THE PEARL IN THE OYSTER

Corinne Winters  and Ilker Arcayürek in Les Pêcheurs de Perles
(photo by Curtis Brown for the Santa Fe Opera)

Last night was our first night at the Santa Fe Opera and we have nothing but wonderful things to say about their production of Bizet's Les Pêcheurs de Perles. Is this the same production we saw seven years ago? We recall enjoying it but last night's iteration brought the work into sharper focus, both dramatically and musically. This is an opera that is not frequently heard but almost every opera lover is familiar with the famous Nadir-Zurga duet "Oui, c'est elle, c'est la déesse" in which both men make vows going against the nature of love. Almost every competition and recital in New York has this duet on the program.




But hearing the entire opera is a special treat and offers several more arias and duets that merit ones attention. If you, dear reader, have never listened to the opera in toto, we recommend it highly. Even better, come to Santa Fe for one of the two final performances on 8/16 and 8/23.




Much of the credit for this success can be attributed to the excellent casting. In the role of the Brahmin Priestess Leíla, we heard one of our favorite sopranos enjoyed so often at New York Festival of Song--Corinne Winters. Opera, lieder, and cabaret are three very different categories and it is astonishing to hear someone gifted in all three. This petite young woman has a voice that is anything but petite--the timbre and resonance are appealing and the vocal colors with which she imbued the various scenes showed the measure of her artistry. Nor could one fault her superb acting.




As the Hunter Nadir who simply cannot forget her, we heard tenor Ilker Arcayürek, previously unknown to us, but making a fine impression with his pleasing instrument, fine phrasing, and convincing acting.




Equally impressive in the role of Head Honcho Zurga we heard baritone Anthony Clark Evans who sang with beautiful phrasing and heartfelt emotion. He too was successful at coloring his voice in ways that enhanced our understanding of his emotional journey. 




As happy as we were that Leíla and Nadir escaped their death sentence and went off to live happily ever after, we were equally sad for Zurga who overcame his rage at Leíla for preferring Nadir and his pain and anger at Nadir's betrayal. His vengeful anger, his forgiveness, the nobility he expressed in self-sacrifice--all were perfectly portrayed.




Bass Robert Pomakov was scarily convincing as the High Priest Nourabad. His rumbling bass and aggressive postures were chilling.




The chorus of Santa Fe Apprentice Singers performed brilliantly as usual and for this we acknowledge Susanne Sheston, whose fine work has impressed us from one year to the next




Director Shawna Lucey showed us aspects of the story that we had previously overlooked. Although the love triangle and the issues of revenge and forgiveness are universal. Ms. Lucey went a long way toward giving us the  specific context within which the story develops. The trend of setting libretti in exotic locales was common in the 19th c.--a trend that we love--and librettists Eugène Cormon and Michel Carré selected the island formerly known as Ceylon with the action taking place in a community of pearl divers.




The risk of this occupation was made clear with drowned bodies being washed ashore; the devotion in the ensuing funereal Hindu ritual was also made clear. And so we have a greater understanding of the vital role of the visiting priestess Leíla and the importance the community placed on her chastity whilst she sang and prayed all night for their safety.




The issues of love versus duty, betrayal and revenge, all can be generalized from the specific; similarly the domination of a vengeful leader whipping his followers into a frenzy of murderous rage can also be generalized and seems particularly relevant to our time. It is this work the listener performs in finding analogies with the present that we find so woefully missing in "updated" productions.




On the podium we had Maestro Timothy Myers who elicited some fine playing from the orchestra. Bizet's music is inventive of melody, lush of harmony, and colorful of orchestration. Mo. Myers brought out every recurrence of every theme. We heard an outstanding oboe solo and a beautiful chorale of muted brass. We also enjoyed the contributions of the harp. We heard what sounded like a Venetian barcarolle that certainly evoked the seaside nature of the locale.




Jean-Marc Puissant's set was serviceable but not remarkable. The action was surrounded by a gilded frame, reminding us that this is an escapist fantasy. But why did some action take place in front of the frame? And what was meant by the presence of a very European desk and chair that seemed to serve no purpose. In the final act, the gilt frame was askew and the stage was filled with broken furniture and a huge plaster sculpture that we finally figured out was the hand of a Buddha statue. Perhaps all this was meant to suggest the destruction wrought by angry gods over Leíla's betrayal of her vow of chastity.




Lighting by Rick Fisher was augmented by Mother Nature who seemed to provide flashes of lightning at all the right times, as is so often the case at Santa Fe Opera. (We recall a terrific storm one night in the final act of Rigoletto which outdid Verdi's orchestral storm.)




