A SECRET LOVE

 Alexandria Crichlow, Gabriel Hernandez, and Eric Viñas

(photo by Russ Rowland)

Mozart may have dominated the music scene in Austria but we are not well acquainted with French composers of the Classical Period in France. It was a fine thing to be introduced to the lovely music of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges; there is a delicacy to the music that tickles the ear and the melodies are eminently singable. His sole surviving work is the 1780 comic opera L'amant anonyme, a one act work brought lovingly to the stage by New Camerata Opera.

.The composer was born in Guadeloupe to a slave woman named Nanon and fathered by a French plantation owner who brought his family to France when Joseph was but 7 years old, and ensured that his son received a fine education. Young Joseph exhibited early aptitude for music, dancing, and fencing; his charm, talents, and good looks won him a place in society although at certain times his being a mulatto brought ugly prejudice into his life. From what we gleaned from our reading, his life story would have made a splendid opera in and of itself. How fitting that we are lauding his work on Juneteenth!

This brief opera was premiered at a private theater for the entertainment of aristocrats and it is likely that the composer himself bore within a secret love for a Caucasian woman. Perhaps he was working through his predicament by means of his art.

Love is a carelessly handled state in 21st c. America; people jump in and out of relationships like rabbits. But in 18th c. France, love was a serious issue and many rules of etiquette had to be observed. It was not unusual for folks to pine away for a love object and many chansons and mélodies were written about unfulfilled longing and desire.

In the libretto by Desfontaines-Lavellée, our hero Valcour (performed by Gabriel Hernandez) has been writing anonymous love letters for a few years to the widow Léontine (sung by Alexandria Crichlow). The two lovers-to-be needed help getting together with Ophémon (performed by Eric Viñas) and Jeannette (played by Brittany Hebel) urging and importuning.

Director Brandon Shaw McKnight set the work in a TV studio in the 1960's which seem as remote to us as 18th century France. Costume Designer Stephanie Mae Fisher created a vaguely 1960's look with the chorus needing only go-go boots to complete their "mod" costuming. Our heroine appeared to be an opera singer performing on television and was decked out in an over-the-top gown and wig. No set designer was credited so we assume that Visual Designer and Props Master Ariana Swei devised the clever set with an office stage right, including a typewriter! Stage left was a convincing dressing room and in the center was a studio complete with. "Applause" and "On the Air" signs.

Although we deeply resent directors trashing the classics that we adore, tinkering with a trivial one-dimensional plot of an unknown work is another thing entirely and Mr. McKnight's direction, veering toward slapstick in its exaggeration, brought interest to a story devoid of conflict or subplot. Musical Director Kelly Lam directed a chamber group of about a dozen musicians comprising strings and woodwinds, prominent among which were a pair of bassoons.

It was an altogether charming and delightful 90 minutes of tuneful arias, duets, and ensembles enjoyed in the comfortable Naelberg Theater at Baruch College. There will be performances Friday and Saturday night as well as a matinée on Sunday. There are two casts so we cannot guarantee you will hear the same cast as we did but we can guarantee you will enjoy yourselves as much as the highly enthusiastic audience last night.

© meche kroop

A STUNNING NEW OPERA

Whitney George, composer/conductor of Princess Maleine (photo by Brian E. Long)

It was a big gamble for Dell'Arte Opera Ensemble to commission a new opera; the gamble paid off and a stunning new opera was presented as part of the Summer Festival, honoring female composers, conductors, and directors. Billed as a fairy tale, we say otherwise. A fairytale is a folk tale that is handed down from one generation to the next with themes that are consistent from one culture to the next.

Whitney George's new opera has elements of fairy tales--Kings, Queens, a Princess in a tower, a Prince Charming, etc. but it is based upon an 1890's play by Maurice Maeterlinck that was not produced until after his death. The Symbolist movement in literature is difficult to define but, no matter, librettist and director Bea Goodwin has chosen her own take on the story, emphasizing the agency of the female characters. In this she has largely succeeded.

