LIGHTHOUSE. OPERA CHAMPAGNE GALA

 Lighthouse Opera Singers in Act I scene from Verdi's La Traviata

The Bronx is way out of our territory but the one time we went up there last year was to see one of our favorite artists perform the role of Violetta in Verdi's masterpiece La Traviata. How fitting that we got to see her in the ensemble that closed last night's gala--the party scene from Act I of the same opera. We also had the opportunity to hear other members from that same cast, but we will get to that later.

Our dearest pleasure in life is witnessing the growth of young singers. Lyric soprano Shaina Martinez is one of them. We have been writing about her since her time at Manhattan School of Music and watching her expand her repertoire. Last night we particularly enjoyed her performance of "Ernani involami" and are happy to see her expanding into new repertory as her voice grows in dimension. The aria was sung with both depth and breadth of tone and the fireworks of the cabaletta were finely executed, the ornamentation reminding us that Verdi composed on the heels of the bel canto composers we admire so greatly.

We also enjoyed a favorite aria from Bizet's Carmen. Alone and scared in the mountains near Seville, poor Micaëla "whistles in the dark", using her faith to bolster her courage in "Je dis que rien ne m'épouvante". Ms. Martinez successfully conveyed that mixture of terror and resoluteness that we want to see in the character, and did so with grand and powerful singing, filling the hall with overtones and filling the text with meaning.

Her Alfredo from the production we saw last year in The Bronx was tenor Michael Celentano, another singer whose progress delights us. . He made a convincing Don Jose in the final scene from Carmen--as convincing vocally as he was dramatically. We preferred him in that role as he portrayed Don Jose's complex emotions than his portrayal of  Walter von Stolzing from Wagner's Die Meistersinger. The fach of heldentenor may be more accessible somewhere down the road. If we noticed one thing that would top off Mr. Celentano's performance it would be some coaching in French and German.

His Carmen was portrayed by mezzo-soprano Ema Mitrevic whose selections of the evening involved three seductive women. Her defiant Carmen in the death scene with Mr. Celentano was a real hit and more believable than the "Seguidilla" in which she tries to seduce Don Jose with some not very Spanish wiggling. We found her far more believable as Dalilah in "Mon coeur s'oeuvre a ta voix" from Saint-Saëns's Samson et Delilah, creating seductiveness by means of vocal color.

Ms. Mitrevic has stayed in my memory as the Flora in The Lighthouse Opera's La Traviata,  and the fourth singer remembered from that production was tenor Scott Rubén La Marca who had portrayed Gaston. Last night he employed his sweet tenor to portray Ferrando in Mozart's Cosi fan tutte, singing "Un aura amorosa" with youthful romantic ardor.

Where he really shone was in a duet from the final act of Torroba's zarzuela Luisa Fernanda in which the heroine (beautifully sung by Ms. Martinez) tells his character Javier that she cannot marry him. (By a strange coincidence we just heard last night another duet from the same zarzuela!) Although the role of Luisa was written for the mezzo-soprano fach, it posed no challenge for the talented Ms. Martinez and the two singers worked quite well together.

The only other singer on the program that we had heard before was tenor Omar Bowey. Unfortunately, we had not had the chance to witness his vocal growth over the past decade and it was like hearing someone new. We cannot remember what he sounded like that long ago but last night we noticed an interesting vibrato. He injected a lot of dynamic variety into "Dies Bildnis its bezaubernd schön" from Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. However, we enjoyed his portrayal of the Duke in the quartet from Rigoletto even more.

We also got to hear some singers for the first time, which is always exciting. Bass-baritone Charles D. Carter has the resonant low notes and authoritative stage presence to make a fine Sarastro singing "O Isis und Osiris" from Die Zauberflöte. He also made an excellent Sparafucile from Verdi's Rigoletto showing characterological versatility--all the way from heroic to villainous. He offered his assassination skills to the hunchback Rigoletto, excellently realized by baritone Robert McNichols, Jr. who was a guest artist for the evening.

Also new to us was baritone Phillip K. Bullock whom we only got to hear once. His portrayal of the virile and self-satisfied Escamillo in Carmen was memorable,  blending nonchalance and arrogance. It left us wanting more.

Finally, soprano Lisa Eden showed a facility for French in "Depuis le jour" from Charpentier's Louise. We thought this aria suited her voice better than "Piangero la sorte mia" from Händel's Giulio Cesare. Perhaps she just liked the character more.

In the quartet from Rigoletto, Ms. Eden took the role of Gilda, Ms. Mitrovec took the role of Maddalena (another seductive woman!), Mr. Bowey performed the Duke, and Mr. McNichols, Jr. portrayed Rigoletto. The voices balanced perfectly.

