MANNING THE CANON

Efraín Solis, Matt Boehler, Daniel McGrew, and Scott Murphree

In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of The Stonewall Riots, the wildly entertaining concert Manning the Canon: Songs of Gay Life was revived ten years after its debut at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center. Just as we feel a little bit Irish on St. Paddy's Day, and a little bit Italian on Columbus Day, we feel a little bit "queer" this month.

It surely wasn't necessary to be a member of the tribe to appreciate the program. In the eloquent words of Steven Blier, taken from his copious and fascinating program notes, it is "a rainbow-colored celebration of wit, beauty, emotion, and forthright honesty". The concert is a co-production of Mr. Blier, Artistic Director of New York Festival of Song, and Jesse Blumberg, Artistic Director of Five Boroughs Music Festival--both champions in the world of song.

And what songs we heard! Sets of well-curated songs about gay life were interspersed with songs by gay composers. The songs were universal in appeal; we all have a wide palette of feelings about love and sex, longing and disappointment, closeness and distance. 

Our favorites ranged the gamut, from hilarious cabaret songs to serious 19th c. compositions. Let us describe a few. As readers may have predicted, for our ears Schubert always comes out on top. The four members of the cast joined in exquisite harmony for Schubert's "Der Gondelfahrer", a setting of text by Johann Mayrhofer with whom the composer shared a bed for a couple of years. The lyrics scan and rhyme just the way we like and the melody took its cue from the text. 

Walking on the wilder side, we loved the cabaret song "An Admission" by Joseph Thalken with funny and tender lyrics by Mark Campbell whose libretto for The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs enchanted us so at Santa Fe Opera. The subject was the disappointment felt when one's prospective bedmate undresses and appears in all his naked inglorious glory. We are quite sure that everyone could relate to that one! Tenor Scott Murphree got all the feelings across, including the resolution at the end.

Drag offers so many opportunities for humor and John Wallowitch's cabaret song "Bruce" gave bass Matt Boehler an opportunity to use his loose-limbed frame, mobile face, and deeply resonant voice to portray a man criticizing Bruce's over-the-top style of dressing. The rhymes were beyond clever and Mr. Boehler did a swell job of getting the song across.

On the serious end of the spectrum, baritone Efraín Solis imbued Manuel de Falla's "Polo" with the requisite pain and just enough Latin sabor. Mr.Blier's insistent piano added to the drama.

There are songs that were written about a man and a woman that can be readily co-opted and placed firmly in the gay corner. Perhaps at the top of the list is Cy Coleman's "Tennis Duet" from City of Angels, for which David Zippel wrote the incredibly clever lyrics, filled with double entendres. Tenors David McGrew and Mr. Murphree made a marvelously flirtatious couple, sparring wittily with tennis rackets and provocative dialogue.

The program ended with Cole Porter's "You're the Top" in which the repetitive phrase "Baby, I'm the bottom you're the top" took on new meaning and was all the funnier for being played mostly straight by the ensemble. Porter's rhymes are hilarious and it was worthwhile to search out the lyrics to catch a few words and references we missed. 

The encore was sensational--"My Guy", written by Smokey Robinson (of The Miracles). In true Motown fashion, there was plenty of extravagant synchronized gesture and terrific harmonies.

We are sure that every person in that room had their own favorites. Those were ours. We were there when the show had its debut at the same LGBT Community Center ten years ago and were happy to enjoy its warmth and wit once again. Indeed it remains a source of PRIDE for its creators and its cast.

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FOUR LOONY DIVAS

Cáitlyn Burke, Alexis Cregger, Sarah Best, and Anne Slovin at The Players

This is the 13th year for Light Opera of New York, co-founded by Carol Davis. We have enjoyed their operettas, four of which have been recorded, as well as their more casual cabaret evenings at The Players on Gramercy Park South. Last night was special! It was special because we heard four lovely ladies of the opera world performing a great variety of songs from the world of opera, light opera, cabaret, American musical theater, and whatever. We love the fact that there were no dividing lines. Any song that is well written and well sung can stand along any other song with the same qualifications.

Director for the evening was the engaging Gary Slavin who introduced the program. Able accompaniment was provided by Music Director Seth Weinstein.

