ALMA Y CORAZON

 John Henderson, Roberto Colon, Celeste Morales, Kimberly Sandoval, and Joe Sacchi

(Photo by José Salazar)

If you want to see a smile light up our face, just sing to us in Spanish. And if you want to see us melt into our seat, give it to us sung by Mexican singers. Although we won't complain if the singers hail from Argentina (or anywhere else in Latin America) there is something about the Mexican way of speaking that carries over into the singing--no sé, pero me encanta! A fine Mexican voice goes straight from the ear to the heart.

Yesterday we had the thrill of hearing soprano Celeste Morales and mezzo-soprano Kimberly Sandoval, two lovely ladies with dramatic instincts to match their vocal artistry. All intellectual judgments disappeared as we abandoned ourself to the beauty of the Spanish language which marries so well with the kind of melodic vocal line that soothes our soul. About those dramatic instincts, that total immersion in the passion of the song was exactly what we were missing the other night at an otherwise engaging vocal recital.

These two singers are storytellers; if they rehearsed their gestures we were completely fooled because every facial expression and body movement seemed organic and spontaneous. Technique faded into the background and it seemed to us as if each word begged to be caressed by the mouth.

We always love duets and Ms. Morales and Ms. Sandoval evinced superb rapport in Fernando Maldonado's "Volver, volver".  The poet expresses his yearning for a lost love and one didn't need a translation to feel it. The soprano part has a very low tessitura but that was no stumbling block for Ms. Morales.

This sizable voice lent itself magnificently to "Canción del amor triste" by Ernesto Lecuona, a Cuban composer from the 20th century who wrote with the same passion and Latin color as did Maldonado. Ms. Morales' control of dynamics lent variety to the sad emotional color of the lyrics. This artist is also capable of bringing lightness and humor when called for, as in "Chiquitita la novia" by the Spanish composer Fernando Obradors. 

Ms. Sandoval is no less expressive. Although she manages somehow to connect with the audience and convey the emotional content of the song, we believe she would do well to abandon the music stand which she apparently does not need. Perhaps it is a form of security blanket but it does hamper the connection with the audience. 

Nevertheless, we enjoyed her performance of two songs from Manuel de Falla's Siete canciones populares Españolas. We adore this cycle of folk songs! "Jota" is a rather cheerful song about two secret lovers; it formed a contrast with the despairing lament of an abandoned lover in "Asturiana". It is hard to refrain from weeping along with the simple text, vivid imagery, and poignant music.

It is remarkable that all this melodic music was composed in the 20th century when European music was degenerating into atonalism.

The second half of the program was devoted to American music , the kind of music which we have neglected because it is usually performed with lamentable amplification. Here, we were able to appreciate memorable melodies that responded to the lyrics.  Several songs by Jason Robert Brown  encouraged us to learn more about the shows with which we are unfamiliar--Parade, The Last Five, and Songs of the New World. We also wish to explore  Waitress by Sara Bareilles. For the latter, our two lovely ladies were joined by countertenor Roberto Colon.

Of this group of songs we will first get ourself familiar with Parade because the dramatic scene created by Ms. Morales and tenor Joe Sacchi looked interesting.

The concert ended with an encore that brought us back to familiar territory--two selections from West Side Story written 70 years ago by the two greatest composers of 20th century America, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim. "A Boy Like That" and "Somewhere" drew this marvelous recital to a close. Although it was a generous recital, it left us wanting more--which is a good thing.

Excellent piano accompaniment was performed by John Henderson who opened the program with a Toccatina by Ramon Noble, reminding us that we were in a church, feeling grateful that they provided a venue for young artists to perform.

© meche kroop

UNDERGROUND SALON

Felix Jarrar, Alexandra Lang, Angela Candela, Gillian Watson, Celeste Morales, Robert Colon, and Chantal Brundage

What a splendid idea to provide a safe place for young artists to try out new material. Angela Candela's brainstorm is in its second year and we are so glad that we were able to attend. We have wonderful memories from last April as well as from last night. We heard a few sopranos that we have heard before and a couple who were new to us, as well as a countertenor. All were accompanied by the versatile pianist/composer Felix Jarrar who always gives his all to whatever he undertakes.