As seen in the photo above, the evening concluded with the party scene from Verdi's La Traviata leaving the audience humming.

© meche kroop

THE FALLEN WOMAN

 Scott LaMarca, Aurora Bella Geis, Joe Gansert. John Tedeschi, Shaina Martinez, Michael Celentano, and Ema Mitrovic

There are rare occasions when the confluence of story, music, libretto, and performances conspires to produce a state of total immersion. One loses awareness of the identity of the artists and gets immersed in the lives of the characters.  Such is the power of great theater and opera is, fundamentally, theater.

This situation occurred last night in a large bare room of a decrepit building in the Bronx, with the barest of scenic elements, when The Lighthouse Opera Company presented Verdi's masterpiece La Traviata. So mesmerized were we that tears starting rolling down our face and we had to choke down sobs until the final tragic chord. That is Art (capital intentional).

An 1848 novel by Alexandre Dumas Fils was transformed into a play entitled La Dame aux camélias.  Seen and admired by Verdi,  Francesco Maria Piave was engaged to adapted it as a libretto. The story is a moving one about an unfortunate young woman whose past precludes the possibility of the life she might have enjoyed with the man who loves her. 19th c. morality has tarred her with a fateful brush. The story is replete with psychological resonance that Verdi's music plumbs with astonishing depth.

Since the performances were so outstanding and we have no criticism to offer, let us then look at the artistry serving this psychological depth that made the production such a compelling one. This intensity cannot be achieved without a deep understanding of the characters and their individual struggles.

For example, in Act I, our heroine Violetta (Shaina Martinez) appears to be a fun-loving member of the demi-monde, a party girl if you will, a "kept woman" whose patron is the wealthy Baron Douphol (baritone Jay Stephenson). Deep within her psyche and just waiting to be tapped is the desire to be really cared for. It is threatening to her to even admit this to herself; clearly she does not feel she deserves such love. But it arrives anyway in the person of Alfredo Germont (Michael Celentano), the scion of a conservative Provincial family, introduced to her by his friend Gastone (tenor Scott LaMarca) at a party. In a clever touch by Director John Tedeschi, Gastone peeks through a curtain to watch their interaction.  

The highlight of the act is Violetta's barely accompanied "É strano!...Ah fors'è lui" in which she exposes her inner desires. Her ambivalence is expressed in "Sempre libera". Ms. Martinez' artistry clearly showed that Violetta is afraid to give herself to the importuning of Alfredo and needs to defend a fragile core.  Her independence is a pose. Of course, Verdi's music is there to illustrate the conflict but one needs a very special soprano to capture it as accurately as Ms. Martinez does. Every bit of legato phrasing limns her desire and the fiery cabaletta was informed by all the the histrionics of desperation.  Violetta is dancing on the edge of a volcano, semi aware that her tuberculosis will eventually take her young life. 

There is more depth to come in Act II. Violetta has abandoned herself to the simple life away from the distractions of Paris. Verdi's music tells us how happy she is living with Alfredo. But much pain is coming. Germont Père (baritone Joe Gansert) has discovered his son's "scandalous" behavior and is concerned about the threat to his daughter's conventional betrothal. There is a shattering scene between him and Violetta as her dignity converts his scorn into compassion.

"Pura siccome un angelo" gets to Violetta. Until Ms. Martinez' performance of the role, we never understood why Violetta would accede to his demand that she give up Alfredo. Now we understand. She never had a protective father and she identifies with Alfredo's sister. She needs fatherly approval just as much as she needs Alfredo's love. This insight struck us like a bolt of lightning! It's all there in "Dite alla giovine", just waiting for the right soprano to bring it out.  Ms. Martinez sing it with an affecting pianissimo that demonstrates her defeat.

A moving scene between father and son shows us a great deal about the value placed on family loyalty.  Giorgio actually lays a guilt trip on his son in "Di Provenza il mar il suol". He appears to be comforting his broken hearted son but we can see that family loyalty is more important than his son's happiness.  Very 19th c.!  Mr. Gansert showed Giorgio to be a master manipulator, working on his son as he did on Violetta--all in the service of respectability.

And what about the conflicting feelings of Alfredo? In order to overcome his grief, he must cover it up with anger and spitefulness. He insults poor Violetta at Flora's party and horrifies his father who never anticipated such behavior, so inconsistent with his own values. Perhaps he doesn't want his son consorting with a fallen woman but he will not stand for uncivil behavior.

