THE SCOTTISH OPERA

 Nate Mattingly, Kofi Hayford, Arnold Livingston Geis, Katy Lindhart, Maestro Keith Chambers, Kathleen Norchi, Joe Lodato, and Laura Zahn

We have no idea what initiated Europe's fascination with Scotland in the early 19th c. but the stories of Sir Walter Scott were adapted by Eugene Scribe as the libretto for François-Adrien Boieldieu's opéra comique La Dame Blanche a full decade before another of Scott's gothic tales became the plot of Bellini's tragic opera Lucia de Lammermoor. Other operas with elements of the fantastic were to follow--Meyerbeer's Robert le Diable and Gounod's Faust.

Here we have the requisite castle in an exotic locale, a lost heir, a hidden fortune, and a ghost, a benevolent one. By virtue of the good graces of Maestro Keith Chambers' New Amsterdam Opera, utilizing the score donated by Maestro Eve Queler, who presented the work about 30 years ago with her Opera Orchestra of New York, opera lovers had an opportunity to thrill to Boieldieu's gorgeous melodies and some very fine singing.

A capacity crowd greeted the work with uncommon enthusiasm and gave the superlative cast the accolades they deserve. Maestro Chambers was in complete command of his orchestra, of which Stephan Fillare was concertmaster. Harpist Kate Sloat stood out by providing the soothing arpeggi running through the score at just the right moments.

The story concerns the fate of a castle in a Scottish town and whether it would wind up in the hands of the greedy steward Gaveston (sung by bass Kofi Hayford) or those of the tenant farmer Dickson (baritone Joe Lodato). The climatic auction scene resolves the bidding war and the castle winds up in the hands of the legitimate heir Julien (tenor Arnold Livingston Geis)  who had gone missing under strange circumstances and reappeared as the soldier Georges. Julien will marry the clever Anna (soprano Katy Lindhart) who was Julien' childhood sweetheart. Of course they will live happy ever after!

The work begins with a spirited overture involving sweet melodies alternating with a martial theme, and a frisky staccato one. One could be excused for thinking a ballet was about to follow since the overture was written by Adolph Adam, a pupil of Boieldieu who went on to compose the music for Giselle and Le Corsaire.

There is a celebratory chorus followed by Georges' entrance aria which announces his military profession. Mr. Geis evinced a full throated and well supported tenor which was given many more opportunities to shine. There was a lovely trio with Dickson and his wife Jenny ( soprano Kathleen Norchi) as the couple offer him hospitality and learn about the vagaries of his life.  Jenny's ballad about La Dame Blanche, the spirit guardian of the estate, was delivered with both wonder and soul. Ms. Norchi has a most appealing stage presence with a delightful feel for her character illuminated by a bright clear tone which soared over the orchestra. Mr. Lodato sang with geniality and firmness coloring his substantial baritonal resonance. 

In Act II, we finally get to meet the heroine, the lovely and clever Anna who has also had a strange and varied history. Ms. Lindhart is blessed with a superb instrument that she knows how to play. We appreciated her very fine vibrato and an abundance of overtones in the resonance. In duet with the old housekeeper Marguerite (mezzo-soprano Laura Zahn) the blended voices of the two women gave Boieldieu's harmonies a splendid execution.  Moreover, their exaggerated facial expressions amplified the storytelling of Steven Herring as he narrated the plot points.  His text was originally written by Nico Castle and he added quite a bit. In a concert production we have never seen the singers use facial expression so successfully and we enjoyed every grimace and grin.

Mr. Geis got another opportunity to show off his sweet tenor in the cavatina "Viens, gentille dame" with horn accompaniment. There was a change in force and tempo and a return to sweet melody.  What a fine messa di voce we heard! The act ended with a brilliantly composed and well knit septet which one might say owes a debt to Mozart. Ms. Lindhart got to show off an enchanting glissando.

The final act gave her yet another gorgeous melodic aria with more glissandi and some descending scale passages offering all manner of challenges which she met effortlessly. We don't know the French word for fioritura but we loved it just the same.

Mr. Geis got yet another chance to shine in his final aria in which Georges recognizes the castle he grew up in.  What a wealth of vocal effect!  Descending arpeggi and upward skips, all joined by that glorious harp.

