DEGENERATE MUSIC

Nathaniel LaNasa and Gregory Feldmann

Guest Review by Ellen Godfrey:

Friday night in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, the audience was treated to a performance by this year’s winners of the 2019 Joy in Singing International Art Song competition. This marks the 56th award debut recital and is the second year that the competition took place in Weill Hall. 

The mission of The Joy in Singing, Art Song Institute is to nurture the love for art song, and to explore the variety in classical songs through education and performance.  This mission is implemented by developing and refining exceptional vocal talent. It also offers workshops and training in all facets of song performance.

Thanks to the generous support of patrons and other music lovers, the foundation is able to offers multiple prizes each year and one grand prize. This year’s competition’s grand prize was awarded to baritone Gregory Feldmann and pianist Nathaniel LaNasa. 

New York based Gregory Feldmann is a rising young singer, both in opera and art song recitals.  Just a few weeks ago he sang the role of the Composer in Juilliard Opera’s sold out performances of Virgil Thomson’s The Mother of Us All, held at the Met Museum. This summer he will return to Opera Theatre of St. Louis to sing Morales in their production of Carmen and also will cover Oliver Sacks in the world premiere of Tobias Picker’s Awakening.

Mr. LaNasa is very interested in contemporary classical music and is discovering fresh possibilities for sonority and gesture in music; he has had several works written for him. He is a vocal coach and a staff pianist at the Juilliard School of Music. He has also performed in musical venues in NYC, including Alice Tully Hall and in the New York cabaret, Le Poisson Rouge. The two artists are frequent collaborators.

On February 27th, the pair made their Weill Recital Hall debut performing songs that were written by composers who were censored under the Nazi regime. The mission of the Nazis was to destroy and suppress what they considered to be “degenerate” music. The pair were amazed how such music has been ignored and felt that the wonderful music created by these great composers, in the face of such stressful conditions, should be heard.

The concert was made up of six groups of songs. Before each group of songs, the two men gave a short preview of the songs and composers. Mr. Feldmann and Mr. LaNasa, both superb musicians, have a wonderful connection, obviously enjoying working together.  Each seems to know what the other is thinking. Mr. LaNasa plays with great sensitivity and deep feeling which is the best way to also describe Mr. Feldmann’s singing. His beautiful baritone is even from top to bottom and he has great control of his fine instrument. He is indeed a master storyteller, a quality we look for in singers of art songs.

The first group of songs was a light-hearted group, beginning with “Berlin im Licht”, a cabaret song by Kurt Weill, who fled the Nazi’s in 1933 and remained in New York the rest of his life.  The artists had just the right feel for this music.  The next three songs were written by Franz Schreker.  The Nazi’s removed him from the directorship of two of his posts in the 1930’s; he died in 1934.  His song “Sommerfaden” (summer threads)  is about the end of summer. Mr. LaNasa's delicate playing conveyed the light spirit of summer and the rushing waters. Mr. Feldmann colored his voice with tenderness.

The next group of songs was composed by Alexander von Zemlinsky, who fled from Austria to the United States in 1938 to avoid the Nazis. His song ”Entbietung” or “Invitation” is perfect for the baritone voice. The song concerns a man praising his loved one and asking when she will come to him. The singer's diction was very clear as he started off singing lightly with a crescendo toward the end.. Another song, “Nun schwills Der See so bang” (“Now the sea swells so fearfully”) is a short exciting song requiring a good sized voice with wonderful arpeggi supporting the singer. Both artists excelled.

The final group of the first part of the concert comprised songs by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, a pianist and classical composer, best known for his music for Hollywood movies. As the Nazi party was gaining strength in 1934, the famous theatre director Max Reinhardt invited Korngold to Hollywood. “Austrian Soldier’s Farewell” tells of a soldier saying farewell to a girl as he is about to leave for war; the music has a modern sound.  In "Vesper" Mr. Feldmann kept his voice high, still maintaining the beauty of the sound while Mr. LaNasa was brilliant in his imitation of the bells. Composers can't go wrong setting text by Josef von Eichendorff!

After the intermission we heard songs composed by Viktor Ullmann, Pavel Haas, and Hanns Eisler.   Both Ullmann and Haas ended up in Theresienstadt after having been fired from their jobs in music. In 1944 both of them were gassed in the death camp Auschwitz-Berkenau. Eisler escaped death by going into exile in other countries when these works were banned by the Nazis.  He arrived in America in1938 and Brecht arrived there in 1941 after many long journeys. The program ended, as you will see, with the product of their collaboration!