Several of the singers have upcoming auditions and competitions and were trying out their arias in front of a live audience, all the members of which were supportive, giving them the applause they so richly deserved. A few asked us for suggestions to improve their presentations but those who asked struck us as being performance ready. All the singers introduced themselves and told the background of the arias they were about to sing. This is so helpful and we thought of this as event as the perfect one with which to introduce an opera newbie.

Ms. Candela is a remarkable soprano whom we have reviewed a number of times -- at the gala of Classic Lyric Arts and at the International Vocal Arts Institute. Her ability to slip into any role makes her an artist to watch. We still recall her hilarious "Je suis grise".

Her Mimi last night (from Puccini's La Bohême) served to introduce her character in a way that made us want her to "get the guy". Like any young woman on a first date she was "selling herself" with both winsomeness and flirtatiousness. She colored her lovely voice with sweetness and negotiated the upward leaps with a satin legato.

Later in the program, she picked up where Chantal Brundage left off in Violetta's Act I scene from Verdi's La Traviata. Ms. Brundage gave gravitas and vulnerability to the "Forse lui"  and Ms. Candela stepped in with the fiery cabaletta "Sempre libera", filled with stunning coloratura effects. What a versatile artist she is!

Celeste Morales is well remembered from her admirable Alice in Verdi's Falstaff at Manhattan School of Music. Last night she gave a deeply affecting performance of Liu's aria "Signor ascolta" from Puccini's Turandot. With terrific technique, she portrayed the desperation and anguish of the slave girl warning her master. The sets and costumes appeared in our mind's eye--always a good sign of a successful portrayal. We loved the legato line, the Italianate phrasing, and the dynamic variety.

In a total change of pace, she also performed Joseph Marx's romantic "Hat dich die Liebe berührt"; we are pleased to report that the German was excellent. We were inspired to hear more of this late 19th c. Romantic composer. 

The first time we met Alexandra Lang, she was directing a charming pastiche of operetta for New Camerata Opera, which may actually have been our introduction to the company that was to grow into a successful presence on Planet Opera. Last night she tackled the extremely difficult mad scene from Donizetti's Anna Bolena and made us sit up and take notice.

Not only is the vocal line devilishly difficult but the singer must portray a wide range of emotions by employing a variety of vocal colors. The doomed Queen faces death with denial at first, luxuriating in some pleasant memories, and then with panic. The flowing legato of the aria was followed by a fioritura-filled cabaletta, marked by accuracy in the scale passages and arpeggi. It was riveting and we believed Ms. Lang's characterization.

Gillian Watson is new to us and we were glad to have her brought to our attention. Her bright and powerful instrument was put to good use in "Mi tradi" from Mozart's Don Giovanni. She evinced a fine vibrato and successfully negotiated the melismatic arpeggi. She limned the character of Donna Elvira with fine vocal control combined with generous use of gesture.

Later in the program we heard her fine French in "Il est doux, il est bon" from the seldom performed Hérodiade by Massenet.

Robert Colon, the sole male on the program, is listed as a countertenor but the unevenness throughout his register made it difficult to place him in that fach. He sang our beloved "Verdi prati" from Händel's Alcina with feeling and expressiveness and some very interesting embellishments of the vocal line in the repeat. However, he needs to work on getting his voice centered and perhaps considering a different fach. His second selection was "on the book" and did nothing to change our initial impression since we heard a lot more chest voice than one would expect from a countertenor.

The concert lasted but an hour but gave us a great deal to appreciate. We hope we will be free for the next Underground Salon.

© meche kroop

HOLIDAY PARTY WITH CITY LYRIC OPERA

Megan Gillis and Kathleen Spencer

What a pleasure it is to watch City Lyric Opera thrive! Co-Founders and Artistic Directors Kathleen Spencer and Megan Gillis, singers themselves, know exactly what singers need and have established an artist-centric company, a niche of which we heartily approve.

