MASTER(FUL) VOICES

Soprano Mikaela Bennett, Maestro Ted Sperling, and Baritone Justin Austin

The MasterVoices Chorus and the Orchestra of Saint Luke's

(Photo by Erin Baiano)

It was an unusual evening and one that was very well received by a huge crowd of fans filling up Alice Tully Hall.  Recent renovations put a pipe organ on display with Orchestra of St. Luke's organist Matthew Lewis having the time of his life.  Other members of OSL included a sole violin among a generous string section, and winds comprising a pair of bassoons, a pair of horns, a pair of percussionists and (our favorite) an angelic harp.

Our overall impression of Fauré's Requiem in D Minor is that it is a kinder gentler work than other requiems we have heard. The "wrath of God" and dire warnings are absent and it seems more a lullaby sending the departed off to a restful repose. It was indeed performed at Fauré's death and we hope he is enjoying a richly deserved peaceful sleep!

The composer began work on the piece in 1888 and revised it several times until 1900. We lack the knowledge to identify which version we heard but it was a satisfying one with the massive voices of MasterVoices singing the seven movements, ending with Fauré's unique "In Paradisum" sending the departed one off to paradise. The orchestration gave lots of attention to the horns which blared in as stentorian fashion as trumpets. However, we were most taken with the harp, played by the appropriately named Grace Paradise!

Strangely, Fauré gave the vocal soloists little to do and, since we are great fans of soprano Mikaela Bennett and baritone Justin Austin, we felt a bit disappointed to see them sitting there for a half hour with only small parts.

The second piece on the program made up for that, giving the two artists some interesting and challenging texts which were unfortunately amplified to the point of muddying the clever words. Far be it from us to sit and read from the program during a performance; we wished that titles had been projected. Upon returning home we read the libretto and realized what we had missed.

Maestro Ted Sperling came up with the incredibly clever idea for Seven: a Cycle of Sins,  putting the seven deadly sins up for grabs, so to speak, allowing a herd of contemporary composers to "choose their own sin". Each one contributed something in his own voice. Most notable (if only because we were very recently introduced to his music) was the "Envy" of Jason Robert Brown. Voices overlapped in a manner reminiscent of Stephen Sondheim. Mr. Brown's comments pointedly referred to his failure to achieve entrance into Juilliard and he did so in the wittiest fashion.

On the other hand Ted Hearne's gloss on "Greed" employed a boring political text relating to the Occupy Movement. This reminded us of the contemporary operas we dismiss as polemic.

Michael Abels illustrated "Lust" with a brief recreation of lovemaking sounds culminating in orgasm. This was so direct that it may well have achieved the status of audience favorite. "Love to Love You Baby", recorded by Donna Summer and released in 1975, accomplished great popularity but was banned by several radio stations. Apparently "classical music" performed in a concert hall can get away with things that popular recordings cannot.

The superb composer Gregory Spears took the easy way out and illustrated the sin of "Vanity" with a lengthy quote from Ecclesiastes. Heather Christian's take on "Wrath" used similarly wordy text.

Composer/lyricist team of William C. Banfield and Michael R. Jackson got philosophical about politics in "Sloth", perhaps a too heavy a burden with its wordy unsingable argument. The team of Will Aronson and Dolan Morgan undertook to illustrate "Gluttony" by an argument between "Everything in the World" and "People", another wordy discussion.

There is an eighth deadly sin folks, and no one ever speaks about it. That is the sin of "Acedia"--apathy and despondency--whih seems to be afflicting our culture today. Who wants to write a song about it?

You may have gathered by now, Dear Reader, that we vote for "Lust". It was short, sweet, and direct. Lyrics that are wordy and deep, in our opinion, belong on the printed page. 

That being said, Sperling's idea was an interesting one; giving composers carte blanche led to some curious offerings. When someone brings up The Seven Deadly Sins, we will no longer be thinking of the Kurt Weill opera/ballet but we will be thinking of Sterling's commission. Will it be performed again? Will it become part of the vocal canon? What do you think Dear Reader?

© meche kroop

 

THE STARS WERE OUT TONIGHT

 Bryan Wagorn, Brittany Renee,  Ben Bliss, and Justin Austin

There are advantages and disadvantages to outdoor opera.  On the positive side, one doesn't have to gasp for air behind a mask. Also, newcomers to opera can get a taste of this matchless art form without selling their children or mortgaging their home. The disadvantage--and it's a big one--is that one misses the frisson created by a live unamplified voice. Listening to an opera singer live is a sensuous experience; the voice is not only heard but felt in various part of the body. Dear listener!  The next time you hear singers live, pay attention to which part of your body vibrates.  But we digress.

