VERISMO TRILOGY

Maestro Israel Gursky and cast of Verismo Trilogy presented by Teatro Grattacielo

If you wanted a glitzy Saturday night, you were probably enjoying Verdi's Macbeth at The Metropolitan Opera; but if you are a hard core opera fanatic you were celebrating Teatro Grattacielo's 25th Anniversary Concert at The Gerald Lynch Theater. Indeed most of the luminaries of Planet Opera were in attendance. Lucky us! We were treated to some rarely heard masterpieces and some stellar singing that left us walking on air all the way home.

We are well aware of several operas that "came in second", replaced by other operas that superseded them in the operatic canon. We are always grateful to companies like On Site Opera, Dell'Arte Opera, and Juilliard Opera for bringing them to our attention. Sometimes it is difficult to figure out why we can't have two Barber's, two Marriage of Figaro's, two Falstaff's.

Last night we heard Act I of Ruggiero Leoncavallo's La Bohême which premiered in 1897 at La Fenice. Puccini's opera, with libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, had premiered in Turin in 1896. Shortly thereafter, Leoncavallo tried his pen, utilizing the same source material by Henri Murger, and writing his own libretto.  And therein lies the failure, in our opinion.

Not having read Murger's episodic stories, we cannot say which version hews more closely to the source material but Leoncavallo's libretto is not very interesting. Perhaps it was an effort to emphasize the difference with Puccini's iteration, but Leoncavallo assigned the tenor role to Marcello and the baritone role to Rodolfo.

However, we found the music to be worthwhile, offering memorable arias for all the principals. Soprano Susanne Burgess played Mimi who, in this case, is not the central character and is already romantically involved with Rodolfo, here portrayed by the excellent baritone Suchan Kim, in his customary fine voice. Nonetheless, she is given an applause-worthy aria that suited her generous soprano perfectly. This was not one of Puccini's shy "piccole donne"! 

Mezzo-soprano Emily Hughes had the role of Musette who, in this version, is not the bold extravagant character created in Puccini's version; she came across as shyly flirtatious when she meets Marcello, sung by tenoriffic Alessio Borraggine who sang his gorgeous aria with ease and substance. 

The rest of the "Bohemians" comprised bass-baritone Stefanos Koroneos (also Artistic Administrator and Manager of Teatro Grattacielo) in the expanded role of Shaunard and baritone Robert Balonek (about whom more later) as Colline.. A role not present in the Puccini version is that of Schaunard's girlfriend Eufemia, finely sung by mezzo-soprano Anna Tonna.

Character tenor Ronald Naldi brought the role of landlord Gaudenzio to vivid life and tenor Jordan Weatherstone Pitts impressed us with the sweetest sound of the evening which belonged strangely to a character known as Un Becero, which translates as "a boorish or uncouth person". Now why that role would 

be given to such a silky voice we know not!

Bass Stefano de Peppo appeared in the small role of Barbemuche. Maestro Gursky conducted the outstanding orchestra with panache. We mostly remark upon the wind sections but in the Leoncavallo we were most impressed by the string sections, especially the contributions of the harp.

The second part of the evening was devoted to arias from the 1890 opera Loreley by Alfredo Catalani, who is better known for his opera La Wally. We have heard so many songs about the Lorelei who lures sailors to their death, but we didn't know the origin of the myth until the intensely dramatic music moved us to read about it.

Walter is betrothed to Anna, the daughter of the Landgrave, but falls for Loreley, whom he seduces and abandons. Loreley gets her revenge with the help of supernatural characters. She must pledge to love Alberich (!), Lord of the Rhine and throw herself into the river, but gains the power to seduce men. Anna dies at the wedding and Walter dies pursuing Loreley.

The arias we heard were so arresting that we wanted to see the entire opera. It could be staged in a manner similar to Rusalka, with which it has some similarities. Walter's Act III aria (a kind of mad scene) was given a powerful reading by tenor Jeremy Brauner whose intensity was riveting. Soprano Ashley Bell sang Anna's aria of disappointment, making us feel sorry for the abandoned bride.