Violetta's tuberculosis, which had improved whilst living peacefully in the country with Alfredo, has taken a turn for the (much) worse in the final act. She is barely holding onto life waiting for the Germonts to come and see her. She tries to rally but cannot. One gets the impression that Giorgio's presence means as much to her as Alfredo's, lending credence to our understanding of Act II.  In a tearful farewell she unselfishly wishes Alfredo to find a worthy young woman and to give this young woman her very own portrait. Surely Dumas shows us that there can be a nobility in society's outcasts.

At this point, given the artistry of the cast, we have dissolved into a pool of tears. We had forgotten the singers and remembered only the characters. This is only possible when a singer's technique is so flawless that it doesn't call attention to itself.

Yes, we could mention the gorgeous timbre of Ms. Martinez voice (although the program describes her as a lyric soprano, we heard a lot of spinto quality in its ampleness and resonance). We could describe the effective phrasing and the breathtaking messa di voce. We could tell you that we have never heard Mr. Celentano sing better or how Mr. Gansert's sturdy baritone added luster and believability to his characterization of Giorgio.

And let us not forget the fine performance of mezzo-soprano Ema Mitrovic in her sympathetic portrayal of Flora and the arrogant but somewhat indifferent characterization of the Baron by Mr. Stephenson.

John Tedeschi's direction was effective with several interesting novel touches such as Violetta shredding her camellias in the final act and the aforementioned bit with Gastone gleefully spying on the friend he has "set up". In the second act, he has our heroine mouthing the words along with Alfredo's singing, demonstrating their complete emotional resonance.  Our only quibble is the setting of the opera in the Bronx during the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918.  It did justify the use of masks by some of the performers but the masks are clearly 21st c. ones.  More significantly the libretto mentions Paris and carriages and other 19th c. accoutrements. It felt disjunctive.The costumes seemed to belong more to the flapper era of the 1920's. 

Such quibbles seem unimportant in light of the psychological insights brought to us by Ms. Martinez whose towering vocal skills were matched by depth of understanding. Her cast mates were all caught up in this immersion that made Violetta and her sad story so very real to us.

Maestro Stephen Francis Vasta had two dozen musicians at his command and made some fine music. No complaints on that score (pun intended).

The experience was intense and has stayed with us.  This wasn't like going to the Met and boasting about hearing (insert name of famous singer) and singling out a particular high note of given soprano or the tenor's voice cracking or any other small detail. This was living breathing Art.

© meche kroop

SUPPORTING UKRAINE

An International Group of World Class Artists in Support of Ukraine

Dear Reader! If you can't wait to read about the brilliant concert produced by Natalie Burlutskaya of Spotlight Artists Management, so graciously hosted by St. John's in the Village, please scroll down to avoid our rant.  Since this is our "soapbox" we feel the need to say something about the crisis in Ukraine. Tyrants must be stopped in their tracks.  Appeasing Hitler did not stop him from trying to take over the world.

There is nothing new about major world powers trying to colonize other countries and deprive them of their independence. The USA fought courageously to free itself from the yoke of Great Britain. Mexico had to drive the Spanish out. Of course, in all fairness, it is not lost on us that the USA is not innocent of meddling in foreign countries who want to be free of our influence.

Yet, there is something particularly egregious about Putin waging war on his smaller neighbor and murdering his own people, mostly innocent women and children, to gratify his swollen ego. We are reminded of the narcissistic men who cannot control partners who want to leave them and react by maiming and murdering them. Unfortunately, there are no shelters or safe houses for the beleaguered Ukrainians in their own country.  The men are demonstrating remarkable bravery defending their homeland whilst their wives and children are fleeing to other countries--a version, we opine, of a safe house.

We have no faith in "thoughts and prayers". Those who are not in a position to affect national politics must be content with sending money. We urge you to support any four-star charity that is helping with food and medical supplies. Ms. Burluskaya created last night's benefit to help musicians in two cities of Ukraine. We must each of us find a way to help.

And now, let us speak of the artists who donated their gifts to raise money for this project. The cast comprised artists from Russia and Ukraine, Argentina, Turkey, China, and the United States.  Music knows no politics, no prejudice.  We are all on the same team. 

Before we get to the singers, we must credit the collaborative pianist Alexander Chaplinsky who put heart and soul into his fingers and brought forth an entire orchestra from a sole piano. We were not surprised to learn that Mr. Chaplinsky is also a conductor because we could hear the inner lines as clearly as the melody and the bass. Each section of the orchestra was right there in this amazing performance.

The program opened with his own arrangement of the Ukrainian Anthem which was filled with "soul". The program ended with his performance of "Golden Gate of Kiev", one of the episodes from Musssorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, marked by majestic chords and rhythmic vitality.

