WE TOOK THE A TRAIN

Dimitri Dover, Joseph Lim, Leah Hawkins, and Mario Bahg at Jackie Robinson Park Bandshell

Lucky us!  Thor held his thunder until after the Metropolitan Opera recital and Tlaloc kept the threatened rain in abeyance. The crowd at the bandshell in Jackie Robinson Park in Harlem was sadly sparse but nonetheless wildly enthusiastic, sensing that the artists were giving their all for the occasion. If what we write is tempting to you, there will be several more opportunities to hear the same program in the other four boroughs. It would be a shame to miss it.

We know pianist Dimitri Dover since his student days at Juilliard and have always admired his artistry at the piano. Last night he moved readily from Mozart to Bernstein and everything in between. Not only did he play magnificently but he fulfilled the role of narrator, explaining to the audience what each aria was about and its place in the opera. Not everyone is an experienced opera goer and this knowledge went a long way toward enhancing audience appreciation.

We were first introduced to the astonishing talent of soprano Leah Hawkins by our dear friend, pianist/coach/conductor Lachlan Glen who knows a good voice when he hears it. We heard Ms. Hawkins sing in French and was immediately won over. Last night we heard her sing in Italian and English and continue to be impressed.

Ms. Hawkins is one of those big beautiful gals with big beautiful voices. We were immediately drawn in by "Io son l'umile ancella" from Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur. Puccini held no terrors for this gifted lady as she sailed through Liu's "Signore Ascolta" from Puccini's Turandot. We couldn't help thinking that we wanted to hear her sing the title role and we probably will some day.

From Verdi's Otello we heard Desdemona's final act prayer which was intensely moving. Even better was Clara's big aria "Summertime" from Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, her encore piece in which she let out all the stops. Some of the notes were "bent" in true jazzy style and there was a delicious portamento. We had goose bumps.

We think it's important for a singer to choose her roles carefully and we didn't think that Maria from Bernstein's West Side Story was the right role for Ms. Hawkin's powerful voice; she is anything but an ingenue!

Joseph Lim is a fine baritone who was brought to our attention five years ago at one of Marilyn Horne's Spotlight Recitals during her birthday week at Carnegie Hall. We recall being quite impressed and was thrilled to catch him again at the Santa Fe Opera as a powerful Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor. We lost track of him over the past few years but his star is on the rise and we were so happy to hear him again.

We recall that we were a bit nit-picky about his German and are glad to report that it is vastly improved. One of our favorite German arias is Wolfram's "O du, mein holder Abendstern" from Wagner's Tannhäuser. Hearing this aria changed the life of the peasant-turned-linguistic professor in the film Padre, Padrone by the Taviani brothers. It moved us greatly long ago when we saw the film and it probably stimulated our interest in opera! 

We loved the way Mr. Lim sang it. Having heard a lovely tenorial quality in his upper register in Guglielmo's "Rivolgete a lui lo sguardo" from Mozart's Cosi fan tutte, we didn't expect him to do so well with the low tessitura of the Wagner. Accompanist Dimitri Dover played some gorgeously modulated arpeggi that amplified the spiritual mood.

In "Ya vas lyublyu" from Tchaikovsky's Queen of Spades, he sang the Russian with as much legato as we would want, making beautiful phrases in spite of the harsh Russian consonants.

Every singer loves a good drinking song and he did a fine job with Hamlet's "O vin, dissipe la tristesse" from the Tomas opera. The French was excellent and we felt Hamlet's underlying distress. In "Some Enchanted Evening", from Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific, the floated high note at the end added to the romantic feeling.

Tenor Mario Bahg is new to us and we grew to appreciate his artistry more and more as the evening wore on. He has a pleasing warm tone and a lovely legato technique. We enjoyed his performance of "Angelo casto e bel" from Il Duca d'Alba, attributed to Donizetti. We confided in Maestro Ken Noda that it sounded nothing like Donizetti and he confirmed that Donizetti didn't compose it!  Donizetti abandoned the opera and it was finished by his pupil Matteo Salvi after his death. Indeed that is so but it is a lovely tenor piece nonetheless.