Soprano Kirsten Chambers lent her sizable instrument to the highly dramatic aria before Loreley achieve her transformation by throwing herself into the Rhine. Not only were we mesmerized by her performance but noted the major contribution of the chorus of spirits--comprising Teatro Grattacielo's Young Artists, directed by Jason Tramm--accompanied by that gorgeous harp.

NEW AMSTERDAM OPERA SALON GALA

Kofi Hayford, Kevin Johnson, Maestro Keith Chambers, Jonathan Green, Rachelle Pike, Sara Beth Pearson, Raymon Geis, and Eugenia Forteza

What a special Saturday night!  We enjoyed a surfeit of aural, culinary, and intellectual nourishment provided by New Amsterdam Opera. The legendary culinary creations of Leslie Ritch were accompanied by appropriate libations; renowned artist manager Ken Benson was on hand to instruct us about Massenet's rarely heard opera Hérodiade and how it differs from Richard Strauss' Salome; the cover cast of the upcoming May 10th (SAVE THE DATE) production by New Amsterdam Opera provided the entertainment, teasing us with a selection of arias, duets and an ensemble from the opera.

As much as we enjoyed eating, drinking, and socializing with the luminaries of the opera world who attended (including Eve Queler and Jane Shaulis) let us get right to the music which was outstanding. We were wondering "If the cover cast is this stellar, what must the first cast be like?" Maestro Keith Chambers was at the piano and the works were performed concert style, mainly "on the book".

There were only two selections that are well known. "Il est doux, il est bon", which we just heard at the Manhattan School of Music Ades Competition, is a tender aria upon which Massenet lavished abundant melody. Soprano Sara Beth Pearson as Salomé gave it a beautiful reading with bright tone in the upper register. As Mr. Benson pointed out in the introductory lecture, she is not the lascivious heroine of the Strauss opera, but an innocent young woman in love with the prophet Jean (John the Baptist).

There is an impressive duet between Hérode (sung by the fine baritone Jonathan Green) and his wife Hérodiade (given intense life by the excellent mezzo-soprano Rachelle Pike). Here the music was strange to our ear. "Venge-moi...Ne me refuse pas" is a wife's attempt to get her husband to soothe her injured feelings in a kind of "Let's you and him fight!". Ms. Pike sang with appealing resonance and fiery drama. 

In "Calmez donc vos fureurs", the lovesick Salomé tries to win over the resistant Jean, sung by the terrific tenor Raymon Geis.

The duet "Que ce philtre...Vision fugitive" is the other selection from the opera that one gets to hear rather often. Here, Hérode acquires some kind of sleeping potion from a Babylonian woman, portrayed by soprano Eugenia Forteza, whom we are always happy to hear. Here, we got a clearer picture of Mr. Green's pleasingly textured vibrato.

Just like at the Metropolitan Opera, we had an intermission special--an opera quiz which was way too challenging for us but not for the contestants--critic John Yohalem, pianist William Hicks, and OperaWire co-founder and editor-in-chief David Salazar.

Bass Kofi Hayford lent his interestingly textured voice to "Dors, o cité perverse!...Astres étincelants" in the role of Phanuel, an astrologer. We look at the stars and see STARdom!

Awaiting execution, Jean sings "Ne pouvent réprimer" and here we got to appreciate Mr. Geis' delicate vibrato and emotional connection, as well as some lovely arpeggi in the piano accompaniment, so beautifully played by Maestro Chambers.

The Act III ensemble "Peuple juif" brought all the singers together, along with Vitellius, the Roman Consul, sung by Kevin Johnson in warmly resonant low tones.

All of the singers exhibited fine French and were easily understood. We don't know who has been cast for the May 10th performance at The Center at West Park on West 86th St. but we would not have a moment's disappointment to hear any of the singers we heard tonight.

We hope you will be tempted to share this performance with us. We don't believe New York City has heard this opera in twenty years when Maestro Eve Queler conducted it with Opera Orchestra of New York at Carnegie Hall. It's about time to revive it!

