GERDA LISSNER COMPETITION RECITAL

 Sophia Hunt, Arlene Shrut, Vladyslav Buialskyi, Jazmine Saunders, Korin Thomas-Smith, 

Alice Chung, Joseph Parrish, Erik Grendahl, and Shaina Martinez

It was a sensational recital of gifted young singers; it was a gathering of the citizens of Planet Opera, generously open to one and all; it was a celebration of the enduring legacy of Gerda Lissner; it was a memorial to the late Scott Barnes. Everyone left Zankel Hall grinning broadly. No one need worry about the future of opera.

If you care who won which prize, we direct you to www.gerdalissner.org where you can also read all about the good work of the foundation. We prefer to use our space to write about the winners who were winnowed from a huge group of applicants. We are always happy to see WQXR's renowned Midge Woolsey hosting such events and equally happy to enjoy the versatile accompaniment of pianist Arlene Shrut. We acknowledge the cooperation of the Liederkranz Foundation.

And now...on with the show! What a brilliant idea to open the program with the winner of the Zarzuela Division, the scintillating soprano Shaina Martinez, known to us since her days at Manhattan School of Music. We were overjoyed to learn that the foundation established a platform for honoring this very special art form; and who better to fulfill the mission than Ms. Martinez whose perfect Spanish flowed effortlessly and permitted her to inhabit the role of Cecilia Valdés from Gonzalo Roig's zarzuela of the same name. 

The spirited entrance aria, illuminated by meaningful gestures, served to introduce the character, a mulatto woman who is unaware that her suitor is her half-brother, both fathered by a slave trader; he is legitimate, she is not. Two centuries ago, such stories were common in the New World, particularly in Cuba with its complicated racial hierarchy. We tell you such details, dear Reader, because we want you to share our appreciation of what was going on in our own hemisphere whilst Verdi was writing his operas in Italy.

Ms. Martinez' second selection was a tragic lullabye "Hija del Amor" in which the character's mood has changed to sorrow and tenderness, illustrated by the minor mode in which it is written and the artist's facility with heart-rending legato. We felt totally involved in the singer's facility for storytelling. She truly inhabited the character without compromising her exquisite voice.

Next we heard winners from the Lieder Division. Baritone Erik Grendahl's two selections were  quite different. Georgy Viridov's "The Virgin in the City" was given a quiet reading with minimal gesture and a sweet lyrical sound. The artist came to vibrant life in Debussy's "Ballade des femmes de Paris",  in which the text has something to say about women from several different countries. Mr. Grendahl, remembered from his performances at the Santa Fe Opera, made the French very clear and told the tale with panache.

Mezzo-soprano Alice Chung is an equally fine storyteller and who doesn't love William Bolcom's "George", the tale of a colorful character who comes to a tragic and ironic end. When a singer's technique is as admirable as Ms. Chung's one tends to ignore it in favor of the stagecraft and presentation. We hung on her every word. Happily, she followed this with Choi Young-Sup's "Longing for GeumGang Mountain" which we heard her sing at WQXR's Green Room. In our review of that recital, we discussed the newness of the Korean art song tradition and the reasons for it. We would say Korea got off to a great start in this setting of Han Sang-eok's text.

Bass-baritone Joseph Parrish has been on our radar for quite some time, also having made a fine showing at the Santa Fe Opera. What a departure from the expected to have a singer accompany himself at the piano in a contemporary piece! Bob Telson wrote "Calling You" for the film Bagdad Cafe which we have never seen; Mr. Parrish's performance made us want to see the film. 

On more familiar territory, we heard the frisky "Fussreise" from Wolf's Mörike Lieder. We find this to be one of Wolf's more accessible lieder and enjoyed Mr. Parrish's fine command of German and his immersion in the spirit of the song. We also enjoyed Ms. Schrut's varied coloration of the strophic composition. He closed the set with Tchaikovsky's "Sred shumnogo bala", sung with fine Russian and intense reflection.

The second part of the concert took us into operatic territory. Korin Thomas-

Smith employed his fine baritone to sing Tarquinius' aria "Within this frail crucible of light". His technique was impressive but we wanted him to show more of Tarquinius' character. He had no problem showing us the Count's character in "Hai già vinta la causa" from Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro. His aptitude for demonstrating the complexity of the Count's emotions was impressive. He is angry, vengeful, competitive, and bewildered, all at the same time. This is so much more interesting than the one-note interpretations we often hear.