His delivery of Faust's serenade "Salut! demeure chaste et pure" was completely convincing and splendidly romantic.  The same lovely legato was notable in everything he sang. As an encore piece, he gave a passionate rendition of "Dein ist mein ganzes Herz" in gorgeous German.

Of course, we always have a quibble and we would like to see Mr. Bahg sharpen his fioritura. The ascending and descending scales in "Il mio tesoro" from Mozart's Don Giovanni were beautifully rendered but we wanted more clarity in the embellishments. He has a real feel for Mozart and we loved his rendition of Ferrando's aria "Un aura amorosa" from Cosi fan tutte.

The two gentlemen joined forces for "Au fond du temple saint" from Bizet's Les Pêcheurs de Perles and created some fortuitous harmonies. They made much of the contrast between the yearning first and final sections and the stormy central section.

That was our favorite duet since we didn't care too much for the English version of the waltz from Lehar's The Merry Widow nor did we experience the requisite chemistry in "Tonight" from Bernstein's West Side Story which we enjoyed so thoroughly the previous night at the Brooklyn concert. Again, it all comes down to choices. It is not enough for a work to fit into the program. It has to fit the voice and personality of the singer.

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MÉLODIE FRANÇAISE DE LA BELLE EPOQUE

Annie Rosen, Daniel Schlosberg, Michael Brofman, Kristina Bachrach, Dimitri Dover, Eric Jurenas, Michael Kelly, and Brad Balliett

We were wondering whether there were lovers of art song in Brooklyn before Michael Brofman established the Brooklyn Art Song Society. Watching the growth of B.A.S.S. over the past seven years hints at Mr. Brofman's dedication to producing an excellent series that has attracted an ever-increasing audience. Clearly, word has gotten out because last night the house was packed in spite of the arctic shiver in the air.

BASS' programs are always compelling and this season has been devoted to French mélodie. Last night's program focused on music of La Belle Époque, the half century prior to the First World War, a time when Paris was the center of culture, much of it avidly consumed by the bourgeoisie.

Opening the program was the engaging soprano Kristina Bachrach with Mr. Brofman himself at the piano, offering songs by Gabriel Fauré, each one a precious gem. Ms. Bachrach is a polished performer with great stage presence; she employed fine phrasing of Fauré's long Gallic lines and excellent French pronunciation, along with just the right amount of expressiveness.

We enjoyed the lively "Mandoline" which always makes us think of Fragonard's paintings, although he died before Verlaine wrote the text which was set by Fauré. We were less familiar with "Le Secret" with it's lovely text written by Armand Silvestre, here performed with great tenderness.

In "Après un rêve" Ms. Bachrach made good use of word coloration and dynamics to paint an aural portrait.  "Clair de lune" gave her the opportunity to show the brilliance of her upper register. "Les roses d'Ispahan" showed off Mr. Brofman's artistry in bringing out the exotic nature of the melody.

We were quite excited about hearing the marvelous baritone Michael Kelly who always astonishes us with the depth of his involvement with the material he sings.  But last night his being "on the book" severely impaired his involvement with the audience and left us cold. When this happens, our attention generally turns to the piano and this was a revelation.

Dimitri Dover, a pianist we have always enjoyed, was in top form limning Emmanuel Chabrier's arpeggi in "Chanson pour Jeanne".  His handling of the repeated chords in "Tes yeux bleus" with emphasis on each minor change clearly demonstrated Richard Wagner's effect on Chabrier.

We have long enjoyed Henri Duparc's setting of Charles Baudelaire's "L'invitation au voyage" but have never heard Chabrier's setting which involves the addition of the bassoon. We love the sound of this instrument and it was a treat for us to sit but six feet away. It was quite an experience, adding depth to the sonic tapestry.

Countertenor Eric Jurenas lent his lovely instrument to a quartet of songs by Reynaldo Hahn. We adore that fach and our companion, who generally does not, loved his performance as much as we did. Hahn's melodies stayed with us all night and are still spinning around in our brain. Hearing these songs sung by a different voice type was a special treat. Mr. Jurenas has a very appealing vibrato and just about the clearest French we have heard in a long while. Looking at the text was totally unnecessary; every word was understood.