We love Gilbert and Sullivan and were delighted by the opening number "I have a song to sing, O" from Yeoman of the Guard sung by the entire ensemble. The patter song "I am the very model of a modern Major General" from their H.M.S. Pinafore provided no obstacle for these four songbirds!

"Cheerily carols the lark" from Ruddigore was given a lovely interpretation by Sarah Best and Cáitlin Burke. "I cannot tell what this love may be" from Patience was sung by Anne Slovin and Alexis Cregger.

We never tire of Gilbert's clever wordplay or Sullivan's memorable tunes and we enjoyed this Savoy feast.

There were other lighthearted songs on the program. "Vodka" (makes me feel oddka) was given a delightful performance by Ms. Best. This song came from the 1926 musical by George Gershwin and Oscar Hammerstein II  called Song of the Flame. The lyrics are clever and Ms. Best's interpretation was, well, "the best".

We also enjoyed her subtle rendering of "Meadowlark" from Stephen Schwartz' The Baker's Wife as well as  "I hate men" from Cole Porter's Kiss Me Kate. "Always true to you in my fashion" from the same show was given a knowing delivery by Ms. Cregger.

Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I produced so many fine songs and "Something Wonderful" was beautifully performed by Ms. Burke, as was "Climb Every Mountain" from Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music.

From a failed show entitled Rags by Charles Strouse we loved the song "Children of the Wind" sung by Ms. Slovin.

Since we did not grow up in the world of American musical theater, most of these songs were new to us and hearing them was a revelation. We are far more familiar with the world of opera and operetta.

From the world of operetta we heard the beautiful "Vilja" from Franz Lehar's Die Lustige Witwe sung by Ms. Cregger and Ms. Slovin's rendering in lovely French "J'en prendrai un deux, trois" from Jacques Offenbach's Pomme d'Api.

From the familiar world of opera, we found Ms. Slovin's performance of Norina's aria "So anch'io al virtù magica" from Donizetti's Don Pasquale to be absolutely enchanting and dramatically valid .

We have saved for last our thrill at hearing the versatile Ms. Cregger perform "Dich, teure Halle" from Wagner's Lohengrin with heroic sound and lots of impetus from Mr. Weinstein's equally heroic piano!

What a splendid night going from one gorgeous song to another with nary a longueur. The time just flew by! Everyone left smiling. Good music will do that for you!

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A RISING STAR UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

Martin Katz and Leah Crocetto

We were thrilled to have the opportunity to experience the auspicious New York recital debut of soprano Leah Crocetto-- up close and personal.  We have not seen this glorious rising star since August of 2014 when we thrilled to her performance in Rossini's Maometto II at the Santa Fe Opera (review archived and available by means of the "search" bar). 

The Schimmel Center at Pace University is not easy to get to from the Upper West Side but it was well worth the travel. We had a completely different experience of this gifted singer in a space that manages to be capacious but also intimate.

We had planned to use all the information gleaned from the week of master classes we attended but the experience of the recital was so absorbing that we forgot everything but the intense pleasure of listening and hearing.  Ms. Crocetto's voice, both powerful and soothing, envelops one like a warm embrace.  The sound is ample but especially so at the upper register when it opens up like a parasol.

Her stage presence is relaxed and compelling. She has arms as graceful as a ballet dancer and uses them expressively. Her onstage ease just pulls you into her world. Her connection with the text allows you to see through her eyes.

How many singers could open a program with a set of Strauss songs? With absolute confidence, she sailed into "Zueignung" letting her voice swell to a stunning climax. We loved her interpretation of "Die Nacht" in which she took some highly expressive breaths. In "Morgen" we noticed the way she caressed each word.  She finished with the passionate "Cäcilie". We heard these songs coached all last week but we seemed to be really hearing them for the first time yesterday.

It was no challenge for Ms. Crocetto to shift gears into some fine French for a quartet of chansons by Henri Duparc, each one a gem. Her legato is so fine that the feeling carried right through the silences. So this is what is meant by "long lines"! We particularly enjoyed the delicacy of "Extase" and the intensity of "L'invitation au voyage". We heard all the colors of the rainbow.

