HOLIDAY CONCERT AT THE GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM

 Artists of The Metropolitan Opera Chorus

New Yorkers are an intrepid bunch. Neither snow nor ice nor frigid temperatures will keep them from their appointed cultural rounds. Last night's cultural event was not to be missed. The rotunda of The Guggenheim Museum was lined with music lovers standing on the ascending ramp at every level with a significant portion sitting in chairs at ground level, all of us eager to hear Christmas music, some familiar, some less well known.

Regulars at The Metropolitan Opera are probably aware of the enormous contribution of The Metropolitan Opera Chorus comprising 75 full time singers; but not many know that The Metropolitan Opera is the only opera company in The United States that has a full time chorus. A couple dozen of them have formed a subsidiary entity called The Metropolitan Opera Chorus Artists and artists they are indeed.

We recognized several up and coming young singers that we have written about like mezzo-soprano Morena Galan and bass Eric Lindsey. In any other city they would be starring in an opera and in fact, many of them have done so, like big fish in a small pond. Maestro Jeremy Little conducted them and Lee Steiner accompanied them on the piano.

A special treat was the presence of soloist Jasmine Rice LaBeija, a Juilliard trained singer who has forged quite a career for her gorgeous flamboyant self performing in drag shows around the country and abroad. Please, Dear Reader, take a look at a photo we took of her and posted on our Facebook pages and on Instagram. We have a particular admiration for people with an unusual combination of talents who depart from the traditional path. 

She is the essence of fabulosity, beside having a sensational voice which she shared in Stephen Schwartz' "Through Heaven's Eyes" and the most affecting "O Holy Night", an English translation by John Sullivan Dwight of Adolphe Adam's "Cantique de Noël". The arrangement was attributed to Dan Goeller. It was lovely but we still prefer the French version. Do you?

"Carol of the Bells" struck a familiar chord, so to speak.  Rachmaninoff's "Vespers Bogoroditse" was particularly lovely. The audience responded with enthusiasm to Irving Berlin's familiar "White Christmas".

We loved the gospel inflected final number, Moses Hogan's arrangement of "Glory, Glory, Glory to the Newborn King" which had us moving to the beat. We could tell from the smiling faces of the audience as they filed out into the cold that they had been warmed by the concert. And this is exactly what "culture" should do for us.

© meche kroop

CLASSIC LYRIC ARTS GALA

 

CLASSIC LYRIC ARTS SINGERS

Although we enjoy Classic Lyric Arts students in small private concerts, it is at the yearly gala that one can see and hear a larger group of vocal and collaborative piano students of their three summer programs and also more advanced students of Classic Lyric Art Vocal Academy (CLAVA), a year round venture. It seems odd calling them students when their performances rival those with well-established careers. Many of them have been cast in operas and fortunate are the companies that hire them. The word "students" is somewhat misleading, but if you are familiar with the world of opera, you know that singers are always studying, even the most famous ones.

It is always such a treat to spend an evening seeing the results of their training. The students don't just sing, they present operatic scenes, staged and directed by faculty member Daniel Isengart. Attendees are treated to a sumptuous buffet before and after the performance and have an opportunity to mingle with the artists and to get to know them.  But the important thing is the singing so let us move on.

We will not be able to mention everyone who sang but we would like to share some of the highlights. One of our very favorite duets for tenor and baritone is the famous "Dio che nell'alma infondere" from Verdi's Don Carlo. Tenor David Freides, whom we recently heard as Rodolfo in Puccini's La Bohême, showed a heavier part of his voice as Don Carlo  and baritone Enes Pektas, recently starring as Michele in Puccini's Il Tabarro did the same for his role as  the Marquis de Posa. It is so gratifying to see young singers stretching their voices. They gave us intense dramatics as well as fine singing. Excellent accompaniment was by Marianna Vartikian.

Ms. Vartikian somehow managed to create a fine simulation of a Strauss orchestra as Laura Soto-Bayomi, Estelina Syla, and Sophia Durante enacted the heart-breaking scene from Der Rosenkavalier in which The Marschallin (LSB) steps back and watches her lover Octavian (SD) falling in love with Sophie (ES).

Soprano Sofia Gotch, a recent prizewinner of the Gloria Gari Competition (as was Mr. Pektas) performed Juliette's "Poison Aria" ("Amour, ranime mon courage") accompanied by Giancarlo Llerena. The voice soared to the ceiling of the concert room of The Kosciuszko Foundation and the overtones bounced all over the room. Furthermore, the acting was most convincing.

Particularly well directed was the scene from Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore in which the naïve Nemorino enlists in the army to get money to buy more love potion. Danny Farah accompanied tenor Wonjin Choi as the gullible Nemorino and baritone Brendon Rapushaj took the role of Sergeant Belcore. 

Accompanied by Mr. Llerena, Kimberly Alexandra Adam and Daisy Dalit Sigal each performed a poem by Tonino Guerra, set by Giovanni Fusco. The works were surprisingly composed in the 20th century, surprising because they were singable. It would seem that anything written in Italian is singable! Both singers shone.

Creating staging for scenes involving a large cast is challenging but Mr. Isengart rose to the challenge and made perfect sense of scenes from Mozart's Cosi fan tutte, Donizetti's Lucia de Lammermoor, and Rossini's Guglielmo Tell. Proof of "making sense" is when one can tell what's going on even without speaking the language.

There were two people in attendance who made perfect sense to us. One is Artistic Director Glenn Morton who introduced the evening by emphasizing the importance of language as taught in countries where the language is spoken with native teachers, and Executive Director John Viscardi who just so happens to be a superfine singer himself, one we reviewed a decade ago! Along with CLA France, CLA Italy, and CLA Vocal Academy, CLA is expanding again, moving CLA Mozart to an exceptional new location in Italy. Bravissimo!

©meche kroop

ÜBERWÄLTIGEND!

 Ammiel Bushakevitz and Konstantin Krimmel

(Photo by Joseph Sinnott)

We have just spent a week with two extraordinary artists, leaving us almost lost in a world of German Romanticism,--not everyone's cup of tea but very much the beverage of choice of the lieder lovers who packed Butenweiser Hall at The 92nd Street Y. Mastering the three song cycles of Franz Schubert (and yes, they were mastered) and performing them all in one week must have made enormous demands on the artists; giving undivided attention makes a demand on the usually restless New York audience as well. One only heard the quiet rustling of the pages of the translation booklet.

