JUST LIKE CHAMPAGNE

Joseph Brent and Nian Wang in Les Contes d'Hoffman (photo by Jen Joyce Davis)

Maggie Sczekan and Javier Bernardo in L'Elisir d'Amore 

(photo by Jen Joyce Davis)

It is said that one can have too much champagne but one can never have enough.  That is the way we feel about opera--but only when it is sparkly, bubbly and tasty.  Such was the case when Prelude to Performance reprised the two operas from earlier this week, with different casts.  We hesitate to call them "the second cast".  They were second to none--just different.  Although the directors of each opera set the tone and the staging, each performer seemed to offer a slightly different interpretation of the character he/she portrayed.  It was clear that each one brought something individual to the interpretation, be it physical or emotional.

On Saturday night we greatly enjoyed a second performance of Les Contes d'Hoffman.  In the starring role, Joseph Brent used his fine tenor to great advantage and held our attention with his commanding stage presence.  Nian Wang was a rather different Muse; she had a more "masculine" presence than Kirsten Scott on Thursday; it was clear that she held sway over Hoffman without any cajoling.  She was forceful in her singing and acting and showed an ill temper when he didn't follow her lead.  Not a "better" interpretation but different and interesting.

Eui Jin Kim took on the role of the villains; he was rather scary and reminded one of a vampire with his resonant singing and menacing manner.  Marcos Cuevas performed all the servant roles in a satisfying manner and Richard Bozic was a less jolly Luther and a more tender father to Antonia.  Spalanzani was portrayed by Esteban Cordero.

As Olympia, Sharon Cheng handled the fioritura with aplomb and clarity of sound; Janani Sridhar sang Antonia and Brandie Sutton was the seductive and wily Giulietta.  Not a single performance fell short of the excellence we have come to expect from Prelude to Performance and we look forward to hearing about the future successes of these artists on the verge of major breakthroughs.

So...was anything different about Saturday night's performance?  We noticed that the chorus, under the direction of Nicholas Fox, was even tighter.  We had the luxury of paying more attention to the costumes, admiring the elegant silver and black fin de siecle gowns on the women and the carnevale masks in the Venice scene.  We observed how clear the French diction was and learned from the French diction coach Susan Stout how she began with the program participants long before the six-week rehearsal and coaching period started, emphasizing the communicative aspects over precise French pronunciation.  We were able to appreciate the blocking of the tavern scene with its boisterous student horseplay. We realized the contribution of the lighting (uncredited) which changed when Hoffman entered a trance state and when his nemeses appeared.  Second viewings have immense value!

Sunday's L'Elisir d'Amore also offered new delights.  Tenor Javier Bernardo not only sang Nemorino with beautiful tone and phrasing but created a character who was not as goofy and awkward as James Edgar Knight but intensely shy and the prototype of a man who just tries too hard.  He succeeded in getting the audience to really want him to "get the girl".  And he, of course, did.  His Adina, Maggie Sczekan, with her adorable presence and beautiful fioritura, dropped ample hints of Adina's fickleness which gave way to an awareness of her affection for Nemorino.  She gave every evidence of her disdain for Belcore (well sung and acted in wonderfully arrogant style by Carlos Saenz) so that we knew she was only using him to get Nemorino to "man up" and court her appropriately.

The colorful role of Dulcamara was sung by the handsome slim Stephen K. Foster who slipped into the role so effectively that we were sure there was an error in the program.  Shelbey Snyder made a delightful Giannetta.  Again, the chorus, under the direction of Noby Ishida, seemed even better than on Friday.  The maidens of the village seemed to each have her own identity but joined in song and action as a unit.  As excellent as was the French diction in Hoffman, the Italian, coached by Sergio Stefani, was crystal clear, making the words understandable to anyone with a minimal knowledge of the language.

Four operas in four days and we are intoxicated-- but could easily down another flute!

© meche kroop

A HANDS-ON MASTER CLASS

Benjamin Bloomfield, Tito Capobianco, Yuriy Yurchuk

Master classes generally offer the student something of value from the master teacher's experience.  The student may very well recall who taught them what, if it was of value.  But for the observer, all the acquired wisdom seems collective.  Yesterday was different.  Tito Capobianco's hands-on way of teaching was likely unforgettable to everyone who witnessed the transformative nature of his teaching style.

He opened, in true Socratic fashion, getting students to understand the importance of self-awareness, gained only by looking within--not from any formula.  He defined acting as...lying (what we would call pretending)-- being someone else.  He urged the student to develop their imagination, to know the language, to understand that spontaneity comes from motivation and conviction.