Her performance of three songs by Lizst came as a complete surprise. We are accustomed to hearing "Pace non trovo" sung by a man and sung often in master classes in which a lot of improvements are proposed. Yesterday not a single note needed improvement. Her interpretation of this tale of obsessive love was completely convincing. "I vidi in terra" permitted a different color and a sweetness of tone.

The second half of the program began with an aria from the aforementioned Maometto II which allowed her to show off her coloratura skills and evoked pleasant memories of her Santa Fe performance as Anna.

In three Barber songs her English was totally clear but we preferred the aria "Ain't it a Pretty Night" from Carlisle Floyd's Susanna.

In the Cole Porter set we realized that American song can compete with lied and chanson, without apology. We do not have to set them apart as "cabaret". Sung without amplification, they surely belong in any singer's repertoire, if they can sing them as well as Ms. Crocetto did. We have Steven Blier to thank for opening our ears on this point!

Our rapt attention won us two encores and they were not "throw away" pieces. We heard "Somewhere" from Bernstein's West Side Story, followed by "Il bel sogno di Doretta" from Puccini's Rondine.

The esteemed Martin Katz was her collaborative pianist. We will think of this recital as a yardstick against which all future recitals will be measured.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANTHEM

Spencer Myer, Leah Wool, Michael Slattery, Caitlin Lynch, Sidney Outlaw

"A Banner Bicentennial" marked the 200th birthday of our national anthem which has been sung and celebrated, revered and bowdlerized, during its entire existence.  Its birth, according to Paul Sperry, was a drinking song in 18th c. England.   Francis Scott Key wrote the lyrics 200 years ago to celebrate America's victory in the "Second War of Independence" from Great Britain.  It took a century to be proclaimed as our national anthem and was established as such by a Congressional bill in 1931.  Prior to that time the melody was co-opted by abolitionists and the temperance movement.

But last night at the gloriously historic Federal Hall, this anthem received some mighty royal treatment as five artists gifted the audience with an evening of American song, produced by 5BMF (Five Boroughs Music Festival) and The Casement Fund Song Series.

As if the entertainment were not sufficient, Paul Sperry contributed interesting tidbits of information.  Until the end of the 19th c. there was no separation between popular song and "classical" song.  We could just visualize clusters of happy folk, friends and family gathered around the piano.

Today, popular music is heard on computers and boom boxes and other electronic devices and we sit in concert halls to hear live "art song" recitals with the very best songs originating from Germany, where all the great poets came from--and a set or two of contemporary American "art songs" that we rarely desire to hear again. Sadly, no one sings anymore!

So, it was a great pleasure to hear an evening of American songs culled from all genres with no distinctions made. Of course, the evening began and ended with "The Star Spangled Banner".  (Well, there were two fine folk songs that REALLY began the program but please allow us a bit of literary license.)

Mezzo-soprano Leah Wool sang the 1814 version, complete with an additional stanza that we'd never heard before.  The challenging high notes were so easefully reached that for a moment we thought Ms. Wool was a soprano but, as it turns out, she is a wonderful full-voiced mezzo with a stunning upper register.

The program closed with the quartet of fine singers in thrilling harmony singing an arrangement by Ross W. Duffin.  Versatile pianist Spencer Myer, so excellent in his partnering of the singers, had a chance to shine as a soloist when he played Charles Grobe's "The Stars and Stripes Forever: Brilliant Variations on the Star-Spangled Banner, Op. 490".  This was a mid-19th c. salon piece and required some fleet and fancy fingering.  We had a giggle when strains of "Yankee Doodle Dandy" made their appearance.

Our taste favored the folk songs and spirituals on the program.  Baritone Sidney Outlaw knocked our socks off with an a capella performance of "City Called Heaven". There was such conviction involved that we couldn't help but share the depth of his feelings.  That his baritone is so mellow and caressing just added to the aural pleasure.

Caitlin Lynch's bright and shining soprano did justice to Bernstein's "Simple Song" from his Mass.  In a lighter vein, she charmed us with Cole Porter's "Please Don't Make Me Be Good" from Fifty Million Frenchmen.