Last night in Central Park, The Metropolitan Opera gave New Yorkers a treat in the form of three of their finest singers who presented a generous and varied program that brought thunderous applause from the mob that crowded Rumsey Playfield. Bryan Wagorn, Assistant Conductor at The Met served admirably as accompanist for the great variety of music on the program.

Tenorrific Ben Bliss opened the program with "Questa o quella" from Verdi's Rigoletto.  We have enjoyed Mr. Bliss' singing for years but this is the first time we heard him sing Verdi. Although amplification makes it difficult to take the measure of a voice we can say we enjoyed his performance last night in a number of selections.

His Duke was more charming than menacing--charming enough to bewitch the innocent Gilda. The elaborate decorations of the vocal line were exciting. Even better was the subtlety with which he invested Lensky's aria "Kuda, kuda" from Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin. We particularly admired the dynamic variety; the pianissimi were exquisite. Whilst thinking of Olga, he spun out the note so beautifully that we were holding our breath. (We ran out of breath before Mr. Bliss did!)

Again in "Dalla sua pace" from Mozart's Don Giovanni, the warmth of his coloring created a character that we cared about and the long drawn out pp. dazzled us as much as the elaborate fioritura. The big surprise of the evening was "No puede ser" from Sorozabal's La Tabernera del Puerto. We are always delighted when an evening includes some zarzuela. A cheating woman brings out anger but this character's anger is mixed with incredulity. Mr. Bliss captured it all and did so with mucho sazon.

Barihunk Justin Austin has been on our radar since his days at Manhattan School of Music when we marked him as a gifted young singer.  His star has risen rapidly and everything he performs is touched with genius. His Dr. Malatesta was expansive and persuasive in "Bella siccome un angelo" from Donizetti's Don Pasquale. He managed to sound sincere as he palms off a young widow as his convent-raised sister but also lets the audience know it's a ruse.  

What a masterpiece of acting! What flexibility in the fioritura!

He exhibited some very fine German in "Lieben, Hassen, Hoffen, Zagen" from Strauss' Ariadne aux Naxos. His English diction in "There was a storm" from Blanchard's Fire Shut Up in My Bones and in "Ballad of the Easy Life" from Weill's Threepenny Opera made every word crystal clear. We never take that for granted.

This was the first time we heard Soprano Brittany Renee and found her to be a formidable artist. Her voice glittered in "Je dis que rien ne m'épouvante" from Bizet's Carmen but we had to avert our eyes since her glamorous appearance was at odds with Micaela's shy character. In "Chi il bel sogno di Doretta" from Puccini's La Rondine she looked more like the character and showed her gifts as a storyteller.

She rose to the challenge of Violetta's Act I aria from Verdi's La Traviata negotiating the two opposing sides of Violetta's character. In the cabaletta "Sempre libera" we heard some impressive fireworks--just right for a party girl in denial. We don't claim to know anything about jazz but Duke Ellington' "In a Sentimental Mood" sounded just fine to us and illustrated her versatility.

Having such superb singers in three different fachs permitted the programming of a number of duets in various combinations. In "Esulti pur la Barbara" from Donizetti's L'Elisir d'amore, Mr. Bliss got to play the newly confident Nemorino with Ms. Renee as the astonished Adina, acting rather bemused.

Ms. Renee made a fine Pamina in duet with Mr. Austin's Papageno in "Bei Männern" from Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. And our two male singers brought new life to "Au fond du temple saint" from Bizet's Les Pêcheurs de Perles.  Not only was the harmony exquisite but the two men were gazing off into the same space so convincingly that we felt we could see the scene through their eyes.

We aver that Rogers' Carousel is an American opera and Ms. Renee and Mr. Austin's performance nailed "If I Loved You".  We feel the same about Sondheim's oeuvre.  In "Agony" from Into the Woods, Mr. Bliss and Mr. Austin played a game of competitive complaining between two princes.  What a delightful comic turn!  From Bernstein's West Side Story, Ms. Renee and Mr. Bliss gave us a "Tonight" to remember.

As if this banquet of music were not sufficiently satisfying, our artists offered  postprandial friandises.  Mr. Bliss sang a glorious "Maria" (also from West Side Story) that turned a woman's name into a vocalise. Mr. Austin offered a heartfelt "I Dream a World" --text by Langston Hughes set by Damien Sneed. Could Ms. Renee's charming "Will He Like Me?" come from Harnick and Bock's She Loves Me?  Well, we liked her.  A lot.

