RUSSIAN DREAMS

Last night's Liederabend at The Juilliard School comprised an hour of Russian songs, curated and coached by Gina Levinson. It is hard to believe that our interest in Russian songs was late in arriving. We have become ardent fans recently; the more we hear of them the better we like them.  It didn't hurt to learn a few words in Russian so that the sound has become familiar to our ears.

The program was beyond wonderful and the artists who took part earned our attention, our affection, and our applause.  Speaking of applause, the members of the audience could not restrain themselves from applauding after each and every song.

What all the singers had in common was stage presence. Each one introduced him/herself with poise and told a little about the songs they would sing. This is a superb strategy to form a connection with the audience, one that is often omitted.

Tenor Joshua Blue and pianist Minjung Jung opened the program with a song by Mikhail Glinka who is considered the grandfather of Russian song. His work fits squarely into the style of the early 19th c. but is filled with Russian soul. Pushkin's text for "I remember that magical moment" conveys despair and the balm of a soothing memory.

Mr. Blue's sweet tenor falls pleasantly on the ear and his use of dynamic variety and vocal colors brought the song to vivid life. He seemed to caress each tone with ease, never pushing for volume or pitch.

He followed this with a pair of songs by Sergei Rachmaninov. "In the silence of the mysterious night" is very much a product of the turn of the 20th c. and also deals with memory.

From much later in Rachmaninov's career, we heard "Arion", the tale of a sailor who survived a storm by singing. The storm was beautifully reproduced by Ms. Jung on the piano, and Mr. Blue convinced us as a good story teller.

Next on the program was bass William Su with Katelan Terrell as his able piano partner.  Although the bass fach is a late blooming one, Mr. Su, whose graduation recital at Manhattan School of Music had impressed us greatly last Spring, seems to be developing at a rapid pace.

We heard four songs by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, whose Golden Cockerel we reviewed twice this year.  His works date from the second half of the 19th c. The first was about secret dreams and was quite lovely. The second one sets a beautiful stage for a rendezvous but ends with the poet being disappointed when the awaited one fails to appear.

The third song, "Lean thy cheek to mine" was both tender and passionate with text translated from Heinrich Heine. It was the fourth song that we loved the best. A lover singing to an unknown beloved is compared to a nightingale singing to an indifferent rose.  The melody to this song is distinctly Asiatic and haunting. The piano is given some gorgeous arpeggi and the conclusion is whistled! Boy, can William whistle!

We would not be left in a mournful mood however.  The conclusion of the set was Modest Mussorgsky's "Song of the flea". We imagine that this song-- about a king who adopted a troublesome flea that annoyed everyone at court--was a political parable. The humor was effectively conveyed by both Mr. Su and Ms. Terrell.

The concluding set was a cycle of songs by Dmitri Shostakovich, a 20th c. composer whose work has never thrilled us.  However, this cycle appealed to us quite a bit, especially as performed by soprano Meghan Kasanders, mezzo-soprano Myka Murphy, and tenor Chance Jonas-O'Toole. The rotating pianists were Candace Chien, Jinhee Park, and Richard Fu.

The cycle Jewish Folk Poetry, Op.79 comprises 11 songs, 10 of which were performed by the three singers in various combinations. Eight of the songs described all kinds of disappointments and sufferings with the final two describing happiness under Communism.  We speculated that this was written for political reasons.

We loved the sound of Ms. Kasanders and Ms. Murphy in the duets "Lament for a dead infant" and "A concerned mother and aunt".  In "Before a long separation", Ms. Kasanders is terribly troubled and Mr. Jonas-O'Toole tries to console her with joyful memories. By the end of the song their roles have reversed. The harmonies were exquisite and unusual with plentiful dissonance.

In "Winter" the three singers created the howling of the wind. On the whole, the cycle paints a grim picture of life on the shtetl--nothing like the joyous murals painted by Marc Chagall.

The hour flew by and we were left wanting more.  "Ochen harasho!" and a big "Spassiba" to the singers.