Last night, a gracious Upper West Side lady (and we do mean "lady") hosted a salon in celebration of the holiday season. With Amir Farid at the piano, there was plenty of singing, both professional and audience participation. Sets were well paced with plenty to eat and drink during the intermission.

We love being introduced to new singers so we had a field day, as they say. Mezzo-soprano Taylor-Alexis Dupont who sang in Porgy and Bess at The Metropolitan Opera appeared in a total wow of a red dress to deliver as passionate a delivery of Richard Strauss' "Zueignung" as we have ever heard. Clarion tone and fine German diction added up to a stellar performance.

It was a good night for mezzo-sopranos. Stephanie Feigenbaum was not new to us. We enjoyed her performance as Nancy in Britten's Albert Herring with Utopia Opera and also as the good witch Melissa in a Caccini opera with Dell'Arte Opera Ensemble. Last night she showed us two different aspects of her talent.

"What a Movie" from Leonard Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti was delivered with perfect English diction, generous use of gesture, and just the right degree of irony. We were reminded of our own guilty pleasures and how we sometimes knock the things we enjoy because they are thought to be "beneath us"--like James Bond movies, for example.

Later, she sang "Make Someone Happy" from the forgotten musical Do Re Mi for which Comden and Green wrote the lyrics and Jules Styne composed the music. What a change from irony and histrionics to a quiet sincerity!

Baritone Joshua Miller sang a Charles Ives song called "Down East" that reminded him of his Maine roots. His mellow instrument and clarity of phrasing were joyful to hear.

Sadly, an unavoidably late arrival prevented us from hearing tenor Kameron Ghanavati sing a song by Ben Moore and soprano Celeste Morales singing Hugh Martin's "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "I'll Be Seeing You". We were told they were both excellent and we are sure to catch up with them some other time.

Special Programs Manager Nehemiah Rolle led a discussion among the artists on the topic of what the holidays meant to them. It was an interesting idea and allowed those of us in the audience to see them as people, not just performers. We got to hear some charming stories.

There was group singing of "Winter Wonderland" and "Auld Lang Syne" (endless verses of it) but your faithful writer just moved her lips lest she send the entire group fleeing from the room!

At this time of year, think generously of the boutique opera companies that fill out the cultural landscape of our fair city with such beauty. City Lyric Opera deserves your support!

© meche kroop

FOUR SCENES-FOUR MOODS-FOUR LANGUAGES

Finale from Falstaff  performed by Manhattan School of Music Opera Theater

After our delightful evening at Juilliard last night it seemed like time to show Manhattan School of Music some love.  MSM has a great deal of depth in its vocal department, one of the top training programs in the world, and attracts talented young singers from all over the USA and worldwide. Over 40 countries are represented. Their list of alumni looks like a Who's Who of the opera world.

Last night the MSM Opera Theater, of which the esteemed Dona D. Vaughn is Artistic Director, presented four opera scenes, apparently chosen for variety of mood and language, and to show off the special skills of the current crop of graduate students. There wasn't a disappointing voice to be heard.  As a matter of fact, the vocal glories were abundant.

In place of orchestral accompaniment, we had four hands at two pianos--a pair belonging to Jorge Parodi and another to Scott Rednour. Maestro Vlad Iftinca conducted sans baton; he clearly was involved with every singer and every phrase, using both hands to bring out everyone's best.

What made the evening so enjoyable, aside from the splendid singing, was the professionalism of all concerned. Director Laura Alley never fails to honor the piece and does not torture the libretto to fit into a self-serving "concept".  The pieces were staged with a minimum of props but nothing was missed. Costumes were not lavish but were appropriate and tasteful. We ourselves prefer creativity and imagination over distracting extravagance.

The program opened with "The Presentation of the Rose" from Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier, one of our favorite operas. The nouveau riche Herr Faninal (resonant baritone Shuo Yang) is excited about his daughter's marriage into nobility. Young Sophie (crystalline voiced soprano Yesul Yeon) considers her obligations as a wife, whilst her chaperone Marianne (lovely mezzo-soprano Madalyn Luna) tries to keep Sophie's exuberance in check.