Tenor Michael Slattery dazzled us with Bob Dylan's "Chimes of Freedom", accompanying himself on an Indian instrument related to the harmonium.  His fine vibrato and tender tone were perfect for Stephen Foster's "Beautiful Dreamer" (made famous in our own time by Marilyn Horne) and in Bernstein's "Maria" from West Side Story.  His high notes seem to float in the air above his head.

Ms. Wool, so perfect throughout her entire range, was just as fine in Cole Porter's "So in Love" from Kiss Me Kate as she was in the more academic material.  Allowing each of the four singers to sing songs that they loved was likely responsible for the intensity of involvement that we experienced.  That is the essence of a fine song recital--it's all about communication.  The more involved the singer is, the more feeling is communicated to the audience; we leave such a recital feeling fulfilled.

As encore we were treated to the quartet of singers harmonizing in Barber's "Sure on This Shining Night" with beautiful lyrics by James Agee.  In spite of the rain that began just as we left Federal Hall, we knew that we had experienced "a shining night".

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JEROME KERN VIA NYFOS

Mary Feminear, James Knight, Hannah McDermott, Alexander McKissick, Avery Amereau, Josph Eletto, Benjamin Lund and Steven Blier

It was the final "Sing for your Supper" of the season--therefore a bittersweet occasion as the young stars of NYFOS AFTER HOURS made their final appearance before departing for various young artists programs around the world.  We have taken so much pleasure in their performances all year, we wish them well in their summer programs and we can hardly wait for their return.

Last night's program centered on the lyrics of P.G. Wodehouse as set by Jerome Kern, with a couple songs by Cole Porter thrown in for good measure.  Steven Blier (Pianist, Arranger and Host) gave us the lowdown on Mr. Wodehouse's primness and Cole Porter's raciness.  He described Kern's music as akin to Schubert's and indeed, tenor Alexander McKissick's performance of "Go Little Boat" from Miss 1917 struck us as deeply as any of Schubert's lieder.

Baritone Benjamin Lund's artistry in "The Land Where the Good Songs Go" from the same work was equally beautiful.  Could this show really be nearly a century old?  We wish we could see it reprised one day but only if it were done with the same sincerity we heard from Mr. Lund and Mr. McKissick.

Soprano Mary Feminear allowed her sincerity to shine through as well in her lovely performance of the original "Bill", which began life in another show before winding up in Showboat.

Avery Amereau used her dusky mezzo to great advantage in "Siren's Song" from Leave It To Jane.  To add to the overall effect she dressed herself as a flapper!  It was delightful.

Baritone Joseph Eletto sang "My Castle in the Air" from Miss Springtime with the most affecting vibrato and phrasing. He was joined by the very funny tenor James Knight for an hilarious duet from the same show entitled "Saturday Night" about a woman who began the week with virtuous intention but whose "virtue sprang a leak" by the end of the week.  Priceless!  Mr. Knight's solo "Napoleon" from Have a Heart was LMAO funny, not only from the lyrics and his comedic style but also from the fact that he is 6'4".

There were other funny songs--mezzo Hannah McDermott delighted with "Cleopatterer" from Leave it to Jane.  Mr. Wodehouse could certainly come up with some clever rhymes.  She was just as delightful in the opening trio with Mr. Knight and Mr. Lund from the same show--"Sir Galahad', the message of which, strangely enough, did not sound at all dated.

More humor, and perhaps one of the funniest songs on the program, could be found in "We're Crooks" in which Mr. McKissick and Mr. Lund adopted heavy wise-guy accents.  What made the song very timely were the references to Congress and Wall Street as being too crooked for the crooks' taste!

Mr. Blier considers Jerome Kern to be rather refined and Cole Porter to be rather risqué.  The two songs chosen to be on the program to represent Mr. Porter were "You're the Top" and "Anything Goes", both of which were performed by the ensemble.  It appeared that they enjoyed themselves as much as the audience.

This entire affair was staged by the brilliant director Mary Birnbaum, ensuring that each song's dramatic potential was mined.  One doesn't get this quality in the typical cabaret show!

It was a most enjoyable evening and an introduction to many songs we had never met before but of which we were delighted to make the acquaintance.  The only thing missing was Miles Mykkanen singing "Sing for Your Supper".