This "hands-on" director led each student by physically moving their arms, legs and head while they were singing.  Maria Fernanda Brea became even more believable as Adina when Mr. C. guided her into the demonstration of overcoming shyness.  Stephen K. Foster as Dulcamara was shown how to make his gestures and phrasing more persuasive as he was peddling his nostrums.  Smitha Johnson's portrayal of Antonia was deepened as she wavered between her state of bliss from playing the piano to the sadness of reality.  Yuriy Yurchuk was shown how to make his Dr. Miracle truly frightening to Joseph Brent's Hoffmann and Benjamin Bloomfield's Crespel.  Kirsten Scott was coached how to handle the violin in Nicklaus' violin aria, how to present the instrument to Hoffmann.

But the most stunning piece of coaching was for Javier Bernardo's Nemorino.  "Una furtiva lagrima" is a "stand-and-deliver" piece.  Who would expect him to sing it curled up in fetal position?  Who wouldn't be shocked to hear him sing it with the stored-up anger from Adina's prior rejection?  And yet.  And yet.  We interviewed Mr. Bernardo after the class and he reported that his voice seemed freer than ever before and he felt better able to express the many nuances of Nemorino's emotional state at that moment.

Readers!  The proof of the pudding is in the performance and, having heard both casts over the past month, we can only urge you to catch as many performances as possible to hear as many of these gifted young artists as possible.  Performances will take place at Hunter College with Les Contes d'Hoffmann on 7/11 and 7/13 at 7:30PM and L'Elisir d'Amore on 7/12 at 7:30 and 7/14 at 2PM.  The performances are fully staged, elegantly costumed, and presented in the original languages (French and Italian respectively) with subtitles.  Let's not forget the orchestra and chorus!  Come to honor the great Martina Arroyo.  Come to give yourself a summer treat.  Satisfaction guaranteed!

© meche kroop

TEACH 'EM LEECH

Richard Leech surrounded by Prelude to Performance singers

The major excitement of this week's Prelude to Performance Masterclass was witnessing some remarkable growth in the singers we heard a week ago and then observing even further growth based on the instruction by master teacher and renowned tenor Richard Leech. Mr. Leech's major point was the importance of communication with the audience; with that point we could not agree more.  He began by urging the students to build their craft to the level that they know their voice, know the role, and then to "just do it" by trusting that the voice will respond when the singer has something to say.

He quoted Kirsten Flagstad: "Singing is just speaking on pitch".  He further quoted his own voice teacher who told him to "be adequate" with adequacy being defined as fulfilling the task at hand.  Do the necessary work and then just set it aside!

Then Mr. Leech got down to the nitty-gritty with each student.  Over and over again he made the point of the importance of the words and counseled the students to give each vowel and consonant its full measure, especially in the recitatives.  He wanted each student to include the members of the audience and to let them into his/her inner thoughts.  The thought should precede the phrase that is sung.

Tenor James Knight sang "Una parola, o Adina" from Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore with the excellent Maggie Sczekan.  The instruction to have him stop briefly and change the color between his calling out to her and the more internal aspect of speaking her name with great feeling worked wonders.

Tenor Javier Bernardo, so fine last week, had managed to incorporate Mr. Owens' lesson to great advantage and this week was instructed to establish a chain of little moments with frequent breaths in between; each moment must have a specific meaning.

Ignacio Gama, singing Dulcamara, was told that the bass is the heartbeat of a duet (or trio, or quartet) and must establish a strong rhythm.  The clarity of his character was emphasized.  When James Knight (who dropped the "Edgar"?) sang "Una furtiva lagrima", he was taught to let the audience into his private thoughts; this really made a difference!  Major WOW factor!

Halfway through the class, the performance of  Les Contes d'Hoffman was addressed.  We were impressed by the growth of tenor Won Whi Choi who gave a riveting interpretation of "Kleinzach", having been instructed to engage the audience and to think more about communicating than about making pretty sounds.  In this aria, rhythm is important in the storytelling.  Later, the tenor brilliantly sang a duet ("Malheureux, tu ne comprends donc pas") with silvery-voiced Tamara Rusqué who was advised to exaggerate the commas in order to separate Giulietta's thoughts.

In the duet "C'est une chanson d'amour", sung by tenor Joseph Brent as Hoffmann and soprano Janani Sridha as Antonia, Mr. Leech explained that in an extended duet such as this one, both singers must stay committed and remain in the same physical posture for a longer than average time.

It is enormously gratifying to hear each singer improve over such a short period of time.  Each master teacher has something different to offer.  We are eagerly anticipating next Wednesday's master class with Ken Benson who always makes valuable contributions.  The final master class will be given by Tito Capobianco on Friday 6/28, also at 6PM.  If you love singing, if you love singers, if you love learning--you should be there.  Furthermore, there will be a free taste from this lavish buffet table on Saturday at 3PM in Lang Hall of Hunter College.  And finally, you would be well advised to save the weekend of July 11th.  Both operas will have two performances with two different casts.  We are sufficiently impressed by the talent to want to hear both casts.

© meche kroop