There is much to be done to resolve the plot involving a disappointed Gaveston, so well portrayed by Mr. Hayford's deeply resonant bass and mobile expressions, and a Justice of the Peace named MacIrton, successfully sung by bass-baritone Nate Mattingly with requisite attention to the officious attitude of his character. Fortune is found, truths are revealed, and the estate is settled.

What a coincidence that we reviewed both of these fine singers already this month, Mr. Hayford in a vocal concert at the National Arts Club and Mr. Mattingly in Garden of Alice produced by City Lyric Opera. Both reviews can be found by using the search function on this page.

Photos of the singers can be found on both our Facebook pages--Meche Kroop and Voce di Meche.

© meche kroop

WERTHER brought to you by MARTHA CARDONA OPERA

Kian Freitas, Katy Lindhart, Maestro Keith Chambers, Thomas Cannon, Ola Rafalo, and Alex Richardson

The stage of Merkin Concert Hall is not large but it was large enough to hold an orchestra, with the singers giving a semi-staged performance over to the side. The somewhat reduced orchestra, conducted by Maestro Keith Chambers, came together nicely after a very slightly ragged overture and did full justice to Massenet's marvelous score for Werther.

The opera premiered in 1892, first in German (!) and shortly thereafter in the original French in Geneva. In a couple years it was presented by The Metropolitan Opera in New York, and a few years later found a home at the Opéra Comique in Paris. It remains part of the standard repertory until this very day and we were delighted that the Martha Cardona Opera, founded by Daniel Cardona, decided to present it.

We keep learning new things about opera with every performance and what we learned last night was that the singers cannot really hear the orchestra when they are on the same level. This did not stop mezzo-soprano Ola Rafalo, in the role of Charlotte, from cutting right through their sound with her distinctive and richly textured voice. The interesting texture and generous vibrato were very much to our liking. She was outstanding in her moving third act aria "Va! Laisse couler mes larmes".

Baritone Thomas Cannon created a sympathetic portrait of Charlotte's husband Albert, a role upon which we do not customarily focus. In Act II, he is rather sympathetic to Werther's predicament--that of loving a woman he cannot have. But when he realizes that Werther might be a rival for Charlotte's affection, you could see the change in his body and gesture, as well as hear the alteration in his vocal color. He is only too happy to provide the pistols to Werther! This fine baritone exhibited a creamy and mellow sound that was most agreeable to the ear.

As little sister Sophie, soprano Katy Lindhart used her bright and focused soprano to provide a vocal and dramatic foil for her big sister. We liked her stage presence as well as her voice. Her Act III scene with Charlotte was pure delight.

Baritone Kian Freitas made a fine papa, caring and loving toward his children but also able to join his friends Schmidt (tenor Lindell Carter) and Johann (baritone LaMarcus Miller) for some tippling at the tavern. All three men sang well.

Tenor Alex Richardson seemed to be having a bad night. When the orchestra was playing at low volume, we heard some sweet sounds, of which we'd like to hear more. Sadly, when the orchestra was playing in full force, he tended to push his voice in the upper register, instead of floating the notes. This is a feature to which we are highly sensitive and it was not pleasing to the ear. On the plus side, he did throw himself into the role of the unfortunate Werther and his French diction could not be faulted.

The excellent children's chorus was provided by The Long Island City Academy of Music Youth Choir. The young singers portraying Charlotte's brothers and sisters included Bryan Acosta, Ellis Adams, Lara Akarca, Nina Benson, Bianca Benson, Sebastian Czaplicki, Leah Friedman, Isabel Söhngen, and Nora Yoo. Musical preparation was by Oliver Söhngen.

The story takes place in the late 18th c., a time when deathbed promises were made and kept, a time when romance was not the chief justification for marriage. Charlotte had promised her mother to marry Albert as the mother lay dying. Before the marriage was performed, when Albert was absent, she apparently spent a lot of time with Werther, reading poetry and doing other harmless things. She repressed her growing attraction to him but he was unable to do the same.

Once she wed, she was obliged to send him away.  When he returns, the charade could no longer be sustained.  They embrace and she rejects him. He kills himself with Albert's pistols but achieves some happiness by dying in her arms.

This scenario, adapted from an epistolary novel by Goethe, is such a product of an earlier epoch, that it demands more stylized comportment than was exhibited onstage in this semi-staged production. Modern dress did nothing to create the illusion we wanted to experience. That is the negative consequence of this type of production.  A positive aspect is that one gets to focus on the music.

(c) meche kroop