Just prior to that we heard the charming Galina Ivannikova singing a Ukrainian folk song called "Black brows". We did not understand the lyrics of Konstantin Dumitrashko but the haunting melody touched a place in our memory and filled us with hope and happiness.

Many of the evening's selections reflected upon the theme of fascism. (Make no mistake! Putin's government is fascistic and not particularly communistic.)

Puccini's opera Tosca is about artists fighting fascism in the person of Baron Scarpia. Soprano Dilara Unsal made a perfect Tosca in "Vissi d'arte", singing with passion for her art. Her vibrato was affecting and there was a lovely diminuendo.

Ms. Ivannikova sang Joan of Arc's aria of willingness to fight for her beloved homeland from Tchaikovsky's eponymous opera. There was some lovely phrasing and an admirable smoothness in the wide skips.

Menotti's The Consul is an opera about a displaced individual being crushed by an indifferent  bureaucracy. In "Papers"  Zoya Gramagin's expressiveness gave voice to a woman's anger, desperation, and despair. The unaccompanied phrases were particularly well rendered. Her eye color was "tears"; her occupation was "waiting". 

The evening was not all gloomy.  There was also romance (both happy romance and betrayed love) and lightheartedness. From Verdi's Ballo in Maschera, Ulrica's conjuring of supernatural forces was given particular menace by Ema Mitrovic's chilling contralto, convincingly bringing the seer to life. With incredible strength at the bottom of her range, the brilliance at the top was particularly impressive. We also enjoyed the dynamic variety.

Particularly moving was Amelia's "Morrò, ma prima in grazia" performed by Ms. Gramagin. The guilty wife's pleading with her husband melted our heart, if not her husband's! Portraying Renato was Jonathan R. Green whose big resonant sound gave life to a betrayed husband. He began with brutal coloration but later in the aria he gave us a different color--the hurt underneath the rage.

Sara Pearson performed an aria of a betrayed woman--Marguerite's aria from Gounod's Faust. She produced a lovely legato line whilst Mr. Chaplinsky delivered rapid figures in the piano representing the sound of spinning. We enjoyed the graceful portamenti and the lovely pianissimo ending.

One of our favorite young singers is Joseph Parrish whose deeply resonant tone is never booming but rather subtly colored. His portrayal of Aleko in Rachmaninov's opera of the same name was yet another example of betrayal. Mr. Parrish gave the character a range of sorrow by varying his dynamics. Although his voice is sizable, he is also able to rein it in for some stunning pianissimi. Mr. Chaplinsky's piano was admirably lyrical.

Later in the program he demonstrated another side of his artistry, singing "Deep River", an Afro-American spiritual which he sang with all the respect one would give to an art song--phrasing, coloration, and dynamic variety. We have never heard it sung like that and were deeply moved.

As far as art songs go, what is deeper than those of Schubert?  Another young artist of whom we are very fond, Xi Chen, performed "Der Lindenbaum" from Winterreise. This is our very favorite song cycle and we are waiting eagerly for the day when he learns the entire cycle. 

He also won an enthusiastic round of applause from the audience by his performance of the well known "Parlami d'amore, Mariu". His is a huge voice which he employs with a lovely legato.

Our stunning contralto reappeared for "Amour viens aider ma faiblesse", Dalilah's aria from Saint-Saëns' Samson et Dalilah. Just as she effectively created the character of Ulrika, she also created a seductive temptress-- by means of vocal coloration and bodily gesture. We reckon that the audience got seduced!

Regular readers recall how fond we are of duets and we were not disappointed. We got to hear one of our favorites--the "Barcarolle" from Offenbach's Contes d'Hoffman performed by Ms. Pearson and Ms. Gramagin in affecting and well-balanced harmony.  We must note Mr. Chaplinsky gorgeous introduction which set the mood before the singers began. We tried not to sway in our seat!

The lighter pieces we mentioned earlier were eagerly greeted as they provided some relief from the sad and the serious. The lovely young soprano-turned-mezzo Eugenia Forteza made a charming and believable Cherubino as she performed "Non so piu cosa son" from Mozart's Nozze di Figaro. We have watched Ms. Forteza for a number of years and take particular delight in her artistic growth. This aria should definitely be her signature piece. Were we auditioning we would definitely give her the part!

She also sang "Somewhere" from Bernstein's West Side Story which the program notes indicated was a "dreamlike world of peace"--something we all are wishing for.