© meche kroop

GOIN' ON FIFTY

Terrence Chin-Loy, Cheyanne Coss, Teresa Castillo, Nicole Brooks, Tesia Kwarteng,
Ryan Johnson, Nora London, Monica Dewey, Alisa Jordheim, Danielle Beckvermit,
Justin Austin, Jana McIntyre, Anne Maguire, Jessica Faselt, Lindsay Kate Brown, and Katherine Beck

It's the competition we look forward to all year and it's been around longer than we have. Entering their fiftieth year of giving awards to promising young singers, the George London Foundation has earned our respect and admiration for a number of reasons: applicants and competitors pay no fee, pianists are provided (last night it was the absolutely first rate Lydia Brown), prizes are awarded immediately, and all finalists receive awards. No one is left standing on stage without appropriate recognition. We love that!

Planet Opera is a small world and we were tickled to learn that with only a couple exceptions, we were connected in some fashion with all the finalists. Some had received Encouragement Awards from The London Foundation in years gone by; some we knew through The Metropolitan Opera National Council Competitions, some from Opera Index Competitions, some from The Gerda Lissner Foundation Competitions, some from The Richard Tucker Foundation Competition, and some from the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program.

Let us begin with the women, in no particular order. Soprano Jessica Faselt made a large statement with Donna Anna's "Or sai chi l'honore", tackling the unrelenting tessitura and wrestling it to the ground without breaking a sweat. Nor were the subtleties lost in this riveting performance.

Soprano Jana McIntyre created a charming Amina, the now wide-awake somnambulist, exulting in Bellini's long phrases in a highly polished performance. There were some beautiful bel canto effects including a liquid trill at the top of the register.

Anne Maguire's chocolate-toned mezzo was just perfect for Fricka's passionate argument with Wotan from Wagner's Die Walküre--"Wo in Bergen du dich birgst". She was completely convincing and employed fine German. We wondered what was going through the mind of our favorite Wotan James Morris who was in the audience!

Another mezzo-soprano Lindsay Kate Brown had such strength in the lower register that we sniffed out a contralto in the making. In fine French, she did justice to the role of the unfortunate Léonor singing "O mon Fernand" from Donizetti's La Favorite. The lovely legato lines were beautifully realized.

Our third mezzo-soprano was Katherine Beck who filled out "Non piu mesta" from Rossini's La Cenerentola with joy and personality. Her bel canto technique was flawless and there was an evenness from the top of the register to the bottom. There is a terrific texture to her instrument that made the performance a singular one.

We loved the bell-like sound of soprano Teresa Castillo as she sang the "Bell Song" from Delibes' Lakmé. She used the entire stage and was generous with her gestures. The precision of the staccato passages was augmented by a gorgeous trill and a floated top note that we'd like to use as an example for some tenors we've heard!

Soprano Monica Dewey performed similar magic with "Caro nome" from Verdi's Rigoletto--precise staccato passages and facility with the fioritura. Her fine vibrato was particularly appealing.

Soprano Danielle Beckvermit has a pretty voice, just right for "Ain't it a Pretty Night" from Floyd's Susannah. Along with fine head resonance and clarity of English diction, we appreciated her acting. We could see the stars in the sky through her eyes.

Soprano Alisa Jordheim gave a fiery delivery of "Air du feu" from Ravel's L'enfant et les sortiléges. The florid vocal lines were wondrously negotiated. Our only complaint is that it is such a short aria and we wanted to hear more of her.

Soprano Nicole Brooks gave a splendid account of Frau Fluth's aria "Nun eilt herbei" from Nicolai's Die Lustigen Weiber von Windsor. She used her bright instrument and generous gesture to create a believable Alice Ford. We admired her German and her use of embellishments in tune with the text.

Tesia Kwarteng is an impressive mezzo-soprano who was completely new to us. She used an entire palette of colors to limn the character of the distraught Charlotte in the "Letter Scene" from Massenet's Werther. We enjoyed the dynamics and phrasing that she employed to show the character's deep feeling.

Soprano Cheyanne Coss performed "Comme autrefois" from Bizet's Les Pêcheurs des Perles in lovely French, exhibiting a wonderful top to her instrument.

There were only three men on the program  and we were happy to get another opportunity to hear baritone Justin Austin. "Bella siccome un angelo" was a wise choice since Mr. Austin has just the right dramatic skills to create the character of Dr. Malatesta from Donizetti's Don Pasquale. His beautiful tone and lovely legato made him a standout and every gesture and facial expression served the characterization.

Tenor Terrence Chin-Loy won our heart with a heartfelt "Che gelida manina" from Puccini's La Bohème. He has a warm quality to his tone and seemed to caress each word that he sang. He shaped his phrases well and came across as an ardent youth "selling himself" to a new love object with a newly found bravado.

Tenor Ryan Johnson, also new to us, began Lensky's aria from Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin in a rather stoic pose. He built from that position to a profound emotional impact as he revealed a range of emotions, recalling the events of the prior evening and his love for Olga.

We are happy not to have been one of the judges because we never could have narrowed down this field of stars in the making. All of them are delighting audiences around the country but we got to hear them all in one place on one glorious program. We felt so fortunate! We have added several new voices to our "Singers to Watch" list.