For our part, we neither followed along the translation nor did we take notes. This exception to our usual concert reviewing led to our complete immersion in the experience, as contrasted with the very first time we heard these Schubert song cycles in the same venue sung by a very famous baritone. At that time we were new to lieder and had to read the translation. It was a fine starter for us,  and can be considered responsible for initiating a lifetime of interest in art song and a wish to learn German. We have come a long way!

Although primarily focused on the subtleties of interpretation, the refinements of technique in both baritone Konstantin Krimmel and collaborative pianist Ammiel Bushakevitz were not lost on us. Herr Krimmel can tell a story with such variety of vocal coloration, subtlety of phrasing, and depth of feeling that one can focus on the storytelling with the means of achievement only affecting us on a subtle level. With even a minimal knowledge of German one knew exactly the nature of the story he was telling. Bushakevitz evinced such total command of his instrument  that the accompaniment revealed the setting as well as the unconscious feelings of the poet narrator.

Our favorite of the three evenings was the darkest-- Winterreise. We call this "50 Shades of Black". It is the chronicle of a man's descent into madness after a romantic rejection. Perhaps the poet Wilhelm Müller meant the work to be taken a bit ironically but Schubert put his pen to paper with emotional intensity and psychological validity. In perfect Schubertian partnership, piano and vocal line augment each other. In the same fashion, Krimmel and Bushakevitz complemented each other in limning both the natural elements of a countryside winter and the mental decompensation of the hero.

So, we view the cycle as a matchless work of art involving poet, composer, singer and pianist. We members of the audience can in no way feel detached but we take this journey together. If we do not feel shaken to the core as "Die Leiermann" fades to a close, then the artists have not succeeded. This perfect partnership had the hero depersonalizing and derealizing in succession, hallucinating the two suns, shivering in the cold, fantasizing that crows and signposts were to be taken personally. There are only a few bars of momentary and false hopes, one when the piano gives us the hoofbeats of the horse drawing the postal coach which just might contain a letter from the lost beloved--but doesn't. And once again when the hero awakens from a sweet dream; but depression rapidly overtakes him as Schubert switches readily from major to minor, as he so often does. One cannot believe how artistry can create so many versions of despair. Fifty shades of black indeed!!

Our second favorite was Die schöne Müllerin which tells a somewhat different story but one no less tragic. The arc of the story follows our young hero who sets out to make his place in the world, finds a job with a miller, falls in love with the miller's daughter, mistakes her interest, despairs over her fickleness, and intends to drown himself in the same brook that powers the millwheel. The story offers the singer a wider latitude of emotional expression from gaiety to misery and offers the pianist an opportunity to limn rushing water and turning mill wheels. Schubert was a master at creating imagery by means of melody and rhythm and our pair of artists picked up on every subtlety with consummate technique and intense emotionality.

The final evening was Schwanengesang which was not published until after Schubert's tragic early death. This work is filled with variety but doesn't tell a story. Several songs stood out, probably because we have heard them so often in concert. Ludwig Rellstab's "Liebesbotschaft" and "Abschied" begin the collection on a rather cheerful note and his famous "Ständchen" touches our heart with its tender importuning.. After some rather sad songs, Johann Gabriel Seidl's "Die Taubenpost" lifts our spirits with its cheerful message and lilting rhythm. Heinrich Heine contributed two seaside texts of contrasting mood, the cheerful "Das Fischermädchen" and the painful "Am Meer". The final two songs are also settings of Heine and they are songs of torment with "Der Doppelgänger" expressing the torment of lost love and "Der Atlas" expressing the torment of the futility of existence.

Rather than letting the audience leave in a state of depression, our generous artists offered the soothing balm of a Ralph Vaughn Williams song that was lovely but seemed trivial after the depths attained in the cycle. We cannot leave you Dear Reader without reiterating our deeply held belief that one of the major failures of  contemporary art song is the use of boring contemporary text that neither rhymes nor scans. Hearing three evenings of crispy enunciated German that does rhyme and scan left us feeling fulfilled. We would prefer to feel sadly fulfilled by music that still haunts us days later than to hear something contemporary that we will forget within an hour. Schubert's melodies are repeating over and over in our mind's ear and we are even cherishing the sorrow we felt for the unhappy protagonists. We live in the Age of Cool and how refreshing and meaningful it is to recognize that sorrow is part of a deeply felt life.

We will not close without mentioning something that puzzled us in  Die Schöne Müllerin, mainly because we had never before heard embellishments of the vocal line, and we have heard this cycle more times than we can count, sung by both famous artists and by students. We were obliged to consult with a couple pianist friends of ours who informed us that it is not incorrect. We don't care whether it is "correct". It was just something unexpected that we will have to hear again before we decide whether we like it or not.

In any case, we feel so grateful to have spent a week with two artists engaged in legitimate artistic exploration without grandstanding. This is a week we will not soon forget!

© meche kroop

CROSSOVER!

 Baptiste Trotignon and Kate Lindsey

Can it really have been a dozen years since we first wrote about mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey? We recall it well. It was at one of Steve Blier's notable New York Festival of Song recitals at which we found great artistry in Ms. Lindsey; so it was no great surprise that the intrepid Mr. Blier was in attendance at The Weill Recital Hall to witness Ms. Lindsey's performance. In the past dozen years the artist has achieved fame and acquired a large number of fans who came and welcomed her with much applause , listened attentively, and gave her a standing ovation at the end, demanding two encores.

This all makes us feel like a grinch since we were not enthralled. Perhaps it is the case that we do not appreciate cabaret as much as art song. Perhaps it was the extremely loose-limbed body language or the facial expressions bordering on grimacing. Perhaps it was our discomfort at the frequent sartorial adjustments to the otherwise becoming black sequined gown. Perhaps it was the realization that the chosen composers, who fled Nazi Germany, lost the sharp edge that made their works so arresting. There was something about their musical styles, once they settled in the United States, that felt flabby to us.