Octavian arrives in the person of the marvelous mezzo Hongni Wu in travesti who falls instantly in love with the beautiful Sophie. The two singers created marvelous chemistry together which made the scene work beautifully.  Even if you never saw the opera you could tell that Sophie will never ever marry the old Baron Ochs to whom she is affianced. The duet between Ms. Yeon and Ms. Wu told us everything we needed to know. We observed that Maestro Iftinca was in love with both of them!

An abrupt change of mood took place for the second scene which we believe was actually the entirety of Ned Rorem's 1951 opera A Childhood Miracle. The libretto by Elliott Stein was based on a creepy Hawthorne story in which two little girls (convincingly portrayed by mezzo-soprano Charlotte Merz and soprano Kristina Brost) play in the snow and build a snowman (tenor Elijah Graham) which comes to life.

Their mother (mezzo-soprano Monica Talavera) is sitting indoors with her sister Emma (mezzo-soprano Polixeni Tziouvaras) doing needlework and gossiping. Father (bass-baritone Andrew Henry) is upset to see his daughters with a strange man and insists that he come indoors where he melts. The daughters run outside into the snowstorm and turn into snow, or something else which wasn't exactly clear.

It is our opinion that magic realism is best done by Latin Americans, like Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Perhaps some Victorian touches would have helped.  The story seemed more tragedy than miracle. Still, the singing and acting were exemplary and Rorem's writing was more musical than most 20th c. writing. Thanks to English diction coach Kathryn LaBouff, every word was clear.

The mood turned again to a more somber contemplative scene from Gluck's Iphegénie en Tauride. Gluck's music gave us plenty of variety, expressing the mood of the ocean from calm to stormy. If the lovely mezzo-soprano portraying Iphegénie (Yunlei Xie) has not had ballet training we would be rather surprised since her physical movement was as graceful as her phrasing. 

In this scene of prayer for protection, she is surrounded by a chorus of Priestesses and we were impressed by the unison feature of their singing and movement. French coach Elsa Querón must get some credit! There is a lot of depth in this chorus and evidence of intense rehearsal. The two chief priestesses were sung by sopranos Si-Yeon Kim and Sasha Gutiérrez Montaño. The staging here was particularly lovely with the chorus dressed in black and carrying candles.

The final work on the program was the final scene from Verdi's Falstaff, fortunately not updated to the 1950's, as it is in "the big house". We think José Maldonado absolutely owns the role of The Fat Knight. His voice is as expansive as his girth and his acting conveyed every nuance of terror, humiliation, abject self-realization, and finally humorous self-acceptance.

The cast seemed to be having as much fun onstage as we experienced in the audience. We cannot deny that we enjoyed seeing ill-behaved men getting their comeuppance at the hands of some aggrieved women, nor can we deny drawing an analogy with the present day politics.  Plus ça change!  It is so much more fun when the director doesn't shove it down your throat.

The old Dottore Caius (Mr. Graham) gets married to Bardolfo (tenor Samuel White) disguised as Nannetta (soprano Hee So Son) who gets to defy her father's choice and marry the man she loves--Fenton (tenor Philippe L'Esperance). But not until they get to sing a beautiful duet. We have admired Mr. L'Esperance's voice on prior occasions.

The role of Ford was sung by baritone SeokJong Baek who always turns in a fine performance. Soprano Celeste Morales made a fine Alice whilst Meg was sung well by mezzo Elizabeth Harris. Mezzo Michelle Blauman did justice to the role of Mrs. Quickly and bass-baritone Matthias Villwock took the role of Pistola.

The staging was great fun, especially when the huge Falstaff is rolled around the stage with the entire cast prodding him with sticks. If Falstaff isn't fun we feel we've been shut out of something that Verdi and his librettist Arrigo Boito intended. This scene left us grinning from ear to ear.

The evening was perfect, although we could have enjoyed a few more scenes. The time seemed to fly by.

(c) meche kroop