Ullman’s  humorous Liederbuch des Hapis was composed in the face of the horrors of the war. “Worausbestimmung” was set in waltz rhythm and was marked by some dissonance. There was a jaunty tune played with great fun by Mr. LaNasa.  “Betrunken” began with some dialogue underscored by the piano  and then morphed into a drinking song.  Singers seem to love drinking songs and Mr. Feldmann revelled in his performance without losing his stellar vocal technique.

The next song cycle Four Songs on Chinese Poetry was composed by Pavel Haas to a text in Czech. In “Far is my Home, O Moon” the piano started with a dark color and mysterious sound, played gently.  One can feel the glow of the moon; the ending is very quiet.  In the song “I hear the cry of the wild geese”, the poet laments being so far away from home. This was sung with great care and understanding.

The program ended with “Friedenslied,” a strophic song composed by Hanns Eisler after World War II with lyrics by Bertold Brecht.  This song calls for peace to the earth, to the home, to all nations and all people. The song is both simple and profound, affecting the audience due largely to its superlative and sincere performance.

There was a standing ovation at the end calling for an encore, which brought forth Zemlinsky's "Empfängnis". Cheers to the artists for this inspired program and masterly performances. The unique program merits future performances both here and abroad.

© meche kroop

 

 

MORE FRENCH

Martin Néron, Jean-Bernard Cerin, Christopher Reames, and Laure-Catherine Beyers

Last night at the National Opera Center we attended the Gérard Souzay Award Showcase presented by Dalton Baldwin in collaboration with Joy in Singing and The Art Song Preservation Society of New York.

Coming on the heels of the afternoon recital by Stéphane Sénéchal and Mark Markham, perhaps the recital did not get the attention it deserved. Perhaps we just overdosed on French mélodies. We found our attention wandering to the pianist Martin Néron to whom we paid insufficient attention on the two prior occasions on which we heard him. He is an absolutely marvelous collaborative pianist and we admired his delicate touch and the sensitivity with which he related to the singers.

During the recital, a certain valuable memory rose to consciousness. It was the advice a prominent conductor/coach gave to a young singer at a master class. "Sing what you love", he said. When baritone Jean-Bernard Cerin (winner of the first Gérard Souzay Prize for Best Performance of a French Mélodie at the 2018 Joy in Singing Song Competition in NYC) performed Maurice Ravel's Histoires naturelles we could tell that he loved those songs.

Earlier in the program we found his involvement a bit wanting; we found his facial expressions excessive to the point of mugging and his gestures underdone. But in the Ravel he blossomed! He was particularly excellent in his portrayal of the courting peacock in "Le Paon" and the embattled guinea hen in "La Pintade".

There are those who like their singers of art song to stand still and use only the voice to tell the story. But as we learned at the Sénéchal recital early in the day (review just below), we like acting. We like gesture. We like storytelling. It's a matter of taste.

Similarly, when mezzo-soprano Laure-Catherine Beyers performed Henri Dutilleux's "Féerie au clair de lune" with generous use of color and gesture, we were captivated as we were not in her earlier performance of Reynaldo Hahn's "L'heure exquise", in spite of the fact that it is one of our favorites. She closed the program with a highly dramatic performance of the tango inflected "Youkali" from Kurt Weill's Marie Galante, convincing us of how cabaret style music can exist comfortably alongside opera.

We have heard and enjoyed tenor Christopher Reames on a couple prior occasions and enjoyed his performances more than we did last night. Curiously, on both occasions it was Debussy's settings of Paul Verlaine's text in Fêtes galantes I; we don't exactly know what was missing. His voice is sweet with a fine vibrato but perhaps we were looking for more "acting". Mr. Cerin had just performed Fauré's setting of "En sourdine" which also left us cold. 

We might have enjoyed hearing the two versions of "En sourdine" back to back, so to speak. We would also have enjoyed the libretto in French, instead of just English, and enough illumination to follow along.

(c) meche kroop

JOY AND MORE JOY IN SINGING

Haodong Wu and Marisa Karchin at Weill Recital Hall

Surely musicians do not have to be beautiful to look at but there's no denying the visual pleasure of seeing two such lovely artists onstage at Weill Recital Hall last night at the Joy in Singing 2018 International Art Song Award Debut Recital.

An interesting factoid is that we reviewed each of them separately in connection with Cantanti Project. Haodong Wu was the pianist for a recital of love songs and Ms. Karchin sang in Händel's Orlando.  How fine it was to see both of them given an entire recital to show their versatility. Their introduction of each set was delightfully presented.