Actually, the most interesting character onstage is Queen Ann of Jutland, portrayed by the fascinating Mr. Liz Bouk whose regal appearance, expressive face and body, and arresting contralto voice lent verisimilitude to the characterization. Queen Ann is the very image of the evil stepmother, but here the character is the evil mother-in-law-to-be. She is a master manipulator, both of King Hjalmar of Ysselmonde, of whom she is the consort, and of her own daughter Princess Ursula (Uglyane in the Maeterlinck). She succeeds in killing the lovely Princess Maleine of Harlingen, a role portrayed beautifully by the lovely light soprano Elyse Kakacek, who looked and sang exactly right.

Bass-baritone Eric Lindsey lent his splendid voice to the role of King Hjalmar of Ysselmonde, a man whose power declines once he destroys the kingdom of his neighbor King Marcellus of Harlingen (portrayed by Jonathan Harris), a man who makes the foolish decision to insist that his unwilling daughter Princess Maleine marry a Burgundian, for political reasons.

The role of King Marcellus' wife Queen Godelive was superbly sung by soprano Kristina Malinauskaite. Her character was portrayed as kind and gentle but she dies along with her husband in the war with King Hjalmar. She reappears as a spirit again in Act II. Neither of the pair provide any support for poor Princess Maleine who has fallen in love with Prince Hjalmar, portrayed by Jeremy Brauner, whose grainy tenor seemed all wrong for the part, the only casting decision that seemed flawed.

Mezzo-soprano Nicholle Bittlingmeyer made a fine Aleta, Lady-in-Waiting to the Princess, accompanying her on her journey. The two of them had a lovely duet in Act I.

Playing The Fool was counter-tenor Jeffrey Mandelbaum whose flexible face, supple body, and eerie tone were just right for the part. Sometimes he commented on the action, sometimes he guided the action, and sometimes he lead the characters astray. But he always entertained.

Tenor Gabriel Hernandez and baritone Connor Lidell had a fine bit together as the Guards Vanox and Stephano. Baritone Shane Brown took the role of Angus, confidant of the Prince. In a confusing costuming decision, the two men who had a similar appearance, with matching bald pates and nearly identical costumes, seemed interchangeable.

We enjoyed the performance of soprano MaKayla McDonald as Queen Ann's daughter--a most reluctant bride for King Hjalmar's son. Her performance was both touching and humorous. The only plot point that was unexplained was how the two had never met since their respective parents ruled together!

The mime show held during the overture involved the petite Megan Vanacore  playing the part of Queen Ann's young son flying a kite. The libretto indicated that the kite represented a soul, yearning and aspiring--but held to the ground by the string.

Marcus Hollie portrayed the doctor who concocts poisonous elixirs for the evil Queen.

Stealing the show was a realistic puppet-poodle named Pluto, marvelously manipulated by the aforementioned Jonathan Harris.

There was something particularly special and seemingly authentic about a scene in which the Princess and Aleta escape from the tower and come upon a tavern. The libretto here was more than usually clever and made us think of Sondheim. Jessica Harika and Anna Woiwood were appropriately basse classe. We liked Ms. Goodwin's libretto best when it rhymed and scanned. There were some clever moments indeed!

What about Whitney George's music? Well, dear readers, we have saved the best for last. This was our first exposure to Ms. George's music although we have enjoyed her finely detailed conducting before. Unlike most contemporary compositions, what we heard offered delights aplenty. There was ample variety of styles and colorful orchestration for the 14-member chamber orchestra. Woodwinds and brass were particularly noteworthy, as were the ethereal sounds from the percussionist. Lyrical passages alternated with rhythmic staccato sounds. There were no longueurs; our attention was held throughout. As you may have predicted, we would have preferred more melody in the vocal writing.

There was even a tango, accompaniment to a scene in which Queen Ann tries to seduce the Prince. More credit to choreographer Lauren Hlubny!

Costume Designer Claire Townsend provided lovely gowns for Queen Godelive and the Princess, and a splendiferous one for Queen Ann. The two Kings, whilst a bit more modest, could not be mistaken for commoners.  The Prince, however was clad in a rather contemporary suit, as was his buddy Angus. It was difficult to see him as a prince.