To our ears, Kurt Weill's songs for Lost in the Stars can't hold the proverbial candle to the several works composed with Bertold Brecht like "Denn wie man sich bettet, so liegt man" from Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny or the intense "Pirate Jenny" from The Threepenny Opera.

The part of the program we did enjoy was a pair of songs by Alma Mahler -- "Die still Stadt" and "Hymne", songs we would love to hear again. Of course Gustav's wife composed at the turn of the 20th century, a period we admire. We wish the  composer had defied her controlling husband and written more songs. Perhaps the inclusion on the program of songs by Alexander Zemlinsky ("Selige Stunde" and the peaceful "Und hat der Tag all seine Qual") made its way onto the program because he and Mrs. Mahler were "involved". We wish his songs and hers had been programmed sequentially.

The pianist for the event was Baptiste Trotignon, an excellent jazz pianist and quite a treat for those member of the audience who love jazz and improvisations. We, unfortunately, do not. There were many instances when what we heard coming from the piano was at war with the text. Furthermore, the pair of artists gave an interpretation of Kurt Weill's "Je ne t'aime pas" that didn't reflect our psychological understanding of the jilted woman who is trying to hide her sorrow. The accompaniment was dense and forte whilst the singing lacked subtlety and irony. Ms. Lindsey just sounded angry--even furious.

We did enjoy the pianist's solo improvisation on Kurt Weill's tunes and thought of him as a better soloist than accompanist.  To end on a more favorable note, halfway through the program we heard a very nice interpretation of Weill's "Berlin Im Licht".

We cannot fault artists for wanting to do something different by stretching their styles or for creating an original theme for a program. Obviously there are fans who love everything an artist does. Just not us.

© meche kroop

TOYS ARE US

 Anthony Blatter, Shengyang Lin, Carter Bonyeop Gu, Maestro Michael Sakir, Grace Christensen, and Miryoung Song

We just saw a colorful and original performance of Donizetti's charming comedy L'elisir d'amore at Manhattan School of Music, performed by an impressive young cast possessed of fine voices and convincing dramatic ability. The "concept" of Director Katherine M. Carter was surely original and added a quantity of eye candy that at times seemed excessive and distracting. We are familiar with her work and have found it superb at times and puzzling at other times.

Her concept was to set the opera in a child's toy box, a child who seemed to have an excess of toys. This, of course, served to get a lot of students onstage which we do understand and applaud, and it provided an excellent opportunity for Costume Designer Caitlin Cisek and for Loryn Pretorius who designed the clever wigs, hairstyles and makeup.

We are decades past childhood but it seems like centuries. We imagine that children talks to their toys and invent dramatic situations and dialogues for them to participate in and we further imagine (although we have never participated in child psychotherapy) that children work through their problems in such play. So presumably a child might work through problems of jealousy, rejection, and acceptance in romantic love.

Felice Romani's delightful libretto concerns the most important young woman in a village, one who has the benefit of literacy, and her initial rejection of a young man who worships her. A situation is devised in which he manages to win her love when he becomes more romantically desirable and she becomes jealous. This situation seems to us to transcend location and epoch.  The humor of the story comes from the fact that the gullible villagers are cozened by a traveling salesman pretending to be a doctor who peddles a love serum which is actually wine. Who of us has not been "taken in" by influencers online who promise unrealistic remedies?

The young man Nemorino has been recast as a Raggedy Andy doll and tenor Carter Bonyeop Gu used his vocal and dramatic skills to bring the character to vivid life, inviting our understanding of shy but sincere young men who are missing nothing but confidence. For the opera to work the singer must win our affection and our wish for him to succeed. At this, Mr. Gu succeeded admirably. His "Quanto è bella, quanto è cara" told us everything we needed to know about him.

The object of his affection is Adina, here portrayed as a ballerina, played by the adorable soprano Grace Christensen  whose fine flexible instrument was matched by a charming presence. The audience must want to see her feelings transform from indifference to respect. By the end of the opera, her "Prendi, per me sei libero" convinced us of her emotional growth.

The humor comes from the fact that Nemorino believes that Dr. Dulcamara's "love potion" is responsible for his sudden success with women when it is actually the fact that his wealthy uncle has died and he has inherited a fortune. Adina must confront the fact that she might lose him to the crowd of worshipping women.

Of course, there must be a romantic rival and this place is occupied by a military man passing through town. Sergeant Belcore is here played by the fine young baritone Shengyang Lin, costumed as a G.I. Joe doll who preens and struts. his "Come Paride vezzoso" demonstrated his vocal prowess as well as acting chops.

The affable but exploitative Dr. Dulcamara came in his own toy box and was given a fine humorous performance by Anthony Blatter who shone in his duet with Adina "Io son ricco e tu sei bella" in the wedding scene of Act II.

The big aria that we were all waiting for, "Una furtive lagrima", left us a bit disappointed. All through the opera, Mr. Gu's vocalism was beyond admirable and his gestures were entirely on point. However, this final aria was marred a bit by some stock gestures that seemed generic and misplaced according to the text and the vocalism was not as admirable as it was during the rest of the opera. This left us wondering whether he was vocally fatigued or perhaps trying to imitate some famous tenor or maybe he was suffering from a nervous awareness of the importance of the capstone aria.

Miryoung Song gave a fine performance as Gianetta when she tells the villagers about Nemorino's inheritance.

Maestro Michael Sakir's conducting emphasized the lighthearted nature of this opera buffa and the performance elicited from the MSM orchestra members was nothing short of wonderful.   James Rotondo's set design was apropos to the story. We particularly liked the figure of Dr. Dulcamara emerging from a toy box.

In terms of the direction, we felt the cleverness exceeded desirable limits. When there is much cavorting onstage that detracts from the singing we feel unhappy. This is opera not film, and we want to focus on the voices. The concept was not a poor one but the execution was excessive. We have written about Ms. Carter's direction on a few prior occasions and have admired her imagination and also deplored liberties of time and place that seemed irrationally taken.

We found the costuming of Caitlin Cisek to be colorful and varied and the hairstylings, wigs, and makeup of Loryn Pretorius to be outstanding.

In conclusion, we found our evening with Manhattan School of Music Graduate Opera Theatre to be well spent.

