THIS IS US

Felix Jarrar, Scott Bromschwig, Zach Elmassian, Tatianna Overtone, Inbal Karmi Milliger, Betsy Diaz, 
and Mario Arevalo

Tenor Mario Arevalo has a heart as big as his voice. Not only does he maintain an international singing career but he finds time to run Una Voz Un Mundo, an arts initiative which he founded; its mission is to support humanitarian aid, arts advocacy, and the celebration of cultural diversity. Last night at St. John's in the Village, he presented a concert to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riot. This celebratory concert was called This is Us.

With a concept not very different from that of the recently reviewed Manning the Canon, composers of confirmed or suspected homosexuality were featured. Many of the songs were written about "the love that dare not speak its name" in disguised form. What was once hidden and repressed is now openly celebrated--which is all to the good.

We were quite taken with Cuban-American soprano Betsy Diaz, one of those big beautiful women with big beautiful voices. Let's call them BBWWBBV since it goes along with the recent expansion of LGB into LGBTQIA. Ms. Diaz sings with power and subtlety, an unusual combination. She gave an exciting rendering of Richard Strauss' "Morgen" with sizable tone and fine phrasing.

Just as exciting and more accessible was "I Could Have Danced All Night" from Frederick Loew's My Fair Lady. We were less enthralled by "Maria la O" by Ernesto Lecuona, but only because, as many times as we have seen it, we have been unable to relate to the telling of the tale. Lecuona shared a Cuban heritage with the singer.

Bass-baritone Zach Elmassian also has an exciting voice and his performance of "I Am What I Am" from Jerry Herman's La Cage aux Folles, began with parlando and opened up to an intense statement completely in line with Pride Week. The lyrics are as clever as they are meaningful.

He invested Lecuona's "Siboney" with as much sabor as a gringo could muster and we enjoyed the passion as much as the syncopated rhythm.

Mr. Arevalo performed Reynaldo Hahn's much treasured mélodie "L'Heure Exquise" with fine French phrasing and variety of dynamics. But he really got his groove on with Juan Gabriel's "Costumbre" the repetitive lyrics of which came across as a "popular" song, a category which we consider to be an "art song" when sung well without amplification.

Soprano Tatianna Overtone lost us in the first half of the program by attempting to perform Schubert's gorgeous "Ganymed" holding the score. This, as we have pointed out many times, not only restricts gesture but also impairs connection with the audience. However, she redeemed herself in the second half of the program with a stunning delivery of Ethel Smyth's "What if I Were Young Again" with good English diction and enough resonance to live up to her surname. 

By the same token, mezzo-soprano Inbal Karmi Milliger lost us by attempting "The Dreamer" from Felix Jarrar's song cycle Eclipse. Her performance was impaired by being "on the book" and lacked involvement and energy. We liked the music and Brittany Goodwin's lyrics a lot, but found our attention drifting to Mr. Jarrar who was the excellent pianist for the evening. We were particularly puzzled by this wan delivery, especially since we are under the impression that she performed the premiere of the work. Such an honor would seem to require committing the work to memory!

What struck us was how excellently she performed George Gershwin's "The Lorelei". She had a wonderful time with the clever lyrics of this racy song, using her face and body along with her voice. We want to see her give the same involvement to Jarrar's work!

Baritone Scott Bromschwig also had an opportunity to sing one of Jarrar's compositions "A Nocturne in Ulster County", from a very personal song cycle--The Ulster County Songbook, for which he wrote the lyrics himself. In this cycle, Jarrar moves from a position of turmoil and pain to one of peace and acceptance in the final song "I One of Many" which was given a fine performance by Mr. Arevalo.

Mr. Bromschwig demonstrated a good command of Russian in Onegin's aria in which he returns Tatiana's letter. This was very welcome to our ears since we just heard and reviewed Eugene Onegin last night at the Eurasia Festival. Tchaikovsky's romanticism is always a gift to our ears.