Brigitte Reiffenstuel's costumes for the chorus and principals were apt but Leíla's second costume was breathtaking. She looked like a mermaid sitting on a rock, or perhaps like the Lorelei luring men to their destruction.  Who could resist?




The opera premiered in 1863 at the Théâtre-Lyrique de Paris. Neither comic nor tragic, it was considered insufficiently grand for the Opéra but too serious for the Opéra-Comique. It languished until the mid 20th c. and we are glad that it has entered the repertoire.




Do see it!




(c) meche kroop

LETTERS FROM SPAIN

Theo Lebow, Michael Barrett, Corinne Winters and Alexey Lavrov with Steven Blier at the piano

We have just spent a couple hours reading Steven Blier's program notes from last night's New York Festival of Song recital Letters from Spain: A World of Song in Spanish Poetry. Mr. Blier's talents go way beyond playing the piano, arranging, translating, curating and coaching young singers.  He is also an educator and has generously shared the fruits of his research. We learned a great deal about Europe's fascination with Iberian poetry and the many composers who set diverse works to music, from the simplest folk melodies to the most elaborate compositional efforts.

We have simple taste and favor folk melodies that tickle the ear and stick in the brain. That being said, the entire program was worthwhile and the three singers, while not Spanish, did a superlative job of transmitting the Spanish flavor. It is not only Russian music that delves into suffering; they have plenty of competition from Spain in its cante jondo.

One of the most fascinating items on the program was the opening song "Todos duermen, corazón" which Robert Schumann set to music in its German translation--known as "In der Nacht". But Mr. Blier observed that the scansion of the original Spanish worked equally well with the music and that is what we heard; and that was what charmed us. Soprano Corinne Winters and tenor Theo Lebow joined voices in gorgeous harmony which alternated with overlapping melodies. Schumann's piano writing here sounded strangely baroque. We loved it!

Baritone Alexey Lavrov poured his passion into another Schumann song, this one in the German of Emanuel von Geibel--"Geständnis". Mr. Lavrov does passion very well as we learned in Tchaikovsky's "Don Juan's Serenade", a setting of text by Tolstoy. One can't go wrong with Tolstoy! Lest one conclude that Mr. Lavrov only sings passionate songs, a charming Shostakovich song "Little Stars" was given every ounce of humor called for, in what began life as a folk song.

This was by far our favorite Shostakovich song since the following ones struck us as a bit ponderous or filled with suffering. Nonetheless, the melismatic singing in "Farewell Granada!" was absolutely amazing.

Ms. Winters's singing was captivating. Her delivery is slightly on the side of restraint and we found her very much in tune with Hugo Wolf whose "Geh', Geliebter, geh' jetzt", is yet another adaptation of Spanish poetry by von Geibel. The singer in the song is bidding a reluctant farewell to her lover at dawn in order to avoid scandal. 

We also thrilled to her delivery of "Se equivocó la paloma" one of several songs by the Argentinian Carlos Guastavino, of whom we cannot hear enough. This song is a setting of text by the Spanish writer Rafael Alberti who fled Spain for Argentina. Mr. Blier, always wonderful at shedding light on the songs he curates, introduced the song by explaining that the dove in the song was not romantically deceived but politically deceived. 

Her performance of the next two Guastavino songs was no less wonderful--the austere "La palomita" and "Elegía" with its heraldic sound in the piano. Perhaps it was our imagination but we thought Ms. Winters sang it with an Argentinian accent! There was no mistaking the Catalonian dialect of "Elegía eterna" by the beloved Enrique Granados. In this song, every element of nature is in love with another element that favors yet another.  No love is requited. Ms. Winters sang it with deep feeling.

Mr. Lebow gave alternating delicacy and passion to Hugo Wolf's "Qué producirá mi Dios" evincing astute dynamic control. He also sang a set of songs drawn from William Bolcom's Canciones de Lorca. The dense piano writing required two pianos and four hands in "Alba" with Michael Barrett joining Mr. Blier. The piano writing in "Soneta de la dulce queja" was contrastingly spare. Mr. Lebow adapted his voice readily. We enjoyed the dance rhythm of "El poeta llega a la Habana".

"Zorongo", another poem by Garcia Lorca was set by Anton Garcia Abril, a 20th c. composer. Mr. Lavrov did justice to the passion and the tenderness as Lorca wrote of his love for a man--quite a risky situation in his time and place.

The Renaissance chant "Ay, trista vida corporal!" was sung a capella by Mr. Lebow to stunning effect. The melismatic parts revealed an Arabic influence.