© meche kroop

NYFOS does BERNSTEIN

Justin Austin, Miles Mykkanen, Annie Rosen, Steven Blier, Michael Barrett, Chelsea Shepherd, Lucia Bradford, and Adrian Rosas

A fortuitous confluence of anniversaries led to a special evening with New York Festival of Song. Of course, every evening with Steve Blier and friends is special, but the fact that NYFOS is celebrating their 30th anniversary and it is also the centenary of Leonard Bernstein's birth, ensured an evening that was even more special.

We took advantage of the opportunity to assess Bernstein's contributions to the vocal canon, unenlightened as we are, and unburdened by Mr. Blier's worshipful adoration or Mr. Barrett's close association as assistant conductor to the maestro. Our opinions are our own and completely based on our own personal taste.

The first half of the program delighted us no end. It comprised mainly Broadway type material which seems to us a truly American art form and a far worthier contributor to song literature than the so-called art songs that we heard in the second half of the program.

It occurs to us that the contributions of a good lyricist who knows how to manipulate the English language is a better stimulation to a composer than poetry which doesn't ask to be set to music. Take for example Bernstein's West Side Story, for which Stephen Sondheim wrote the lyrics. We have no idea which came first, the lyrics or the music, but the pairing is perfect.

We were fortunate to have heard three exceptional excerpts from the score. Tenor Miles Mykkanen, whose star is on the rise, gave a dramatically expressive and vocally stunning performance of "Something's Coming". We just heard him sing the role of Tony a week ago with Heartbeat Opera (review archived) and we would say he owns the role and puts his unique stamp on it.

Soprano Chelsea Shephard was joined by mezzo-soprano Annie Rosen for "A Boy Like That/ I Have a Love" and the two female voices sounded terrific.  All that was needed was a little sazon to take it to the next level.

The quintet was powerful and was amplified by the two percussionists on hand for the evening--Barry Centanni and Taylor Goodson.

In a very close tie with West Side Story for our favorite Bernstein musical is Candide.  Truth to tell, we always think of these two as operas but the designation could be debated. We are inclined to call something an opera if we love it! We have seen Candide on Broadway and in opera houses and we don't care where we see it or what it is called.  We just love everything about it--the characters, the humor, the music, the witty lyrics (many lyricists were involved) and Bernstein's gorgeous music.

"You Were Dead, You Know" is a character-revealing duet and the performances by Ms. Shephard as the worldly wise Cunegonde and Mr. Mykkanen as the eponymous innocent Candide were nothing short of spectacular.

We would have been happy to spend the rest of the evening with more songs from those two works but we also heard "The Story of My Life" from the 1953  Wonderful Town for which Comden and Green wrote the lyrics. Poor intellectual and unloved Ruth was portrayed by the artistic and lovable Ms. Rosen as a character study of a disappointed woman.

From On the Town, a musical derived from a Jerome Robbins ballet, we heard a song that was cut from the show--"Ain't Got No Tears Left" performed with deep feeling for the blues by mezzo-soprano Lucia Bradford (in her NYFOS debut) who knows how to bend a note. There was a major assist from the percussionists.

In his later years, Bernstein wrote a show that failed, in spite of a libretto by Alan J. Lerner. Several worthy songs from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue survived, of which our favorite was "We Must Have a Ball" in which President James Buchanan aims to distract the populace from the truly awful condition of our nation by throwing a ball.  (Plus ca change, etc.).  Bass-baritone Adrian Rosas was perfectly cast as POTUS and effectively employed his generous instrument and astute dramatic sense.

From the same show, silky-voiced baritone Justin Austin sang "Seena", the tale of a childhood friendship becoming an adult romance. We enjoyed his delicate messa di voce.

Mr. Mykkanen turned grave for "Take Care of This House" and his voice soared like an eagle in the upper register.

"Prelude/Love Duet" from Arias and Barcarolles was sung by Mr. Austin and Ms. Rosen.  We found the overlapping dialogue just plain confusing and impossible to follow.

The second half of the program was devoted to Bernstein's 1977 Songfest, which was originally commissioned by the Philadelphia Orchestra for the bicentennial celebration in 1976.  It was not completed in time but had a successful premiere a year later at the Kennedy Center.

We can admire the project to include a dozen American voices and to express each in a different musical style, but the work was, with a couple exceptions,  not to our taste, although we did appreciate some fine performances. John Musto reduced the score for two pianos and two percussionists.

Mr. Austin's relaxed manner was perfect for "The Pennycandystore Beyond the El" with text by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. It was just another case of a text we might enjoy reading but to which the music added nothing.