Victor Hugo's text "Si mes vers avaient des ailes" is a song that depicts what songs do. Indeed, Mr. Jurenas' expressive voice gave wings to Hugo's verses. Another favorite of ours is "À Chloris" and Mr. Jurenas sang it as expressively as we have ever heard it and Mr. Brofman's piano brought out the turns that lend such interest to the simple melody.

The second half of the program comprised Hector Berlioz' group of songs "Les nuits d'été" with text by Théophile Gautier. Mezzo-soprano Annie Rosen and collaborative pianist Daniel Schlosberg partnered beautifully in these evocative songs. We have often heard Berlioz' orchestration of these songs but last night we heard the original piano and voice version.

We are not sure what the songs have to do with summer nights after the opening "Villanelle", a charming and tuneful song that produced images of Spring on the coldest night of the year (or perhaps the coldest night of the past several years). "Le spectre de la rose" expresses a gorgeous sentiment that Fokine used as inspiration for a ballet. (However, the choreographer used music by Carl Maria von Weber). Ms. Rosen's expressive singing brought the story to vivid romantic life with some hopeful upward leaps.

She used entirely different coloration for the sorrowful "Sur les lagunes" which employed the lovely lower register of her instrument. We thought "Absence" fit her voice perfectly and it wound up being our favorite song of this group. The closing song "L'ile inconnue" was most revealing of Ms. Rosen's personality. It was altogether a sublime performance.

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JOY QUADRUPLED

Lachlan Glen, Dimitri Dover, Steven Eddy, and Lilla Heinrich Szász

Joy of Singing was born in 1958 as an award program to foster the performance of art songs with special attention paid to interpretation and communication.  It was begun by Winifred Cecil, a noted singer and teacher. The program continues and is flourishing under the musical direction of Paul Sperry . Every year the winner of the competition is given a recital. This year, the quality of the competitors was so high that the judges were obliged to share the prize.

Thus it was that we had the opportunity last night at Merkin Concert Hall to hear two gifted singers and two exemplary collaborative pianists perform a program of art songs in several languages and a variety of styles.

Soprano Lilla Heinrich Szász has impressed us since her days at Juilliard, eventually winning their 2013 Honor's Recital among many other honors, all richly deserved. She has a lively winning onstage personality and a glorious ringing instrument that she easily bends to her will.

Her collaborative pianist, Australian Lachlan Glen, is also well known to us for several years, having won us over by his producing all of Franz Schubert's songs over the period of a year--a delicious extravagance never to be forgotten.  If there is a better interpreter of Schubert alive today we would be surprised. Besides this, he has incredible sensitivity to the singer. We noticed him actually breathing with Ms. Szász in rhythm.

Naturally, Schubert songs were selected to open the program and we were glad for it. "Vedi quanto adoro ancora ingrato!" is a bit unusual for Schubert; it is sung in Italian, the setting of a text by Pietro Metastasio. It was the perfect vehicle to show off both passion and delicacy in both artists.

We also heard the sorrowful "Die Liebe hat gelogen", the gentle "Der Jüngling an der Quelle" in which Mr. Glen's piano became rather spry, and the intense "Die junge Nonne", the most familiar of the set. The two artists drew us in totally with Ms. Szász seemingly losing herself in the throes of religious ecstasy and Mr. Glen creating quite a storm in the piano.

From a century later came four folk songs set by Zoltán Kodály which Ms. Szász, whose roots are Transylvanian, sang in Hungarian.  Fortunately she translated them herself for the program. We heard cries of despair and poverty, not the cheerful folk songs of Brahms. Our favorite was the final song which bore a mournful melody. The final note hung suspended in mid air.

The final set comprised songs by Benjamin Britten, the first of which was a setting of a W.H. Auden poem "Fish in the Unruffled Lakes" which did not make much sense to us. We greatly preferred "The Salley Gardens" to a text by W. B. Yeats.  The final song "Calypso" from Cabaret Songs had an urgent rhythm, with Mr. Glen creating the sound of a railroad train in his piano.