Soprano Jazmine Saunders has a sizable instrument which she put to great use in arias by Mozart and Verdi. Her vibrato is distinctive and emotionally affecting.  Poor Pamina must arouse our sympathy in "Ach, ich fühl's" from Mozart's Die Zauberflöte as she frets about her love interest who is actually true. By comparison, Gilda is confident and enamored in Verdi's Rigoletto, not knowing that she has been woefully deceived. Both characters were given their due with the voice sustained throughout the register. Mozart gives Pamina long legato lines and Verdi gives Gilda wild leaps and breathless staccato passages. Both perfomances were memorable.

Bass-baritone Vladyslav Buialskyi chose well, illuminating the character of Figaro who mourns what he thinks is Susana's infidelity in "Aprite un po' quegli occhi". He is shocked; he is angry; rather than despairing he decides to give warning to other men. We in the audience know better; Susana adores him and is conniving to make their marriage work out.  It's a great moment in Nozze di Figaro! We particularly enjoyed the rapid patter.

The second selection was "Si, morir ella de!" from Ponchielli's La Gioconda, sung by the vengeful Inquisitor Alvise. Although we believe the role was written for a bass, the extensive passages in the lower register were no challenge for Mr. Buialskyi's powerful instrument and the aria provided an opportunity to color his voice differently.

The final singer was soprano Sophia Hunt who also wisely selected two arias that showed her versatility. The eponymous Arabella from the Strauss opera has reached a point of forgiveness and acceptance in "Das war sehr gut, Mandryka". The Countess in Nozze di Figaro, on the other hand, is aware of having lost the love of the Count who had pursued her so relentlessly and sings of her despair in "Dove sono". Two very different characters were brought to life such that the entire scenes appeared before our mind's eye. We loved the rich texture of Ms. Hunt's voice and the varied colors. The Countess was particularly well realized and we heard a hint of optimism in the second verse.

As Ms. Woolsey pointed out, we almost had the entire Nozze di Figaro onstage. Yes, it was a great treat to hear so many selections from one of our favorite operas. The evening ended with the entire group joining forces for "You'll Never Walk Alone" from Rogers and Hammerstein's Carousel.

What popped into our mind just now is "This Was a Real Nice Clambake" Concert.

© meche kroop

LOVE AND DEATH

 Tamara Wilson and Simon O'Neill (photo by Curtis Brown for Santa Fe Opera)

We felt quite a bit of envy last night at the Santa Fe Opera's production of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde; we were envious of the bulk of the audience who seemed enthralled and greeted the artists with thunderous applause at the curtain call which took place a hefty 4 3/4 hours after the disturbing opening chord. Sadly, we were not enthralled.

It was not the length that we objected to; we have sat through Wagner's Ring Cycle a number of times and the hours flew by. It may have had something to do with the medieval legend upon which Wagner based his libretto. The influence of Schopenhauer's pessimism made the love story unlovely. We cannot deem the idea of uniting in some fantasied afterlife as a desirable goal for lovers.

As a matter of fact, the situation between the two titular characters had nothing to do with love but rather with obsession. Who was Wagner to write about love! The philandering narcissistic composer disrespected his own wife! The true loves in this opera are that of the forgiving King Marke for his adopted heir, and that of Kurvenal for his friend Tristan.

Since you, dear reader, have probably already read about the prodigious gifts of soprano Tamara Wilson who used her huge instrument effectively and acted convincingly as the captured Irish princess, we would like to begin by noting the performances that captured our flagging attention.

When bass Eric Owens walked onstage in Act II, our tedium dissolved. In contrast with the wooden performance of heldentenor Simon O'Neill, Mr. Owens has stage presence to spare and a commanding voice, offering a sympathetic portrayal of a childless widower who has been pressured into remarrying the resentful Irish princess. The poor guy got a raw deal, getting betrayed by his designated heir Tristan with his designated bride Isolde. This bring us to our contrarian opinion that this is not so much a love story as a story of the consequences of betrayal.  Not only is King Marke betrayed by Tristan but Tristan is betrayed by his jealous friend Melot, well sung by apprentice Eric Taylor who made such a fine showing on Sunday as Siegfried. We are always happy to hear young voices tackling Wagner!