There were two songs that we did enjoy and would want to hear again--both with texts by women. In "A Julia de Burgos" there was a great advantage by way of the Spanish text which falls far more gently on the ear than English. Ms. Shephard sang it beautifully, contrasting two manifestations of womanhood.

The second one we related to was a real discovery for us. Anne Bradstreet was the first published female American composer--even before there was a USA!  Dating back to 17th c. colonial America, she wrote a text in praise of her husband and set it to lovely tuneful music. Perhaps we enjoyed it so much because the text rhymes and scans. All three women sang together in overlapping voices and we found the aural overtones just thrilling.

The overlapping voices in "I Too Sing America/Okay Negroes" did not thrill because two different texts were being sung at once. We liked Langston Hughes text which was finely sung by Mr. Austin with a depth of feeling. But the angry text by June Jordan from a later period of the 20th c. did not appeal, although Ms. Bradford sang it well.

Mr. Mykkanen can make anything sound meaningful, even Gregory Corso's "Zizi's Lament" for which the setting was pleasingly exotic.

There was an encore which we could not identify which involved the entire wonderful cast humming.  Hmmmmmmm!

(c) meche kroop

GETTIN' THE GROOVE ON WITH JUSTIN AUSTIN

Damien Sneed and Justin Austin at Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall

We don't usually get teary-eyed at vocal recitals. That usually happens when we witness something visually exquisite like a double rainbow in the mountains around Santa Fe, or watching a hummingbird dipping its beak into the center of a flower. Those are natural phenomena; singing is all artifice. But sometimes the results of intense study and lengthy practice applied to a natural gift can make this artifice seem as natural as the rainbow or the hummingbird.

So it was that last night at Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall we found ourself incredibly moved by an outstanding recital performed by baritone Justin Austin, whose growth we have witnessed as he studied his way through Manhattan School of Music, guided by the glorious soprano Catherine Malfitano, who recognized and fostered his artistic evolution.

The recital came about as a consequence of Mr. Austin's winning the 2016 First Place Scholarship awarded by The National Association of Negro Musicians. The association has been around for nearly a century, explaining the outdated name. It is strange to think of Mr. Austin as a "negro musician" because we have only thought of him as a preternaturally gifted singer, no discriminatory labeling necessary.  But we understand that, to a group that feels marginalized, his labeling means something different. Some day the marginalization will be a thing of the past, or so we hope.

Mr. Austin strode confidently onto the stage in sartorial splendor and his collaborative pianist Damien Sneed sported a mohawk. This was, of course, just window dressing since we came for the sound, not the picture.  And what a sound! Mr. Austin's baritone is a caressing one with a fine vibrato that makes one think of velvet. Although he is young, just 27 years old, his sound is a mature one.

As one might predict, our favorite part of the program was the first set which he began with an aria from Cavalli's 1645 opera Doriclea --"Chi non s'accenderebbe". If we are not mistaken, Mr. Austin sang in this opera three years ago at MSM. What we appreciated, aside from the beautiful tone and Italianate phrasing, was the emotive content.

His singing goes straight to the heart, not only in Italian but also in German.  Hearing him sing straight through the consonants without cheating them was an aural pleasure. Schubert's "Die Krahe" from his cycle Winterreise was so fine that we want to hear Mr. Austin perform the entire cycle. 

The simplicity with which he performed Brahms' "Die Mainacht" was exactly what Brahms had in mind when he set the simple folksong with such artistry.  (Or so we would like to believe.)

Hugo Wolf's song "Herr, was tragt der Boden hier" is a different kind of song--complex and intense, with the drama heightened by Mr. Austin's skills in dynamic variety.

The remainder of the program was in English and we didn't expect to like it as much as we did. How rare to find a singer who can make every word intelligible! Often we have trouble concentrating on songs in English, getting distracted by wondering what that last phrase was about.  Not here! Not only was each word clear but the phrasing always made sense.

One set paid tribute to the disenfranchised.  Margaret Bonds' song "Minstrel Man" reminded us of the Eichendorff text "Ich kann wohl manchmal singen" which was set by several composers in the 19th c. The poet hides his grief behind a joyful exterior.

William Bolcom's "Ballad of the Landlord" resonated particularly with the audience. In Ricky Ian Gordon's "Luck", Mr. Austin spun out the final note in a long silken thread.

Mr. Sneed is also a composer and arranger and we enjoyed the world premiere of his song "I Dream a World" with its heart touching sentiment. He gave Mr. Austin a wonderful melismatic passage and some interesting effects heard in Early Music, and gave himself some rolling arpeggi and chromatic scale passages. We were thrilled to hear contemporary music that pleased the ear!

The second half of the program was equally enjoyable with a riveting performance of "Billy's Soliloquy" from Richard Rodgers' Carousel.  Perhaps you won't agree with us but we consider this an opera! The singer fantasizes the relationship he will have with his unborn son and then considers that the child could be a girl. Mr. Austin's alteration in color and tone aptly suited the material. And we liked the way he used the entire stage.