The second half of the program was given over to the other prize winner--baritone Steven Eddy and collaborative pianist Dimitri Dover. The two seemed to enjoy a special partnership, opening with one of our favorite Brahms songs "Meine Liebe ist grün". Another Brahms song "Botschaft" was performed later and we would have preferred hearing them in the same set. They are both so melodic and romantic.

Instead, there were two songs by Clara Schumann interposed. The first, "O weh des Scheidens, das er tat" was a sad one and seemed unresolved at the end.  The second "Liebst du um Schönheit" was quite lovely but suffered a bit by comparison to the Richard Strauss setting with which all lied lovers are far more familiar. (We couldn't help thinking of the Löwe setting of Frauen Lieben und Leben which one rarely hears because of Schumann's arguably better setting.)

Mr. Eddy excelled in his interpretation of Barber's Mélodies passagères. We enjoyed Barber's music so much better in French and we think that Rilke's poetry inspired him to new heights. Mr. Eddy's French served the music well and the fact that he translated them himself likely increased his involvement.  Particularly suited to his voice was "Le clocher chante" and Mr. Dover's piano made sure we heard the carillon. We also liked "Départ" a great deal.

Mr. Eddy explained the Jake Heggie songs which followed.  They were written for baritone Nathan Gunn and were inspired by paintings in the Dallas Art Museum. We found the concept more interesting than the music. Mr. Eddy's English diction is better than most but we still missed a lot of the words and there was no text provided to read. Our English-speaking companion was of the same opinion.

Fortunately the remainder of Mr. Eddy's program was thrilling. We love Dvorák's Gypsy Songs and have mainly heard them in German. Mr. Eddy, to our delight, sang them in Czech. We do not understand the language but loved the way the melody and the rhythm of the words lined up It was a spirited song about a folk dance and we were ready to get up and dance!

Similarly, we loved Respighi's "Invito alla danza", a more sedate and romantic song and perhaps our favorite song by this early 20th c. composer. Following along with the dance theme was Camille Saint-Saëns' "Danse macabre" and that's one dance we'd like to pass up!

If all we had heard were the encore we would have considered it a successful evening. That's just how wonderful it was!  From a rare Donizetti opera entitled Il Campanello di Notte, we heard the Brindisi "Mesci, mesci". Mr. Glen joined Mr. Dover for a four-handed accompaniment while Ms. Szász and Mr. Eddy performed with gusto and glee. We considered ourselves well prepared for the champagne reception upstairs!

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A CHALLENGING PROGRAM BY LINDEMANN ARTISTS

Lachlan Glen, Dimitri Dover, Brandon Cedel, and Mary-Jane Lee

We await the annual Lindemann Recitals with great anticipation and we have never been disappointed.  Yesterday's recital was filled with delights both familiar and new. As much as we love to be turned on to works we've never heard, we get even greater pleasure when an artist gets us to understand works we've never favored.

Such was the case when soprano Mary-Jane Lee sang Alban Berg's Sieben Frühe Lieder, accompanied by Dimitri Dover. We have always found these songs inaccessible but Ms. Lee, by some alchemical process, managed to get inside the songs and to convey what we have never heard before. 

Ms. Lee has a soaring soprano that dazzles in the upper register.  But she also has an engaging manner and musicianship that made sense of Berg's strange vocal lines; they became rather haunting. Although our favorite will always be the melodic "Die Nachtigall" we also enjoyed the gemütlich atmosphere of "Im Zimmer".

Mr. Dover's immense contribution was to bring out the connection between the vocal line and the piano part. We also enjoyed his fine pianism in a later set of Rachmaninoff songs.  In "At night in my Garden" he established the mood of the sad weeping willow even before Ms. Lee began to tell the tale. His playing of the prelude of "In the silence of the secret night" was lavishly romantic.

As far as Ms. Lee's Russian diction, our Russian-speaking companion declared it very good.  Surely it sounded just fine to us!

The other artists on the program also excelled.  Bass-baritone Brandon Cedel formed a perfect partnership with collaborative pianist Lachlan Glen; they seemed to inhale and exhale in unison and we would swear that Mr. Glen was singing along in his head!