We cannot close without lauding the encore which was from Richard Strauss' comic opera Die ägyptische Helena. Soprano Kirsten Chambers has a voice made for Strauss and we loved her aria "Zweite Brautnacht". Perhaps New Amsterdam Opera might consider giving us the whole enchilada!

If you like the sound of this gala evening, you too can become a member of the New Amsterdam Opera family. The post-salon reception lasted way longer than planned because the "family" remained in lively and rewarding conversation long after the food and drink were stowed.  Now that's a memorable evening!

(c) meche kroop

VIRA AND FRIENDS

David Sytkowski, Kirsten Chambers, Vira Slywotzky, and Bray Wilkins at National Opera Center

No one would deny the value of friends; so what do you do when your friends are all artists?  You put on a show!  That's what you do; you put on a show. The theme of Vira Slywotsky's show on Sunday was "Songs by Women Composers". We were all set for Clara Schumann and Alma Mahler but that wasn't on the menu.

The program was varied, touching many points along the musical spectrum. The opening duet by Barbara Strozzi was introduced by the two sopranos; Ms. Slywotzky and Kirsten Chambers gave an engaging dramatic reading of a translation of the words in English before singing in Italian. The work was the preface to the Baroque opera Mercè di vol. 

The two sopranos harmonized with lovely subtlety, Ms. Chambers' brighter voice taking the upper line and Ms. Slywotsky's darker instrument taking the lower line. There was nothing subtle, however about the highly expressive interpretation, leaving us only one thing to complain about--the music stand. We will not go into details about our objection, having done so many times in the past.

Tenor Bray Wilkins is best known to us for his work in operetta, especially with Victor Herbert Renaissance Project Live. But we have also heard his "Kuda, kuda" and even attended his memorable coaching of it with Jane Marsh.  Sunday we got to hear him in more contemporary works. 

Pleasing us greatly was his performance as a super-picky fellow in "The Bachelor Song" from Adventures in Love, composed by Zina Goldrich with lyrics by Marcy Heisler. These two women make quite a team with music and text joining hand-in-hand--something we almost take for granted in 19th c. song and in American Musical Theater. Mr. Wilkins' delivery did not miss a trick in pulling laughter from the packed house. 

The quality of his instrument was best appreciated in the romantic ballad "Taking flight" from Allison Under the Stars. It is such a romantic and sad story that we had to fight back tears. Mr. Wilkins was also princely in "Right before my eyes" from Ever After.

His Shrek was given a thick Scottish brogue and a wonderful personality in "When words fail" from the Disney film Shrek. Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire also made a fine writing team.

We are grateful to Vira and Friends for introducing us to the songs of Poldowski, a Belgian-born British composer and pianist born Régine Wieniawski, daughter of the Polish violinist and composer Henryk Wieniawski. She set poetry by Paul Verlaine in the early years of the 20th c. 

Should we compare her settings of Verlaine poetry to those of Fauré? We decline and can only say that we enjoyed hearing something new to us and that Ms. Slywotsky, best known to us from Mirror Visions Ensemble and Victor Herbert Renaissance Project Live, demonstrated her facility with a long and even French line. In "Dansons la gigue" she let out all the dramatic stops and had us giggling again. We particularly enjoyed the piano writing in "Mandoline" which was perfectly rendered by collaborative pianist David Sytkowski.

It is always a problem for us when a singer we like choses material that speaks to them but not to us. We don't know quite what to say, other than crediting them with a good performance. But we cannot pretend to be thrilled when we are not.

Ms. Slywotzky put her all into Three Browning Songs set by Amy Beach, a turn-of-the-19th c. composer whom we have enjoyed. We just had the feeling that Robert Browning's text did not need to be set.

The same could be said for Edna St. Vincent Millay, whose sonnets were set by Sheila Silver. Ms. Chambers gave an intense and dramatic performance but we could not wrap our ears around those songs.  Similarly, she was having a great time with Love in the Early Morning: Two Songs About Making Love to the Milkman. We found Joelle Wallach's music to be strange and the text to be uninteresting. Still, the audience seemed to enjoy the performance and Ms. Wallach, who was in attendance, seemed thrilled. Ms. Scott and Ms. Wallach seem to have a close personal connection and the latter's music has inspired Ms. Scott, which is all to the good. We just wanted to recuse ourself.