(c) meche kroop

ANOTHER JUILLIARD LIEDERABEND

Äneas Humm and Tomomi Sato

A liederabend at Juilliard is such a consistently fine experience that one is at risk for taking them for granted. Since we have been reviewing them, we have watched the audience grow as fast as asparagus; one can barely secure a seat these days. That is understandable because New Yorkers can listen to the stars of tomorrow without cost. Many of them have performed already around the world and are at Juilliard to acquire a final polish.

Take Swiss baritone Äneas Humm for example. We first heard Mr. Humm through The German Forum a few years ago whilst he was still an undergraduate  and immediately recognized his artistry. He has had quite a career in Europe and  recently recorded an excellent CD. He is now under the tutelage of Edith Wiens, as were so many of the excellent singers heard last night. We reviewed a recital of her students last week.

Last night, accompanied by the lovely collaborative pianist Tomomi Sato, he treated us to a set of lieder which took on new luster when sung by a native German speaker. Two lieder by Hugo Wolf  ("Verschwiegene Liebe" and "Und willst du deinen Liebsten sterben sehen") stretched his instrument to the lowest part of the register. We preferred "Nimmersatte Liebe" which allowed Mr. Humm to express his lively personality.

Following were a pair of lieder by Viktor Ullmann whose early 20th c. works merit a wider hearing. "Vorausbestimmung" and "Betrunken" are colorful songs about intoxication and we are reminded how much singers enjoy songs about inebriation.  As do audience members! Mr. Humm had a swell time with these colorful songs and so did we. Ms. Sato was particularly fine in the last one, attacking the wild accompaniment with gusto.

We have been particularly aware of the artistry of soprano Felicia Moore who impresses us more and more each time we hear her. She absolutely commands the stage with a secure and welcoming stage presence, drawing us in with her magnificent instrument and connection with the material. She seemed to know exactly what she was singing about and when we returned home and looked at the translations we noticed that she had translated the songs herself. We wish all singers did so!

In "L'invitation au voyage" we enjoyed the expansive soaring top of her voice and the artistry with which she employed vocal coloration. The word "volupté " gave us goose bumps. In "La vie antérieure" she captured all the elusive nostalgia of the Baudelaire text which was matched by the passionate pianism of the always excellent Adam Rothenberg.  "Phidylé" moved from languid affection to passion.  In the entire set, the French was beyond reproach.

Georgian Mezzo-soprano Natalia Kutateladze performed that glorious Spanish cycle by Manuel de Falla--Siete Canciones Populares Españolas--a cycle of which we never tire. Ms. Kutateladze imbued the songs with her own intense personality which amplified the intensity of the songs. After the ironic cautionary tales "El paño moruno" and "Seguidilla murciana" came our very favorite--"Asturianas" which she colored with appropriately deep sorrow.  The combination of the text, the music, and her interpretation had a profound emotional effect.

Happily the charm of "Jota" cheered us up. We couldn't figure out why the lullaby "Nana" seemed so sad but mining works for their subtext keeps a work interesting and we were captivated. "Canción" was so filled with pain, as was "Polo" that we had to sit still for a while to collect ourself. This is artistry at work. It is a compliment to collaborative pianist Cameron Richardson-Eames to say that he kept up with her.

Some of our favorite Strauss songs were offered by soprano Rebecca Pedersen and pianist Candace Chien. Ms. Pedersen warmed up with "Allerseelen" and reached more of her potential with "Cäcilie" which she had fortunately translated herself. We are quite sure that was responsible for an increased sense of involvement. We liked the way she brought out the climactic moments and we related to the heartfelt nature of "Befreit". Her German was a bit four square and will benefit from more work on phrasing.

Mezzo-soprano Khady Gueye was accompanied by Rosa Li on the piano and, just from the point of view of our very own idiosyncratic taste, we hope to hear her sing something we like in the future. We have never warmed to the songs of Charles Ives and find the vocal lines uninteresting, causing our attention to rest on the accompaniment. Ms. Li has lovely soft hands and we enjoyed listening, especially in "Tom Sails Away" in which she evoked the mysterious nature of memory.