The most challenging work on the program was Schumann's lengthy ballad "Belsatzar" and Mr. Cedel confirmed our confidence in him as a master storyteller. The tale he told was one written by Heinrich Heine about an evil king and some mysterious handwriting on the wall. We still have goosebumps.

Mr. Cedel has a wonderful instrument of depth and amplitude with a finely textured vibrato, so different from the burly type. This allows him to sing more delicate songs like those in his first set which he performed with refinement and polish, achieving expressiveness with an economy of gesture.

We have never heard a man sing Mahler's  "Liebst du um Schönheit" and never even thought of it, but Mr. Cedel's delivery was heartfelt and meaningful. We loved Mr. Glen's pianistic passion in Schumann's "Requiem", quite a change from the delicate sensitivity displayed in the other songs.

This perfect pair closed the recital with a trio of Mahler songs. We have never had a problem relating to Mahler's output so we just relaxed and enjoyed "Um Mitternacht" with the haunting minor thirds in the piano. Mahler was surely inspired by Friedrich Rückert's poetry.

In "Urlicht" the piano and voice both reflected a depth of spiritual feeling. The pace was leisurely but the colors shifted rapidly. The final song was "Revelge" a story of the horrors of war told in march tempo. Mr. Glen's piano became wild and passionate. Mr. Cedel's performance was chilling in its effect. We believe that Mahler wanted us to feel horrified and the artists succeeded admirably.

All four artists have earned awards and recognition here and abroad. But what really matters to the audience is how they perform onstage at that particular moment. No one left disappointed.

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ERIC OWENS' MASTER(FUL) CLASS

Eric Owens and Julia Bullock (photo by Ken Howard)

Every master class seems to have its own theme and Eric Owens' class Wednesday afternoon at Juilliard did not depart from the program.  The engaging bass-baritone has a folksy manner that puts students at ease; he was never critical and never insisted that his way was the right way.  He just suggested other options to see if they worked for them.  Students were reassured that their performances were excellent (which they were) and that he was just being "nit-picky".

The theme for the class seemed to be various means of establishing a legato line while keeping the voice centered.  A useful exercise is to sing only the vowels and to keep them all aligned.  Yes, you can try this at home!

Baritone Takaoki Onishi sang "Hai gia vita la causa" from Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro.  We think he did just fine conveying the arrogance of the entitled (pun intended) Count but Mr. Owens moved him even further in that direction, suggesting that he "see the wheels turning" in the character's mind.  All this, of course, while sticking strictly to the rhythm of the recitativo.

Soprano Julia Bullock sang Wolf's "Der Knabe und das Immlein" from the Mörike Lieder.  Teacher and student worked together as only two perfectionists could on bringing a bel canto technique into the German language by singing through the consonants and easing into the vowels.  Once the technique becomes incorporated, it can be forgotten.

Önay Köse, with the same type of voice as Mr. Owens, sang "Che mai veggio" from Verdi's Ernani.  Mr. Owens persuaded him to stop going for color and to stop trying to sound older. He was encouraged to not worry about making a pretty sound but to use a simple uncolored and non-operatic tone.  The two of them worked on placement of the sound in the mask.

Soprano Mary Feminear sang "Sempre libera" from Verdi's La Traviata.  They worked on keeping the sound centered throughout the range without "spreading".  One useful trick that helped was to bend the knees when going for the high note.  Keeping the trill in the same place was stressed.

The accompanists for the class were Dimitri Dover, Daniel Fung and Art Williford.  One couldn't help but admire the way they could just pick up at any point of the aria.    Time was left at the end for a Q and A.  Mr. Owens had the opportunity of telling a very young singer to enjoy his Mozart in the "Here and Now".  Bass-baritones have long careers and should not rush into heavier roles.

It was a most enjoyable and educational class, not only for the four singers but also for the audience.

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STAR-SPANGLED MASTER CLASS

Renée Fleming (photo by Andrew Eccles)

She made us "get" The Star Spangled Banner for the first time in our lives (probably several million other people felt the same way)--and here she is, the world-reknowned soprano and Juilliard alumna conducting a master class at Juilliard, coming across as the big sister next door to whom you look for advice.  Major WOW!  We felt privileged to be in attendance at this instructive afternoon event that was live-streamed on the Juilliard website.