Joo Hyun Kim's set was simple but effective with lighting handled by Dante Olivia Smith.

We would like to close by mentioning how much more enjoyable this original work was than the recently reviewed Thirteenth Child and Korngold's The Miracle of Heliane--both failed attempts to create a fairy tale. That is a difficult task to achieve, matching the wisdom of centuries of storytelling. Just think about the success of Cenerentola, Cendrillon, and Hansel und Gretel! Rossini, Massenet and Humperdinck had real fairytales to work with.

If you are tempted to see for yourself, there will be one more performance Saturday night. To tempt you further, we will post a carousel of photos on our Facebook page--Voce di Meche.

(c) meche kroop

AN EXALTATION OF WOMEN

Cory Gross and MaKayla McDonald in front; 
Kristina Malinauskaite, Brian Alvarado, and Jessica Harika in the picture frame
(Photo by Brian E. Long for Dell'Arte Opera Ensemble)

We have written at length about how Dell'Arte Opera Ensemble contributes to the development of young singers; so let us get right to the point--the performances of last night's program Voices from the Tower.  What a great theme for this summer's festival--presenting operas composed by women. Last night's program involved three separate parts. The first part was a one act opera composed by Pauline Viardot entitled Cendrillon.

Faithful readers will recall my ecstatic reviews of Ms. Viardot's melodies; that she wrote a chamber operetta was news to us. The work was performed in 1904 at the salon of the composer, then in her 80's. One immediately observes a youthful freshness that belies her age. We were struck most by the thrilling bel canto singing of the delightful score, written long after such tuneful music was in fashion. Clearly the work was not written to impress the academic establishment but to delight her friends. Delight it did!

Whilst the music is Italianate, the libretto contains much Gallic wit, particularly when Papa discovers some commonality with the Prince's assistant who has been masquerading as the Prince. The storyline echoes the original Perrault fairytale but is more lighthearted than the Rossini and the Massenet versions.

The two step-sisters are not wicked and are only slightly vain. There is no nasty stepmother. The Fairy Godmother not only transforms Cendrillon but appears at the ball and sings a song. The scene at the ball in Act II provides opportunities for improvisation according to the gifts of the members of the cast. Anarka Fairchild made a fine contribution.

Cendrillon, here called Marie, was winningly sung by soprano MaKayla McDonald whose instrument has a pleasing vibrato and whose expressive face contributed to the characterization. Her two sisters were named Maguelonne (sung by the superb soprano Kristina Malinauskaite) and Armelinde (sung by the marvelous mezzo-soprano Jessica Harik). A highlight of Act I was the trio sung by the three sisters in the most gorgeous harmony.

The entrance of La Fée was marked by soap bubbles and the performance marked by the lofty coloratura singing of the splendid soprano Heather Bobeck.  Baritone Brian Alvarado (in a very ugly wig) threw himself into the humour of the role and sounded great as Le Baron de Pictordu. Tenorrific Tyler Dobies exhibited some fine singing and winning stage presence as Le Comte Barigoule. The role of Le Prince Charmant was handled well by tenor Cory Gross.

The piano score was ably handled by Beau Dream and Lauren Hlubny's direction was apt. And if she created the humorous dances in Act II she deserves double credit. In an imaginative display, the transformation of elements into a coach for Marie involved the two stepsisters rotating wheels.

Jessie Chen's set was simple but effective--a couple of chairs and a suspended gilt picture frame which doubled as a mirror. Marie swept up rose petals which created a lovely picture. Heather Denny's costumes were simple. Marie's red jump suit hid under a drab black outfit just waiting to be removed. 

The mark of an opera's success for us is wanting to hear it again and the presence of melodies running through our head. This succeeded on both counts.

Geddy Warner and Anna Woiwood (photo by Brian E. Long)

The second part of last night's program comprised a few scenes from Victoria Bond's Mrs. President. We are not a fan of contemporary opera in English but--SURPRISE!--we truly enjoyed the scenes so much that we will be looking for a performance of the entire opera in the future!

