MAHLER AND MORE AT JUILLIARD

Jinhee Park, Ava Nazar, Theo Hoffman, Samuel Levine, Kelsey Lauritano, Fan Jia, Ho Jae Lee, and Erika Switzer

Thursday's Liederabend at Juilliard, coached by Erika Switzer, was a stunning event offering multiple delights. We feel compelled to begin at the end, at which point baritone Theo Hoffman's performance of Viktor Ullmann's "Abendphantasie" segued directly into Gustav Mahler's lied "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen".  It was the only piece on the program that we know well and we seemed to be greeting an old friend who never looked so fine.

Mr. Hoffman is a consummate artist and his depth of understanding of the text revealed to us, in a new and profound way, the very particular situation of the creative artist and his need for solitude. We felt as if Mahler himself had taken the stage and was telling us about his creative passion. The melody and harmony are exquisite and collaborative pianist Ho Jae Lee captured the nuances as effectively as Mr. Hoffman. Had we trekked up to Juilliard and heard that one song we would have been satisfied.

The remainder of the program was unfamiliar and seemed challenging for the artists and the audience. We asked tenor Samuel Levine about the difficulty of performing the 20th c. Five Sonette an Orpheus by the Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara. To us, the vocal line seemed abstract but Mr. Levine was very comfortable with the work and knew it well.

He employed multiple colors in his voice.  We preferred the gentle "Und fast ein Mädchen wars" and the somewhat more melodic "Errichtet keinen Denkstein".  Jinhee Park was Mr. Levine's piano partner. We may never have another opportunity to hear this cycle of songs and were happy for the experience although they will never be among our favorites.

The remainder of the program comprised two cycles by Poulenc. Baritone Fan Jia, accompanied by CP Kathryn Felt, created his own art gallery with Le travail du peintre, in which Paul Eluard's text was brought to life. We couldn't help thinking of Moussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, since the text described paintings by seven 20th c. painters.

It came as no surprise that our favorite chanson was the one about Marc Chagall who is our favorite modern painter. In line with the playful surrealism of the artwork, Poulenc's music and Eluard's text were equally playful, as was Mr. Jia's delivery. He has a muscular baritone which he modulated dynamically to suit each piece, be it playful or serious, quiet or vigorous.

Mezzo-soprano Kelsey Lauritano performed Poulenc's "Poèmes de Ronsard". She is one of those singers who excels at storytelling. She was frisky in "Attributs", relating what is sacred to each of the goddesses. We enjoyed Ava Nazar's syncopated piano in "Le tombeau". But our favorite part was a song that we are sure Ms. Lauritano favors above the others--"Ballet". Her personality just shone.

Happily, everyone's French and German were both excellent and performances were so polished that no one's technique called attention away from the music, which was well served by everyone.

But it's the Mahler we can't get out of our mind and our ears.

(c) meche kroop

GIVING SCHUMANN HIS DUE

Erika Switzer, Jazimina MacNeil, Michael Brofman, Michael Kelly, Tyler Duncan

1840 was a great year for Robert Schumann.  His legal battle with Friedrich Wieck  was won and he married his beloved Clara; he composed three impressive song cycles which were presented last night at Bargemusic by the Brooklyn Art Song Society which is also having a great year, garnering praise from the press for its thoughtful programs.  In spite of the rain, wind, flooding and subway delays, the floating barge was filled with lovers of lieder who maintained exquisite silence the better to hear three gifted interpreters give their all.

The program opened with Tyler Duncan who performed the nine songs of Liederkreis von Heinrich Heine, Opus 24.  Along with collaborative pianist Erika Switzer, he conveyed the many moods in a most pleasing baritone.  The songs are about love--the anticipation, the sorrows, the bitterness of disappointment; Mr. Duncan did well conveying the passionate anger in the penultimate verse of "Schöne Wiege meiner Leiden", the bitterness of "Warte, warte, wilder Schiffman" and the gentleness of the final song "Berg' und Burgen schaun herunter".  The final verse of the latter draws a comparison between the lover and a river that conceals darkness and death in its depth--a painful ending to be sure.  Ms. Switzer matched his skill continually and beautifully conveyed the pounding of the poet's heart in "Lieb' Liebchen, leg's Hänchen".

Mezzo-soprano Jazimina MacNeil did equal justice to Liederkreis von Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff, Opus 39.  From the first phrase of "In der Fremde", one could sense her total immersion in the text with its profound feeling of alienation.  A quick change to bliss followed in "Intermezzo".  Our personal favorite was "Waldesgesprächt" which permitted Ms. MacNeil to change colors from the seductiveness of the man and the revenge of the witch Loreley.  We also loved the joy of "Die Stille" and the gentle expansiveness of "Mondnacht".  There was not a single false note in the emotional content.