An unusual feature of Ms. Karchin's artistry is that we could understand every word she sang, in spite of the bright coloratura nature of her instrument. There is an appealing aspect to her vibrato as well. She chose her own program and wisely included plenty of material with melismatic passages, at which she excels.

There is nothing reticent about Ms. Wu's collaborative pianism. She didn't drown out the singer but she certainly didn't fade into the background.  The result was a true matching of artistry.

The program opened with two songs by Purcell, one of the few composers who set English in a way that delights our ear. Both "Sweeter than Roses" and "If Music be the Food of Love" offer opportunities for word coloration and the artists availed themselves of the opportunity, whether the word was "sweet" or "warm", "freeze" or "fire".

Six songs from Lili Boulanger's Clairières dans le ciel were performed.  If the French pronunciation left something to be desired (Yes, those nasalities and diphthongs are difficult to master!) at least the Gallic style was mastered, leaving us to hope that Ms. Karchin will get some additional coaching in French. Her cool tone is just perfect for French.  We heard her in the duet from Delibes' Lakme three years ago and thought the same.

This is our week for Turina's music, which we just heard in a concert at Manhattan School of Music. We can never get enough of Spanish song and were happy that the program included Tres poemas from Opus 81. We particularly admired Ms. Wu's playing in "Tu pupila es azul". Again, we loved the melismatic singing. We heard some insecurity in the Castilian and even a touch of Argentinian accent at times--something that should be very easy to correct.

We have no such quibbles with the Russian since that is a language we have not learned. It was a brave move to put four songs by Nikolai Obukhov on the program. This so-called "modernist mystic" wrote dodecaphonic music, including all sorts of weird vocal utterances, that the audience listened to respectfully. 

The final set by Strauss came as a relief and we noted that Obukhov's music will be performed long after Strauss' music has died--but not a moment before! (Insert laugh). In spite of listening with "open ears", we were gritting our teeth halfway through. We will say, however, that the artists gave the songs a committed and expressive performance.

The Strauss left us happy of heart. That man knew how to write for the voice!  His Brentano Lieder appeared after a decade long hiatus from song writing and must have been greeted with as much glee then as we felt last night. The humanity and accessibility of the text is matched by the stunning vocal writing, filled with descending chromatic passages and wide skips.

Here, Ms.Karchin was in her element, bringing every passage to vivid life with her storytelling.  Her artistic choice was to soften the "ch" sound, avoiding its guttural nature; this was fine since it was consistent. We get annoyed when a singer avoids the sound altogether or pronounces it inconsistently. A little brushing up of the umlaut sounds would make her German perfect.

Ms. Karchin's father is a composer and was in the audience to hear her sing his setting of two poems by Seamus Heaney, whose text, which neither rhymed nor scanned, led to a vocal line than was not memorable. We found our ears leaning toward the piano writing which was interesting.

Let us close by pointing out that Joy in Singing, in their sixtieth year, is under new leadership and is expanding its mission. They will now be known as Joy in Singing, The Art Song Institute. Visit www.joyinsinging.org to learn about their outreach in public schools (YAY!), their series Art Song on the Move, their Song Salons in private homes, their master classes and workshops.

(c) meche kroop

WINE WOMEN AND SONG

Tami Petty and Michael Sheetz

We know well that the talented Tami Petty won the Joy in Singing award in 2014; we were there and wrote enthusiastically about her gifts communicating the essence of song to the audience. Since that auspicious debut, we have seen, heard, and enjoyed Ms. Petty's gifts a number of times at the Brooklyn Art Song Society and once with The Bohemians. Yesterday we enjoyed her gifts even more at a salon graciously hosted by one of Joy in Singing's devoted members.

Perhaps it was the intimacy of the surroundings or perhaps Ms. Petty has been working on her English diction because we got every word of her English--the only quibble we had four years ago.

The theme for the afternoon put women composers front and center. We had just heard Clara Schumann's "Liebst du um Schonheit" Friday night and wrote how it shouldn't take second place to Mahler's setting. Ms. Petty's performance reinforced our belief. The luster of her instrument and attention to detail in the phrasing were amplified by gesture and facial expression. We want to hear this song again and again!

Ms. Petty's German ist perfekt and served her well in Alma Mahler's "Ich wandle unter Blumen", another lovely entry in the female composer sweepstakes.