© meche kroop

SOUTH AMERICA, NORTH AMERICA: A LOVE STORY

Steven Blier at the piano with Joseph Parrish, Shelén. Hughes Camacho, and Amir Farid

We are willing to place money on this: Steven Blier is as much in love with love as we are. We could not have chosen a better title for last night's New York Festival of Song recital. We just had to correct our typing since our subconscious mind typed "New York Festival of Love"!  Indeed the entire program felt like a love fest. Not that all of the songs were love songs but the love between the two singers was manifested by adoring glances and worshipful attention toward the one singing from the other, who sat onstage in a chair stage left. And there was also a great deal of affection back and forth with Steven Blier, pianist/arranger/host/ raconteur. Audience members could just bask in the love glow.

We have seen many artistic/love partnerships, mostly comprising a pianist and a singer. Partnerships between two singers is more difficult to pull off due to a disparity in fame or talent. Soprano Shelén Hughes Camacho and baritone Joseph Parrish do not suffer from such disparity. They complement each other and share the stage generously. Both have won countless competitions--often the same competition on the same date. Spending an all too brief evening with the two of them could melt the hardest of hearts.

Sometime we attend a concert because of the program. Indeed, we jump at the chance to hear any of Schubert's song cycles (which we will do next month). At other times we attend a concert because we love the artists. This couple could sing the proverbial phone book (do phone books even exist anymore?) and we would be there. That is not to say that the material we heard last night was deficient or disappointing in any way; in fact we were introduced, as is usual at a NYFOS concert, to a number of songs we never heard by composers of whom we were ignorant. They were all of the 20th century but in no way suffering from a lack of melody.

The respective performances were marked by vocal perfection and dramatic artistry; we have not a single quibble. Ms. Camacho focused predominantly on songs from Latin America, most of which were folk song set to music by composers from all over Latin America. There was only one that we had heard before and that was probably at a prior NYFOS concert--a setting by Leonard Bernstein of an autobiographical verse by Julia de Burgos, given full dramatic treatment by Ms. Camacho-- all the way to a dramatic ending. 

From her home country of Bolivia, we heard "Cantarina" by Willy Claure and Milton Contez. The flirtatious lyrics were set to a charming melody and led to a folk dance with Ms. Camacho and Mr. Parrish making use of matching white handkerchiefs. An equally excellent Bolivian song was her solo "Flor de bronce", Eduardo Caba's setting of Pablo Iturri Jurado's text, which showed off her expansive upper register and delicate pianissimo.

Mr. Parrish's Afro-American background was honored by a selection of spirituals that were arranged in the 20th century by Hall Johnson (the exuberant and jazzy "Honor Honor" and the haunting meditative "Dusty Road" from the film Bagdad Cafe). For the latter selection, Mr. Parrish accompanied himself on the piano, an amazing feat which we have witnessed on a number of prior occasions. You see, Dear Reader that we are an ardent fan of both artists whom we wrote about individually several years ago, way before they became a couple.

It is this "bearing witness" that gives our writing and our life meaning. We love recalling the very first time we heard and reviewed a particular artist, often when they were students, and secretly congratulating ourself for recognizing someone marked for future success.

Let us mention just a few delightful dishes from last night's banquet. There was a lovely duet with exquisite harmonies by Heitor Villa-Lobos called "Viola quebrada". We liked the operatic "Caminito" by Julián Aguirre in which Ms. Camacho savored each word, and Ginastera's "Canción del beso robado". Our beautiful couple did a cute little dance together in Celius Dougherty's arrangement of "Uncle Joe's Reel", a North American folk song.

Let us not neglect to praise the superb pianism of Amir Farid who joined Mr. Blier for some duo piano arrangements--Moisés Molero's "Joropo" marked by rhythmic syncopation and George Gerhwin's "Promenade" from the Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers film Shall We Dance. The accompanying skills were equally impressive.

It was a very special evening. You who may be wondering about this darling couple's next move; they will appear together in Puccini's La Bohême, unfortunately not in New York City. How many operatic couples get to be cast in the same opera??? What a fine future they have to look forward to! Although this has nothing to do with singing, we feel compelled to mention that they work together on a Bolivian non-profit started by Ms. Camacho. Voices for Bolivia brings classical music to Bolivians who would not usually have access to the arts. You may have seen that on Facebook. Doing good added on to doing well!

© meche kroop

 

A WONDERFUL WICKED WITCH

 Theo (Hayes) Claveles in Juilliard Opera's production of Hansel und Gretel

( Photo by Maria Baranova, courtesy of Juilliard) 

Among a marvelous cast of singers, one stood out. It is rare that we begin a review in this fashion but how could we not?  Mezzo-soprano Theo (Hayes) Claveles created an unforgettable character (The Witch) in an otherwise unmemorable distortion of Engelbert Humperdinck's fairy tale opera for which his sister, Adelheid Wette, created the libretto. We will get to that later.

We would prefer to recall the magnificent performance of Humperdinck's lush score conducted skillfully by Maestro Patrick Furrer. beginning with the horn prelude and replete with memorable melodies and some adventuresome harmonic invention, probably originating in the composer's study with Wagner. 

There were winning performances from soprano Kerry Bigelow as Gretel and mezzo-soprano Anna Kelly as Hänsel both of whom were rather convincing as children. Soprano Scarlett Jones made a fine Mother with bass Dasol Lee as a rather goofy vacuum cleaner salesman as Father.  

Luna Seongeun Park's scintillating soprano was delightful although her physical beauty was hidden by what appeared to be a nun's habit. Apparently,  the Dew Fairy was transmogrified into Dorothy Day, a social activist of the 70's who would have been 80 years old at the time the production was set.  Yes, we are coming to that Dear Reader.  Hold on whilst we give plaudits to soprano Fantine Douilly who portrayed an unrecognizable Sandman.

Now we come to the production which many members of the audience may have enjoyed but which just annoyed us. Converting a fairytale into a realistic story is just plain wrong. It's like the recent ill-advised productions of Wagner's Ring Cycle which betrayed the story whilst the Otto Schenck version at The Metropolitan Opera honored the myth.

Director Kevin Newbury's "concept" placed the story in 1977 New York City which is probably as alien to the audience as the 14th century in which the fairytale evolved--(recorded by The Brothers Grimm in the 19th century). Frau Wette sufficiently Disneyfied the dark story of parental abandonment and sibling resourcefulness to provide the armature for her brother's music which added enough gingerbread sweetness to make the dark story palatable. 