There were four fortunate participants who received the benefit of Ms. Fleming's wisdom and experience.  She began by asking the young artists, graduate students all, to share with the audience the context of their respective arias and ended by telling how impressed she was by the quality of their performances.

There were several themes running through her suggestions.  She encouraged everyone to think more about color and less about volume.  She left each singer with something to work on at home, especially about getting the sound forward and into the "mask".  Less power, less effort, more "spin" seemed to be the watchwords.  A minimal start is best, leaving some room for the voice to expand and blossom.

Opening the program was the fast-rising soprano Raquel González who performed an excerpt from Tatiana's "Letter Scene" from Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin.  Ms. González was assisted in the interpretation, encouraged to show some adolescent insecurity, some introspective searching quality and some awareness of how crazy her character's thoughts were.  She was also advised to show more variety in her movement vocabulary.  The youthful passion was already there and the new ideas made a noticeable difference.

Tenor Miles Mykkanen followed with "Lensky's Aria" from the same opera.  Mr. Mykkanen inhabits this role like a bespoke suit and we are looking forward with great anticipation to seeing him and Ms. González perform an interesting character-centered version of the opera next week at Juilliard.  We witnessed Mr. Mykkanen establish the many tragic dimensions of this character with every phrase seeming to come from deep inside.  During his work with Ms. Fleming he learned to put more variety in the opening repetitions of "Kuda" and to shape the phrases a bit better.  His crescendi became more on the level of resonance than on volume.

How happy we were to see soprano Pureum Jo as the third participant since we didn't get enough of her Tuesday evening.  She worked on "Deh vieni, non tardar" from Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro.  Her sparkling personality is a perfect fit for Susana and she used her face and gesture in tandem with her voice.  She was encouraged to put more excitement into the recitativo, to make it lighter and "throw it away".  She also worked on putting a smile into the sound and connecting the thoughts.  We hope to hear her perform this role in the future.

The final participant was soprano Hyesang Park who sang "Ah, non credea mirarti...Ah! non giunge" from Bellini's La Sonnambula.  With a bright instrument and some enviable coloratura she gave a dazzling performance which Ms. Fleming worked on fine-tuning.  She asked Ms. Park to produce a slimmer sound and float the notes more.  She further worked on being less effortful and creating more "spin".  The dazzling cabaletta needed to be tossed off--and it was.

Let us also credit the fine accompanists who teamed up so well with the singers: Bretton Brown, Dimitri Dover and Daniel Fung.  There was so much talent onstage!

The afternoon closed with a Q and A in which the students sitting in the audience (and the invited Patrons) were invited to ask their questions which Ms. Fleming answered with grace and modesty.

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HOW DO WE LOVE THEE SCHUBERT? LET US COUNT THE WAYS

Takaoki Onishi, Dimitri Dover, Raquel Gonzalez, Mary Feminear, Theo Hoffman

Those of you who have been attending the Schubert&Co. recital series will recognize some of the outstanding participants in the photo.  But, what's this?  A new face?  A new voice?  Co-Artistic Directors Jonathan Ware and Lachlan Glen are at the forefront of discovering new talent and last night we had the privilege of hearing baritone Theo Hoffman in his Schubert&Co. premiere. 

Mr. Hoffman is but a freshman at Juilliard but already shows a great deal of promise.  His instrument is fresh and flexible; his technique is outstanding.  But let's take a look at the artistry.  He opened last night's program with "Der Schäfer und der Reiter"; he used his sweet light baritone when singing the invitation by the light-hearted shepherd such that we heard a tenorial quality, but when the gloomy warrior replied, Mr. Hoffman darkened his tone.  We are a sucker for that sort of dramatic contrast and commitment to the text.

In another set of songs "Don Gayseros I, II and III, D.93", we heard what amounted to one long story of a Spanish aristocrat who is courted by a strange knight.  She becomes suspicious of him when he fails to partake of her Catholic rituals and he identifies himself as a Moorish king and abducts her.  He is slain by two mercenaries and she spends the rest of her life i  mourning and prayer.  A sad tale, well told by poet Friedrich La Motte-Fouque, and well sung by Mr. Hoffman, a natural storyteller. 