We heard some lovely French as well and always admire a singer who can switch gears for each language. Regine Wieniawski (Poldowski) set Paul Verlaine's  "L'heure exquise" in 1917, a quarter century after Reynaldo Hahn did so --another tempting pair for Mirror Visions Ensemble. The two settings are different but equally lovely. The start is delicate but Ms. Petty opened up her sizable voice whilst collaborative pianist, known mainly through his work with Classic Lyric Arts, put forth some lovely arpeggi.

Cecile Chaminade's songs were popular in her time--all 125 of them!  There were clubs celebrating her oeuvre right here in the USA. Yesterday we heard the delightful "Ecrin" which was performed in a most flirtatious manner. The French was crystal clear but one got the message even if one didn't understand the language.

Pauline Viardot's "Madrid" was written for the mezzo fach but that didn't stop Ms. Petty who conveyed the high spirited vocal line whilst Mr. Sheetz conveyed all the flamenco inflected accompaniment. We loved it!

The remainder of the songs were in English but that didn't stop us from enjoying them! Amy Beach's "The Year's at the Spring" was familiar to us but "Take, O Take Those Lips Away" was new to us.  Clara Edwards' "Into the Night" was filled with longing and quite lovely.

Liza Lehmann's  "Evensong" was seriously sentimental but her "There are fairies at the bottom of our garden" is filled with sly humor and Ms. Petty used just the right amount of camp, to the delight of the audience.

We even got to hear Mr. Sheetz perform Fanny Mendelssohn's "Pastorella" which reminded us of "Lieder ohne Worte" inasmuch as we were writing words in our head!  Indeed, Fanny probably wrote a lot of music that got passed off as her brother's because of restrictions enacted upon women by society and their families.

A fun aspect of yesterday's salon was that different guests were selected to read a brief bio about each composer. So many women composers were prevented from performing; others composed out of financial necessity.

As encore, we got "SHE'S got the whole world in HER hands". We couldn't keep from thinking that Ms. Petty has the world of art song in HER hands! That spiritual never made so much sense! And who can get a song across better than Ms. Petty!

Did you know that Joy in Singing is the oldest art song organization in the USA! Did you now that you too may be eligible to attend one of these intimate salons? We highly recommend the experience.

(c) meche kroop

A SONG SALON

Marie Marquis, James Bassi, and John Kun Park

We all want the song recital to not just survive but to flourish. But this intimate art form can be less than thrilling when performed in a large hall with its consequent loss of intimacy.  In the 19th c. music lovers held salons in their homes with friends gathered around the piano sharing delights that cannot be taken for granted in the 21st c.

Never fear, lieder lovers!  Joy in Singing to the rescue! Under the guidance and with the dedicated labor necessary, Maria Fattore ensures that we get that intimate experience. A fine Sunday afternoon was spent in the private home of some generous music lovers who hosted a very fulfilling recital.

The program was all about Spring with carefully curated songs to invite us to celebrate a beautiful Sunday, fine for walking outdoors but even finer to come indoors and thrill to some gorgeous music.

This is the third time we have heard Marie Marquis sing and our opinion of her remains at a very high level. We saw her having a high time onstage last Halloween with Heartbeat Opera's Mozart in Space and shortly afterward we were in attendance at her recital as winner of the 2016 Joy in Singing award.

What we remember most was her engaging stage presence and sparkling soprano. This young woman can get inside a song and bring it into your heart. A superb singer can get away without these qualities on the opera stage, helped along by sets and costumes and story line. But conveying the emotional content of a lied, especially in an intimate environment, requires a special personality and Ms. Marquis has it all. After this recital we will think of her as The Songbird of Spring.

She alternated with tenor John Kun Park who also brought a special quality to his song delivery and sang without that tenorial pushing that we often disparage. Both artists introduced their songs and told enough about each so that those who did not understand the language could get the gist of things.

Ms. Marquis opened the program with Gabriel Faure's "L'hiver a cesse" effectively negotiating those treacherous upward skips.  Hugo Wolf's "Er ist's" is a joyful song and she communicated all the joy she felt. Argento's "Diaphenia" is more melodic than most 20th c. music and pleased our ears.

We especially loved Clara Schumann's "Das ist ein Tag, der klingen mag" which makes us wonder why more singers don't program this composer's lovely output more often.

That being said, Ms. Marquis seems just made for Strauss. Richard Strauss' "Das Rosenband" was notable for the brilliance of her upper register and gorgeous melismatic passages.

Of course Johann Strauss, Jr. was not related to Richard Strauss but we also loved Ms. Marquis performance of the lengthy and challenging 1882 "Fruhlingsstimmen", a waltz with lavish coloratura passages. For this complex and very wordy piece, Ms. Marquis was "on the book" but we didn't mind. She even did the last verse in English, although her German was just as fine as her French. The piano of accompanist James Bassi echoed her voice in a most enchanting fashion.

