NEW YORK OPERA COLLABORATIVE

Suchan Kim, Seung Hyeon Baek, Michael Fennelly, Victor Starsky, Ashley Bell, Augusta Caso, Jordan Pitts, Nicole Guberman, and Jason Tramm

There can never be too many small opera companies in New York City and we felt privileged to attend the stunning debut of New York Opera Collaborative at The National Opera Center last night. A collaboration between Host and Co-Producer Andrea DelGiudice (herself a renowned spinto soprano, voice teacher, and Vocal Director of the Narnia Festival) and Artist Manager and Co-Producer Peter Randsman (whom we recently met judging a vocal competition), this venture brought in such a large audience that extra chairs had to be brought in to accommodate the crowd. Somehow, good news travels fast on Planet Opera.

Most of the cast was known to us and we expected to hear some fine performances in this concert version of Puccini's beloved masterpiece Madama Butterfly. We were not disappointed. Voices were glorious all around and the Italian diction perfectly clear--a good thing when there are no titles to read. Each singer created a believable character--there was nothing generic in any performance.

New York Opera Collaborative shares our mission of keeping opera alive; it was created to sponsor and mentor young artists and to give them a chance to try out new roles in a safe environment. Several of the young artists will go on to perform these roles with other companies like Heartbeat Opera (one of our favorite companies) for example, or as a Studio Artist with Sarasota Opera. We found ourselves wishing that the cast had committed the roles to memory since being on the book presents a barrier between fellow artists and between artist and audience. The dramatic skills each brought to the role was in evidence but a bit difficult to sustain, what with the glancing and page turning.

Soprano Ashley Bell wore the role of Cio-Cio San as well as the kimono and tabi she sported. The intensity of her "Un bel di" was shattering and she brought every skill in her armamentarium to bear on her delivery. The remainder of her performance was marked by a bright clear tone, excellent phrasing, and a wide palette of colors. She convinced us as a naive and hopeful 15-year-old, a deluded bride, an angry woman when challenged, and a resolute and noble figure who refuses to live without honor. It was a bit difficult to imagine her motherly feelings without a child present but the colors of her voice did the trick.

In the thankless role of the arrogant US Naval Lieutenant Pinkerton, tenor Victor Starsky played his role to the hilt. He sang with a lovely legato. Our wish for him is the same as our wish for most tenors--that they learn that sometimes less is more--singing high doesn't mean singing loud. Mr. Starsky sounded the best in the tender passages at a pianissimo level. His transformation to a place of anguish and remorse at the end of the opera was quite moving.

As Suzuki, mezzo-soprano Augusta Caso sang with a lovely rich tone and was quite believable as the voice of reason, whether she was comforting or confronting Butterfly. We have heard Ms. Bell and Ms. Caso sing together on a prior occasion and find them extraordinarily well matched. Their duet was a true high point of the evening.

Our favorite character in the opera is Sharpless--he is the one with "eagle vision", able to predict but helpless to forestall the coming trainwreck. Baritone Seung Hyeon Baek, recently so astonishingly effective in Cardona Opera's Cav&Pag, was able to capture the dignity and humanitarian nature of the man, while producing his customary burnished sound that falls so pleasantly on the ear. Significantly, he sang off the book and more credit to him.

In what amounts to a cornering of the baritone market by Koreans, Suchan Kim did double duty as the angry Bonze and the suitor Yamadori, whom he wisely portrayed as a serious suitor, avoiding all the silly kitsch that has become a boring accretion to the role. In this case, we know that Butterfly does not reject him because he's a fool but because she is faithful to her Pinkerton and still believes he will return to her.

In the role of Goro, we heard Jordan Pitts whose sweet tenor fell on the ear like warm butterscotch. He too avoided overplaying the part and we were able to focus on his mellifluous sound. It is still sounding in our ear.

Soprano Nicole Guberman is new to us and, since Kate Pinkerton has few lines to sing, we can only say that we very much want to hear more of her.

Conductor Jason Tramm, sitting off to the side, was totally immersed in his conducting and seemed to be breathing along with the singers. We always enjoy that kind of involved conducting.

At the piano, we had Michael Fennelly whom we have heard countless times but not in a full length opera. He is so noticeably involved with both the score and the singers that there was never a lapse of support. He seemed to know exactly when to exert full power on the keyboard and when to lighten up and give the singers plenty of room. We were able to hear subtleties in the score that we never noticed with a full orchestral reading. Such nuance is appreciated.

In spite of the music stands, this was one of the most affecting performances of Madama Butterfly we have heard. What an auspicious debut! We count ourself in for this company's future performances.

