ANOTHER GREAT LIEDERABEND AT JUILLIARD

Richard Fu and Michelle Geffner

We alway enjoy a liederabend at Juilliard because we get exposed to a variety of material sung by different students of the Juilliard Vocal Arts Department.

This was the first time we heard Mishael Eusebio who sang Beethoven with a lovely easy tonal quality, impressive for its tenderness.  No pushing here! The vibrato varied from the enthusiastic "Adelaide" to the melancholy An die ferne Geliebte, showing sensitivity to the text and plenty of vocal and facial expressiveness that would benefit from some gestural expression..

An die ferne Geliebte amounts to a song cycle about longing, text by Alois Jeitteles. The sorrow comes not from rejection but from physical distance and this longing was beautifully expressed by Mr. Eusebio in excellent German, and by Richard Fu's collaborative piano. It was unutterably sad.

Joseph Marx composed songs in the early 20th c. and we are always happy to see them on a program. Like those of Hugo Wolf they require repetitive hearing; they are less accessible than the lieder of Schubert, Schumann, Brahms and Beethoven.

Katerina Burton has an ample soprano that we think would be perfect for Strauss. She and piano partner Seoyon MacDonald performed five of Marx's lieder; our favorite was the sensual "Selige Nacht" (text by Otto Erich Hartleben), the sensuality of which was matched by our two artists. 

Shelby Cox was listed on the program as a mezzo-soprano but we did not hear any mezzo quality to her voice which was nevertheless quite lovely. She made sense out of three selections from Aaron Copland's settings of text by Emily Dickinson. We enjoyed Tomomi Sato's piano in "Going to Heaven". In "The Chariot", Ms. Cox spun out the end like a fine silken thread.

All singers love a mad scene and that of Ophelia from Shakespeare's Hamlet was set by contemporary composer Benjamin C.S. Boyle. Now what's a mad scene without some coloratura fireworks? You will have to ask Mr. Boyle! We didn't find that his music added anything to Shakespeare's words. Still, Ms. Cox and Ms. Sato gave it a fine performance.

Samuel Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915 is taken from James Agee's prose, later used as a preamble to his  book A Death in the Family. It was composed in 1947 for soprano and orchestra but was here performed by soprano Michelle Geffner and pianist Richard Fu. Clearly Ms. Geffner loves this work and, we learned later, read the book; this explains the clarity with which she painted a picture of life a century ago. We have not read the book and cannot claim to be enthralled by the work but we were drawn in by Ms. Geffner's involvement with the text which she communicated effectively in clear English.

(c) meche kroop

A STAR IN THE MAKING

Pavel Suliandziga

We hear such a plethora of talented young singers every month and it is sad that only a few will achieve their career goals.  Having witnessed the meteoric rise of several that we started writing about when we began blogging in 2010, we would like to think that we have isolated a few qualities that destine some for major careers.

It goes without saying that a beautiful instrument is a great start. It seems obvious that superb instruction in the learning period and good management at the start of a professional career are both vital. Winning competitions is a good addition to all this, although we have observed some major careers launched without this feature. 

We see "humble bragging" on Facebook as a positive impetus, if the singer makes regular appearances online about their engagements, giving credit to colleagues, costumers, and directors. It's a challenge to make this sufficiently interesting that we keep them in our "feed"!

But there is a special quality we can describe but could scarcely name. A true artist draws us into an opera by inhabiting the character so that we experience a scene from his/her point of view. When James Morris sang Wotan, we were on his side. A lesser Wotan allowed us to take Fricka's part.

Similarly, in a lieder recital, the true artist feels the text and sees what the poet describes. He/she conveys this to the audience and we see through the singer's eyes. We see the valley stretched below the mountain on which he sits.  We experience the distance felt by the poet. We hear the birdsong or the rushing of a stream through his/her ears. The singer is our guide through strange territory.

To date we have reviewed tenor Pavel Suliandziga a total of six times.  Each time we have been swept along in a tide of experience. We have written about his Nemorino two years at Mannes College and his Ferrando one year ago and the interpretations were first rate, showing us subtleties about the characters that were new.

Last summer there were two IVAI recitals in which he performed Tamino in a scene from Mozart's Die Zauberflöte and Tybalt from Gounod's Romeo et Juliette. We also heard him sing some Russian folksongs.

Yesterday we were fortunate to attend his graduation recital as he has earned a degree in Professional Studies under the tutelage of famed voice teacher Arthur Levy; this goes beyond the Master of Music degree previously earned. Hearing him perform lieder was a new experience and only enhanced our appreciation of his artistry and affirmed our belief in his promise.

Mr. Suliandziga possesses one of the sweetest tenors we have ever heard, one which caresses the ear; he employs it skillfully with all manner of dynamic control and meaningful phrasing. He knows what he is singing about!

The first half of the program was sung in German. Consonants were crisp but without exaggeration and the vowels were never cheated. Every word was comprehensible.  Beethoven's  song cycle An die ferne Geliebte, comprises six songs of separation and was filled with sehnsucht and tenderness. The mood was sustained during the interludes. The major/minor shifts were beautifully realized. There was a splendid spin on the held notes.

Collaborative pianist Miriam Leskis was with him 100% and we loved the way the phrases echoed back and forth from voice to piano.  Our only complaint was the use of the music stand.  Yes, we realize that this is a very long piece, but the subsequent Schubert lieder were short and the music stand remained in place.

"An den Mond" is a lovely song and Ms. Leskis' piano gave us arpeggi that we associate with Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. Perhaps Schubert was inspired by it. In "Du bist die Ruh" we were dazzled by a highly effective messa di voce.

