SING FOR ME ARGENTINA!

Winners of the 13th Concurso Alejandro Cordero

On prior occasions we have visited the Americas Society to review young singers from the Instituto Superior de Arte, the training division of the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires. This year we were already booked for the date of their concert, but thanks to the Consulate General of Argentina and their excellent cultural program, we were able to hear these fine singers in recital on a different date. 

We were on our way to Carnegie Hall and had just enough time to hear sopranos Romina Jofré,  Ivana Ledesma, and Marina Torres; mezzo-soprano Estefania Cap; and tenor Cristian Taleb. All were accompanied (and directed) by pianist Marcelo Ayub and joined by special guest baritone Mariano Gladic who rounded out the company. 

The artists were winners of the 13th Concurso Alejandro Cordero but they won our heart as well. The opening scene of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte is always enchanting, provided the voices are well balanced, which they were. This was a fine introduction to all of the singers except for Ms. Jofré who was introduced to us in the next selection.

"Je veux vivre" from Gounod's Roméo et Juliette is a showpiece for a coloratura soprano who can sparkle vocally and also convey the tragic heroine's youthful abandon. We particularly enjoyed Ms. Jofré's interpretation. She was equally excellent as Norina in "Quel guardo il cavaliere" from Donizetti's Don Pasquale demonstrating fine facility with the fioritura passages.

Later in the duet "Come s'en va contento" from Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore she was joined by Mr. Gladic in the role of Dulcamara.  Donizetti's melodies bounced from soprano to baritone to piano-- to excellent effect.

Mr. Gladic delighted us with "Votre toast" from Bizet's Carmen exhibiting a burnished baritonal sound. 

Tenor Cristian Taleb had a fine solo from Massenet's El Cid--"O souverain" was sung with fine French and fine feeling. He also sang a duet with Ms. Ledesma--"Toi! Vous!" from Massenet's Manon which was quite persuasive. Her voice and acting constituted an irresistible force meeting Mr. Taleb's almost immovable object.  Guess who won!

Mr. Taleb also had a duet with Ms. Torres--"Bimba dagli'occhi" from Puccini's Madama Butterfly. Mr. Taleb sang it with sincerity, not giving us a clue about Pinkerton's carelessness toward Cio Cio San's innocent love. Both singers had a good feeling for Puccini's phrasing and sustained the romantic mood. Ms. Torres impressed us with some beautifully floated notes.

Ms.Torres' soprano has enough weight to carry "Pace, pace" from Verdi's La Forza del Destino which was delivered with passion and depth of feeling. We enjoyed the variation of dynamics and an effectively rendered messa di voce. There were some lovely arpeggiated figures in the piano as well.

The program ended with Ms. Ledesma singing the beloved aria "Vilja, o Vilja" from Lehár's Die lustige Witwe, after which the entire cast joined in for "Ein flotter Ehestand" in which the flirtatious Count Danilo gets to flirt with all of the grisettes.

The singers were all superb but we have a minor complaint about the program. There was not a single song in Spanish!!! We were hoping to hear some zarzuela but that was not going to happen. Maybe next year!

© meche kroop

YOUNG SINGERS FROM ARGENTINA

Marcelo Ayub, Dr. Alejandro Cordero, Nicolás Romero, Gustavo Vita, and Constanza Diaz Falú

Last night we had the privilege of being welcomed by the Americas Society to hear a recital by three young singers from the training division of Teatro Colón, one of the leading opera houses in the Americas. This seems to be something like the Apprentice Program of the Santa Fe Opera or the Merola Program at the San Francisco Opera.

A benefactor named Dr. Alejandro Cordero has underwritten the New York recital of young artists from this Instituto Superior de Arte del Teatro Colón for eight years. These three were chosen by audition and the program was a most agreeable one, comprising familiar opera arias and, happily, some Spanish and Latin American music at the end.

We were most impressed by soprano Constanza Diaz Falú who, of the three, seemed most performance ready. Ms. Diaz Falú has the kind of well-focused bright soprano that we love to hear singing Mozart and Rossini. She negotiated the fioritura effortlessly and has a most engaging stage presence.

Her "Der Hölle Rache" from Mozart's Die Zauberflöte left nothing to be desired; her technique was excellent and her portrayal of the angry Queen of the Night was completely apt. Quite different but equally wonderful was "Ah! Donate il caro sposo", Sofia's lovely aria from Rossini's early one-act comedy Il signor Buschino with its excellent ornamentation--lovely even without the English horn solo.

Her rendition of "Glitter and Be Gay" from Leonard Bernstein's Candide was full of charm but we found the accent (British English combined with Spanish) a slight drawback.

She also performed the part of Zerlina in "La ci darem la mano" from Mozart's Don Giovanni with bass Gustavo Vita as the vile seducer of Seville. Her stage presence was so winning that she swept the otherwise wooden Mr. Vita right along with her.

Mr. Vita has a substantial bass but looks awkward onstage and comes across as effortful.  This interfered with his connection with the audience. He seemed to connect well with his material but it didn't translate. It seemed as if he needed someone onstage with whom to come alive. We were wondering if some kind of body work would be of assistance--some instruction in dance or movement that would loosen him up.

Nicolás Romero has a pleasing tenor and sang "Amor ti vieta" from Umberto Giordano's Fedora--with passion. We liked him even better in "E lucevan le stelle" from Puccini's Tosca in which he employed dynamic variety to good effect.  He also did well with Cardillo's "Core 'ngrato" and Casalino's "Non ti scordar di me". two audience favorites. 

Mr. Romero sings effortlessly in the upper register, even with forte passages, but we wanted to experience more breath support in the pianissimi to prevent his sound from dwindling.

Our favorite however was "La roca fria del calvario" from José Serrano's wonderful zarzuela La Dolorosa, which we had the pleasure of seeing in its entirety about a year ago. We can never get enough zarzuela!

Singers tend to do best in their native language and we loved Ms. Diaz Falú's tender interpretation of Fernando Obradors' "Del cabello más sutil" which she sang in the Castilian dialect. 

Soprano and tenor joined voices for the lovely duet "Caballero del alto plumero" from Federico Moreno Torroba's charming zarzuela Luisa Fernanda, in which the Duchess and the handsome young Colonel are having a flirtation. The final work on the program was the trio "Uno" by M. Mores.

Pianist and Musical Director for this lovely evening was Marcelo Ayub.

We have long lauded Argentina for their tango, their fine wine, and their beef.  Now we can add one more thing--they produce some fine young singers.  Bravissimi!

(c) meche kroop