The ensemble joined for the lighthearted tonadilla "El tripili" from an 18th c. zarzuela and for the beautiful encore "Anhelo", Guastavino's setting of a text by Domingo Zerpa. It was a simple folky tune and just our cup of ....sangria!

(c) meche kroop

SUN SET

Joseph Dennis and Corinne Winters (photo by Ken Howard)

A rebellious young woman enrages her father by marrying his best friend who is already married. A nation emerges from centuries of feudalism and endures chaos on its lengthy pathway toward modernity.  Do these story lines sound familiar?  Do they sound like the stuff of opera?  Yes indeed!

The Santa Fe Opera is notable for tackling contemporary operas every season and this year's entry was  the very worthy Dr. Sun Yat-Sen by Huang Ruo who composed some very interesting music made dramatic by the liberal use of percussion.  Carolyn Kuan's conducting was exemplary.

Listening to the fine singing in Mandarin (and some in Cantonese) one could easily forget how much effort went into learning a language phonetically that is so very different from European languages. Mandarin is actually a "sung" language with words having different meanings depending upon the tones which rise and fall musically.  These tones must be sacrificed to sing on the proper pitch which makes it difficult, even for speakers of Mandarin, to understand.

Notwithstanding, the superb singers rose to the challenge.  Most astonishing was the performance of tenor Joseph Dennis as the good doctor himself.  Mr. Dennis is a member of the Apprentice Program and expected to serve as cover.  In a life-changing twist of fate, he wound up the star and garnered universal praise for his exceptionally fine portrayal.  He is onstage singing in nearly every scene and the music is difficult.  He sounded even stronger at the end than he did at the start.  Such are the benefits of a healthy young voice!

As his love interest Soong Ching-Ling, the superb soprano Corinne Winters gave a sensitive portrayal of a young woman who idealized this humble doctor who gave up everything to fight for China's future.  Her voice is nicely focused and has just the right amount of vibrato.  The love duet in Act II was meltingly tender and our favorite scene.

As Dr. Sun's first wife from a youthful arranged marriage we enjoyed soprano Rebecca Witty, another apprentice getting an opportunity for a breakthrough.  Her sacrifice was to grant Dr. Sun a divorce so he could marry Soong Ching-ling.  She has a touching aria in which she tells of being neglected by her husband who was so busy with politics and often in exile.  There was even a touch of humor when she told of her wish to marry an ordinary man in her next life.

As Charlie Soong, Ching-Ling's father, Gong Dong-Jian employed his bass well, both in friendship for Dr. Sun and later in rage when he felt betrayed.  As his wife, mezzo-soprano MaryAnn McCormick was a sympathetic character and we particularly enjoyed her scene with her daughter as papa lay dying. Charlie's reconciliation with his daughter was most touching.

The Japanese friends of Dr. Sun, Mr. and Mrs. Umeya, were portrayed by baritone Chen Ye Yuan and apprentice mezzo-soprano Katherine Carroll.

Should you know what was going on in China at the time that the United States and Europe were involved with The Great War, you would recognize how the libretto by Candace Chong simplified a very complicated story; there were long years of chaos and revolution as Dr. Sun labored to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and establish a democratic government.

But this is opera and such simplification is necessary. Sufficient it is to know that this humble idealist is still regarded as the father of his country, not only by the Chinese but also by the Taiwanese. The libretto was somewhat static with not much happening onstage. Director James Robinson did what he could to move the story along.

The set was designed by Allen Moyer with the outstanding element being bamboo scaffolding, symbolic of construction and change, erected on both sides and rear of the stage.  Other elements comprised a few pieces of period furniture.

The gorgeous costumes by James Schuette accurately depicted what was worn by both privileged Chinese women and by Westerners at the turn of the 20th c.  One could appreciate the style changes that occurred during the scenes set a couple decades later.  Much research must have been done.

The addition of dancers was an excellent choice as they illustrated the hard lives of the peasants during the feudal period.  Sean Curran's choreography bound the scenes together.

It was a genuine pleasure to hear a contemporary opera with great music.  It was also a great pleasure to hear it sung in Mandarin.  Translated into English, the dialogue would have sounded silly.

(c) meche kroop

CUBA LIBRE

Ricardo Herrera, Corinne Winters, Jeffrey Picon, Leonardo Granados, Steven Blier, Michael Barrett

Just like the popular drink, last night's NYFOS recital "Cubans in Paris, Cubans at Home" was suffused with sweetness and strong spirits, with a touch of tartness.  It was a tasty draft and an intoxicating one.

When Artistic Director Steven Blier puts a program together you can count on an entertaining evening that is also instructive.  If you only listened to the music you could leave happy, but if you paid attention to Mr. Blier's charming narration you would have learned more about the culture and history that produced the music than you ever dreamed of, and you would have learned it painlessly.  And if you read the program notes you will know more than most people.