Although we didn't leave humming the tunes, we did enjoy the music, the story, and the arresting performances. The story is that of Victoria Woodhull whose interesting life offered enough material for several operas or plays. Ms. Woodhull was quite a character--not only was she the first woman to run for President, a champion of women's suffrage and free love, but also a medium-- not to mention the fact that she had a seat on the New York stock exchange!

The scenes we saw began with choral music in which the voices of her seance attendees joined in strange affecting harmonies as they strove to reach the spirits of men they lost in the Civil War. Soprano Woiwood did a splendid job interpreting the role of the headstrong and independent title character as she roused her followers to her cause and as she seduced the hypocritical preacher Henry Ward Beecher, a man who practiced "free love" in secret while putting up a false front to his congregation. Tenor Geddy Warner was scarily convincing in his role, at first threatening Ms. Woodhull but succumbing readily to her advances, but only after she threatened to expose him.

Emily Bishai's excellent direction made the story both effective and affecting. Jessie Chen's set design included a desk stage left and a pile of pillows stage right. Nothing more was needed.

Tenor Tyler Dobies sang superbly as the rejected lover Joseph Treat. Other excellent cast members included Addie Rose Forstman as Beecher's sister, Jessica Harika as Victoria's mother,  and Robin Clifford as Elizabeth Tilton.

The excellent singing and riveting drama captured our interest from the first moment. We wish all contemporary opera was as well written. Hilary Bell's libretto lent itself readily to the music and was dramatically valid.

Lisa Faieta and Gabriel Hernandez (photo by Brian E. Long)

We wish we could say the same about the third part of the evening. We have seen a number of plays and films about Mary Queen of Scots which fascinated us but Thea Musgrave's opera missed the mark in spite of Emily Bishai's apt direction and some superb performances by soprano Lisa Faieta as the titular character, tenor Gabriel Hernandez as James, Earl of Bothwell who was supposed to be her protector, Connor Lidell as her brother James, and Jonathan Harris as Lord Gordon. Andrea Howland was affecting as the Queen's companion, also named Mary.

The problem for us lay in the unmusical music and awkward libretto. Although Ms. Musgrave has an excellent reputation in academic and critical circles, we simply could not get involved. Ms. Musgrave wrote her own libretto but the words seemed shoehorned into the vocal line, which was, in any case, non-melodic. The hoped for marriage between language and line was woefully missing. Much as we cared for Mrs. Woodhull in the prior scenes we found ourselves not caring at all for the destiny of the Queen. So unfortunate to have an excellent evening end in disappointment!

Director Emily Bishai succeeded in keeping the story moving, although the sword fight was somewhat less than convincing. Jessie Chen's set comprised a bed and a chair. Whitney George effectively conducted the chamber orchestra.

Well, two out of three ain't bad! We are looking forward to tonight's performance of Princess Maleine, composed by Whitney George, whose work is unfamiliar to us, with libretto by Brittany Goodwin, whose work we have always admired. Perhaps we will have an opportunity to get a better appreciation of the versatility of the singers.

(c) meche kroop

CAREER BRIDGES GALA

Career Bridges Winners

The designation "gala" is used rather loosely these days but the dazzling evening we experienced last night at The Metropolitan Club was gala in every sense of the word. Luminaries of Planet Opera gathered in force to celebrate the next generation of opera stars, recipients of awards from The Schuyler Foundation for Career Bridges.

The Foundation has been performing a vital service for 17 years now. Founded by David Schuyler Bender and Barbara Meister Bender with the mission of providing vital assistance to young opera singers as they transition from training to stardom. Awardees receive three years of mentoring, financial support, and performance opportunities. A combination of wise selection and this assistance has had a phenomenal rate of success.

What is more, for three years they have provided outreach to youngsters in their Kids Love Opera program, reaching 7000 primary school students at an age that almost guarantees a life-long interest in opera. These kids will grow up and provide the next generation of opera goers. Hooray for the Foundation!