We also got to hear Mr. Jarrar perform a solo piano work, the evocative "Jeux d'eau" by Maurice Ravel.

The evening ended with the entire ensemble joining forces for "Seasons of Love" from Jonathan Larson's Rent.

LATIN AMERICAN ART SONG

José Meléndez and Maya Hoover in an ASPS recital at Manhattan School of Music

This has been the week in which Manhattan School of Music hosts The Art Song Preservation Society, a week of master classes and recitals, culminating in The Mary Trueman Vocal Competition Finals taking place today at 1:00.

Regular readers will recall our affection for Spanish music. We are always glad when a recitalist includes a Spanish language set on his or her program, but it is always the same few offerings.  Imagine an entire recital given over to the songs of Latin America! Heretofore, only Steven Blier and his New York Festival of Song has "dared" to make much of Latin American art songs.

Last night, as part of this exciting week of art song, we enjoyed a program comprising art songs from all over Latin America. In case you are wondering what the attraction is for us, it is partly the beauty of the language with its pure vowels, and partly because the composers in Latin America managed to escape from the dictates of 20th c. academia that have crippled North American music with atonality and absence of melody.

We strongly believe that it is melody that involves our hearts. It tickles our ears, enters our brains, makes us want to hum or sing or whistle. That is why Carmen and Barber of Seville are such popular operas.  People take something home with them. From modern music, all we take home is irritability!

Now we will step down from our soapbox and tell you how wonderful it was to hear songs from Argentina, Bolivia, and Cuba (the ABC's of Latin America), not to leave out Mexico and Brazil and Puerto Rico.

Mezzo-soprano Maya Hoover and her collaborative pianist José Meléndez have been performing together for twenty years and have that trust and comfort with one another so necessary for a successful performance. Ms. Hoover has written the book on this art form!  It is called Guide to the Latin American Art Song Repertoire: An Annotated Catalog of Twentieth-Century Art Songs for Voice and Piano. So of course the songs on the program were well curated.

The songs we heard melded influences of European, African, and Indigenous peoples. We believe to truly appreciate this music, one should know about the history of each country. We are just beginners and not yet able to discriminate one nation's style from another. But that didn't prevent us from enjoying the melodic music.

We particularly enjoyed the piano parts, since Mr. Meléndez gave voice to so many colorful elements. In Argentina's Carlos Guastavino's "Cita", we could hear the chirping of crickets! (Europe mas have their nightingales, but Latin America has crickets, LOL).

In Cuba's Gisela Hernández' "Mi corazón lo trajo el mar", we heard the strumming of a guitar. At other times, we heard interesting arpeggi, simple chordal accompaniment, or repeated folk motifs. 

The vocal lines were invariably lovely and Ms. Hoover is a gifted storyteller. Some texts were puzzling or surreal, but for the most part they were direct and accessible. Guastavino's "Balada" was a familiar tale of lost love. 

From Bolivia, we heard "Brisas del lago" by Emilio Guttiérez Illanes, which had the character of a folk dance. The tenderness of Eduardo Caba's "Kapuri"  was followed by "Kori Killa", his frisky paean to a sweetheart. Here, Quechua terms were included and reminded us of a trip to Cuetzalan in Mexico where the priest adopted Nahuatl attire and had a Nahuatl woman leading the Mass in that language.

Narciso Figueroa of Puerto Rico gave us the romantic "Madrugada" and the mournful "Muerta" and our favorite song of the evening--"Vida criolla", a simple song about a simple life, told with strong rhythmic accents. 

The Brazilian composer Alberto Nepomuceno studied voice to achieve a better understanding of how to write for it. We just wrote two days ago how we wished more composers would do just that! His "Corração triste" showed evidence of this study and was one of our favorites. 

Hernández' "Romancillo", a setting of text by Federico Garcia Lorca was another favorite of ours. The text was simple and to the point and the piano writing was spare and effective.