Ms. Switzer also got to show her stuff especially in the different types of rustling.  In "Schöne Fremde", the treetops rustle and we heard a different sort of rustling of the brooklet in "In der Fremde".  Hunting horns could be heard in "Im Walde" and the excitement of triumph was heard as the cycle ends with the poet claiming his beloved.  There was one heart-stopping moment of the cycle in "Auf einer Burg" which limns the stone statue with ponderous chords, evokes a wedding party then in one line mentions that the bride is weeping.  One is left with unresolved feelings as the music never quite resolves.  Piano and voice just seem to hang there suspended.

The final cycle of this generous program comprised baritone Michael Kelly's performance of Dichterliebe, Op. 48, setting of texts by Heinrich Heine.  From the very first phrase we recognized the voice of an artist.  His light baritone has a beautiful tenorial quality and was employed with a depth of expression that left us hanging on every word.  Mr. Kelly somehow manages to caress each word as if he could taste it; and therefore we do as well.  The excitement of "Die Rose, die Lilie, die Taube, die Sonne" was palpable.  The ponderousness of the cathedral in Köln could be felt as well as the tenderness toward the Virgin Mary.  The false gaiety and irony of "Ein Jüngling liebt ein Mädchen" could not be missed, nor the hyperbole of the burial of the angry old songs in a huge coffin in the final song "Die alten, bösen Lieder".

Mr. Kelly's totally fulfilling performance involved Michael Brofman, the Founder and Director of the Brooklyn Art Song Society, as collaborative pianist, a role in which he too shines brightly.  We particularly liked his work in "Ich will meine Seele tauchen" and his fleet fingering in "Und wüssten's die Blumen"; he brought out the lyricism of the memorable melody of "Das ist ein Flöten und Geigen" that we cannot get out of our head.  The two artists make a fine pair!

What a wonderful programming feat it was to assemble three magnificent song cycles and three magnificent singers to share them with the audience!  As long as Mr. Brofman and BASS are around we do not have to worry about the future of art songs in the USA.  Long may they thrive!

© meche kroop

SCHUBERT AND SCHILLER AND MORE

Schubert

Schiller

Schubert&Co continued their exploration of Schubert's prodigious song output (over 600!) in an evening devoted to Schubert's settings of Schiller's poetry.  How the two giants of the 19th c. complemented one another!  Schiller's poetry is dramatic and given to frequent classical references; it rhymes and it scans. The works are lengthy and nearly operatic in scope; the frequent changes of moods make demands on the singer and the pianist alike to sustain the interest of the listener.  We can't help wondering whether the indifferent vocal music being written today would be improved if the poetry were more meaningful.

The five singers who took this on were more than equal to the task.  Mezzo Jazimina MacNeil deftly handled the lighthearted  "Die vier Weltalter" as well as the horror-filled "Gruppe aus dem Tartarus".  Soprano Sarah Shafer did justice to the joyful "Elysium" and sang the part of Hector's wife Andromache in the sorrowful "Hektors Abschied" with tenor Nils Neubert singing the part of Hector.  Mr. Neubert was outstanding in the sad story "Ritter Toggenburg".  Mezzo Nathalie Mittelbach was exceptional in "Klage der Ceres", a mother's woeful lament for her deceased daughter; she has a substantial voice and one could recognize the pleading on the part of the piano, performed so movingly by Lachlan Glen.  More lamenting was heard when Ms. Shafer sang the poignant "Des Mädchens Klage" in her ear-tingling bright soprano.  The program ended with the long story "Die Bürgschaft" which had an uncharacteristic happy ending.  Baritone Tyler Duncan used his vocal and dramatic gifts to tell the story in a meaningful and moving way whilst piano partner Erika Switzer tackled the difficult scale passages and vigorous chords with aplomb.  It was a long evening in which our interest never flagged owing to the fine interpretive singing and pianism.

The following night of this Festival Weekend continued with three more talented singers undertaking the poetry of Karl Gottfried Ritter von Leitner, Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi (a.k.a. Metastasio) and James MacPherson (a.k.a. Ossian) as set by Schubert.  Soprano Pureum Jo was the perfect choice for the Metastasio and hearing Italian was an agreeable change.  We especially enjoyed "Didone abbandonata" in which one could appreciate the pingy resonance of her voice throughout a wide tonal range.  Mr. Glen's roiling piano was notable in "Son fra l'onde".

Baritone John Brancy has long impressed us with his warm and sizable voice and interpretive skills.  Last night he sang two songs by von Leitner, "Drang in die Ferne" and "Der Kreuzzug", which demonstrated his strength in the lower register; the German friend who accompanied us confirmed our confidence in Mr. Brancy's perfect German in which every word can be clearly understood.

Tenor Cullen Gandy invested von Leitner's "Der Wallensteiner Lanzknecht beim Trunk" with all the power required in a drinking song.  We were also able to enjoy him in Italian as he sang Metastasio's "Non t'accostar all'urna" to which we were delighted to be introduced, having only been familiar with the setting by Verdi.

If you have not yet attended one of Schubert&Co's recitals, you will have several more opportunities.  This is an amazing opportunity to discover works that have not yet been given their due.  We will be eternally grateful to Jonathan Ware and Lachlan Glen, Co-Artistic Directors, for this opportunity.

(c) meche kroop