Mr. Park's selections included Wolf's "Fussreise" from his Morike lieder, and we enjoyed this jaunty paean to la belle nature. Henri Duparc's Phydile was given a romantic coloration and plenty of dynamic variety.

We loved the expansiveness of Franz Lehar's "Dein ist mein ganzes Herz" from Das Land des Lachelns.  It was sung ardently but well modulated.

Gerald Finzi's "It was a lover and his Lass" (text from Shakespeare's As You Like It) was such fun with its "Hey nonny no" and this just goes to prove that good poetry inspires good music. Mr. Park enjoyed singing it as much as we enjoyed hearing it!  The mood was a little quieter for Wolf's "Im Fruhling" in which Morike's text takes a contemplative turn as he reflects on the indefinable sehnsucht that Spring can arouse in us.

Richard Strauss' Allerseelen is not, strictly speaking, a Springtime song. It refers to the Day of the Dead on November 1st. But the text refers to a beautiful memory from May, so we'll take it, especially since it was so passionately sung by Mr. Park.

We also heard a delightful piano solo from Mr. Bassi--a mashup of Schumann and Hammerstein!

If there is Joy in Singing, there is also the counterpart--Joy in Listening. There was plenty of joy to go around and we are eagerly awaiting news of interesting developments in the works for this esteemed organization.  In the meanwhile, if you have a tax refund looking for a home, consider a tax-deductible donation...www.songsalon.com.

JOY AND MORE JOY IN SINGING

Jason Wirth and Marie Marquis

Joy in Singing has been celebrating art song for six decades, supporting young singers with master classes and competitions and bringing emerging artists to the public by means of recitals. The big news is that this non-profit foundation, founded by Winifred Cecil, is expanding its activities and will have master classes open to the public, additional SongSalon evenings in private homes (program directed by Maria Fattore), and increased educational and community outreach. Song lovers take note and keep yourself informed by visiting their website-- www.joyinsinging.org. Start thinking about what you may take from them and also what you might have to contribute.

We have been privileged to attend several of their events and are always thrilled to hear artists that we might have otherwise not heard, artists of exemplary quality.  Last night at Merkin Concert Hall we had exposure to two artists that we actually had heard before but we heard them in a new light.  Soprano Marie Marquis was seen and heard this past Halloween as part of Heartbeat Opera's concert of Mozart in drag (Queens of the Night), the review of which can be read by scrolling down a month's worth of reviews. Collaborative pianist Jason Wirth conducted Dido and Aeneas from the harpsichord for Utopia Opera, the review of which is also archived.  Both of these companies are among our favorites.

Ms. Marquis lacks nothing. Not only is she a major vocal talent but she has the beauty and poise to grace any stage. Her self presentation is that of a confident young woman with a natural elegance but no pretensions. Her presence is a warm and engaging one; she makes ample use of her expressive face but reserves her gestures for emotional moments that count.

It is difficult for us to get a good feel for a singer's instrument when they sing contemporary music in English so let us jump right to the encore, a song we know well and always love--Hugo Wolf's "Auch kleine Dinge", sung in fine German and with the requisite charm.  We could not have asked for a better performance.

The final set on the program comprised some highly passionate songs of Sergei Rachmaninoff, Six Romances, Op.38, the very last of his output of 85 songs. Rachmaninoff was at the top of his form here, offering powerful writing for piano and sensitive writing for the voice. Ms. Marquis and Mr. Wirth interpreted these masterpieces quite beautifully. "At Night in my Garden" has spare writing for the piano and evocative writing for the voice with the minor key giving it a mournful feel.

In contrast, "To Her", a song of yearning for an absent beloved, enjoyed lavish writing for the piano. The final song "A-oo"
has the same theme and the intense longing was conveyed by both voice and piano.

Two of the songs involved more cheerful coloration--the familiar "Daisies" with its rapid piano figures and "Ratcatcher" which gives the piano some frisky syncopated rhythms as it portrays the romantic piper.  "Dream" was appropriately ethereal and gave Ms. Marquis an opportunity for a short but lovely portamento close to the end.

Francis Poulenc's cycle La Courte Paille is filled with whimsy. "Le Sommeil", a gentle lullaby, was sung with consummate sweetness and "Quelle Aventure" conveys the wonder of childhood with wide leaps that Ms. Marquis negotiated with finesse.  Our favorites, however, were "Les Anges Musiciens" with its beautiful imagery and the clever "Le Carafon", which made us just want to say "AWWWW". "Lune d'Avril" expresses an anti-war sentiment and Mr. Wirth's piano went from forceful to peaceful.