Prize-winning baritoneTakaoki Onishi has a very different sort of baritone, a large sound with a finely grained vibrato that delights the ear; he has never failed to thrill us with his performances.  He sang songs of futile love ("Vergebliche Liebe" and "Hippolits Lied") and several songs referencing nature.  We loved his control of dynamics and phrasing.

Two of our favorite sopranos were on the program as well.  Raquel Gonzalez sang "Der Jüngling auf dem Hügel" with great attention to dynamics and mood.  "Abschied, D.829" was done most artistically in sprechstimme, with the lyricism occurring in the piano, performed by the always impressive Dimitri Dover who is unfailingly supportive of the singer.

Soprano Mary Feminear closed the program with the one familiar song on the evening's program--"Frühlingsglaube".  We confess to humming it all night long; it's just that kind of song!  But we most enjoyed Ms. Feminear's bright sound in the light-hearted and frisky "Hänflings Liebeswerbung" about a lovesick linnet.

There are only a couple more recitals left to finish with Schubert's massive output of over 600 songs.  You would be well-advised to get on the bandwagon before it is too late!

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SATURDAY NIGHT SPECIAL AT JUILLIARD

Takaoki Onishi and Dimitri Dover

A good recital shows the artist off to his/her best advantage and comprises, with certain exceptions, a variety of styles, moods and languages.  A GREAT recital does all the above with finely honed artistry.  Such was the case last night at Juilliard when a capacity crowd was treated to a memorable recital, as is so often the case at Juilliard.  One tends to run out of superlatives.  As they say, "You had to be there!"

We have seen both artists perform before and are always impressed by their musicianship and total involvement.  Last night seemed like a culmination although Mr. Onishi has been accepted in the Artists Diploma Program and we are glad of it since it will provide a further opportunity to hear this stunning young baritone.  He has a large voice that sets the very molecules of air to vibrating but this generous sound is under complete control.  His tone is consistent throughout the register.  In spite of the fact that none of the languages are his first language, he makes absolute sense out of all the poetry.

He began the program with four songs by Respighi that we never before found very interesting since the poetry is rather spare.  But Mr. Onishi's artistry brought out subtleties that we'd never before heard, such as the exquisite diminuendo in "Nebbie".  Mr. Dover's artistry contributed a great deal as he elucidated the descending chords, emphasizing the sadness and loneliness.  In "Pioggia" his pianism so realized the falling rain that we nearly reached for an umbrella.

Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen is a song cycle much beloved by us and what a treat it was to hear it sung with such depth of feeling. The abundant melodies are familiar from Mahler's symphonies.  The composer himself wrote the poetry and it is heartbreaking.  A young man's beloved has married another and he is filled with despair, then anger, then regret and resignation.  Finally he finds peace under a linden tree.  This gives the singer an opportunity and a challenge to convey all these mood swings with word coloring.  Mr. Onishi rose to the challenge and left us stunned.  His intense involvement with the work made us hope that he has not had such a heartbreak in his own life and that it was "only" artistry.

We also enjoyed the stylish way he performed Ravel's songs from Don Quichotte à Dulcinée.  He sang "Chanson romanesque" with impressive nobility, "Chanson épique" with earnestness and "Chanson à boire" with a lively sense of fun.

He closed the program with three songs by Rachmaninoff.  If we preferred "Vesennije vody" it was only because it was more familiar to our ear.  Mr. Dover's piano conveyed the rushing of the water.  How appropriate to end the recital with a reference to Spring!

But fortunately for the audience Mr. Onishi graciously provided two encores.  Since most of the program was on the sad side, it made perfect sense for this fine artist to share his humorous side with Tartaglia's aria from Mascagni's "Le Maschere" in which the stuttering commedia del'arte player cannot quite sing out what he wants to say.  The second aria was a lovely strophic Japanese folk song that made everyone feel relaxed after the high-wire breath holding of the rest of the evening.