We had only been aware of the 1959 revolution that overthrew the corrupt dictator Fulgencio Batista and installed Fidel Castro; but before Batista, Cuba was in the hands of the repressive Gerardo Machado and many of Cuba's musicians, composers and performers alike, fled the violent Machadistas and a Cuba impoverished by the hemispheric economic collapse.  Paris welcomed them with open arms.

Last night's program began with a popular song of 1853 by José White entitled "La Bella Cubana", the theme of which reminded us of "The Girl from Ipanema".  Tenor Jeffrey Picón and baritone Ricardo Herrera  sang this duet to soprano Corinne Winters, praising her beauty.  The gorgeous melody was definitely inspired by the bel canto period, which may explain its being our favorite song of the evening. This may be the only song that Mr. White wrote; he was a child prodigy and a violinist who studied at the Paris Conservatoire.

The rest of the evening's program focused on the first half of the 20th c.  Racial tensions ran high in Cuba and music was one way to bridge the gap between the Caucasians and the Afro-Cubanos who were descended from slaves.  Accompanied by the percussion of Leonardo Granados, Ms. Winters sang Eliso Grenet's "Lamento esclavo", a rather gentle protest song of a slave of the Lucumi tribe; Mr. Picón sang a lament of a Karabali man "Canto Karabali" by the well-known Ernesto Lecuona, accompanied by both Mr. Blier and Associate Artistic Director Michael Barrett.  Both performances were moving.

The two men sang a funny duet by Alejandro Garcia Caturla which dealt with the pain of a man trying to meet American girls and striking out because he'd never learned to speak English.

Zarzuela has always been a major delight to us and we fondly recall an evening spent with Opera Hispanica, listening to a panel of experts discussing its origins.  It's been a very long time since we had the pleasure of hearing and seeing a complete zarzuela; hearing excerpts of a few last night gave us great pleasure.  Cuban zarzuelas were a means of dealing with the social and racial tensions of the 30's.  We loved Mr. Herrera's heartfelt performance of "Mi vida es cantar" from La Virgen Morena and Ms. Winters and Mr. Picón's charming duet "Yo vivi soñando en un cuartico" from Lecuona's Rosa la China.

But our favorites were excerpts from Toi C'est Moi by Moisés Simons.  The gentlemen's duet had a lively music hall feel and Ms. Winters' "C'est ça la vie" was an arresting take on the Carmen story in which Carmen kills a cheating Escamillo.

Most surprising were the final songs on the program: "Guarina" written by Sindo Garay, an illiterate Cuban-Indian, to his daughter, and "Son de la Loma" by another untrained musician.  In every case, Cuban music is rhythmically vital, making it difficult to stay seated.

Like the drink, it all went down easily.  Happily, we are not left with a hangover but we are left with a desire for more.

© meche kroop

A TRIO WOWS A FULL HOUSE

Ken Noda, Matthew Polenzani, Corinne Winters

The George London Foundation for Singers got their recital series off to a stellar start with yesterday's recital.  The "trio" that wowed a "full house" comprised celebrated tenor Matthew Polenzani, rising star soprano Corinne Winters and beloved collaborative pianist Ken Noda in a well-thought-out program that gave each artist a chance to shine.  We know Mr. Polenzani only from his onstage appearances at the Metropolitan Opera and Ms. Winters only from her enchanting performances with the New York Festival of Song.  What a treat to see and hear Mr. P. up close and personal and to hear Ms. W. treat a New York audience to the kind of singing for which she has been acclaimed worldwide.

She has a rich resonance in her voice, belying the claim that petite singers have petite voices.  She performed a set of songs by Reynaldo Hahn and Camille Saint-Saëns in fine French, employing dramatic word coloring and emphasizing the dark richness of her voice.  In "Dis-moi que je suis belle" from Massenet's Thaïs she conveyed the character's insecurity with total conviction.  We loved Rimsky-Korsakov's "Dreams of a Summer Night" in which a young maiden dreams of a romantic awakening.

Mr. Polenzani mastered all the subtleties of "Wie singt die Lerche schön" in a lovely set of songs by Liszt; our favorite in this set was the gorgeous "Die stille Wasserose" in which the silence between the notes maintained the delicate mood most effectively.  In contrast, "Es rauschen die Winde" was an expression of anguish and loss.  The tenor's secure technique allowed him to immerse himself in the text.  Later in "Pourquoi me réveiller" from Massenet's Werther we felt the hero's heart breaking in passionate lament.  An exquisite diminuendo heightened the effect.  In this French-heavy recital we were delighted that Ravel's Cinq mélodies populaires grecques were included.  Mr. P. showed his humorous side in "Quel gallant m'est comparable" and the audience loved it.  They also appreciated his charming informality, waving to his children in the audience.