A very different soliloquy was then performed, the very bitter justice-demanding soliloquy sung by Coalhouse Walker in Stephen Flaherty's Ragtime, a Broadway musical that we also think of as an opera. Mr. Austin got the despair and anger just right.

"Lost in the Stars" from the Kurt Weill opera of the same name was similarly well rendered.

Another one of Mr. Sneed's compositions "Oh Freedom" (also a world premiere) opened with Mr. Austin kneeling next to the American flag. For about ten seconds we were puzzled, but then noticed that Mr. Sneed was kneeling at the piano and realized that they were referencing the current brouhaha in which ball players rebelled and refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. The song began with a solo of beautiful vocal line and had the tone of a "Spiritual".  Very fine!

The program ended with Mr. Sneed's arrangement of two classics--Wynton Marsalis' version of the Lord's Prayer (another world premiere) and his arrangement of M. Hayes' (Amazing) "Grace".

We have never witnessed such a wildly enthusiastic and uninhibited audience reaction to a recital. The audience rose to its feet as one and several people literally jumped up and down. It was clear that people felt the material reflected their culture and concerns.  An encore was demanded but we did not recognize it much beyond the fact that it was a "Spiritual".

We entered expecting to hear Mr. Austin's consummate artistry but we got so much more than we expected.  We discovered a composer who knows how to write and we felt a part of a people's quest for equality and respect.  Good music can do that!

The recital was concomitant with Mr. Austin's birthday. But we felt as if he gave us a magnificent gift!

(c) meche kroop

MASTERFUL JUSTIN AUSTIN

Christopher Cooley and Justin Austin at Manhattan School of Music

What a relief!  Two terrific recitals back to back, not simultaneous! Each brilliant event deserves its own review so let us begin with baritone Justin Austin who has truly earned his Master of Music degree.  We first heard Mr. Austin in Cavalli's La Doriclea some three years ago and have been a fan ever since.  We have heard him singing art songs with New York Festival of Song, and most recently heard him as Dr. Malatesta in Donizetti's comedic masterpiece Don Pasquale, playing off the Norina of his beautiful wife Amanda. Imagine our pleasure as we saw that a scene from this opera would be reprised as the finale of Mr. Austin's graduation recital!

We just loved the interaction between Dr. Malatesta as he imitates the old Don and instructs Norina in how to portray his convent-educated sister Sofronia in order to prank Don Pasquale. Thomas Muraco was credited for help with this "Pronto io son" and we recall that Maestro Muraco coached and conducted the opera just 6 months ago. We might add that Mrs. Austin's soprano is just as dazzling in her fach as her husband is in his.  A true operatic power couple. 

There were plenty of goodies before the finale, of course. What we love about Mr. Austin is the expressiveness and depth of involvement that he lends to everything he sings. He has a sunny stage presence that the members of the audience appreciated as much as we did. The texture of the vibrato is as ear-pleasing as one might wish.

We loved his accuracy in German and understood every word of his Wolf and Schubert. He sang a sole selection from each of our two favorite song cycles. From Winterreise he invested "Die Krahe" with a tinge of horror and madness such that we seemed to experience the entire cycle as a hologram.  In "Halt!" from Die Schone Mullerin there was excitement to spare and the piano of Christopher Cooley kept those mill wheels turning.

Mr. Cooley also excelled in Ravel's cycle Don Quichotte a Dulcinee, establishing a rocking rhythm in support of Mr. Austin's finely nuanced interpretation. It came as no surprise that a program insert, which thanked all the people who had helped his artistic advancement, credited his teacher Catherine Malfitano for working with him on that cycle. We all know what a fine flair the divine Ms. M. has with the French repertory. The phrasing was Gallic and so was the pronunciation. We didn't miss a word!

Significantly, at least to us, was the fact that his English was also exemplary. We heard two very different soliloquies; the first was Billy's from Rogers and Hammersteins's Carousel, for which he credited his coach Erick Sedgwick, and the second was Coalhouse's from Stephen Flaherty and Terrence McNally's Ragtime. Mr. Austin captured all the hopefulness and pride of the first, and all the sorrow and despair of the second.

We also loved his performance of Aaron Copland's "The Little Horses" which was sung with tenderness and a lovely intermittent pianissimo. Mr. Cooley's piano was delicate and helped to sustain the hypnotic mood. For this piece, Stephanie Blythe's assistance was credited.

Margaret Bonds' setting of Langston Hughes "Minstrel Man" was deeply affecting, as was Mark Hayes' arrangement of the hymn "Amazing Grace" for which Mr. Austin was joined by baritone Kenneth Overton. The two men achieved a fine balance in their harmonies.