What is interesting about fairytales is how they evolved in different cultures; we have read many versions but all retain the underlying psychological message so aptly analyzed by Bruto Bettelheim in The Uses of Enchantment. In Newbury's hands the story lost its magic and psychological impact under a cover of "cleverness" and cultural signifiers.

Thinking of 1977 New York as a dark place? The famous blackout in Act II did not register, being rather well lit with street lights.  We will have to ask Lighting Designer Yuki Nakase Link about that! Wilson Chin's set design was colorful with such period signifiers as Economy Candy and the famous rock music club CBGB.  But do those memorabilia from nearly a half century ago mean anything today? We think not.  

Similarly, Rebecca Kanach's motley costumes were fun with lots of platform boots and rollerblading garb. So, the best we can say about the production is that it was consistent. The production, one might say, was superficially colorful eye candy; but distracted from the music and its psychological depth. Denizens of downtown Manhattan disco dancing to Humperdinck's music was just jarring.

Fairy tales evolved over centuries, according to psychoanalyst Bruno Bettelheim, and serve to help children deal with psychological issues.  Although the situation in Humperdinck's opera is not as dire as in the Brothers Grimm fairy tale (in which the parents abandon the children in the forest due to a famine), it still offers reassurance to children in that it reinforces sibling cooperation, stresses childhood resourcefulness, and offers the concept of helpful guardian angels.  

From the standpoint of an adult opera lover, our enchantment rests on the melodies lavished by Humperdinck on his sister's libretto. Many of them are based upon German folk songs . The 1893 premiere was conducted by none other than Richard Strauss. Gustav Mahler conducted it as well. We have seen many productions since we began this blog, several by Manhattan Opera Studio and one with full orchestra in Montclair, New Jersey. Each and every time we have been swept away by the authenticity. We don't think there was a good reason to reinvent the story and found it jarring when the orchestra was playing bird song, for example. The woods represent the dark part of the unconscious and the reader/listener/audience member should have the opportunity to make their own connections!

A GIFT FROM UPSTATE

 

Kayo Iwama, Ryan MacEvoy McCullough, Evan Katsefes, Michael Adams, Benjamin Truncale, and Leonor Vasconcelos

Having focused for so many years on Manhattan's three music conservatories, it was enlightening to see how much talent there is coming from upstate--Bard College Conseservatory of Music to be exact. Thanks to the Gerda Lissner Young Artist Showcase, we were privileged to be in the studio audience at The Greene Space of  WQXR for a most engaging recital.

As the recital progressed we noticed that all the students of the Bard College Vocal Arts Program shared a number of features in common. All of them had an admirable facility for language and all of them were so expressive that our attention was riveted throughout. We heard four of the advanced students in the program (two sopranos and two tenors) and a highly successful graduate, not to mention renowned mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe who, as artistic director, seems to be getting enormous rewards from guiding young singers--a pleasure we fully understand. 

There was quite a lot of French mélodie on the program and every one of the young artists conveyed a fine understanding of the Gallic style--a gentleness and subtlety, a delicacy that matches the sentiments of the poetry. Our favorite of this group was Pauline Viardot's appropriately titled "Havanaise" performed by Leonor Vasconcelos who switched easily from the legato slow section to a spirited fast section marked by bel canto style fioritura. Ms. Vasconcelos has an animated stage presence and made generous use of facial expression and gesture to tell the story. We were enchanted.

Similarly, soprano Michael Adams evinced great depth of feeling and a delicate vibrato in her performance of Fauré's "C'est l'extase", evoking images of nature and romance at once.

Soprano Lucy Fitz Gibbon, a graduate of Bard's Vocal Arts Program, introduced us to a pair of songs by Adela Maddison, a student of Fauré heretofore unknown to us; we do love discovering "new" music (new to us) much more than we appreciate "New Music" (recently composed). As Ms. Fitz Gibbon introduced the work, one could tell how invested she is in such discoveries and how personal is her investment. We are ill equipped to place value on a composition but we can say that the music and its performance did not pale in comparison with the rest of the songs. We felt as if we shared in the singer's discovery.

Benjamin Truncale gave a lovely performance of Duparc's "L'invitation au voyage", evincing ample vocal coloration and dynamic variation in setting the sensual mood of Baudelaire's text. We observed that his gestures were non specific and he was telling the story vocally, unlike the women who used specific gestures to amplify the storytelling.

Tenor Evan Katsefes moved easily from the fine French of Fauré's "L'hiver a cesse" to the German text of Hermann Alllmers "Feldeinsamkeit" which had been set by Brahm's a few years earlier. It was an interesting exercise on Ives' part but we prefer the Brahms.  He also moved easily into the English of Florence Price's. "Hold Fast to Dreams".

There were many more treasures in the generous program but let us move on to the surprising ending which took us into the world of 20th century German kabarett. Ms. Vasconcelas  demonstrated a great facility for cabaret in her performance of a very early Schoenberg song called "Gigerlette". This was so charming we wished that Schoenberg had never gone on to give birth to the 12-tone system!

Ms. Fitz Gibbon performed Kurt Weill's "Berlin im Licht" and Ms. Blythe, whose dusky mezzo is perfect for German, gave us a jazzy arrangement (by Ryan MacEvoy McCullough who accompanied her) of Holländer's "Wenn ich mir was wünschen dürfte". It was a gloriously expressive performance, somewhat marred however by the presence of the loathed music stand.

It is clear that the vocal training at Bard emphasizes the text and the singers appear to have done their own translations.  The motto seems to be "speak it before you sing it" which seems to be responsible for the excellent performances which gave us such pleasure. The superb piano accompanists for the evening were Kayo Iwama and Mr. McCullough. Bravi tutti!

© meche kroop

THE QUEEN OF BROOKLYN

Gennadiy Vysotskiy, David Freides, Gary Giardina, Handong Fu, and Samuel Roth

La Bohême might be the favorite opera among opera lovers; if not it is surely within the top five. Zefferelli's famed production at The Metropolitan Opera brings people back again and again and is always a sell out, beloved for its lavish sets and excellent casting choices. However, there is an intimacy to the production by The Regina Opera Company that made our trip to the farthest reaches of Brooklyn worthwhile.