Dominick Argento set texts from the Elizabethan era for his Six Elizabethan Songs and we think the poetry should have been left alone. The rhythm of the English language seems to dictate a vocal line that is not particularly melodic.  Clearly Ms. Marquis chose these songs because she loves to sing them but we did not love the listening experience.

Neither did we care for the French Renaissance poetry set by Wilhelm Killmayer in his Les Blasons Anatomiques du Corps Feminin, but we loved the sound of the old French and the way Ms. Marquis sang it. Just as we are very unhappy when a poor singer maims a song we love, so we can be made happy when a good singer shows us something worthwhile in a song we don't love!

Another of Mr. Killmayer's compositions made an appearance on the program--yet another setting of Heinrich Heine's famous poem "Die Loreley". Was he trying to outdo Franz Liszt and Clara Schumann whose settings capture different essences of this German fairytale? We do not know, but several dozen other composers have also tried their hand at it. We failed to see what Killmayer's attempt achieved.

John Masefield's "The Seal Man" reads like an interesting scary story but not exactly poetry and not offering much for composer Rebecca Clarke to add. The words get lost at the upper register which is a problem for almost all writing in English. In this genre, we far preferred Claude Debussy's setting of Leconte de Lisle's poem "Les Elfes". Ms. Marquis' facility with French--not just the pronunciation but the rhythm of the phrasing--ensured a more delightful experience of the macabre.

(c) meche kroop

JOY QUADRUPLED

Lachlan Glen, Dimitri Dover, Steven Eddy, and Lilla Heinrich Szász

Joy of Singing was born in 1958 as an award program to foster the performance of art songs with special attention paid to interpretation and communication.  It was begun by Winifred Cecil, a noted singer and teacher. The program continues and is flourishing under the musical direction of Paul Sperry . Every year the winner of the competition is given a recital. This year, the quality of the competitors was so high that the judges were obliged to share the prize.

Thus it was that we had the opportunity last night at Merkin Concert Hall to hear two gifted singers and two exemplary collaborative pianists perform a program of art songs in several languages and a variety of styles.

Soprano Lilla Heinrich Szász has impressed us since her days at Juilliard, eventually winning their 2013 Honor's Recital among many other honors, all richly deserved. She has a lively winning onstage personality and a glorious ringing instrument that she easily bends to her will.

Her collaborative pianist, Australian Lachlan Glen, is also well known to us for several years, having won us over by his producing all of Franz Schubert's songs over the period of a year--a delicious extravagance never to be forgotten.  If there is a better interpreter of Schubert alive today we would be surprised. Besides this, he has incredible sensitivity to the singer. We noticed him actually breathing with Ms. Szász in rhythm.

Naturally, Schubert songs were selected to open the program and we were glad for it. "Vedi quanto adoro ancora ingrato!" is a bit unusual for Schubert; it is sung in Italian, the setting of a text by Pietro Metastasio. It was the perfect vehicle to show off both passion and delicacy in both artists.

We also heard the sorrowful "Die Liebe hat gelogen", the gentle "Der Jüngling an der Quelle" in which Mr. Glen's piano became rather spry, and the intense "Die junge Nonne", the most familiar of the set. The two artists drew us in totally with Ms. Szász seemingly losing herself in the throes of religious ecstasy and Mr. Glen creating quite a storm in the piano.

From a century later came four folk songs set by Zoltán Kodály which Ms. Szász, whose roots are Transylvanian, sang in Hungarian.  Fortunately she translated them herself for the program. We heard cries of despair and poverty, not the cheerful folk songs of Brahms. Our favorite was the final song which bore a mournful melody. The final note hung suspended in mid air.

The final set comprised songs by Benjamin Britten, the first of which was a setting of a W.H. Auden poem "Fish in the Unruffled Lakes" which did not make much sense to us. We greatly preferred "The Salley Gardens" to a text by W. B. Yeats.  The final song "Calypso" from Cabaret Songs had an urgent rhythm, with Mr. Glen creating the sound of a railroad train in his piano.

The second half of the program was given over to the other prize winner--baritone Steven Eddy and collaborative pianist Dimitri Dover. The two seemed to enjoy a special partnership, opening with one of our favorite Brahms songs "Meine Liebe ist grün". Another Brahms song "Botschaft" was performed later and we would have preferred hearing them in the same set. They are both so melodic and romantic.