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PORTS OF CALL

Annie Rosen, Olivia Betzen, Theo Hoffman, Miles Mykkanen, Steven Blier

It's been a scant three weeks since we enjoyed New York Festival of Song's delightful evening "Itinerary of Song" at the National Opera Center.  So why would we brave the nasty April weather to see it again?  Because we were over the moon the first time and yearned to hear those wonderful singers and songs once more.  (To read the original review, please insert "The Singer and the Song" in the search bar.)  The sensational singers from Juilliard tend to graduate or get their advanced degrees and move on, so each performance they give must be treasured.

Since many of these songs are cabaret songs, it was fun to hear the program in the lively and casual atmosphere of Henry's Restaurant on the Upper West Side.  The welcome is warm, the food is delicious and the service unobtrusive, so the audience can feel free to relax and laugh at the humorous lyrics--and laugh they did!

Tenor Miles Mykkanen opened the program with "Sing for Your Supper" from the 1938 Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart 1938 musical The Boys from Syracuse.  As a matter of fact, the title of this entire series at Henry's is "Sing for Your Supper--NYFOS After Hours".  We admit to some concern about who could ever sing this charming ditty when Mr. M. is engaged elsewhere.  He just oozes personality and good humor from every pore and evokes every nuance from the clever lyrics.

The staging of our other favorite number, Cole Porter's "The Kling-Kling Bird" had the two lovely women in the cast playing the part of the birds admonishing the traveler to stay away from the ladies of foreign lands, one of whom was a cannibal. The traveler at risk was, of course, Mr. M.  We were grinning from ear to ear.

Mr. M. is no less affecting when he is serious; Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov's "Song of the Indian Merchant" was sung in beautiful Russian.

Baritone Theo Hoffman had his turn at humor as well and the audience responded with peals of laughter to his delightful delivery of Noël Coward's "Uncle Harry"; he described in a charming British accent the adventures of Uncle Harry the missionary which led to his departure from an unnamed third world country.  Just a tad naughty.  Wheeee!  In perfect Spanish he showed his serious side in Carlos Guastavino's "Pampamapa".

Mezzo-soprano Annie Rosen gave a moving account of Kurt Weill's "J'attends un navire".  Soprano Olivia Betzen was the perfect choice to sing Ernesto Nazareth's "Nenê" by virtue of being beautiful and scintillating as the song requires.  These two lovely ladies were joined by the men for the hilarious tale of a newly widowed British mum who goes wild in "A Bar on the Piccola Marina" by Noël Coward.

And they also raised their voices together in gorgeous harmony for Wilhelm Stenhammar's song about Turkey "I Seraillets Have".

As is customary, Maestro Steven Blier accompanied on the piano and narrated the evening in his charming style.  Quel raconteur!  Although a few songs from the prior performance were omitted we did not feel cheated.  The joy of the audience was palpable as they surrounded and congratulated the artists.  We walked out into the nasty April weather, now oblivious to it, feeling only the contentment of an hour well spent.

As attached as we have become to these impressive young artists we have confidence that Mr. Blier will come up with other engaging evenings of song.

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THE SINGER AND THE SONG

Theo Hoffman, Annie Rosen, Olivia Betzen, Miles Mykkanen

Sometimes the singer "makes" the song; he or she puts an interesting new spin on a song we never liked much or have grown tired of.  Sometimes the song "makes" the singer; it is so well written that it brings out the best in the one who sings it.  And sometimes both singer and song are perfectly matched.  Such is the case when recital wizard Steven Blier creates an evening of song for the New York Festival of Song, of which he is Artistic Director.  He always has an unusual theme in mind and always curates just the right songs and finds the right singers to bring them to life.

The theme of last night's recital was travel.  Composers who used texts describing adventures in other more exotic lands were given a hearing, for example Anton Rubinstein's setting of a text by Friedrich Martin von Bodenstedt "Gelb rollt mir zu Füssen" based on an Azerbaijani text describing Persia.  Now that's rather international in scope!

The recital was a culmination of a weeklong professional training residency at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts and the five rising stars on the program appeared to have had a great deal of fun along with their prodigious efforts.  The joy they felt in singing was contagious; we comprised a happy audience.