Mexican composers included in the program were Agustín Lara and the famous María Grever. Lara's song "Arráncame la vida" taught us a new word!  We believe that "arrabal" is equivalent to our "bridge and tunnel people". 

We loved Grever's "Te quiero dijiste", of which the lyricism belies the sadness underneath.

The program ended with "La comparsa" by the famous Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona in which Ms. Hoover accompanied her singing with claves. The rhythmic complexity of the piano was only enhanced!

(c) meche kroop

LATINS IN NEW YORK

Sebastian Giunta, Candace Chien, Anna Tonna, Mary Thorne, and Mario Arevalo

We support any expansion of the presence of Latin Music in New York and applaud the enthusiasm of the group of artists who added to the celebration of Hispanic Day in New York City yesterday.

Shetler Studios hosted the event Latins in New York which presented art songs by Hispanic Composers from 1945 to the present. Tenor Mario Arevalo, who is new to us, welcomed the sizable audience and invited us to share his delight in Latin Music.

Mr. Arevalo has a beautiful instrument, an effortless tone, and a warm Latin sound that helps to put a song across. His opening offering was the charming "Damisela encantadora" by Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona that was unfortunately marred by the use of the loathed music stand. Readers know how strongly we feel about its impairment of connection with the audience.

Fortunately, one of the artists went to the effort of memorizing his material and it just so happened to be the magnificent baritone Steven LaBrie whom we just reviewed two days ago for his sensational performance with the Brooklyn Art Song Society. We are happy to report that his artistry is no less wonderful in Spanish than it was in the French melodie.

We know not whether he chose the songs he would sing but the choices were the best on the program.  Or maybe it's just Mr. LaBrie's artistry that we loved.  His performance of Mexican composer Maria Grever's early 20th c. songs blurred the boundary between so-called popular song and art song. "Alma mia" revealed the depth of his feelings through a full rich tone.

Further, there was a convincing performance of Grever's "Munequita linda" in which the delicacy of collaborative pianist Candace Chien matched his own.  We swoon over these gorgeous diminuendos every time! The pair was equally fine in the sad song of farewell "Despedida", and the intense expansiveness of Grever's "Jurame".

From the same generation of Mexican composers, Manuel Ponce composed "Estrellita" which also delighted our ear. Significantly, our guest, who speaks no Spanish and has never attended a vocal recital, was overcome by the sound of Mr. LaBrie's voice and the intensity of his dramatic presentation. These songs were the highlight of the afternoon recital.

Our guest also volunteered his dismay over the incomprehensibility of the English text in Cuban composer Jorge Martin's cycle A Cuban in Vermont: Five Simple Songs, a 2003 composition that was receiving its New York City premiere.  Pianist Sebastian Giunta pounded out the jazzy rhythms at top volume drowning out the voice of soprano Mary Thorne whom we have heard before with Amore Opera and whom we hope to hear again-- singing different repertoire.

There was also a world premiere on the program-- two selections from El Salvadoran composer Juan Guerra Gonzalez' Mis Once Letras. The works required much explanation in the program but, in our opinion, good art reaches its audience without commentary. These songs did not reach us although Mr. Arevalo put his all into getting them across. Of the two selections we preferred "Mucho mas que amor" to which Mr. Arevalo's warm romantic sound was particularly suited. But the presence of the music stand was an obstacle to our feeling involved.

Argentinian composer Alberto Ginastera was represented by a trio of songs from his cycle Cinco canciones populares in which we noted Mr. Arevalo's skillful vocalise introduction to "Triste"and Mr. Giunta's lively rhythms in "Gato". We'd love to hear the entire cycle "off the book".

Similarly, the lovely tones of Anna Tonna's warm mezzo-soprano were put to good use in selections from Cuban composer Julian Orbon's Libro de Cantares. We liked the lullaby "Anada", the lively "Giraldilla", and the deeply felt "Cancion". Someday we hope to hear the songs "off the book" to fully appreciate them without distraction. 