It helped significantly that Mr. Owens was costumed (by Carlos J. Soto) in regal red, quite a standout against the grey and white geometric set, designed by architects Charlap Hyman and Herrero. One could call the architectonic set interesting in its flexible uses but we found it sterile and more suitable to Schopenhauer's philosophy than to a mythic love story. Costuming for Mr. O'Neill was less successful; the armor made him appear to have no neck. The women, however were graced by long flowing gowns.

Mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton made a convincing Brangäne and made good use of her rich middle and lower register. The performance we most enjoyed, however, was that of Nicholas Bownlee in the role of Kurvenal. He showed a deep commitment to the role and wanted for nothing in terms of dramatic effectiveness. His voice was the most successful at cutting through Wagner's dense orchestration and showed an interesting timbre. One might, however, wish for a bit more variety in volume. (His recent recital for Performance Santa Fe's Festival of Song revealed just how deep his artistry runs.)

Speaking of Wagner's orchestration, we are quite aware of the novelty of his harmonic structure and the way he avoided any kind of harmonic resolution until the very end, creating a sense of unease throughout the entire work. What we liked best were the quotations from his Wesendonck Lieder. The rising four note scale passage from "Im Treibhaus"  reveals how a simple four note rising scale passage can produce substantial emotional involvement.

The conducting of Maestro James Gaffigan was excellent and went a long way toward illuminating Wagner's dense orchestration. We were particularly taken with the lengthy searching solos for English horn and bass clarinet, an instrument we don't get to hear as often as we would wish.

It is always a thrill to hear apprentices onstage, making an impact in smaller roles. Tenor Jonah Hoskins sounded great in the role of a sailor, singing a song that Isolde takes as insulting. Tenor Dylan M. Davis appeared as a shepherd responsible for playing  a tune when Isolde's ship arrives to heal the dying Tristan. Baritone Erik Grendahl sang the role of the Steersman.

Although this particular production of this particular opera did not resonate with us, we admire Santa Fe Opera for tackling it and for bringing so much satisfaction to so many opera lovers. How gratifying that very few people left early. Although not overwhelmed we were left with some satisfying memories of King Marke and Kurvenal, the afore-mentioned woodwind solos, the play of John Torres' lighting on the set, and the formidable voices of Ms. Wilson and Ms. Barton.

Although we were not inspired to read more of Schopenhauer's philosophy, we were moved to think upon the heavy cost of betrayal. We did wonder how Wagner felt about his own bad behavior, betraying his wife and betraying his patrons by seducing their wives.

(c) meche kroop

 

FINAL SANTA FE APPRENTICE SCENES

 Justin Burgess, Vanessa Croome, Caroline Corrales, Daniel O'Hearn, and Joseph Parrish

It seems as if the eight scenes chosen to present to the public by the Santa Fe Apprentice Program are of twè kinds. One type demonstrates the ability of the young artists to work together as an ensemble; the other variety seems to highlight the particular talents of a pair or trio. 

Let us begin with the scene from Verdi's La Traviata in which the ailing courtesan Violetta is confronted by her young lover's irate father. Père Germont has come to persuade her to give up his son in order to get his virtuous daughter married off. He demands, cajoles, and manipulates. His arrogant mien softens when he realizes her humanity and dignity. Teresa Perrotta impressed us with a sizable soprano, lovely legato line, and accurate phrasing. Baritone Darren Lekeith Drone made an excellent Giorgio Germont, not only singing with intention but successfully converting our initial anger at his character for insulting our favorite operatic heroine to a feeling of sympathy for his bourgeois predicament. The scene was well directed by Crystal Manich.

Another duet  that impressed us was from Robert Ward's The Crucible. We generally find fault with contemporary opera in English for its lack of melodic interest; however, Maire Therese Carmack's performance as Elizabeth Proctor and baritone Erik Grendahl's as her husband John carried us fully into the story. The singing was superb but what we most appreciated was the completely comprehensible diction --something we never take for granted. James Robinson's direction made the relationship between husband and wife very clear. His prior adultery has left him vulnerable and his wife even more so as the community is involved in the Salem witch trials. This will not end well!