Coming out on top of the collection of songs were those by Cole Porter and Noël Coward; the English language lends itself so well to humor!  The remarkable tenor Miles Mykkanen, who has acting chops to match his matchless voice, gave a performance of "The Kling-Kling Bird on the Divi-Divi Tree" that is unlikely to be equalled.  It beggars description.  You will just have to attend tonight's repeat performance at 7:00 and you will likely write us a thank you note for the recommendation.

The marvelous baritone Theo Hoffman, not to be outdone, gave an hilarious performance of Coward's "Uncle Harry", not missing a single opportunity to draw giggles from the audience.  Both of these versatile artists joined forces for Hoagy Carmichael's "Hong Kong Blues", while Mr. Blier accompanied them with some very jazzy riffs on the piano.

Mr. Hoffman showed his serious side in Carlos Guastavino's "Pampamapa, aire de Huella" which expresses the pain of exile.  He sang it in perfect Argentinian dialect with some admirable melismatic singing.  It was heartbreaking.

Soprano Olivia Betzen is new to us but we will be very happy to hear more of her.  Her performance of Georges Bizet's "Adieux de l'hôtesse arabe" (one of the few songs on the program with which we are familiar) was delivered with sensuality and a fine trill.  We also enjoyed her performance of Enrique Granados' "Callejeo"; we are always delighted with zarzuela and tonadillas.

Mezzo-soprano Annie Rosen, also new to us, was delightful in William Bolcom's "To My Old Addresses" in which Leann Osterkamp (who shared accompanying with Mr. Blier) got an opportunity to show off her skill at the piano.  Ms. Rosen was heart-wrenching in the desperate "J'attends un navire" by Kurt Weill.

The four singers and Ms. Osterkamp worked very well as an ensemble.  We particularly enjoyed Coward's "In a bar on the Piccolo Marina" for its raunchy English music hall humor.  In Wilhelm Stenhammar's "I seraillets have" their harmonies teased the ear with pleasure, as they also did in the encore, Frank Loesser's "Slow Boat to China".

In an all-too-brief 90 minutes we were transported to South America and Europe, Scandinavia, India, Asia and the Middle-East--all without fighting for space in an overhead compartment.  Viva NYFOS, and ....thanks for the memories.

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JOHN + MARIO = MAGIC

Mario Antonio Marra and John Brancy

When the judges of the Marilyn Horne Song Competition chose baritone John Brancy and pianist Mario Antonio Marra as their 2013 winners they chose extraordinarily well.  This pair made magic yesterday in their recital at the National Opera Center.  When Mr. Brancy performs Robert Schumann's Dichterliebe at Carnegie Hall (no doubt he will have that opportunity), we will sit there smugly knowing that we heard it in the intimate environment that the work demands.

Mr. Brancy is a born storyteller and sings from a place deep within; he sings in an expressive manner that never panders to the audience but rather invites the audience to join him on his profound inward journey.  Unlike Schubert's song cycles, Dichterliebe is an inner journey.  There is no leierman, no miller, no brook, no frost on the window.  There is just the singer and his tale of a love lost, indeed lost rather early in the cycle. 

The remainder of the cycle relates the varying emotions he feels as he works through the loss; we experience with him the stages of anger, grief, bitterness, despair and ultimately acceptance as he confines his old songs to an hyperbolic coffin given a burial at sea.  Mr. Brancy and Mr. Marra plumbed every emotional depth leaving us feeling emotionally wrung out but artistically satisfied.

We welcomed the respite of intermission to restore our equanimity.  Three songs by Dvořák followed and we recalled an evening at Juilliard when we spent an evening listening to and growing accustomed to the sound of the difficult Czech language.  The effort spent in learning to sing in Czech yielded a big bonus for the listener since the songs are beyond lovely.

The first two were settings of Greek poems about mothers and sons.  In the first, a woman is learning of her son's successes in destroying Turkish pashas and armies and the second related the tale of a shepherd who disobeys his mother's advice and plays his pipes for the Nereids.  A third song entitled "Cypresses" was about the pains of love and had some gorgeous melodies typical of the composer's nationalistic bent.