Ms. Chien's piano was particularly lovely in the "Preludio". 

Ms. Tonna's performance of Colombian composer Jaime Leon's "A ti" was ardent and heartfelt whilst "La hija del viejo Pancho" was full of life and seemed to connect more with the audience.

We hope that the next concert given by this group will be given without music stands and perhaps with printed text for audience members who don't speak Spanish.

(c) meche kroop

SWEET TO THE TONGUE AND SWEET TO THE EAR

Kyle Pfortmiller, Maestro Keith Chambers, Ira Siff, Aaron Blake, Olivia Vote, and Sandra Lopez

The tantalizing buffet of homemade sweets and the free-flowing champagne might have distracted us from the thrilling entertainment provided by New Amsterdam Opera at their Sweet Surprise Salon.  Indeed sugar is sweet but music is even sweeter and more nourishing to the spirit.

The salon inaugurated NAO's second season; if you, dear readers, read our reviews from the first season you may recall our enthusiasm for their fine Fidelio, their equally fine Forza del Destino, and a compelling gala concert--all performed with impressive professionalism and fine casting decisions.

Artistic Director Maestro Keith Chambers hand picked the quartet of singers for last night's salon and the excellent program which comprised not a single dud.  There were three acts of four selections each with an opportunity to socialize before, after, and inbetween. Many luminaries of Planet Opera were in attendance and we were so happy to learn that Maestro Eve Queler of Opera Orchestra of New York has generously donated all her orchestral scores, giving NAO just the impetus they need to present more operas that deserve to be heard but are not regularly performed.

The evening was hosted by the inimitable Ira Siff--singer/educator/raconteur/writer/radio personality. We know Mr. Siff for a longer period of time than any other singer. One of his youthful performances was responsible for our love of singing. His witty introductions had the audience in stitches.  He began rather straight-faced talking about the need for "budget operas" in today's economic climate but then rattled off a list that seemed to come right out of the late and lamented Gran Scena Opera Company, of which he was the star.  Who remembers Madame Vera???

We always love duets, especially when the voices are well balanced.  Opening the program were soprano Sandra Lopez and mezzo-soprano Olivia Vote (whom we enjoyed so much at Santa Fe Opera) singing "Belle nuit" from Jacques Offenbach's magnificent work Les contes d'Hoffman. Ms. Lopez' instrument is bright and beautiful with Ms. Vote's terrifically textured voice complementing hers to great effect. French diction was just about perfect.

If there is a more gorgeous duet for male voices than "Au fond du temple saint" from Georges Bizet's Les pecheurs de perles, we have yet to hear it. Tenor Aaron Blake joined forces with baritone Kyle Pfortmiller in this male bonding piece; both artists had an opportunity to show their dramatic chops in this emotional roller coaster. Like the two female artists, their French was impeccable.

As far as language is concerned, Mr. Pfortmiller distinguished himself with his superlative German in "Mein sehnen, mein Wahnen" from Erich Wolfgang Korngold's Die tote Stadt. This song of longing and nostalgia ends with the word "zuruck" (apologies for not having diacritical marks available) and Mr. Pfortmiller drew out the final "u" (the one with the umlaut) in an attenuated decrescendo that brought out the sentiment in a way that we have never heard before.

Readers may recall how fond we are of zarzuela and can imagine how delighted we were to hear "Maria la O" from the the 1930's work by Cuban Ernesto Lecuona. We just reviewed the same aria last week and are of the opinion that New York is ready for more zarzuela. Ms. Lopez gave it a fine performance, filled with sazon. To our ears, Spanish sings as well as Italian and caresses the ear.

Of course, there was Italian on the program as well. Ms. Vote performed "Stella del marinar", Laura's prayer for guidance from Amilcare Ponchielli La gioconda. Her vibrato was perfect and filled the room with overtones that bounced off the elaborate piano score, performed by Maestro Chambers, who was accompanist for the evening.