In "Feldeinsamkeit", we wanted crisper enunciation of the German consonants, as we did in the two Schönberg songs which followed--"Erwartung" and "Erhebung". These songs are not our favorites either but they did serve to bring out the texture of Ms. Gueye's instrument.

We can scarcely wait for the next liederabend.  No taking things for granted at this end!

(c) meche kroop

LATINS IN NEW YORK

Sebastian Giunta, Candace Chien, Anna Tonna, Mary Thorne, and Mario Arevalo

We support any expansion of the presence of Latin Music in New York and applaud the enthusiasm of the group of artists who added to the celebration of Hispanic Day in New York City yesterday.

Shetler Studios hosted the event Latins in New York which presented art songs by Hispanic Composers from 1945 to the present. Tenor Mario Arevalo, who is new to us, welcomed the sizable audience and invited us to share his delight in Latin Music.

Mr. Arevalo has a beautiful instrument, an effortless tone, and a warm Latin sound that helps to put a song across. His opening offering was the charming "Damisela encantadora" by Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona that was unfortunately marred by the use of the loathed music stand. Readers know how strongly we feel about its impairment of connection with the audience.

Fortunately, one of the artists went to the effort of memorizing his material and it just so happened to be the magnificent baritone Steven LaBrie whom we just reviewed two days ago for his sensational performance with the Brooklyn Art Song Society. We are happy to report that his artistry is no less wonderful in Spanish than it was in the French melodie.

We know not whether he chose the songs he would sing but the choices were the best on the program.  Or maybe it's just Mr. LaBrie's artistry that we loved.  His performance of Mexican composer Maria Grever's early 20th c. songs blurred the boundary between so-called popular song and art song. "Alma mia" revealed the depth of his feelings through a full rich tone.

Further, there was a convincing performance of Grever's "Munequita linda" in which the delicacy of collaborative pianist Candace Chien matched his own.  We swoon over these gorgeous diminuendos every time! The pair was equally fine in the sad song of farewell "Despedida", and the intense expansiveness of Grever's "Jurame".

From the same generation of Mexican composers, Manuel Ponce composed "Estrellita" which also delighted our ear. Significantly, our guest, who speaks no Spanish and has never attended a vocal recital, was overcome by the sound of Mr. LaBrie's voice and the intensity of his dramatic presentation. These songs were the highlight of the afternoon recital.

Our guest also volunteered his dismay over the incomprehensibility of the English text in Cuban composer Jorge Martin's cycle A Cuban in Vermont: Five Simple Songs, a 2003 composition that was receiving its New York City premiere.  Pianist Sebastian Giunta pounded out the jazzy rhythms at top volume drowning out the voice of soprano Mary Thorne whom we have heard before with Amore Opera and whom we hope to hear again-- singing different repertoire.

There was also a world premiere on the program-- two selections from El Salvadoran composer Juan Guerra Gonzalez' Mis Once Letras. The works required much explanation in the program but, in our opinion, good art reaches its audience without commentary. These songs did not reach us although Mr. Arevalo put his all into getting them across. Of the two selections we preferred "Mucho mas que amor" to which Mr. Arevalo's warm romantic sound was particularly suited. But the presence of the music stand was an obstacle to our feeling involved.

Argentinian composer Alberto Ginastera was represented by a trio of songs from his cycle Cinco canciones populares in which we noted Mr. Arevalo's skillful vocalise introduction to "Triste"and Mr. Giunta's lively rhythms in "Gato". We'd love to hear the entire cycle "off the book".

Similarly, the lovely tones of Anna Tonna's warm mezzo-soprano were put to good use in selections from Cuban composer Julian Orbon's Libro de Cantares. We liked the lullaby "Anada", the lively "Giraldilla", and the deeply felt "Cancion". Someday we hope to hear the songs "off the book" to fully appreciate them without distraction. 

Ms. Chien's piano was particularly lovely in the "Preludio". 

Ms. Tonna's performance of Colombian composer Jaime Leon's "A ti" was ardent and heartfelt whilst "La hija del viejo Pancho" was full of life and seemed to connect more with the audience.

We hope that the next concert given by this group will be given without music stands and perhaps with printed text for audience members who don't speak Spanish.

(c) meche kroop