The Benders are one of those beautiful couples--beautiful inside as well as outside. Their welcoming remarks got the evening off to a wonderful start. Guests forgot the damp and dreary weather and basked in the delightful entertainment, which was dispersed between the courses of dinner. Most of the singers were this year's winners except for Teresa Castillo (2017) and Jorell Williams, a winner from 2008, who showed us what happens to the artists when they complete the program.

Ms. Castillo opened the program with a Händel aria that showed off her flexible coloratura in harmony with the trumpet of David Glukh. Mary Beth Nelson performed our favorite Rossini aria--"Una voce poco fa"--demonstrating a personality as pleasing as her voice. Similarly, our favorite Donizetti aria--"Una furtiva lagrima"-- was performed by Tianchi Zhang, with fine dynamic shading. 

From Linda di Chamounix, an opera we know little of, Erika Baikoff sang the familiar "O luce di quest' anima", with fine fioritura. Mr. Williams and guest Ganson Salmon had excellent interpersonal chemistry as Marcello and Rodolfo in "O Mimi tu più non torni".

Receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award was centenarian Anton Coppola who looks fit and hearty. Apparently, keeping active is a means of staying youthful. We most recently heard Maestro Coppola conduct a master class for Martina Arroyo's Prelude to Performance program. His teaching was astute and perfectly personalized.

After the break for Maestro Coppola's award, Ms. Castillo and Mr. Williams gave us the delightful "Papagena, Papageno" duet, an audience favorite. We loved the conclusion in which Mr. Williams carried Ms. Castillo off in his arms. John Noh captivated us with his "Kuda, kuda", giving it a psychologically sensitive performance, enhanced by an affecting decrescendo.

Hannah Friesen's sweet sound was perfect for "Sul fil d'un soffrio etesio" from Verdi's Falstaff. Jongwon Han's secure baritone was perfect for the "Catalogue Aria" from Mozart's Don Giovani which he enhanced with appropriate expression and gesture. The difficult quartet from Verdi's Rigoletto was made to sound easy by Ms. Castillo, Ms. Nelson, Mr. Salmon, and Mr. Williams.

Superstar soprano Lauren Flanagan sadly did not sing but spoke eloquently, introducing the recipient of the Distinguished Achievement Award--superstar Isabel Leonard about whom we have written since we began writing. She is as beautiful as her voice and incredibly gracious.

We were happy to hear more of Rigoletto when Alec Carlson took on the role of the licentious Duke in the famous "Questa o quella". Anne Montgomery performed Lehar's "Liebe du Himmel auf Erden". Gabriel Hernandez gave us "Here I Stand" from Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress. The aptly named Kelly Singer gave a deliciously dramatic performance of "Non, monsieur mon mari" from Poulenc's comic opera Les Mamelles de Tirésius.

The tireless Ted Taylor as Music Director did a bang up job accompanying all of these gifted young singers in such a great variety of material.

The entire group joined Mr. Williams for the highly appropriate "The Impossible Dream" from Man of La Mancha. The reason we thought it appropriate is that becoming an opera singer seems like an impossible dream but people like The Benders are making it possible!

(c) meche kroop

MOZART AND SALIERI

Gabriel Hernandez and Nobuki Momma (photo by Brian E. Long)

What a brilliant idea was had by Dell'Arte Opera Ensemble to base their 2018 season on two contemporaries--Mozart and Salieri. There has been a centuries old rumor that the latter poisoned the former out of envy. The most recent iteration of that rumor was Peter Shaffer's 1979 play, later adapted for film. That the rumor has been disproven has not prevented writers from developing the idea dramatically.

Pushkin wrote a verse drama in 1830 based on this rumor, which  Rimsky-Korsakov set to music in 1897. Although this Russian genius wrote about 16 operas, we have only seen two prior to last night--The Snow Maiden and The Golden Cockerel. We have no idea why his operas are rarely performed in the United States and are thrilled that Artistic Director Chris Fecteau brought this one to our attention.

The moral behind the tale rests upon whether genius and villainy are incompatible. Listening to tenor Gabriel Hernandez and baritone Nobuki Momma bring Rimsky-Korsakov's rich music to life, and watching the interactions between the two men, was an enriching experience. We wished that this scene might have opened the program Vignettes from Vienna instead of closing the program because it might have brought new insights to the other three scenes which we will describe anon. 