We are not sure why we didn't relate to Ricky Ian Gordon's "When Sue Wears Red", another setting of a Langston Hughes text. The piano seemed to drown out the words and we didn't care for the music. But the rest of the audience seemed to love it so perhaps it was just at odds with our taste.

The concert ended with a love fest! Mr. Austin is gracious to a fault and thanked and embraced his teacher Ms. Malfitano and spoke most movingly about all the people who helped him along the way in his 6 years at Manhattan School of Music. He also thanked his parents profusely and his wife's parents as well. His parents came up to the stage and his father, a tenor, announced that the two would join forces for duo recitals in Switzerland. Now that's something we'd love to hear!

He dedicated his encore to his family--"I Want Jesus to Walk with Me", sung a capella. We walked out feeling all warm and fuzzy.

(c) meche kroop

OLD MEN NEED LOVE TOO

Cast of Don Pasquale at Manhattan School of Music

Although it is reasonably well accepted in our culture that old men can marry trophy wives, especially if they have ample financial assets, society was rather cruel to such men in the 19th c. Donizetti's comic opera Don Pasquale boasts as its theme the humiliation of just such a fellow at the hands of his rebellious and disinherited nephew and his very own doctor, who play on him a very dirty trick.

The part of the eponymous hero must evoke humor but also sympathy and yesterday, at Manhattan School of Music, Thomas Muraco--conductor and coach--led an ensemble production that admirably realized the spirit of the piece.

Gaetano Donizetti composed this comic masterpiece toward the end of his life and it was his last major success.  Due to the ravages of syphilis, his health declined and he would be dead within five years from the 1843 premiere in Paris. Although the libretto is attributed to Giovanni Ruffini, it is widely believed that Donizetti's contributions were so insistent that Ruffini removed his name from the score.

What is important about this fact is the enormous humanity with which the characters are invested. They derive from the stock characters of the commedia del'arte but are far more well-rounded. Don Pasquale derives from Pantalone the foolish old man (as did Don Bartolo in Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia). 

It was a triumph of acting and singing that Hidenori Inoue, who is nothing if not young and handsome, was able to convince as the titular character. He submerged himself in the performance and sang with a rich, full, and mature bass that hints at a wonderful future in this fach. His mastery of "patter" was exceptional. Alongside his foolish attempt to get even with his rebellious nephew was a generosity of spirit which readily forgave his tormentors. Still, we loved his rage aria "Aspetta, aspect, cara sposina".

Dottore Malatesta derives from the wily character Scapino in commedia del'arte, similar to Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia.  Justin Austin's interpretation was filled with the sparkle of fun. Not just shaming his patient, he was also trying to help the young lovers Ernesto and Norina. He forged a complicated plan, setting up a sham marriage with his convent-bred "sister" Sofronia who would appear to be modest and shy and then, after the marriage, reveal herself to be nasty, greedy and controlling. (Was Donizetti commenting on wives in general???)

Mr. Austin has a lovely warm instrument and fine phrasing, as well as highly developed comic instincts. He too handled the "patter" remarkably well and had a fine duet with Mr. Inoue. We especially enjoyed his "Bella siccome un angelo".

In an interesting coincidence, the role of "Sofronia" his sister was played by his wife Amanda Austin. (The two of them met studying voice at Manhattan School of Music. Sometimes truth is better, if not stranger, than fiction.)  Ms. Austin made a superlative Norina, representing the willful Columbina character of commedia del'arte--much like Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia.

She has a luminous presence and an impressive facility in the bel canto style with a memorable trill in her satchel of skills. Donizetti asks her to slap Don Pasquale as part of her making "Sofronia" detestable and this is the point in the opera where one feels pity for the object of everyone's deceit.

Ernesto is the lovesick nephew--analogous to the Pierrot character of commedia del'arte --and Timothy Lanigan sang with a fine lyric tenor that opened up beautifully by Act II. By the time he met up with Norina in the garden in Act III, the "Com'e gentil" could melt anyone's heart. His serenade was accompanied by a pair of guitars perfectly plucked by Diego Fernandez Arraya and Joseph Douglass.

At this point we must mention the well-rehearsed chorus whose collective diction made sure that not a syllable was lost.  One rarely hears an operatic chorus this lucid. Stefano Baldasseroni was the Italian Diction Coach and can take much of the credit, since everyone's Italian was perfect.

Yonghyun Kim added to the fun as the false notary called to record the sham marriage.

The orchestral score was reduced for two pianos by Mr. Muraco and the pianists themselves.  We heard Jiwon Byun and Jia Jun Hong. We never missed the orchestra and could even hear threads of voices that can get lost in the carpet of orchestral sound.

The overture was particularly well done with melodies anticipating what one would subsequently hear. The trumpet solo was happily preserved and well played by Imani Duhe.