"Parigi, o cara" is the heartbreaking final duet from Giuseppe Verdi's La traviata, a duet filled with false hope and wishful thinking.  Ms. Lopez and Mr. Blake invested it with profound emotional resonance.

Equally heartbreaking is Edgardo's aria of suicidal despair from Gaetano Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, in which Mr. Blake threw himself into the high notes with thrilling abandon.

It is rare that a piano reduction can come close to Richard Wagner's dense orchestration but Maestro Chambers got it right in "Einsam wachend in der Nacht", Brangane's Act II warning to Isolde, here performed by Ms. Vote.

Three of the artists enjoyed the opportunity to sing lighter works from the American musical theater. Mr. Blake let out all the stops for "Be My Love", popularized by Mario Lanza in 1950. It was passionate, persuasive, and very expressive.

Mr. Pfortmiller performed the English language lyrics to "Stars" from Claude-Michel Schonberg's Les Miserables.  Having heard Alain Boublil's French lyrics, we would have preferred that version, but the English lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer are quite good and Mr. Pfortmiller was strong and determined and overcame our preference.

The musical Kismet has Borodin's music written all over it; indeed Robert Wright and George Forrest adapted it for the Broadway stage and it opened in 1953 with an absurdly complicated plot and Borodin's luscious music. If we are not mistaken "And This is My Beloved" comes from the third movement of his String Quartet #2. Forgetting the elaborate plot, Ms. Lopez performed the song with beauty and simplicity.

The program concluded with the festive party song from Johann Strauss II's Die Fledermaus, which brought this quartet of superb singers together in an exhibition of brotherly love-- "Sing to Love' which we know as "Bruderlein, bruderlein und Schwesterlein".  Again, we prefer the original language but it was just fine.

After this banquet of vocal delights, we repaired to the banquet of gastronomical delights and shared our pleasure with the enthralled members of the audience.

The evening was a fund raiser for New Amsterdam Opera and this yearling company deserves your dollars. Their goal is to identify young talent and to give them performance opportunities right here in New York City. It seems as if the USA provides the best training for singers but is sadly lacking in performance opportunities.  So many of our gifted young artists leave for Europe where their artistry is more highly valued. Let's turn that around!

(c) meche kroop

A CHORUS OF CELLOS

Elad Kabilio, Grace Ho, Luke Krafka, and Caleb van der Swaagh

One speaks of a herd of cattle or a pride of lions, but what does one call a group of cellos? For want of a better collective noun, we have decided upon a "chorus of cellos" since they sing in different voices.  If one of our readers can come up with a better collective term, please address the issue in the comment section.

The voices we heard last night at Elad Kabilio's "Music Talks" were magnificent. At the upper end of the register we are reminded of "head voice" in a soprano and at the lower end of the register we feel the resonance in our body that we feel when a bass is singing.

In the works we heard that were arranged for this unusual grouping of instrumentalists (not unusual for Mr. Kabilio however) voices were distributed among the four players-- but not consistently. Each player had opportunities to play the upper, middle, and lower voices.

Although the entire evening revealed a stunning array of Latin American music, the part of the program that left us bedazzled was soprano Larisa Martinez' heartfelt performance of Manuel de Falla's Siete Canciones Populares Espanolas. We have lost track of the number of times we have written about this cycle of songs but last night's performance was like hearing it for the first time.

Ms. Martinez' warm timbre and commitment to the text brought the emotions straight to the heart--and emotions there were aplenty! She brought out the irony of "El pano moruno", the lighthearted attempt of  "Seguidilla Murciana" to hide a broken heart, the sorrow of "Asturiana" (our personal favorite", the rapture of young love in "Jota", the peacefulness of the lullaby "Nana", and the pain of loss in "Cancion" and "Polo". The songs are brief but the feelings intense.