Instead, there were two songs by Clara Schumann interposed. The first, "O weh des Scheidens, das er tat" was a sad one and seemed unresolved at the end.  The second "Liebst du um Schönheit" was quite lovely but suffered a bit by comparison to the Richard Strauss setting with which all lied lovers are far more familiar. (We couldn't help thinking of the Löwe setting of Frauen Lieben und Leben which one rarely hears because of Schumann's arguably better setting.)

Mr. Eddy excelled in his interpretation of Barber's Mélodies passagères. We enjoyed Barber's music so much better in French and we think that Rilke's poetry inspired him to new heights. Mr. Eddy's French served the music well and the fact that he translated them himself likely increased his involvement.  Particularly suited to his voice was "Le clocher chante" and Mr. Dover's piano made sure we heard the carillon. We also liked "Départ" a great deal.

Mr. Eddy explained the Jake Heggie songs which followed.  They were written for baritone Nathan Gunn and were inspired by paintings in the Dallas Art Museum. We found the concept more interesting than the music. Mr. Eddy's English diction is better than most but we still missed a lot of the words and there was no text provided to read. Our English-speaking companion was of the same opinion.

Fortunately the remainder of Mr. Eddy's program was thrilling. We love Dvorák's Gypsy Songs and have mainly heard them in German. Mr. Eddy, to our delight, sang them in Czech. We do not understand the language but loved the way the melody and the rhythm of the words lined up It was a spirited song about a folk dance and we were ready to get up and dance!

Similarly, we loved Respighi's "Invito alla danza", a more sedate and romantic song and perhaps our favorite song by this early 20th c. composer. Following along with the dance theme was Camille Saint-Saëns' "Danse macabre" and that's one dance we'd like to pass up!

If all we had heard were the encore we would have considered it a successful evening. That's just how wonderful it was!  From a rare Donizetti opera entitled Il Campanello di Notte, we heard the Brindisi "Mesci, mesci". Mr. Glen joined Mr. Dover for a four-handed accompaniment while Ms. Szász and Mr. Eddy performed with gusto and glee. We considered ourselves well prepared for the champagne reception upstairs!

(c) meche kroop

PURE JOY

Hyona Kim, Bretton Brown and Tami Petty

"The Bohemians" have been around for over a century fostering music in New York City.  Last night they collaborated with "Joy in Singing" to present a pair of stunning singers with a highly sensitive collaborative pianist at the keyboard.

It would seem that "Joy in Singing", only around for half as long as "The Bohemians", chooses singers of a certain type to award.  The two singers we heard last night, while having two very different voices, exhibited a commonality of quality that was impressive to say the least.  What they seem to go for is a style we much admire in lieder singing; we perceived an urge to communicate the meaning of the text with consummate expression but without fussiness.  Both singers employed tasteful gesture and facial expression to augment their story-telling skills.

At no time was vocal technique compromised.  Tones were rendered with purity and just the right amount of vibrato.  Diction was perfect with every word comprehensible; vowels were given full value without sacrificing the crispness of the consonants.  Variety was achieved by admirable dynamic control and appropriate coloration of the words.  Phrasing was always meaningful.

Soprano Tami Petty has a sizable instrument that is never unwieldy but always under perfect control.  There is a lovely lustre to it and an ear-tickling spin especially in her soaring upper register.  If ever a voice was made for Strauss, it is hers.

Mezzo-soprano Hyona Kim has a rich and chocolatey sound, one with weight and texture that never impairs her flexibility. Her long legato lines gave the German the feel of Italian without compromising her perfect diction.

The program included only two composer--Richard Strauss, about whom little needs to be said, and Joseph Marx, an Austrian born a generation after Strauss.  He wrote 150 songs in his youth, at the beginning of the 20th c., meaning that although junior to Strauss, he was composing earlier than many of Strauss' songs were composed. Sadly, few have been published or recorded.  This made their hearing even more precious.

The program sustained interest by creating a variety of moods.  Ms. Petty readily shifted gears from the rapturous "Du meines Herzens Krönelein" to the light-hearted enthusiasm of "All mein Gedanken" (texts by Dahn) to the ethereal "Schön sind, doch kalt die Himmelssterne" (text by Schack).  But the Strauss song we most enjoyed was "Schlechtes Wetter"(text by Heine) in which pianist Bretton Brown created quite a storm, surpassing the rain outside the window.  On the other hand, we absolutely loved what she did with the very funny "Für funfzehn Pfennige" from Des Knaben Wunderhorn, a biting argument between an importuning lover and a disdainful girl.