We literally could not wait to hear the two artists in a duet and were amply rewarded by the entire St. Sulpice scene from Act III of Massenet's Manon.  Manon, that manipulative bad girl, enters the church where Des Grieux is about to take orders and seduces him away from his religious calling.  Although the voices were perfectly matched, poor Des Grieux is no match for Manon's wiles.  The scene was so well done that sets and costumes appeared in our mind's eye.  Well, not the sets and costumes of the current unloved incarnation at the Met but from an earlier production that we loved and lost.

Another duet was performed as an encore--the one from Bernstein's Candide in which Candide and Cunégonde sing their very conflicting views of what their marital bliss would be.  It was lighthearted and amusing and sent the audience out on a (ahem) high note.  Throughout the recital Ken Noda supported the singers with the kind of attention that we must never take for granted.  We particularly enjoyed the way he conveyed the tinkling of the fountain in the opening chanson "Les fontaines" and the many colors in Rachmaninoff's "Dreams".

We want to urge everyone who loves vocal music to get on board for this tantalizing series of recitals in which the George London Foundation pairs an artist who is a recent prize winner with an artist who was awarded a prize in the recent past.  May they continue forever to award prizes to such deserving artists!

ⓒ meche kroop

AUTUMN IN NEW YORK

Ms. Worsham, Mr. Brancy, Mr. Greenhalgh, Mr. Bielfield, Ms. Winters, and Mr. Bliss

The fall music season has gotten off to a dazzling start this past week with a major boost from Steven Blier whose New York Festival of Song always gives us something to celebrate.  Performing at Henry's, the consummately hospitable Upper West Side institution known for yummy food and professional service, Maestro Blier brought his crew of wildly talented young singers to entertain the overflowing crowd with a selection of songs suited to the season.

Mr. Blier wears many hats and wears all of the them well, with a jauntiness that makes everyone feel good and fall instantly in love with him.  He hosts the event, narrates with charming anecdotes, arranges the music and performs at the piano; but, most importantly perhaps, he seeks out just the right singers to suit his upbeat style.

The evening began with a big bonus--the inimitable Miles Mykkanen performing "Sing for your Supper" from The Boys from Syracuse by Rogers and Hart.  His charming persona was the perfect start for the evening and "Sing for your Supper" will now be he title for all the NYFOS evenings at Henry's.

Leading off the programmed part of the evening was tenor Kyle Bielfield whose seductive voice made "Dream with Me"...well...dreamy!  This lovely romantic song was composed by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Comden and Green.  (You will hear more from us in the near future about Mr. B's newly-released CD with Lachlan Glen which is already topping the charts.)  Mr. Bielfield was joined by barihunk (OH, NO, we didn't just say that!) Tobias Greenhalgh for the spirited "Rumba Blanca" by Armando Oréfiche.  The always wonderful baritone John Brancy, newly back in NY after some major successes abroad, sang Marc Blitzstein's "Stay in My Arms" and was just as wonderfully listenable later in the program in Cole Porter's "Night and Day".

The women on the program were no less delightful.  Corinne Winters sang Xavier Montsalvatge's "Paisatge del Montseny" and Jésus Guridi's folk poem "Cómo quieres que adivine" which suited her voice to a "T".  Lauren Worsham was absolutely adorable in two timely songs about auditions, as Mr. Blier pointed out that autumn in New York is all about auditions.  Ms. Worsham has a fine sense of theater and we in the audience were given a hefty dose of what it's like to go to open calls.

Mr. Greenhalgh made some really good music with Kurt Weill's setting of Maxwell Anderson's text in "September Song" which Mr. Blier said he had neglected for many years after a hefty overdose.  It was indeed time to revive this nostalgic number.

Tenor Ben Bliss played guitar and sang "Forever My Friend" by Ray LaMontagne, following which he sang "Au fond du temple saint" with Mr. Greenhalgh and we almost fell off our chair in amazement to hear this gorgeous operatic voice.  Regular readers will have no doubt which song we preferred.  Just sayin'.

The satisfying evening was brought to a close with the entire cast singing Vernon Duke's "Autumn in New York";  summer is over and we have ushered in the autumn in high style.  These delightful evenings of fine food, wonderful music and good fellowship fill up fast and we promise to let you know about the next "Sing for Your Supper" event in enough time to get your table at Henry's.

© meche kroop