European technique.

We did have a couple favorites and our top choice was the second encore, a delightful song extolling the virtues of Ms. Reyes' ancestral homeland--Nicaragua; it is said to be Nicaragua's unofficial anthem. Another favorite was Victor Carajo's "La niña de Guatemala" in which the poet José Marti tells a story that would make a fine opera. The poet describes a funeral and alternates verses about how a married lover broke the girl's heart.  There was another song by Enrique Soro entitled "Storia d'una bimba" in which the poet Angelo Bignotti relates, in Italian, a tender story that seems to tell of a man who watches a beautiful little girl grow into womanhood. The coloration of the music and voice suggest a tinge of sorrow or nostalgia as the poet watches someone else kissing her forehead as he used to. 

It's only been about a year or two since Ms. Reyes' notable gifts brought her back to sing at the Metropolitan Opera. How fortunate we feel to have experienced these gifts "up close and personal". A solo recital is truly a glimpse into the heart of an artist. We loved what we saw and heard!

© meche kroop