Of course we are in support of female composers but we think we would prefer to find them in musical theater these days. Marsha Norman's soul-searching "A bit of earth" from The Secret Garden did touch us and Mr. Wilkin's fine diction made every word count.

There will be more Vira & Friends performances so let's keep an open mind.

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NEW AMSTERDAM OPERA'S FALL FLING

Pianist Mark Cogley, John Viscardi, Holly Flack, Ta'u Pupu'a, and Kirsten Chambers

Beginning their third season, New Amsterdam Opera has exciting plans for the year and began with a festive salon in the home of a generous supporter.  This young company, helmed by Maestro Keith Chambers, deserves the support of the opera community.  We are speaking to you, dear reader! If you love opera and want the art form to survive, you will have to step up to the plate. Many of our most gifted young singers take off for Europe where opera gets a lot of support.  Let's keep them here by supporting the small companies that give them roles and stage experience!

That being said, we love NAO for supporting young singers and casting them alongside more experienced singers; we love them for bringing to the public underperformed works by the great composers; we love them for making opera accessible to underserved populations.

Last night's salon was a rare opportunity to hear some of today's finest artists up close and personal in a relaxed and comfortable environment.  The four artists performed three sets of three selections each. In between sets there were food and drinks and socializing. What more could one ask for!

We heard the oft reviewed soprano Kirsten Chambers sing in Italian for the first time and loved the sound. We heard soprano Holly Flack for the first time. We enjoyed being blown away by tenor Ta'u Pupu'a's huge sound. We witnessed the completion of John Viscardi's transition from terrific tenor to mellow baritone.  All were excellent.

The two gentlemen opened the program with the final act duet from Puccini's La Bohème--"O Mimi, tu più non torni" in which Rodolfo and Marcello sing of their lost loves. Mr. Viscardi was highly persuasive as Silvio imploring Nedda to run away with him in a scene from Leoncavallo's Pagliacci; Ms. Chambers found a great fit for her voice here and we loved their performance, imbued with passion and chemistry.

Mr. Viscardi got another opportunity to be persuasive as Don Giovanni trying to seduce Zerlina, winningly portrayed by Ms. Flack.  They also enacted the Papageno-Papagena Duet from Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, which we would have preferred in German.

Ms. Flack had two exceptional solos--in "Glitter and Be Gay" from Bernstein's Candide, we loved her use of vibrato and the accuracy of her coloratura.  In Ophélie's Mad Scene from Thomas' Hamlet she did justice to the many moods by means of vocal coloration. There were some gorgeous vocalises and smoothly rendered portamenti. The high B at the end might have shattered some crystal!

Puccini's Turandot requires some large voices and Ms. Chambers and Mr. Pupu'a filled the bill in the tension laden riddle scene with pianist Mark Cogley filling in for the crowd of peasants. Mr. Pupu'a makes a splendid Calaf, stageworthy with "Nessun Dorma".

Mr. Viscardi's solo was Danilo's Aria from Franz Lehár's Die Lustige Witwe in which he describes his flirtations with the famous Lolo, Doudou,and JouJou. Yes, he can do rakish; we'd like to hear it in German!

Ms. Chambers' solo was "Zweite Brautnacht" from Richard Strauss' Die ägyptische Helena, in which Helen celebrates her reunion with Menelaus. This work was made famous by Leontyne Price and we were happy to hear Ms. Chambers filling her shoes. 

We left fully satisfied by the artistry, the warm fellowship of the NAO's supporters, and the generous buffet.

Consult New Amsterdam Opera's website for more information. But here's a wee hint--if you ever wanted to see Massenet's Herodiade, save May 10th!

(c) meche kroop

O COMFORT YE

Lauren Flanigan and Friends at St. Paul and St. Andrews

Is it really 23 years since superstar soprano Lauren Flanigan began raising money for the homeless with an annual Christmas recital?  For the past couple years St. Paul and St. Andrews has been the home for the recital with proceeds from the recital going to benefit The West Side Campaign Against Hunger--not your ordinary food pantry but a community organized supermarket of healthful food for those that most need it. When government fails, the community must provide!