Thankfully, the music stand was banished for the memorable "Dein ist mein ganzes Herz" from Fran Lehar's Das Land des Lächelns, which we so enjoyed seeing at Manhattan School of Music last year. Being "off book" allowed Mr. Suliandziga to fully communicate with the audience the passion of this glorious song.

The second half of the program was entirely Russian. Since the titles were in Russian and there was no translation to English of title or text, we were at the mercy of the artist's interpretive skills. In point of fact, the emotions and situations came through clearly.

There were four wonderful songs by Glinka, father of Russian music, the first of which we heard last week at Juilliard "Ya pomnyu chudnoe" which translates roughly to "I remember that magical moment". In this song, the poet Pushkin consoles himself in a state of grief with a memory of a woman from his past.

In "Bedny pevets", the sadness that was communicated involved the lost hopes of a man disappointed in love. The sad songs were interleaved with joyful ones. "Ya zdes, Inezilya" was a playful serenade that brought to mind Rossini's lively music. And "V krovi gorit" was composed in waltz rhythm with a lively "oompah" in the piano.

Of the three songs by Tchaikovky, the only one we recognized was "Sred shumnogo bala" with a lovely text by Tolstoy, which also deals with a fond memory of a mysterious woman. "Mi sideli s toboy" is a regretful song about a lost moment in which a man was unable to make a declaration of love  during an intimate moment. He lost the girl.

"To bylo ranneyu vesnoy" spoke to rebirth and renewal and was given an earnest delivery. We would gladly have stayed for a repeat of both the Glinka songs and those by Tchaikovsky!

We also heard two folk songs. The first was a frisky one in which a boy is trying to get the girl by making promises. The second one was one of longing for the homeland. We hope Mr. Suliandziga does not suffer too much from homesickness. We want him to stay in the USA! We are not the only one to appreciate his gifts. The applause was thunderous and Mr. Suliandziga has already received several offers--all well deserved!

(c) meche kroop

TWO TERRIFIC TENORS...AND MORE

Grace Canfield, Allison Porter, Cristobal Arias, Katelan Terrell, Cristina Stanescu, Caitlin Redding, Matthew Swensen, William Kelley, Sora Jung ,Ho Jae Lee, Nathan Raskin

It was another thrilling early evening liederabend at Juilliard and the hall was packed. Five superb singers joined with five collaborative pianists for a pleasant respite from the Xmas shopping chaos outside.  The performances were all excellent; we would expect no less.

It's possible to admire all the artists and yet to single out a couple that for one reason or another affect us more deeply.  We suspect it has something to do with the mood we are in or the choice of material. We sometimes hear an artist on another occasion and have very different feelings.  So...here goes.

We were absolutely enchanted by two tenors, which, in itself is remarkable because we get very turned off if a tenor pushes his high notes.  (We actually feel the tension in our own throat and it hurts!) What a surprise to learn that Cristobal Arias is just a sophomore in the Vocal Arts Department. He performed Beethoven's song cycle An die ferne Geliebte, and he performed it magnificently.

This cycle is Beethoven at his most melodic and the melodies have been running through our head all night. Unlike Schubert's cycles, this one does not tell a story. Rather, all the songs revolve around the central theme of longing for a distant beloved. They are best sung simply without spurious dramatic effects and this is exactly how they were performed. 

Mr. Arias has a gentle sweet tone and made liberal use of dynamic variety from the very start. In "Leichte Segler in den Höhen" he sang with marcato emphasis and in "Diese Wolken in den Höhen" he sang with a lovely lilting quality. He ended the cycle with intensity and passion. We were, as they say, "feelin' it".

The cycle was performed without breaks and his piano partner Katelan Terrell was delightful in the interludes which knit the songs together. We loved the way she captured the nature sounds and it was clear that she was enjoying herself.

The second tenor was quite different but equally impressive. Accompanied by Ho Jae Lee, he sang a trio of songs by Francis Poulenc whom we are coming to appreciate more and more. His instrument is a rich one with an interesting velvety texture and a pleasing resonance; his technique is flawless. His involvement in the material was intense and sustained right through the silences. He drew us into the text from the very beginning and by the time he got to the setting of Appolinaire's "Bleuet" we were close to tears.  That's communing with the audience!

We also heard three fine women whom we enjoyed a great deal. The glamorously gowned soprano Grace Canfield, ably accompanied by Nathan Raskin, has a bright sound that opens at the top like a parasol. She sang two selections from Liszt's Tre sonetti del Petrarca--"Pace non trovo" and "I' vidi in terra", and she sang them with intensity and urgency.

Soprano Allison Porter, accompanied by Sora Jung, introduced us to some early 20th c. French songs by Louis Beydts. The texts of the cycle Chansons pour les oiseaux were mostly nonsensical and Ms. Porter succeeded in bringing out the humor with her bubbly personality.

And finally, mezzo Caitlin Redding performed a trio of selections from Claude Debussy's settings of Cinq Poèmes de Baudelaire. They are a far cry from the no nonsense realistic depiction of longing in the Beethoven cycle; au contraire, they are filled with metaphor and imagery.  Similarly the music is radically different from Beethoven's direct illumination of a feeling but rather indirect and impressionistic. William Kelley performed well as piano partner.

The singers were coached by Cristina Stanescu who deserves to be pleased as punch.

Now wasn't that a better way to spend an hour than shopping??  You betcha'!

(c) meche kroop