Marianna Vartikian and Kimberly Alexandra Adam
We generally review concerts at the request of the artist, the producing institution, or the publicist. Sometimes we long to go to a concert or recital for our own pleasure or out of curiosity. Last night, we casually dropped by Juilliard to see and hear more of a singer whom we heard very briefly at the Classic Lyric Arts Gala. We had no intention of writing a review but how could we not when we were so impressed and wanted so much to share with our dear Readers.
To hear "Song to the Moon" from Antonin Dvorák's Rusalka is always a treat but to hear it actually performed was transporting. So artistic was the interpretation by soprano Kimberly Alexandra Adam that we could see the moonlight, the rays of which, according to the movement of the artist's eyes, were temporarily obscured by clouds, causing her glance to search the heavens. We felt the longing in our chest. We forgot we were in an auditorium in Juilliard. And Dear Reader, that is art--something that goes beyond a gorgeous round sound and astute phrasing.
All of Ms. Adam's selections were related to the moon and included Fauré's "Clair de lune" and Bellini's charming "Vaga luna" with its interesting contrast of legato and staccato. Schubert's "An den Mond" involved some arpeggios in the piano, beautifully rendered by Marianna Vartikian, which reminded us of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.
Lugo's expressive singing was accompanied by Olivia Tilley, the two voices joining in exquisite harmony.
The fairytale of the rose and the nightingale has inspired other works, mainly a short story by Oscar Wilde and a stunning song written by Rimsky-Korsakov in 1866 in which the soprano has a similarly gorgeous melody to sing. Someday we hope to hear them side by side.
Lending credence to our belief that the best of Broadway music represents 20th century American opera, Ms. Lugo gave a warm romantic tone to "Till There Was You" from Meredith Wilson's The Music Man, so much more listenable than abstract academic music of the period.
Two contemporary pieces rounded out the program. Osvaldo Golijov's "Lúa descolorida" sung in its Galician dialect and Eric Whitacre's "Goodnight Moon" with its surreal but amusingly rhymed text by Margaret Wise Brown. Ms. Adams is an artist to watch. Still a junior at Juilliard, we foresee a grand career.
Another soprano on the program also made a fine impression. Dalila Lugo opened the program with a stunning vocalise by Saint-Saens, "Le Rossignol et la rose" from Parysatis--incidental music composed for a play at the turn of the 20th century. Regular readers will recall our affection for the harp, and here Ms.
Aside from the Saint-Saëns vocalise, our favorite piece was "Canción de Paloma" sung by the aspiring opera singer heroine of Francisco Asenjo Barbieri's El barberillo de Lavapiés, a zarzuela we heard once downtown a few years ago. Ms. Lugo captured the high spirited self-confidence of the winning heroine and her accompanist Rodrigo Garcia Vargas captured the rhythms and moods of zarzuela, one of our favorite musical art forms.
It was a lovely evening of moonlight and birds singing. We walked home with a lighter step than we entered with. Good music will do that for you!
© meche kroop
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