WHAT A FINALE!

Directors Marc Verzatt and Brittany Goodwin taking a bow with participants of IVAI

We were completely bowled over last night at the second and final evening of opera duets, trios, and ensembles. In the week we attended we witnessed something akin to a miracle--the transformation of a group of somewhat insecure and unsteady young artists into fully fledged performers. Perhaps all the requisite skills were there just waiting to be brought out. And brought out they were!

Much credit must be given to coaches Joan Dornemann, Jane Steele, Pei-Wen Chen, and Dura Jun and to the teachers on the faculty whom we never met; there is no doubt in our mind that they kept the students busy with constant lessons and coachings which we did not observe. What we did observe were the juicy fruits of their labor, tastefully arranged for our delectation by directors Brittany (Bea) Goodwin and Marc Verzatt who, without sets or costumes, created meaningful onstage interaction.

There were a number of instances in which we learned something new about characters that are customarily portrayed in a "stock" fashion. Let us provide a couple examples. In the card reading scene from Bizet's Carmen, our doomed heroine (the marvelous mezzo-soprano Jihyun Choi) was set on stage right brooding whilst Frasquita (lovely soprano Hanna Lee) and Mercedes (marvelous mezzo Xiaohan Chen) were having a gay time talking about their future fortunes and upcoming romances. This contrast emphasized the tragedy to come.

There's an even more poignant example from the same opera. Country girl Micaela is usually portrayed rather blandly, as an oblivious innocent. Last night, the way soprano Miriam Chaudoir portrayed her, she sensed, by his indifferent embrace, that Don José (Alonzo Jordan Lopez) was not really present for her. He sings of his joy in hearing from his mother and she sings along but you could tell from her facial expression and body language that she was hurting. She wanted him to sing about his joy in seeing her! This subtle difference made Micaela a complete character, not just a plot device.

In Rossini's Semiramide, the deluded title character, portrayed by soprano Melanie Spector, indicated by her posture and the imperious way she held her head that she couldn't even imagine that Arsace would prefer another. We might add here that Ms. Spector's coloratura fireworks were never impaired by the acting but rather served to illuminate Semiramide's character. Furthermore, Keymon Murrah's countertenor was superbly employed and one could read on his face his discomfort around the heroine's expectations. The two voices sounded so perfect together that we cannot imagine Arsace performed in a different fach.

Soprano Julia Katherine Walsh tackled Lucia's "mad scene" with relish and complete dramatic abandon while maintaining fine control over the vocal fireworks. She has resonance to spare in the high-flying tessitura that sent overtones bouncing around the room. Through her eyes we could see all of her frightening hallucinations. What a performance! 

Juliet Morris created an imperious Queen of the Night from Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, one that wielded authority without benefit of extravagant makeup and costuming. It was all done with posture, gesture, and vocalism. Ms. Morris really knew what she was singing about, making every word count.

The final scene not only knocked our socks off but also our shoes! We were completely unfamiliar with Rossini's Otello and are sure it would have been a major member of the current repertory, had not Verdi undertaken to write his Otello. What a treat to hear scenes from two serious Rossini operas in one night! 

Soprano Jaeyeon Kim was incredibly touching as the frightened Desdemona, singing the heavily embellished vocal line with flexibility and the most gorgeous timbre. In a world in which sopranos sound so much alike, it was a special experience for us to hear a unique instrument. As the jealous Otello, tenor Eduardo Belmonte was threatening and scary, without any holding back. The scene gave ample opportunity for him to show off a strong and full middle voice.

From Puccini's audience pleaser La Bohême, we heard "O soave fanciulla" sung by soprano Clara Iranzo and tenor Eduardo Belmonte. Was it the excellent direction that made their romance seem so very real? Or was it the fact that they are a couple? Like Oscar in Ballo in Maschera, we know but won't tell!

A scene from Puccini's La Rondine was charmingly executed with tenor Nicolas Gerst taking the role of the poet Prunier, starting "Il bel sogno di Doretta" with Ms. Irazo's Magda taking over. In attendance were a group of gossiping friends (Mithuna Sivaraman, Nicole Karrs, and Michelle Encarnacion Pozo) and a finely drawn Lisette (the maid) enacted by Angela Candela. She was so compelling in the role that we wanted to see the scene in the café dansant! She is one of those "stage animals" that can lose herself in any one of a number of characters.

We loved the scene from Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia in which Rosina beats Figaro to the punch. He is clever but she is still more clever. "Dunque io son" was given a humorous performance by mezzo-soprano Cloe San Antonio who is blessed with one of those distinctive voices of true mezzo timbre, flexibility in the fioritura, and a charming stage presence. Her chemistry with baritone Robbie Raso as Figaro was pure delight. We think this role suits him to a "T", giving ample opportunity for acting as well as singing.