As is always the case with Mr. Muraco's Opera Repertoire Ensemble, the audience is assured of a good time and the cast appears to have mastered a true ensemble feel and superb stagecraft, witness the well-balanced duets, trios and ensembles.

Had we been free, we would very much have wanted to hear the cast Friday night.  Alas, we were not free but they were probably just as excellent.

Settings were minimal and costuming was contemporary. Nothing more was needed

© meche kroop

AT HOME WITH NYFOS

Galeano Salas, Will Kelley, Liv Redpath, Abigail Levis, and Justin Austin with Steven Blier at the piano

"At Home", the latest entry in Steven Blier's New York Festival of Song, seen last night at Merkin Concert Hall, was a cleverly constructed program based on the concept of songs for each room of the home. This concept originated at Wolf Trap. We have no idea where Maestro Blier finds the unusual songs that he programs but each one was a gem and all were new to us.  

And do we need to mention how judiciously the singers are chosen?  Each one possesses a fine voice and a dramatic style that conveys the meaning of each song. The group spent a residency up at Caramoor for the past week or so, polishing their performances for the delectation of the audience. It was difficult to say whether they had more fun onstage or the audience.

There were songs for the parlor, the kitchen, the nursery, the dressing room, and the bedroom.  Can you guess where the encore took place? Segments were introduced by quotes from Oscar Wilde, John Ruskin, Gilbert Chesterton, Eddie Izzard, and James Baldwin. Effective dramatic direction was provided by Alison Moritz.

The Parlor offered a number of thrills, comprising pieces commissioned by wealthy 19th c. patrons for private concerts.  Readers will recall our affection for 19th c. music. The opening number, Ernest Chausson's "La nuit" gave soprano Liv Redpath and mezzo-soprano Abigail Levis the opportunity to join voices in delicious harmonies with overlapping voices. 

Massenet's "Sevillanas" permitted Ms. Redpath to launch some vocal fireworks with a Spanish flavor, accompanied by both Mr. Blier and the dashing collaborative pianist Will Kelley.

There was humor aplenty when Ms. Levis performed a tribute to the cigarette in the song of the same name by Herbert E. Haines from 1904. Tenor Galeano Salas teamed up with baritone Justin Austin for "Trust Her Not" by Michael William Balfe. They not only sang together but danced a little vaudeville turn. We wondered what Henry Wadsworth Longfellow might have thought of this delightful use of his text.

Moving on to The Kitchen, we enjoyed lots more humor. Ms. Levis came onto the stage waving a knife and wooden spoon to perform Heitor Villa-Lobos' "Food for Thought", the lyrics of which contained clever internal rhymes by Robert Wright and George Forrest. 

We loved the way Mr. Salas performed the lengthy "Painting My Kitchen", a late 20th c. work by John Bucchino.  Underpinning his humorous delivery was the driving four-handed piano of Maestro Blier and Mr. Kelley.

In The Nursery section, astute direction by Alison Moritz had Mr. Austin entertaining the other singers appearing as children with Xavier Montsalvatge's "El lagarto está llorando", the setting of a text by Federico Garcia Lorca.

We never knew that the marvelous melodist Reynaldo Hahn set any English texts but we loved "My Ship and I", a text by Robert Louis Stevenson; and we loved the way Ms. Levis performed it. 

Darius Milhaud's  "Tais-toi, babillarde", a song from the 1940 Quatre poèmes de Ronsard opened with an extended vocalise in which Ms. Redpath gave vent to all of her coloratura skills, sounding more like a nightingale than the swallow of the text. (To tell the truth, we don't really know what either bird sounds like!)  Mr. Kelley's piano gave us the subtext.

The Dressing Room had only one song which the company performed with narcissistic glee--Edwin Weber's 1923 "I Love Me".

There were some wonderful songs taking place in The Bedroom.  Mr. Austin delivered the romantic ballad "Im Zimmer" written at the very beginning of Alban Berg's creative life. His performance was intimate and accessible--but was followed by the Polish song by Grazyna Bacewicz from 1955, translated as "I have such a headache". Ms. Redpath gave it a very funny delivery as a woman responding to the romantic advances of the prior song.

Perhaps our favorite song of the evening was Pietro Mascagni's "Serenata", a simply gorgeous strophic song which Mr. Salas performed with lots of garlic, supported by Maestro Blier's lilting piano. We could imagine an entire opera surrounding this superb song.

If you haven't already figured it out, the encore took place in (drumroll please) The Bathroom with the entire cast wearing shower caps and carrying sponges and rubber duckies for the 1929 song "Singing in the Bathtub" (Magidson/Washington/Cleary).

It was the perfect end to another delightful NYFOS evening.

(c) meche kroop