Jason Goldberg directed this one-act opera with a sure hand. Mr. Momma clearly limned the embittered character of Salieri who labored mightily to achieve his post at the Imperial Court Theater of Vienna; how envious he felt over the boy genius Mozart whom he described as "unworthy of his genius". Mr. Hernandez did well at bringing the carefree Mozart to life; we wished he had been a little more outrageous in his portrayal. Both men handled the Russian well. Chris Whittaker conducted with Dura Jun at the piano, doing a swell job with Rimsky-Korsakov's marvelous music.

It was clever to show the attitudes of the two composers as they introduced their works with silent gestures. The opening entry was an excerpt from Act I of Mozart's Cosi fan tutte, following a very brief excerpt of Salieri's prior and failed attempt to set DaPonte's libretto. 

Desiree Baxter directed Mozart's scenes with a great deal of invention; we believe that singers make the best directors for several reasons but one is that they don't put the singers into positions that interfere with the vocal production!  The set comprised several doors and the two sisters interrupted a board game they were playing to open two of the doors to reveal their suitors. Although tenor Vincenzo Catarisano and baritone Jay Chacon (a Dell'Arte regular) did well as Ferrando and Guglielmo, we were most taken with the voices of soprano Heather Bobeck as Fiordiligi and mezzo-soprano Andre Howland Myers as Dorabella. In the trio "Soave sia il vento", the sisters were joined by the young bass Ian Joyal who produced some fine Italianate sound as the cynical Don Alfonso; the vocal blending was entirely captivating. Nicholle Bittlingmeyer made a spunky Despina and added to the fun. The stylishly costumed Whitney George conducted with panache.

The other Mozart on the program comprised excerpts from Act II of Nozze di Figaro. Soprano Maria Servodidio sang Countess Almaviva's "Porgi amor" with dignity and despair. Her voice has a wide vibrato which gave an interesting depth to her portrayal and lent distinction between her sound and that of Makayla McDonald who portrayed the spunky Susanna. Dell'Arte regular SarahAnn Duffy had the travesti role of Cherubino and had great fun portraying a boy who gets dressed up as a girl and tries to walk in high heels.  (Oh, those racy 18th c. Viennese!) We wished she had paid a bit more attention to Ms. George's baton since she was not 100% on the beat.

Lyric baritone Sung Shin made a huge impression as Count Almaviva, singing with gorgeous Italianate phrasing and a most pleasing vocal quality. Mr. Chacon reappeared as the wily Figaro. Ms. Baxter directed and Ms. George conducted with Ms. Jun at the piano and Maestro Fecteau playing the recitativi at the harpsichord as they did for the Cosi. 

Representing Salieri's contribution to the evening were excerpts from his Falstaff which we reviewed four years ago at Dell'Arte Opera Ensemble's 2014 season. Chris Whittaker conducted with sensitive hands and no baton. Of course there are reasons why Verdi's version eclipsed that of Salieri but the latter's opera is very worth hearing.

We enjoyed the warm tenorial sound of Charles Calotta, which we so admired at Amore Opera, in the role of Mr. Ford. As Mrs. Ford we liked the bright soprano of Elise Kakacek. The versatile Mr. Chacon portrayed Mr. Slender with the indignant Mrs. Slender sung by mezzo-soprano Inbal Milliger, who gave us a marvelous aria portraying Falstaff in the most unflattering terms.  The role of Falstaff was taken by bass Hector Mori with bass Will Esch as the ill-used Bardolfo.

Matthew Iacozza's set design for the evening was simple--the aforementioned doors were put to good use and not much else was needed, save for a few random pieces of furniture. Heather Denny's costumes were contemporary streetwear for the most part with Mozart and Salieri sporting those 18th c. coats that make men look ever so dashing. Lighting was by Rafa.

Tonight is a wonderful opportunity to catch Salieri's La Cifra, which we heard is hilarious. Tomorrow you might have a chance to get seats for Don Giovanni but better hurry because last night was a sellout.

(c) meche kroop