Thank goodness, there was no directorial arrogance imposing weird concepts onto this masterpiece. Stage Director Sabrina Palladino truly knows how to honor the storytelling and how to work with Puccini's apt orchestrations. Maestro Scott Jackson Wiley led his professional orchestra in a fine reading of the score. 

In spite of the distance of over a century, contemporary audiences have no trouble relating to the story of a group of young people coming of age--just as Puccini was looking backward almost a century to a prior period. The episodic stories by Henri Murger were adapted by librettists Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. We might say that growing up is hard to do and that the foibles of youth are generally painful. And we might realize that it was always so.

Puccini wisely chose to focus on two parallel romances, one supportive, the other exploitive. The intimacy of the production permitted us to learn more about the characters than we had realized in previous viewings. Musetta, for example, is a narcissist in Act II and must discover a vein of unselfishness in Act IV when she sells her earrings to provide some relief for the dying Mimi. Soprano Jennifer Moore made this quite clear whilst delivering a vocally excellent performance, revealing different aspects of her character in Acts II, III, and IV.

Poor Marcello is her victim and, as a sensitive and caring young man, lacks the resources to resist. Just watching baritone Handong Fu in Act II, trying with all his might to resist Musetta's exhibitionist wiles, tells us all we need to know about their destructive relationship which we witness in full force in Act III. Mr. Fu's vocalism and phrasing matched his superb acting.

Equally effective was tenor David Freides in the role of Rodolfo, expressing ardor by means of warm vocal coloration in Act I, subtly changing the color from that which he exhibited when horsing around with his flatmates. We noticed more subtle changes of coloration in Act III when his defensive blaming of Mimi yields to the terror of losing her. Another change could be observed as Mimi dies (sorry about the spoiler, LOL) and he is in denial. Reality is tough to face and these callow youths are all forced to mature, one of the few benefits to suffering.

Poor Mimi does not get the chance to grow up, nipped in the bud like the flowers she embroiders. Soprano Audrey DuBois Harris exhibited an enviable vocal talent with lustrous tone and apt phrasing. We tried an experiment and closed our eyes; we realized she was  "acting with her voice"! We hope the following will be taken as encouragement, not criticism. Some acting lessons would put an "A" performances into "A+" territory. It wouldn't matter on a recording but in a live performance we want to see a more convincing use of gesture, posture, and facial expression.

The character of Mimi offers so many opportunities for interpretation. Is she really just a sweet and innocent young woman or is she a bit of a hustler, inviting herself along on Christmas Eve to get a free dinner? Getting th gift of a free bonnet was not enough, she wanted more. What do you think Dear Reader?

Smaller roles were well handled. Bass Gennadiy Vysotskiy in the role of Colline gave a moving delivery of "Vecchia zimarra"; he is bidding farewell to his old overcoat to get money to ease Mimi's death. Perhaps he knows what the audience knows--he is bidding farewell to his carefree youth. Baritone Samuel Roth portrayed Schaunard, the only member of the four flatmates who has an income-- by teaching music. There is comic relief in his tale of poisoning the parrot with parsley but it is even funnier that his starving flatmates are only interested in the food he brought. As in Shakespeare's plays, comic relief sets off the tragedy.

Veteran character singer Gary Giardina brought humor to the roles of landlord Benoit and Alcindoro, Musetta's fopish "sponsor" who gets stuck with the bill for everyone's food and drink at Café Momus.

We would like to once gain commend the direction of Ms. Palladino. Even the guards at the city gates seemed believable. And kudos to Francine Garber-Cohen for producing operas as they are meant to be appreciated--acted, costumed, well sung, and with full orchestra. We need such a company in Manhattan. Speaking of costuming, here's a shout for Marcia C. Kresge whose costuming was period accurate and another shout for the excellent titles by Linda Cantoni.

The opera can be seen on four more occasions--November 15, 16, 22, and 23. There will be four different casts and we recognize some names we know from other performances. You won't be disappointed.

© meche kroop

OPERA'S NEWEST POWER COUPLE

 Amir Farid,  Shelen Hughes Comacho and Joseph Parrish

Before we tell you about the best vocal recital we have seen all year let us share our joy in witnessing two magnificent artists perform together as a couple, not just an artistic couple but a romantic couple. We have seen similar situations that were marked by a disparity in artistic gifts and have felt sad to see one member of a couple riding their shooting star to fame whilst the other's career languished. We can understand how that could be a stressful situation. In the case of soprano Shelen Hughes Comacho and baritone Joseph Parrish we have no doubt that both will have stunning careers.

We have written quite a bit about each one (enter each name in the search bar if you are curious about their respective career paths) and have felt great joy witnessing their growing artistry, not to mention the awards they have received.

Yesterday's concert was in honor of their awards from Opera Index and we have no doubt that President Jane Shaulis experienced the same joy that we did. We review a seemingly endless stream of vocal recitals and usually find enjoyment tempered by cavils. Yesterday's program at The American Opera Center presented no opportunity for reservations. We were thrilled from start to finish.

The first half of the program was devoted to operatic arias and we noticed how both singers captured the essence of the characters they were representing. No gesture, glance or tilt of the head was a throwaway or "stock". Most likely everything was well rehearsed but gave the illusion of spontaneity. We got the sense that the words had flavors which were much relished. We haven't space to describe each offering but just want to choose a couple to illustrate. From Mascagni's L'amico Fritz, Ms. Hughes Comacho conveyed all of Suzel's shyness, innocence, and hopefulness as she presented a gift of flowers to the landowner she has a crush on. One didn't need to understand the Italian since every phrase expressed a shade of her emotions.

Of all of Mr. Parrish's choices we have chosen "A Dream Wasted" from William Grant Stills's Highway I U.S.A.. What? You are surprised that we actually liked a 20th century opera with an English libretto? Well we did and that's why we chose it --to elaborate on Mr. Parrish's formidable skills. He took on the character of the much put upon brother of a selfish wastrel whom he has sacrificed to support for years. Mr. Parrish captured all the mixed feelings and conveyed them to the audience--and he did so with such excellent diction and clarity of enunciation that we didn't miss a word.