From Massenet's Manon we enjoyed the scene in which the now-sophisticated heroine is enjoying some gambling with her fancy friends the "party girls", portrayed by Yingjie Zhou, Olesia Verzole, and Wenjie Zhang. They enjoyed being louche and we enjoyed their enjoyment. The harmonies were exquisite and the French was just fine.

More Massenet followed with a scene from his Cendrillon in which Prince Charmant (the ardent mezzo Heather Jones) becomes enraptured by the title character (soprano Lauren Curet) who sang with brightness and clarity. True to Massenet, the harmonies were again exquisite and no one failed their French.

Finally, we saw an appealing scene from Mozart's singspiel Die Entführung aus dem Serail. The two sopranos (Sarah Heilman and Hyune Kwon) and two tenors (Masachika Watanabe and Zachary Sebek) made some gorgeous harmonies together. It pleased us to see Mozart's genius with contrasting vocal lines so well executed.

This astonishing evening was, for us, the capstone of a wonderful ten days, although there will be one more performance--an evening of American song. We would like to point out that the youngest participant was but 18 years old and several of them are still undergraduates whilst others have completed advanced degrees. Obviously, the 50 participants began the program at varying levels of expertise but they all made a giant step forward. After a brief recess, the Institute will take place in Montreal. We wish we could be a "camp follower"!

(c) meche kroop

AN EVENING OF ARIAS BY IVAI

International Vocal Arts Institute--an evening of operatic arias

Last night was the second of two evenings of arias presented by International Vocal Arts Institute.  Last week we described every single aria but this time we would like to do something different. Hearing twenty singers in one evening was both exciting and exhausting. Some we had heard before at Diana Soviero's master class; a couple we remembered from the first evening of arias; others we reviewed before at other venues.

The evening seemed to be a big blur of fine performances except for a couple singers who stood out by virtue of certain characteristics that we would like to mention in the hopes that it will be helpful to other young singers at the beginning of their careers.

Of course, it helps if Mother Nature has endowed one with a beautiful instrument or a unique one, as is the case with mezzo-soprano Cloe San Antonio who sang "Pensa alla patria" from Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri. The unique texture of her voice, augmented by the other factors which we will get to, made her performance memorable.

Similarly, counter-tenor Keymon Murrah electrified the audience with "Amour, viens rendre à mon âme" from Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice. This fach is rare and when the singer uses his instrument well, we are inclined to lean forward in our chair.

So, singers can't alter their instrument but they can learn to use it well. There is a reason that teachers put so much emphasis on breathing. Good support is the foundation for everything else. A beautiful legato is so important.

Musicality is inborn in some but can be developed. The ability to hear and respond to the accompaniment, be it piano or orchestra, plays a large part. Being attentive to phrasing is crucial. Running out of breath in an attempt to sustain a long phrase (think Bellini!) can ruin a performance. These phrases must be shaped with attention to dynamics. In our prior review we mentioned a few performances which grabbed us with a gorgeous decrescendo. It can make an audience hold its collective breath.

Mikayla Sager's performance of "Casta diva" from Bellini's Norma employed expressive phrasing and effective dynamic variation with a lovely descending portamento. This performance got our attention and has stayed in our memory!

Language skills are important. Of course one can learn an aria phonetically and this is what most singers will probably have to do for Czech or Hungarian. But there is no reason not to have a basic knowledge of Italian, German, French, and Spanish. We cringe when someone omits a final "ich" in German or pronounces it "ick". Perhaps most American audiences won't notice but you will be singing in Europe and THEY WILL NOTICE. 

Happily, the IVAI students we have heard so far had better than average language skills.

As you probably already know, flexibility is most important in lyric and coloratura sopranos. Readers have heard us praise a singer's pinpoint approach to fioritura. Audiences love "fireworks". A good trill (as explained by Ms. Soviero and mentioned in our review of her class) sends chills up and down the spine.

We noted no major technical flaws in the IVAI students and those we heard twice seemed to be improving in technique.

So what we would like to address is stage deportment and acting. Last night, Artistic Director Joan Dornemann coached the students on how to take a bow. This is something we have never considered! But we have paid lots of attention to how the singer uses the stage. Gripping the piano makes the singer look insecure. Stepping forward toward the audience makes us feel involved with both singer and music. We noticed how Elizaveta Kozlova used the entire stage in her taunting portrayal of Oscar in "Saper vorreste" from Verdi's Un ballo in maschera.

Now let us address the issue of acting. Some singers are natural born "stage animals" and some must learn. In an introspective aria like "E lucevan le stelle" from Puccini's Tosca or "Kuda, kuda" from Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, or Nedda's "Stridono lassù" from Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, it seems right for the singer to disregard the following piece of advice.

When you are presenting an aria from a scene involving another character, you need to see that other character onstage so we can see through your eyes. This was the major flaw we noted in last night's concert. We heard some lovely voices but several singers just stood there and sang. We have bodies for a reason and we must use them to convey our feelings. "Stock" gestures don't count; they are boring. Each gesture must reflect what your character is thinking about or feeling. 