Following this we heard the premiere of Force, an impressive work commissioned by Gary Portadin--a collaboration between composer Chris Kapica, poet Robert Corsini and Mr. Brancy.  In a universe of ugly and meaningless contemporary poetry which has been set to equally ugly and meaningless music, this work shines as brightly as Jupiter in the night sky.  The theme of man overcoming a mechanistic world and achieving identity through creative self-definition is a worthwhile subject for exploration.  Mr. Corsini's poetry rhymes (!) and scans (!!) and Mr. Kapica's music expresses and augments the ideas both the mechanistic ones and the spiritual ones, challenging the listener without hurting the ears.  Mr. Brancy's performance seemed to come from a very profound place.

The program concluded with three 20th c. American songs that were given the same attention and respect as lieder.  In each case Mr. Marra played with the songs in his own superb arrangements that tickled the ear.  In Hoagy Carmichael's "The Nearness of You" Mr. Brancy's beautiful baritone caressed each word as Mr. Marra's digits caressed the keys of the piano.  We heard some truly gorgeous floated top notes.

Jerome Kern's "The Folks Who Live on the Hill" was given a jazzy treatment by Mr. Marra in beautiful counterpoint to Mr. Brancy's sincerity.  Cole Porter's "Night and Day" offered a fine sense of fun with twinkles in the eyes. 

As an encore, Stephen Foster's "Beautiful Dreamer" was sung in tribute to Marilyn Horne.  How many times we have listened to her sing this treasure on You Tube!  It was the perfect end to a magical recital.  We will fall into bed with some beautiful dreams of a well-spent evening.

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MUSICALS TONIGHT! MUSICALS EVERY NIGHT!

Natalie Ramirez as Lolita--Photo: Michael Portantiere, FollowSpotPhoto.com,

We have been widening our view beyond opera and examining musical theater, especially as it relates to opera (thanks, Steven Blier, for opening our eyes).  We were eager to see the work of Musicals Tonight!  founded by Mel Miller in 1997.  The company has a loyal base of subscribers, musical theater lovers who cherish the opportunity to see overlooked and forgotten treasures brought to theatrical life.

Last night was opening night for Cole Porter's Mexican Hayride and a wild ride it was.  It opened in 1943 and was a huge hit on Broadway for well over a year.  One can easily see why.  It is lighthearted entertainment, starred June Havoc and Bobby Clark,  and must have delighted an audience filled with servicemen on leave and theatergoers longing for distraction from the anxiety of being at war. 

The major draw of reviving this show not seen in seventy years would have to be Cole Porter's music.  Granted this is second-rate Porter but second-rate Porter is far more listenable than most composers writing today.  He knows his way around a rhyme and gets a great synergy going between words and music.  Music Director James Stenborg did a fine job of arranging.  We enjoyed the onstage trumpet during the mariachi scene.

However the book by Herbert and Dorothy Fields is absurd and terminally dated.  The humor is often smarmy and old-fashioned.  Interesting how an opera written in 1843 never seems dated but a musical written a century later does.  The clichés are abundant and often embarrassing.  The preposterous story concerns a numbers racketeer on the lam from the law in the USA who catches a bull's ear thrown at him after a bullfight and thereby becomes celebrated in some North/South of the Border fellowship festival.  He can't stay hidden for long since his abandoned wife comes looking for him and her sister is the famous bullfighter of the ear-throwing episode; of course he assumes a number of ridiculous disguises to avoid being caught and extradited.  It's quite a part to play but M.X. Soto overplayed it with an excess of mugging, rather than finding the charming core that sociopaths generally exhibit.  But we did enjoy his duet with the bullfighter "Count Your Blessings" toward the end of the show.

The performance we enjoyed the most was Natalie Ramirez as Lolita, the local lounge singer.  Ms. Ramirez performed off-book and we admired her moves in a very sexy gown as well as her willingness to learn the part and throw herself into it. Her two solos "Tequila" and "Carlotta" were delightful.  We enjoyed Jessica Wagner as the bullfighter Montana and her romantic duet "It's Just Yours" with Jacob L. Smith, an attaché at the American Embassy.  Amie Bermowitz was entertaining as Dagmar with a great song "Humble Hollywood Executive".  Unfortunately her Russian accent was intermittent.  David Marmanillo made a fine Lombo, Lolita's manager who gets unwittingly embroiled in the racketeer's nefarious activities in Mexico that steal business from the national lottery.