(c) meche kroop

AN AUTHENTIC BOHEME TO START THE YEAR

An 1840's Xmas Eve celebration enjoyed on New Year's Day 2016

We almost always prefer to see an opera presented in its original time and place; how pleased we were that our first experience with Amore Opera honored Puccini with such an authentic production of his 1896 opera La Bohème. Now beginning their seventh season, Amore  Opera has found a worthy home in the Sheen Center on Bleeker St. Although it is a challenge for the singers to sing over the orchestra when there is no pit, they can all be congratulated for turning in some impressive performances. The theater is sized just right for intimacy, allowing everyone to feel a part of the action.

Although there are four casts, we were delighted with the cast we heard last night.  Tonight's performance and the Sunday matinée may have different casts but they will probably excel to the same extent. The lead roles were performed with vocal excellence and dramatic validity. Soprano Jessica Sandidge made a touching Mimi and sang with a beautiful bloom at the top of her register. Her characterization had her living up to Rodolfo's description of her as "always smiling". Even as she lay dying in Act IV, her focus was not on her death but on her happy memories with her beloved.

Tenor Edgar Jaramillo is well known to us and has always sung right from the heart. Thankfully, he never pushes at the top of his register but sings with ease. In this role he had the opportunity to do the bonhomie stuff with his flatmates and also to portray the playful lover and the despairing one as well. All this was handled with aplomb.

Baritone Robert Garner made a splendid Marcello revealing a great deal of insight into an ambivalent relationship. He is madly in love with a difficult woman--the theatrical Musetta--and often enraged by her. His instrument is substantial and lovely to hear.  It's quite a leap from the Metropolitan Opera Chorus to a leading role and he crossed that river as if it were a rivulet. The Act III duet with Mr. Jaramillo was a delight to the ear.

As Musetta, soprano Iris Karlin commanded the stage with her arresting presence and fine bright voice.  It was lovely to hear and to watch a different side of her character emerge in Act IV as she focused on making Mimi's last moments on earth more tolerable.

We also enjoyed Dan Boruchowitz's fine baritone in the role of Schaunard. In many productions, his Act I description of how he came by the funds for filling the table of his flatmates goes rather unnoticed.  Here, the joke was that the bohemian boys paid him no attention while the audience got an earful of gorgeous singing. We paid attention even as they ignored him.

Somewhat disappointing was the Colline of bass Gennadiy Vysotskiy. He neither looked nor sounded like a member of the group although he participated generously in the horseplay. "Vecchia zimarra" is one of our all-time favorite arias but this time it did not even achieve minimal standards.

Character baritone David Seatter was completely marvelous in both roles--as the landlord Benoit and as Alcindoro, Musetta's wealthy "patron".

The entire affair was well directed by founding Artistic Director Nathan Hull. There were so many directorial flourishes that made each scene seem real.  For example, one of the customs officials (Thomas Geib) skims something off the top of a merchant's basket and slips it into his pocket. (The other customs officer was played by Peter Nasonov.)  In Act II, the wonderful waitress (Julie Longmuir) must run after a thieving street urchin. It's those little touches that provide verisimilitude!

We have heard Jason Tramm conduct on a few occasions and have admired his batonery. (Pardon the neologism.) But last night the orchestra was ragged with several instrumentalists off pitch. Particularly egregious was the flute in Act I. The musicians gradually came together as the evening wore on but failed to achieve the phrasing and pacing that we want in Puccini.

Costumes by Ghislaine Sabiti were appropriate with the bohemian boys wearing tattered but period appropriate suits. Musetta looked as theatrical and overdone as one would hope for with Mimi's dress of modest cut and hue. We have no idea who did the wigs but, well, they were disastrous. Ms. Karlin had bright red masses of curls while Ms. Sandidge's beautiful blond hair was covered by an ugly black wig that wasn't even stylistically appropriate. We believe that her blond hair just wouldn't do because the libretto specifies brown.  But black isn't brown!

Set design by Richard Cerullo utilized painted backdrops that worked just fine. The small stage worked very well as a garret. And in Act II, he somehow he made it work as Mr. Hull filled the stage with just enough people to convince us that we were in the Quartier Latin on Xmas Eve. The chorus sang well under the direction of David Macfarlane.

Andrew Trent's lighting made an attempt at artistry but didn't quite succeed. Lights were raised and dimmed to make a point but were not effective.

Those minimal cavils aside, the production was a most enjoyable one. The best proof is that we are still thinking about the characters and hoping that Marcello and Musetta will be sufficiently shocked by Mimi's death to concern themselves more with the health of their own relationship than they were with their power struggle. We wonder how long it will take Rodolfo to recover and when he will find a new love. Death is such a shock to young people! Such is the power of opera that, when well done, we can identify with the characters, even when separated by an ocean and two centuries.

(c) meche kroop