We were thrilled to hear a zarzuela selection from Torroba's La marchenera entitled "La Petenera". This one was new to us; like so many zarzuelas, it revolves around a love triangle and gave Ms. Hughes Comacho an opportunity to reveal a multiplicity of emotions.  Mr. Parrish had a similar opportunity in "Los ojos de ver los tuyos", a serenade from Luna's  Molinos devientos another zarzuela which was new to us. There was no mistaking a lover's adoration in Mr. Parrish's performance.

After a generous selection of bel canto arias performed with all the necessary vocal flourishes, the couple performed "La ci darem la mano" from Mozart's Don Giovanni. This is one of those duets that can be inflected in so many ways and our two astute artists put their own spin on it, allowing us to see (hear) it in a new light.

We didn't think that the second half of the program could live up to the bel canto delights of the first half but we were mistaken.  Each artist dug deeply into their heritage to introduce us to new songs. Our lovely soprano performed "Evocaçao" from a rarely performed song cycle by Villa-Lobos that offered the same dynamic range as his Bachianas Brazileiros  as well as some minor mode tenderness. We also got to hear more of the piano of Amir Farid who is such a gracious and generous collaborative pianist.

Our brilliant baritone also introduced us to something new--Burleigh's "Her Eyes Twin Peaks" which ended with such a delicate diminuendo that we realized we were holding our breath. This is in contrast with so many singers who feel the need to grandstand. We prefer the subtlety that has us leaning in. 

The program closed with another duet. "If I Loved You" from Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel, an American classic. It was a charming way to end a delightful program and left us thinking that this couple has no "ifs, ands, or buts". One got the impression that their commitment to each other is as strong as their commitment to their art. Now this is not a review of a relationship but if it were we would give it 5 stars. There was no encore but we were totally satisfied and considered it a perfect conclusion.

It is indeed rare to attend a concert without thinking of ways in which the singing or programming might be improved. This was indeed a first!

© meche kroop

ORGY AND BESS

Jamilyn Manning Bernard Holcomb Angela Yam and John Taylor Ward

in Heartbeat Opera's "Orgy and Bess"

We chose to spend our Halloween evening at Judson Memorial Church with Heartbeat Opera at their annual drag show and we are so glad we did. The show succeeded on so many levels we scarcely know where to begin. 

If you came to have a riotous good time you would have been titillated by the off-color repartee and private jokes . If you came to hear your favorite arias professionally sung you would have been well satisfied. If you came because you love cleverly snarky dialogue and lyrics you would have left smiling. If you came for the visual impact you would have been thrilled by the costumes. 

This annual show is always top notch and this one even outdid prior iterations, thanks to the astute direction of Ethan Heard, the fine singing and acting by the cast, the lavish costuming by David Quinn and the outstanding make up design by Maiko Ando. The script was written by Ethan and Peregrine Heard and Jacob Ashworth.

If outrageous costuming is your thing stop reading and look at our FB and IG entries to see why we were so impressed. Nothing anywhere in NYC could have been as colorful and creative. If you came for the snarky gay humor we wish we had a transcript for you to read.  Better yet, you may be able to snag tickets since the show has been extended through next week.

If you are interested in the operatic offerings this is the right place to learn how context is so vital. Arias can be given different shades of meaning by virtue of the setting. Should you be offended by such tinkering, your opinion would have seemed well represented by John Taylor Ward's impression of an opera patroness of the Upper East Side variety. Eventually the hi jinx won her over and she joined in the fun, shedding her pearls and pumps to participate in the foreshadowed orgy. You will not be offended since said orgy takes place behind a white sheet leaving the various shadows to the interpretation of your imagination.

If suffering heroines comprise your operatic taste you might have fixated on Jamilyn Manning's interpretation of Lucia, complete with bloody wedding gown and great big knife. Or you may have preferred the Cio-Cio San of Angela Tam (also a knife-wielder) whose costume echoed contemporary Japanese girl fashions like "decora"and "gyaru". Poor Serena from Porgy and Bess is another suffering heroine and Bernard Holcomb gave her lament "My Man's Gone Now" a unique twist. Multiple pants roles were enacted by Sichel Claverie who, as a male, did not seem to suffer much!

Ears that were attuned to opera were kept entertained, identifying familiar arias and choruses no matter how out of context.  A medley of tunes related to Asian inspired operas and musical theater melded Puccini with Gilbert and Sullivan, Rogers and Hammerstein, Schönberg and Boublil. Vastly entertaining in the moment, it did lead to some reflection on the cultural depiction of Asian women from Flower Drum Song to Miss Saigon to Madama Butterfly.

There was a banquet of cleverness that was supported by a deep knowledge of the repertory. We would have loved to have been a fly on the wall during some of the writing sessions but must be content with marveling at the results. Opera lovers must have had a fine time playing "Name that Tune".  We are sure most of us picked up on the Wagner, the Verdi (loved the "Anvil Chorus" from Il Trovatore) ,the Donizetti, Bellini, Leoncavallo, Händel, and Orff. We probably missed a few such as Rameau's Les Indes Gallants and The Wiz, neither of which we have seen. And what an astonishment to hear Aretha Franklin's version of "Nessun dorma" performed by Mr. Holcomb.

All of the performances were spot on and, as you can see from the photos, David Quinn's costumes were outstanding, as was Maiko Ando's makeup design.  It comes as no surprise that Ethan Heard returned to direct the show; his artistic stamp is always recognizable.

The marvelous musical direction was in the hands of Jacob Ashworth and Dan Schlossberg who played, respectively, violin and piano. Mr. Ashworth made quite an impression as a Valkyrie when he took to the stage after the performance. A guitar and clarinet made up the remainder of the accompaniment and we have nothing but praise for the arrangements.

Although we have occasionally objected to HeartbeatOpera's tampering with the classics, their artistic leanings are always welcome on the occasion of the annual Halloween drag show which we have never missed.  Braving the Greenwich Village crowds and transportation snafus seemed a small price to pay for such an evening. It is amazing to know that a collection of musical and visual artists can conspire to produce an impressive evening like that.

We urge you Dear Reader to get tickets for the few remaining shows. Halloween is such a fun holiday that it seems worth extending the celebration of it for another week.