As far as humor goes, Ms. Kim gave a delightful rendering of "Hat gesagt--bleibts nicht dabei" from the same cycle.  Yet she could move us to tears with the sad "Befreit" about the release of death.  She impressed us equally with her delivery of the Marx songs.  In "Lieder" (text by Morgenstern), she painted lovely pictures of elements of nature, with ample help from Mr. Brown.  Mr. Brown's introduction to "Valse de Chopin" (text by Hartleben after Giraud) was glorious. The lovely "Japanisches Regenlied" delighted us as well.

Ms. Petty also got a crack at Marx's songs and our favorite was the rapturous "Und gestern hat er mich Rosen gebracht" (text by Lingen).   Ms. Petty's gift is that she brings the audience into her emotional experience, or rather the experience of the poet which she recreates for the listener.  We could smell the roses along with her and feel the rapture of being adored.  

Mr. Bretton was an equal partner in this outstanding recital.  Being less than familiar with Marx we were dazzled by his piano writing, especially in "Nocturne" (text by Hartleben) which so beautifully set the stage for Ms. Petty's singing, and likewise in "Die Liebste spricht" (text by Heyse).  Not that Strauss' piano writing was any less glorious.  The minor key arpeggii in "Befreit" were the perfect introduction for Ms. Kim's singing.

Both of these singers have been amply rewarded by the entities that grant such awards by competition; they seem destined for major careers and we feel privileged to have heard them in the intimate environment of the Kosciuszko Foundation.  Viva Joy.  Viva Singing.  Viva Joy in Singing!

© meche kroop

HYONA KIM'S JOY IN SINGING

HyoNa Kim (photo by Devon Cass) and Bretton Brown (photo by A. Moeller)

Our idea of a great recital isn't that different from our idea of a great meal.  Each "course" has different flavors, colors and textures; there are dishes one has never tasted before; one leaves feeling nourished and replete and yet...somehow wanting more.  Such was the case last night at the Joy in Singing presentation of their 2013 Award Winner mezzo-soprano Hyona Kim with her collaborative pianist Bretton Brown who was with her in total support every step of the way.  What a team!

Ms. Kim is so secure in her terrific technique and so poised onstage that she can afford to immerse herself in the texts and make each audience member feel as if she is singing just to them.  Indeed, she weaves a spell that draws people in.  We witnessed an amazing control of dynamics.  When she lets go the very molecules of air dance to her vibrato; when she spins a thread of soft sound, we lean in to meet her.  The colors in her voice are multiple and augmented by gesture and facial expression.  There are stories to be told and she tells them.

The program opened with Sieben Lieder von Elisabeth Kulmann by Robert Schumann who set the texts of this unfortunate poet who lived a sad life and died at 17.  She lives on in this gorgeous music brought to life by Ms. Kim in German so crisp that we never had to look at the translations.  We particularly enjoyed Mr. Brown's evocative pianism in "Die letzen Blumen starben".  The deeply sorrowful mood was lifted by the humor of Erik Satie's chansons which followed.  Ms. Kim is anything but pompous and had a great time illustrating the bronze statue of the frog who provides nighttime lodging for sleepy insects.  The program notes gave a fine explanation of the French wordplay in "Daphénéo" which we wished we had figured out on our own!  "Je te veux" was incredibly romantic.

Three lovely settings of texts by Pushkin followed and we were delighted to be hearing the seldom heard music of Nikolai Medtner which gave Mr. Brown the opportunity to indulge what must be a Russian soul.  Ms. Kim conveyed two different types of lost love--one that had passed by and one towards a lover that had passed away.  Our eyes were not the only ones that filled with tears at this passionate music.

In this carefully wrought recital, nothing was commonplace.  After the intermission we heard a set of light-hearted songs by a multiplicity of composers dealing with animals--as in Noah's ark.  Ned Rorem composed two songs about the same animal--"Snake" and "Serpent".  We preferred the latter for its clever rhymes.  ("All this is futile, I do not like to bang or tootle").  We do enjoy English most when there are clever rhymes!  David Sisco's "Judged by the Company One Keeps" had the audience chortling with glee.

The final set of the evening comprised songs about biblical King David and his prayers.  We love our Dvořák and his setting of "Sing to the lord a new song" was music to our ears as well.  Ravel's "Kaddish" was movingly sung in Hebrew.  As encore Ms. Kim and Mr. Brown performed a setting of "The Lord's Prayer" by UnYoung La, sung in Korean.  That makes six languages heard in one recital, all beautifully handled--an international meal for the musical epicure.

ⓒ meche kroop