Hearing unamplified voices singing good music was a special treat for us; performances hampered in their connection with the audience by the presence of scores was not.  There are probably some good reasons for their presence but it was distracting, particularly during the choreographed moments.  It would appear that Director/Choreographer Thomas Sabella-Mills did the best he could on the tiny stage of the Lion Theater and we expect that as the two week run wears on the direction will get a bit tighter.  We would like to offer a kind word to the Costume Designer if only one were listed; the costumes were very appropriate to the 1940's.

In two weeks, Musicals Tonight! will present Smile! by Marvin Hamlisch and Howard Ashmen.  1986 may seem a bit more au courant than 1944.

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ISABEL-BEL-BELLA

Isabel Leonard

Vlad Iftinca

It was a very personal and satisfying recital last night at Zankel Hall when Isabel Leonard and Vlad Iftinca collaborated in a way that honored Ms. Leonard's Argentinian-American heritage.  As a tribute to her Argentinian mother, the first half of the program comprised Spanish songs, some familiar and some new to us-- and happy discoveries they were.

Ms. Leonard has been thrilling us with her marvelous mezzo instrument, her musicality and intimate presentation since her undergraduate days at Juilliard.  She manifests the qualities that we so admire in any singer of songs; she invites the members of the audience to join her on a very personal journey, following the advice of James Levine who once, in a master class, advised her to sing songs she loves.  She addressed the audience with brief anecdotes and made good eye contact; she moved about the stage with ease.  We were instantly won over by these qualities.

Mr. Iftinca, well known from his work with The Metropolitan Opera and from his coaching at the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program is a stylish pianist and preternaturally tuned in to his singer and supportive in every way.  Together they make a fine team and reportedly chose the program together.

The songs were well-chosen to demonstrate a range of emotions.  The order in which they were sung was atypical and not organized by composer so that the audience applauded after each and every one.  We heard songs by Manuel De Falla, Federico García Lorca, Enrique Granados, Frederic Mompou, Xavier Montsalvatge, and Joaquín Valverde Sanjuán--a veritable banquet.  We have been hearing more and more Spanish music this year and are glad for it.  Some of them can be labeled (if you must label) as folk songs or zarzuela but it doesn't matter.  When sung by an artist they are all "art songs".  We particularly enjoyed it when Ms. Leonard used her lovely body in a little dance, as in Sanjuán's "Clavelitos", revealing her delightful personality.

Each song offered new delights, a graceful portamento in García Lorca's "Los Pelegrinitos", a soaring vocal line in the loving "Gracia mía", the wild dance of Montsalvatge's "Canto negro", a thrilling vibrato in De Falla's  "Preludios".  Mr. Iftinca brought out every flavor of Spain, particularly in the folk melodies of García Lorca.  There were no projected titles and one didn't want to take one's eyes off the stage but the mood of each song came through clearly, even if one did not understand the Spanish.  The two artists moved easily from irony to joy, from flirtatiousness to pensiveness, from heartbreak to anxiety.

The second half of the program comprised American songs, a tribute to  Ms. Leonard's American father.  Again, we heard songs one might label "cabaret" or "popular" but in Mr. Iftinca's hands and with Ms. Leonard's voice, they are all art songs.  Our personal favorites were Jennifer Higdon's "Hop and Toe Dance" (a New York premiere), Ernest Charles' "When I have sung my songs", Adam Guettel's highly accessible "How can I lose you?" and, above all Cole Porter's "Where, Oh Where".  Two world premieres were on the program and Ms. Leonard introduced the composers Glen Roven and Ben Moore.

As if this banquet were not enough, we were treated to three encores:  Rossini's "Canzonetta Spagnuola" with its thrilling trills and fleet runs, an hilarious aria from Offenbach's La Périchole, and "There's a place for us" from Bernstein's West Side Story.  Each one was graced by Ms. Leonard's unique communicative skills.  It is a rare art to be able to immerse oneself in the song and yet to retain one's own identity.

© meche kroop