LAS TRES ANNAS

Diane Lesser, Gustavo Ahualli, Anna Belén Gómez, Anna Tonna, Borja Mariño, and Anna de la Paz

Enrique Granados died tragically and prematurely a century ago; he spent the last months of his life right here in New York City, a time period which saw the premiere of his opera Goyescas at the Metropolitan Opera. (Bare Opera presented this work just a couple weeks ago and our review can be found by typing Goyescas in the search bar.)

The Hispanic Society of America presented a delightful evening of his music and dance in a program entitled "From Barcelona with Passion: Enrique Granados in New York". There is a strong connection--the society awarded him the Silver Medal; he donated an autographed manuscript of Goyescas to the Society's library; and he autographed a column in the great room of this magnificent building, which houses a most worthwhile art collection.

The program included a great deal of his music with which we were familiar, but presented the way Granados originally wrote it.  For example, the first of Doce tonadillas al estilo antiguo, "La maja de Goya", opens with a recitation accompanied by piano--a somewhat picaresque story (probably apocryphal) about the famous painter who knew how to appreciate female beauty. It was delivered dramatically with appropriate emphasis by mezzo-soprano Anna Tonno. We'd never heard it before.

With the exception on "El majo olvidado" which was sung by Argentinean baritone Gustavo Ahualli, the remainder of the tonadillas were sung by Ms. Tonno alternating with soprano Anna Belén Gómez. Both women have lovely voices and the ability to get across the emotional tone of the song. Singing without scores, they were able to make great contact with the audience.  Unfortunately Mr. Ahualli was on the book the entire evening, relying solely on his powerful instrument. We were surprised to learn that he sings opera because we did not feel a dramatic connection.

Our favorite part of this group was the light-hearted and satirically titled duet "Las currutacas modestas" sung by Ms. Belén Gómez and Ms. Tonna. We have never heard this sung as it was written and were delighted by the mellifluous harmonies and the flirtatious nature of the performance.

Ms. Tonna gave a superlative performance of "Callejeo", a song about a desperate maja who cannot find her majo.

We also enjoyed the contribution of the English Horn, played by Diane Lesser, which added greatly to the beauty of "La maja dolorosa, No. 1". Borja Mariño's piano was exceptionally fine throughout with much marcato and staccato playing that successfully imitated the guitar.

We also heard Canciones amatorias, of which our favorite was the lively "Iban al pinar", sung by Ms. Belén Gómez. Mr. Mariño's piano was particularly lovely in "Mañanica era".

His piano also stood out in "La boyra", excerpted from Four Songs for Male Voice. We wanted so much to experience a little more drama from Mr. Ahualli, especially in "Dia y noche de Diego ronda" which seemed to cry out for a show of personality.  Perhaps if he sang "off the book" he would be freer to be more expressive.

The presence of dancer Anna de la Paz was an unexpected treat. Her first number was "Danza de los ojos verdes" which Granados composed for the dancer Antonia Mercé, known as "La Argentina" because her parents were dancers on tour in Argentina when she was born. An interesting tidbit is that her costume was designed by Ignacio Zuolaga, a famous Spanish painter. This very dress was reproduced for Sra. de la Paz for tonight's performance. She danced with a fan, but for her second number, the "Intermezzo" from Goyescas, she employed castanets and percussive foot work which was thrilling to hear. She is a dancer of great grace and style!

As encore, the three singers performed Elegia eterna with its gorgeous melodies.

Due to the fact that Granados' death was a century ago, and his birth a century and a half ago, there will be many more celebrations of his oeuvre. Information can be obtained from the City University of New York Foundation for Iberian Music.

(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