There were also instrumentalists on the program.  Accompanied by Yuliya Basis, violinist Andy Didorenko performed "Meditation" from Bortkiewicz' Four Pieces for violin and piano. They also performed. Mr. Didorenko's own composition "Reminiscence" in which he treated the piano as an equal partner to his violin.  It is a lovely piece and was dedicated to his Ukrainian hometown.

What a full and generous evening! The energy in the sanctuary of St. John's in the Village was at a high level and the audience responded to every offering with gratitude and warm applause. 100% of the proceeds is going to people who lost their homes as a result of heavy shelling. Musicians from Kharkiv National Theater of Opera and Ballet are among them. Spotlight Artists Management stays connected with Dmitry Morozov, the Principal Conductor, learning about the situation first hand,  and avoiding the funds being stuck in huge foundations or national banks.

© meche kroop

A NEW LOOK AT VIOLETTA

 We would go to the ends of the earth to hear one of our favorite sopranos interpret the role of our favorite female character. Fortunately we only had to go to 112th St. to hear Shaina Martinez show us more about Violette Valery than we had ever realized. Aside from a stunning voice, it is just this sort of insight that keeps us involved and makes us want to hear the same opera repeatedly. It's all in Verdi's music, of course, but most singers fail to delve deeply enough into the role and surrender to stereotypes. 

Let us begin by thanking The Lighthouse Opera Company for this live performance of Verdi's masterpiece La Traviata. We can think of no other opera that has such a profound effect. It is the clearly drawn and complex characters of Francesco Maria Piave's  libretto (adapted from Alexander Dumas' La dâme aux camellias) and their growth from one act to the next that captivates us.

In Act I, Violetta is a brittle and shallow "party girl", burning the candle at both ends. In Act II, she is a woman who has surrendered to love and softened. She is struck down by some pretty bad news delivered by her lover's father, allowing the provincial papa to see her true feelings but bravely hiding them from her lover.

In Act III, she is a pathetic and desperate dying woman, longing for the support that may never come. Although we were not given an excerpt from Act I (the restrictions of the staging could not have allowed it) Ms. Martinez limned her characters growth in Act II and her fading hopes of Act III.

And here comes the part that was new to us, an aspect that the artist conveyed by the most subtle but effective coloration. Violetta is not just making a sacrifice to help her lover's sister achieve a respectable marriage; she is actually identifying with this pure young woman who has led a respectable life, is accepted by society, and enjoys protection by her devoted father. One could see in the artist's facial expression and hear in her voice how her nobility of character and identification with the other more fortunate woman made this sacrifice possible.

Not only did we thrill to Ms. Martinez' vocal artistry but we were captivated by the depth of her characterization. Who of us has not felt a combination of admiration, identification, and envy of those whose fortunes are far more sanguine than our own.

The vocal artistry was so perfect that it served the character without calling undue attention to itself. This is what we love to see in an opera performance. We think that those who focus on the high notes or other technical aspects are missing the boat.  The thrill of opera is in the drama! Do we believe it? Can we identify? Are we moved? Yes, yes, and yes.

The other performances were excellent. Tenor Michael Celentano did a fine job as Alfredo. His "De' miei bollenti spiriti" was as ardent as one would wish and we were pleased to note Mr. Celentano's growth as an artist since we heard him the last time.

Baritone Joseph Gansert was an effective Giorgio Germont, demonstrating all the smugness of a provincial ready to read the riot act to the unacceptable paramour of his wayward son. How effectively he rose to a position of empathy as he realized Violetta's quality! This set the stage for Act III when he comes to her deathbed with respect and affection.

The duet with Violetta "Pura siccome un Angelo" was finely rendered and his pleading with his son "Di Provenza mar e suol" revealed him to be well meaning but manipulative.

Violetta's companion Annina was performed by Ema Mitrovic and the role of Dr. Grenvil was taken by Charles Carter. Matteo Adams portrayed the messenger Giuseppe. These are small roles but were well done.

Conductor and pianist Stephen Francis Vasta stood in for the orchestra and managed to convey the textures of the music as well as a solo piano could. Director John Tedeschi did the best he could within the confines of a tiny stage in a lovely church. All he had to deal with was a couple of chairs and a lectern that stood in the way. Singers were obliged to keep their six feet of distance with exchange of letters merely suggested.

These are indeed strange times for opera and The Lighthouse Opera Company did their best. Exceptional voices and acting can make up for a lot of "lacks". The imagination of the viewer must compensate and what our mind's eye produced was definitely not the "Dr. Death and Big Clock" symbolism of the latest Metropolitan Opera iteration but rather scenes pulled from our memory of more traditional and effective productions. 

© meche kroop