What was particularly remarkable about this hearing of something familiar was not only Ms. Martinez' memorable performance but that the work, composed for voice and piano, was arranged for voice and four cellos by composer Dina Pruzhansky, who also changed the key. This brought an entirely new texture to the work. It was like returning home after a vacation and finding that a designer had come in your absence and done a marvelous renovation.

Ms. Martinez closed the program with a selection from Maria la O, a zarzuela composed by Cuban Ernesto Lecuona.  What a gorgeous aria and so magnificently performed! All we can say is if we don't get to see a zarzuela presented soon in toto, we will have to do it ourself! 

Ms. Martinez went to Cuba last year as part of an artistic delegation from Turn Around Arts, which was established by Michelle Obama. (And what is the present FLOTUS accomplishing???). We are sure she dazzled the Cubans the same way she dazzled us.

Our first love is always vocal music but the instrumental part of the program was the source of great pleasure for us and for our guest who was unfamiliar with classical music but is now a convert. There is something about four cellos that will do that every time!

What is unique about Music Talks is the enthusiastic manner in which Mr. Kabilio presents the works on the program, instructing audience members in a non-academic fashion on what to listen for--i.e. the five beat measure of the folk-inflected Zortzico of Catalunyan composer Isaac Albeniz, the layered melodies of Argentinian Astor Piazzola, and the intricate manner in which Brazilian composer Heitor Villa Lobos melded Bachian structure with the color of his native folk music.

What a satisfying evening! If you have never attended a Music Talks event, you might consider their upcoming recital in which Metropolitan Opera tenor Aaron Blake (of whose voice we are very fond) will join the string quartet for some exciting music making. Put October 26th on your calendar! And we will also mention that the atmosphere is informal -- up close and personal--just the way we like it!

(c) meche kroop

BACK TO BACH

Elad Kabilio and Larisa Martinez

We have been writing about Larisa Martinez and her gorgeous soprano for a couple of years now and have enjoyed her performances in opera, song, and zarzuela.  We have also been writing about Elad Kabilio and his unique MUSIC TALKS  for some time.  The pairing of these two talents is an exciting one.  Last night's recital at Interface (an unusually comfortable venue with great acoustics and couch seating) was an extension of one we heard a year ago.

Cellist/impresario/educator Elad Kabilio presented a captivating program exactly one year ago that demonstrated the influence of J.S.Bach on the Argentinean composer Astor Piazzolla. We confess to never having enjoyed or understood Bach's highly intellectual music until Mr. Kabilio, in his educator hat, demonstrated what a fugue was by utilizing his cohort of cellists.  But, just as Steven Blier has expanded our appreciation of song beyond those of the 19th c., so Mr. Kabilio has expanded our appreciation of instrumental music in similar fashion.

Bach wrote Die Kunst der Fuge just for fun; it was not commissioned.  He never specified which instruments should be employed.  In this case, the four voices were distributed among four cellos and each cellist was given different voices from time to time, so the adventure would not fall on only one pair of arms. The result is complex but accessible with voices layered upon voices.

The "Contrapunctus" XIV" in D minor was the last one he wrote and it was never finished. Performance tradition includes a chorale at the end which resolves into D major, leaving the listener satisfied.  Uncharacteristically, aside from the original theme, two new themes were included, the second of which spells out B-A-C-H (we are not sure what note H represents). Was Bach pulling our collective leg?

Piazzolla was a 20th c. composer and, having been introduced to the concept by Mr. Kabilio, it became clear how he was influenced by Bach. Mr. Kabilio and his three gifted colleagues (Grace Ho, Talya Buckbinder, and Caleb van der Swaagh) had a great time with the energetic and syncopated fugue which was followed by a slow section (Misterio).  When a short demonstration without the syncopation was played one could readily appreciate the Bach-ness of it all.

We enjoyed the traditional tango "Oblivion" which involved a lot of plucking and a compelling three note ascending motif.  But our favorite was "La vi llegar" which made us want to get up to dance the tango. The pizzicato playing was stirring to say the least.

The Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos was next on the program, fulfilling the promise of the program Bach in Brazil II. The early 20th c. composition Bachianas Brasileras No. 5 is ineffably lovely and we were thrilled with the opportunity to hear Ms. Martinez perform it once more, so immersed is she in this music.

The beginning aria, the Cantilena, has Portuguese lyrics but our joy is maximized in the vocalise since no words are needed to convey such deep emotion as Ms. Martinez expressed. The spirited Dansa (Martelo) is followed by humming which seems very difficult to achieve in the upper register but Ms. Martinez demonstrated how she uses the "ng" position of the tongue.

The final work on the program sent us over the moon.  Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona wrote the one-act zarzuela Maria La O in 1930. The plot is a sad one in that the mulata Maria bears the child of an aristocrat who marries within his own social class. This zarzuela was popular in Puerto Rico, where Ms. Martinez was born and her performance showed both fine technique and depth of feeling. We enjoyed Ms. Buckbinder's tremolo accompaniment.

The audience for MUSIC TALKS is growing rapidly and all the couches were occupied. The audience seems delighted by the intimacy and informality, as well as the educational aspect. If you have end-of-year donations to make, this would be a great group to consider.  Their next event will be a world-famous harpist on January 24th. What a way to celebrate our birthday!

(c) meche kroop

ALL MY HEART IN THIS MY SINGING

Miriam Leskis and Raehann Bryce-Davis

The title of this review comes from an Amy Beach song brought to life by the glorious mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis. The words, penned by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, seemed to have been written with someone just like Ms. Bryce-Davis in mind. Not only does her singing contain her entire heart but a great deal of soul as well. Last night's recital at the National Opera Center was glorious.

Ms. Beach's songs are lyrically melodic; she is one of the few American composers who knew how to choose poetry and how to amplify and enhance it.  Ms. Bryce-Davis sang the selections with impressive intensity, making each word count. Her English diction is faultless. Her instrument is a large and generous one with a most appealing vibrato.

The second set comprised a cycle of songs by Dominick Argento, settings of entries From the Diary of Virginia Woolf, entries from the period between the two World Wars. We would have no desire to read the ramblings of a disordered mind, nor could we imagine setting such stuff to music, but Ms. Bryce-Davis is such a compelling storyteller that we listened with rapt attention. We couldn't help but wondering if any operas contain mad scenes for mezzos! There surely must be something like that in the singer's future.

The second half of the program was far more in line with our taste.  We generally think of sopranos when we think of Richard Strauss' songs but this artist's special sound, along with her vitality and commitment, made them new again.  We always love "Heimliche Aufforderung, Op. 27, No. 3" as it speaks to a secret meeting between familiar lovers. "Zueignung, Op. 10, No. 1" is a tribute to the benefits of love and always makes us smile. Need we mention that the artist's German was crisp and clear?

Regular readers will recall how taken we are with zarzuela and will understand how delighted we were by the two which Ms. Bryce-Davis sang last night. First she sang Concha's song "De España Venga" from Pablo Luna's early 20th c. zarzuela El Niño Judío; she sang it with passion and pride in perfect Spanish.

The other selection was "Maria La O" from Ernesto Lecuona's zarzuela of the same name. This Cuban work from 1930 involves a young mulata  who refuses to accept the second-class status of a mistress, and rebels against the racial and gender politics of the times. Ms. Bryce-Davis made me want to see the entire work performed. 

The set with which the artist closed the evening comprised two spirituals from Jamaica, her parents' homeland. Part of "No Dark There" was sung a capella and then piano partner Miriam Leskis, who had contributed so much support for the evening, joined the singer for some good rousing music with a Caribbean beat. "Dis is My Word" was sung in dialect and was marked by touches of humor.

As encore, we heard "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands". Let's see what He has in store for the amazing Ms. Bryce-Davis. We foresee a magnificent future.