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BACK TO THE 19th CENTURY

What a splendid evening we enjoyed pretending we were in a long dress at a musicale chez Herr Franz Schubert, listening to friends singing the songs he dashed off that day with the maestro himself at the piano!  But no, it is 2013 and we were visiting the spacious digs of one of the co-Artistic Directors of Schubert@Co. listening to three lovely ladies with gorgeous voices and two talented pianists.

The lovely lady #1, soprano Devon Guthrie, showed off some new darker colors, most appropriate to the sad songs she performed--Schiller's poetry for "Des Mädchen's Klage" and Kenner's "Grablied".  Lovely lady #2, Australian soprano Elena Perroni sang threee lieder which were settings of poetry by von Leitner--songs related to finding comfort in nature, in tears and in nostalgia for childhood.  In the strophic "Die Sterne", we enjoyed the repetitive rising pattern brought out by Bretton Brown's fine pianism.  Ms. Perroni continued with two settings of Metastasio poetry, showing off her fine Italian.  We could easily believe that Rossini was sitting next to Schubert when he wrote these bel canto inflected lieder.

Lovely lady #3, mezzo Samantha Malk, accompanied by the wonderful  Dimitri Dover, sang the one familiar lied on the program, Craigher de Jachelutta's "Die junge Nonne"; Mr. Dover perfectly reflected the change of mood from tormented to peaceful.  This was quite a change from the humorous "Das Echo", setting of poetry by Castelli; Ms. Malk is quite the story-teller and we loved the tale of the young woman who blames the echo for her falling into a romance with her suitor.  Translations were totally unnecessary, given Ms. Malk's fine diction and dramatic skills.

It was a memorable recital and the evening finished off with some more informal singing, much as we imagined Schubert would have had at his musicales so long long ago.  We felt connected to a lovely unbroken tradition.  May it continue!

(c) meche kroop

SCHUBERT, IMMER SCHUBERT

Dimitri Dover, Samantha Malk, Abigail Levis, Jonathan Estabrooks

Another splendid evening of Schubert lieder drew us out of our cozy home on a bitter cold evening and sent us back out on the street with lots of warmth in our heart.  How fortunate to have two marvelous mezzos and a brilliant baritone interpreting more of Schubert's glorious music.  We are always impressed by the wealth of vocal talent unearthed by Artistic Directors Jonathan Ware and Lachlan Glen.  Since both of them are doing exciting things in Europe this week, we had a chance to hear two other excellent piano partners--Dimitri Dover and Brent Funderburk who departed before the photo could be organized.

The program for the evening comprised Schubert's settings of poetry by August von Platen-Hallermuende, Franz Xaver Schlechta von Wschehrd (just try to wrap your mouth around that name), Ludwig Gotthard Kosegarten, Johann Friedrich Rochlitz and Karl Gottfried Ritter von Leitner.  Whatever the poetry, Schubert's settings illuminate the imagery.

Abigail Levis used her lovely voice and personality to enliven Mr. von Platen-Hallermuende's two sad songs of disappointed love, and went on to Mr. Schlechta's sad "Auf einen Kirchhof" with its many mood shifts.  We loved the ballad "Des Frauleins Liebeslauschen" and were taken with Mr. Funderburk's piano accompaniment in "Aus Diego Manazares".

Samantha Malk, accompanied by Mr. Dover, continued with a selection of lieder, setting of poetry by Mr. Kosegarten.  Ms. Malk has a fully developed mezzo sound and interpreted the songs with deep feeling and fine German diction.

Mr. Dover accompanied baritone Jonathan Estabrooks and both excelled during "Fischerweise" in which the subject of the verse can catch all manner of fish, but not the shepherdess standing on the shore. "Totengraber-Weise", the gravedigger's song, was understandably less cheerful!  Mr. Estabrooks' fine baritone and compassionate interpretation made every song come alive.

Anyone who loves Schubert will find uplift in these recitals.  If you attended one of them, you surely have returned for more.  And if for any reason you have overlooked them, you will regret the lost opportunity to hear every one of Schubert's 600-plus songs.  The next recital will be 6PM on 2/24 at Central Presbyterian Church, 64th and Park Avenue.

(c) meche kroop