It is always a pleasure to hear young voices tackle Wagner and two tenors, singing in fine German, made much of the scene from Siegfried in which the eponymous hero confronts the dwarf who has raised him. If one didn't know the backstory one would blame the ungrateful Sigfried (sung by Eric Taylor) and feel sorry for the hard-working Mime (sung by Thomas Cilluffo) who can never satisfy his ward. Siegfried is, indeed, a dolt who "enters pursued by a bear" (oops, sorry about that, he was wearing the skin of a bear he slaughtered) and heaps abuse upon the dwarf who has raised him.  But we, the audience, know that Mime is pure evil and only wants Siegfried's treasure. This is serious business but it was clear that the pair of singers relished their roles and threw themselves into the scene, which was well directed by Ken Cazan.

The ensemble scenes offered a wide range of styles. Our favorite was the scene from Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier in which the Marschallin, sung with beautiful tone and great dignity by soprano Murrella Parton, acknowledges the reality of her young lover Octavian (a most convincing Kathleen Felty in this mezzo-soprano breeches role) about to begin a romance with young Sophie (charmingly sung by Emilie Kealani). This is one of our favorite operas and we loved the way it was sung and directed. Kathleen Clawson directed the three singers to stand far apart as they each expressed different emotions. But after the Marschallin left the scene, the lovers were brought together in intimate joy.

The scene from johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus was an audience favorite, a comic operetta directed by Ms. Clawson as a farce.  Gabriel von Eisenstein (baritone Justin Burgess) is delaying his departure to serve a jail sentence in order to attend a party. The maid Adele (soprano Vanessa Croome) uses an excuse to attend the same event. Gabriel's wife Rosalinda (soprano Caroline Corrales) is entertaining a former lover, opera star Alfred (tenor Daniel O'Hearn). When jailer Frank (bass-baritone Joseph Parrish) arrives to take von Eisenstein to jail, Rosalinda, for the sake of propriety, must pretend that Alfred is her husband. We suppose that the work was sung in English because of the plot complexity but we find it funnier in German. We found it a bit over directed with an excess of shtick and physical comedy.There is enough comedy in the plot! Suddenly this season we are seeing a lot of Broadway type dancing that went out of fashion decades ago.  We can't help thinking of the can-can.

Rossini's Armida began with a touching love scene between the beautiful sorceress Armida (soprano Avery Boettcher) and the lapsed warrior Rinaldo (tenor Jonah Hoskins). The melodic vocal lines gave them an opportunity to show their stuff. But then, two men in army fatigues entered threatening our hero with pistols in one hand and what might be bibles in the other hand, laying a guilt trip on him for abandoning his war hero status. We felt sorry for tenors Philippe L'Esperance and Kameron Lopreore (as Carlo and Ubaldo) whose gifts we thought were wasted, with strange gestures distracting from their singing. Perhaps director Mr. Cazan wanted us to think of the conflict in the Middle East, but it did not work.

We thought the scene selected from Mozart's Don Giovanni was not the best choice.  We are not sure why operas are recently getting tricked out with an excess of "stage business" which distracts from the singing. It seem as if an attempt was made to get as many singers onstage as possible and to give them as much to do as possible. Bass Allen Michael Jones made a believable Leporello and, to the extent that we could sort out what was going on, sang the role well. But why was Elvira (portrayed by Ms. Corrales) wearing a nun's habit when she is claiming to be DG's wife? Tenor Dylan Davis and soprano Caitlin Aloia portrayed Don Ottavio and Donna Anna, while Zerlina and Massetto were sung by Ms. Kealani and Jongwon Han. There was just too much going on to appreciate the singing.

And finally, we thought the very brief scene from Massenet's Cendrillon was also over directed by Mr. Robinson. Madame de la Haltiere was finely sung by contralto Megan Esther Grey but the severely overdone contortions of her two daughters was distracting. Noémie was performed by Amber Norelai and Dorothée, by mezzo-soprano Gloria Palermo.

In sum, it was a great evening, filled with delights and revelations. It is alway a pleasure to hear the stars of tomorrow at the relatively early stage of their careers.

© meche kroop