For example, Clara Luz Iranzo sang "Quando m'en vo" (Musetta's aria from Puccini's La Bohême) quite well but we never got the feeling that she was showing off for Marcello and taunting him. Similarly, Oleksandra Verzole sang well in "Giunse al fin il momento...Deh vieni non tardar" from Mozart's Nozze di Figaro; but we didn't get the important point that she was teasing Figaro and "laying it on with a trowel". Likewise, Yaewon Jun could do better at "smelling the rose" and shyly flirting with Octavian.

On the other hand Robbie Raso showed us what an arrogant fellow Belcore is in "Come Paride vezzoso" from Donizetti's L'Élisir d'amore. We could just visualize the local peasants surrounding him and the unimpressed Adina. And Xiaohan Chen's performance of the "Violin aria" from Offenbach's Les contes d'Hoffman made us feel Hoffman's presence as she tried to persuade him to turn away from frivolous romances and to devote himself to his art. (Actually, she persuaded us!)

We realize that some of the students were trying out new material and in no way did we expect a finished performance. We hope our suggestions will be taken in the helpful spirit in which we offer them and not as destructive criticism.

The Institute has several more days to go and we will be reporting on the next few events. Stay tuned!

(c) meche kroop

WORK OR FUN?

Pei-Wen Chen, Joan Dornemann, Melanie Spector, Diana Soviero, Emilia Poma, Cloe San Antonio, Jennifer Jaroslavsky,
Zachary Sebek, and Clara Iranzo

We have lost count of all the master classes we have attended. We have noted that each master teacher brings something else to the table. Some focus on role interpretation, some on language skills, some on stage presence, and other aspects of performance.

Last night, as part of the International Vocal Arts Institute at Mannes College for Music, we became acquainted with the unique style of superstar soprano Diana Soviero. Ms. Soviero is a "character" and we mean this in the best possible way. She is fearless in her attempt to get her students on the right pathway, even at the expense of making funny faces and saying funny things, and contradicting "received wisdom".

The true measure of her method is the change in the sound of the students. The six people we heard were all excellent to start out with but achieved a far fuller sound under her tutelage. We would say that they did the work and we had the fun but, truth to tell, they seemed to be having as much fun as we did. Ms. Soviero stands right next to the student and moves their arms, conducting them as they sing. 

Rather than describe what each one sang, we will share with you some of the valuable tips we gleaned. We confess that some of the tips exceeded our modest understanding but most of them made sense to anyone with a basic knowledge of vocal production.

Before the singing began, the arrival of a few latecomers became an opportunity to tell the singers to never turn their backs to the audience but to stand and wait, in character, until the audience settles down. She also pointed out how the orchestral introduction tells the singer when and how to begin. Never begin by belting the note but slide into it.

Of course, everything starts with the breath and most singers have an unclear picture of the role of the diaphragm and have been ill-advised to "push the breath". Ms. Soviero is careful not to label anything as "wrong" but prefers to call things "misunderstood". One way to keep the larynx and diaphragm down while going up is to try to lift the piano!

Some of the singers needed to be told not to hold back but to send the sound out. We have always heard the instructions to send the voice forward but her instructions were often to send it back. For our understanding, this would require a bit more explanation but it certainly made a positive difference. 

To achieve a diminuendo, she instructed the student to send the sound out with energy so it vibrates, and then to bring it back in. Another tip for a dry mouth is to suck in on your cheeks.  That's one we never heard before!

In a trill, the singer should put the lower note on the beat. That was a good one!

Since the tongue connects with the larynx, it is important to avoid mouth positions that tense the tongue. The upper molars should be well separated from the lower ones. "Nyeh, nyeh" is a good way to find the right place for the tongue.

It isn't necessary to open the mouth wide to get a big sound. We've never heard a teacher focus on the embouchure but she described the upper lip as a steering wheel that directs the sound. Singers should be careful about jutting the jaw forward.

Before going higher, lift the palate first. 

To find the center of the pitches one can practice humming them first. Hum the upward jump, then open the mouth. Keep the vowel in place for upward leaps.

Much of this comes from the Garcia technique, of which we have never heard; but since it worked so well for these six singers it would be valuable to learn more about it.

Beyond the technical aspects there were a couple acting strategies that we'd like to share. In "Stridono lassù", the soprano should not keep looking up. A flock of birds doesn't remain overhead, they sweep across the sky. The singer can follow them just for a brief moment only! We never heard that before but it makes so much sense.

Also in Pagliacci, when Arlecchino serenades Columbina, he should be very relaxed and can . "tune the lute" before he begins to sing. It's these little gestures that make a performance believable and we were so glad to be made aware of them.

We expect big things from these six promising young singers!

We plan on attending the concerts of arias and opera scenes for the rest of this 10-day institute about which we have written a great deal in the past.  So should you!  Particulars are on the IVAI website.

(c) meche kroop