We will close by expressing the wish that the ghost of Al Carmines, the late Minister of Judson Memorial Church, might have visited the church and enjoyed the production. Mr. Carmines was himself a creator of vast talent and filled the church with a succession of original musical theater performances that were our introduction to the art form. On All Saint's Day, the dead are allowed to return to earth and enjoy an ofrenda from the living-- so our fantasy is not so far-fetched! We think of Heartbeat's production as an ofrenda to the spirit of Mr. Carmines. Does anyone still remember him, his warm and loving personality, and his original productions? We know for a fact that the renowned Ira Siff does, since he starred in one.

© meche kroop

 

GOING UNDERGROUND

 The Parker Quintet in the Crypt

(photo by Justin Buschardt)

As a group of us music lovers were led down dimly lit flights of stairs into the Neo-Gothic crypt of the Church of the Intercession , we had an interesting thought. Fans of Andrew Ousley and Death of Classical will follow him anywhere--not only to spooky crypts but to cemeteries (see our review of October 17th)--from lower Manhattan to Washington Heights to the farthest reaches of Brooklyn. 

We asked ourself "Why is this so?" It has something to do, of course, with the quality of the performances he curates, perhaps to the feeling of exclusivity the events produce, to the originality of the concept. One is not just going to Lincoln Center to sit with hundreds of other people shuffling programs and glancing at their cell phones. On the contrary, these events are always compelling, never boring.

So there we were following Mr. Ousley down into the crypt, phones stored off board, entering a small room lit only by candles  (lots of candles as you can see from the photo). We observed that the space has room for only a small audience of music worshippers, all of them quiet as mice and completely attentive to the excellent Parker Quartet. The group of musicians comprised violinists Daniel Chong and Ken Hamao, violist Jessica Bodner, and cellists Lee Hyun Kim and guest artist Jay Campbell.

This rather unusual quintet formation brought a different texture to the aural experience.  Although we are familiar with most of Schubert's six hundred (!) songs, we are far less familiar with his chamber music, much of it composed for the parlor. This work,  stood out because the presence of two celli  is uncommon. The work was finished two months before Schubert's untimely death and lay rather dormant for a quarter of a century!

There was something about the work that reminded us of Beethoven's late quartets. In spite of this String Quintet being composed in the key of C Major, there is little about it that is cheerful. Rather it is intense, profound, and often disorienting with many unusual changes of key.  We can scarcely recall the opening theme, since Schubert seems to have cast aside his gifts for melody and focused more on texture. So, we were relieved to hear the second more lyrical theme. We enjoyed the duet between the pair of celli.

It wasn't until the Adagio that we felt ourself to be on familiar territory; the gloriously melodic A section was interrupted by a contrasting fiery mid-section. We tried to remember where we had heard it before because the melody was memorable.

Our attention was captured often by pizzicati in the cello. Let us mention that Mr. Campbell was a guest artist for the night, playing usually with the JACK Quartet, regulars at The Crypt and the Catacombs of Greenwood Cemetery. 

We have never witnessed an audience so enraptured. No one moved for the entire hour. No one shifted in their seat. No one coughed. The music held everyone spellbound. As a matter of fact, audience members drifted off into the night in some kind of daze overwhelmed by the multi sensorial nature of the experience. We hope, Dear Reader, that you will soon attend one of the Death of Classical evenings and experience it for yourself.

© meche kroop

LILI ELBE

Melanie Bacaling, Tobias Picker, and Aryeh Lev Stollman

Sylvia D'Eramo and Lucia Lucas

The spacious and comfortable theater at The Guggenheim Museum is the perfect home for Works & Process. The format is one of panel discussion alternating with performance. It allows audience members to get a preview of upcoming artistic events as described by their creators and illustrated by performances. One gets a glimpse behind the scenes, as it were.

Last night's event provided a panel discussion by the creators of a new opera Lili Elbe--composer Tobias Picker and librettist Aryeh Lev Stollman--moderated by Melanie Bacaling. Scenes from the opera were presented concert style by Lucia Lucas and Sylvia D'Eramo who are cast in the American premiere of the opera taking place on August 1st at the Santa Fe Opera. Although the scenes belonged to the two women, we had the opportunity to hear the terrific tenor Aaron Blake as well.

The subject of the opera is a German painter named Einar who transitioned to a female, a real "first" a century ago. What a courageous act that must have been! Increasingly common today and no longer called "sex reassignment surgery", it is now, to be politically correct, called  "gender affirming surgery".  Upon this topic we will not comment.

Now called Lili, the painter stopped painting but remained friends with his/her wife, underwent several surgeries and eventually died from complications of one of the surgeries, the details of which, Dear Reader, we will spare you. The story is a fascinating one and was made into a film which we plan to see in the near future. The fact that the role of Einar/Lili was played by a man provoked a wave of criticism.

No such criticism can be leveled at the opera because the role of Lili is played by a trans woman baritone named Lucia Lucas who also served as dramaturg, apparently making good use of her own experience. And what a strong voice she has. It had the same electrifying effect on us as hearing a man singing soprano or counter-tenor. The role of Gerda, the wife of Einar/Lili, was sung by Sylvia D'Eramo, a Santa Fe Opera favorite whom we have previously reviewed and much admired. The two voices sounded beautifully balanced and interesting in the duets.

The presentation last night aroused our curiosity and we have spent some time reading about this unusual individual's life experience. We can see that it is fine fodder for the theater and film. But what about its relevance to opera? Its European premiere took place last year in St. Gallen, Switzerland and was very well received and honored with prizes. The staging we saw in a You Tube clip from this production looked far more interesting than we might have imagined given what was offered last night. When there is no staging, no costumes and no drama, one must rely on the music.

And there's the rub! Like most contemporary composers, vocal lines are given short shrift and our ears leaned into the piano score, replete with jazzy riffs and rhythmic variation. The conversational libretto was set to vocal lines of minimal melodic nature. If Lili's story needed music to be told, we would imagine something far different, although we do note that the music reflects the time period of the 1920's and 30's. But the story is not a jazzy one. It is a tragedy!

Consequently, we are curious to know what Santa Fe Opera will do with this work....but not curious enough to make the trip.

© meche kroop