(c) meche kroop

CUBA LIBRE

César Delgado and Amaya Arberas

We spent many years in South Florida so WE KNOW ALL ABOUT CUBA!  Take THAT, Sarah Palin!  In honor of the current highly-hoped-for Cuban glasnost, we celebrated Cuban culture from two angles yesterday--first the classical unamplified voices of two splendid young singers at the upper end of Manhattan, and later at a wild and frenzied concert/dance in the farthest reaches of Brooklyn.

Our first event took us to the grand Hispanic Society of America where the Cuban Cultural Center of New York presented "En un salón de La Habana", a recital of Cuban lyric songs.  The recital took place in the Salón Sorolla, lavishly decorated with colorful paintings by Joaquin Sorolla which formed a perfect backdrop for the artists and would be worth a return trip just to see.

However the music and its performance were so compelling that we scarcely noticed the paintings until intermission.  We have written several times before about the engaging soprano Amaya Arberas who hails from San Sebastián in Spain and represented the Iberian member of the duo.  Her vocal partner was Mexican tenor César Delgado who represented Spain in the Nuevo Mundo.  Ever since our first hearing of Rolando Villazón we have been impressed by the quality of tenors turned out by our neighbor to the south.

Our readers know by now how fond we are of Spanish songs and how much we enjoy duets; so imagine how sobre la luna we were when Ms. Arberas and Mr. Delgado joined their voices in heavenly harmony several times in the course of the recital.  Arguably the best known of the composers represented on the program, Ernesto Lecuona was responsible for "Como arrullo de palmas" and, even better, "¡Ay, quién pudiera morirse!" from his zarzuela Rosa la China.

Two more duets enchanted us: "Duetino de Isabel y Leonardo" from Gonzalo Roigo's Cecilia Valdés and "Te odio/Me odias" by Félix B. Caignet and Ernestina Lecuona (Ernesto's older sister), the latter duet being notable for NOT being loving.

Notably, nearly every other song on the program involved love.  One had no trouble understanding the lyrics with a minimal knowledge of Spanish --los besos, la vida, mi amor, tu boca, mi corazon, l'alma, tus ojos.  Also notable is the alternation between a lyric section and a rhythmic section.

Accompaniment was provided by the Florida Chamber Orchestra Duo.  Musical Director Ana Ruth Bermúdez arranged the songs such that the lyrical sections were played by herself on the cello (and magnificently played!), echoing the vocal line.  The rhythm was mostly provided by the excellent piano of Ileana Cortizo Boza who also had the opportunity to perform several solos.

We have nothing but admiration for the two singers.  Not only did they sing duets with perfect harmony and connection but their solos were marked by expressive phrasing, passionate intensity and just the right amount of vibrato.  The audience particularly loved Ms. Arberas' performance of Lecuona's "Pregón de Flores" and Mr. Delgado's performance of José M. Varona's "Es el amor la mitad de la vida".

All of the music on the program was composed during the late 19th c. and early 20th c.

The latter part of the evening presented us with contemporary and highly amplified Cuban dance rhythms, performed by the famous Cuban vocalist José "Pepito" Gómez who has recently immigrated to the United States.  It was easy to see why he created such a sensation not only in his homeland but on world tours.  His highly energetic rhythms and effective brass section galvanized the crowd and the dance floor was rapidly filled.  You might possibly have glimpsed us trying to dance the timba in our clumsy snow boots!

The concert was part of a series called "World to Brooklyn" presented by the well known World Music Institute.  This series is designed to present music from other countries in a totally immersive fashion including dance lessons, socializing, imbibing and of course listening to music.  Upcoming concerts will feature Colombia and Haiti.

We wish we could have concluded our Cuban "day into night" with a "medianoche" but, sadly, our favorite Cuban restaurant on 8th Avenue was closed, destroyed by Chelsea's gentrification and the concomitant higher rents.  Still, we do think we had sufficient Cuban culture for one day.

© meche kroop

CUBA LIBRE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

© meche kroop