Ms. Flanigan's friends joined together to provide an evening's entertainment for opera lovers who bring winter coats, blankets, toys, and food. This annual event is always a highlight of the holiday season.

Leading off the evening was tenor Aaron Blake who delighted us with  "Comfort Ye/ Every Valley" from Handel's Messiah. Without a doubt, this selection was the best choice and Mr. Blake sang it with a beautiful ping in his voice and exemplary diction, making every word comprehensible, something we don't take for granted. His heartfelt delivery was matched by some delicious trills on the piano by Maestro Kamal Khan.

Ms. Flanigan's delivery of "Vieni t'affretta" from Verdi's Macbeth showed no evidence of the head cold from which she was suffering but rather thrilled us to the bone from the very first utterance of Shakespeare's text, right through the chilling recitativo and the intense aria. The exposed a capella phrasing left no doubt as to her consummate artistry.

She followed this serious song with the most delightful lighthearted cabaret song by Marc Blitzstein entitled "I Love Lechery" or "Modest Maid". A catchy tune and lyrics that were twice as clever as they had to be were given their complete due by Ms. Flanigan's witty performance.

Tenor Raul Melo was an important part of the program performing "Chanson de Kleinzach" from Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffman. He used his voice well, emphasizing the nature of this student drinking song with lots of effective acting.  We were glad he stayed around to sing the charming duet "Lippen schweigen" from Franz Lehar's Die Lustige Witwe.

Also from Les Contes d'Hoffman we heard "Scintille diamant" (Dapertutto's aria) sung by bass Daniel Sumegi who sang with great depth in his lower register.  He also sang something in a lighter vein, Irving Berlin's "White Christmas", an audience favorite.

Kenneth Overton lent his silky baritone to "Old Man River" from Jerome Kern's Showboat, an American classic. He also sang Roland Hayes' "Sister Mary Had-a But One Child".

Mark Delavan has a very different baritone, one which was perfect for "O du, mein holder Abenstern" from Richard Wagner's Tannhäuser, one of our favorite Wagner arias.

There was plenty of Wagner on the program, thanks to the presence of some sizable voices. Soprano Amy Shoremount-Obra dazzled us with "Elsa's Traum" from Lohengrin, an opera which we have never seen but want very much to.

From Wagner's Tannhäuser, mezzo-soprano Mary Ann Stewart gave an exciting performance of "Geliebter, komm" in which her overtones had overtones. From Siegfried, soprano Kirsten Chambers evinced all the excitement and tenderness of Brünnhilde's awakening in "Ewig war ich", accompanied by Keith Chambers.

Another large voice we enjoyed was that of mezzo-soprano Rachelle Pike who sang the aria of Princesse Bouillon in Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur--"Acerba voluttà". "Elektra's Monologue" from Richard Strauss' opera Elektra was given a performance, as dramatically intense as it was vocally, by soprano Elizabeth Blancke-Biggs, accompanied by Michael Recchiuti on the piano. The phrase "Agamemnon, wo bist du" was heart rending.

It was a very special moment for us when soprano Olga Makarina sang "Mi chiamano Mimi" from Puccini's La Bohème. What made it special was that one of our earliest operatic experiences was attending a master class in which Joan Dornemann coached her in that same aria! Many years have gone by but time has not dimmed the luster of her beautiful instrument. Rachmaninov's "How Fine This Spot" was beautifully performed with sensitive phrasing and dynamics.

Amy Burton and John Musto were on hand for some cabaret that everyone enjoyed.  Three selections from the oeuvre of Irving Berlin were performed with pizazz--"I'm on my way to Cuba", "Russian Lullabye", and "Let's face the music and dance".

There were some fine young up and coming artists on the program. It was a pleasure to hear mezzo-soprano Sophie Delphis, whom we reviewed last month. Her relaxed presentation worked well for "Nobles seigneurs" from Meyerbeer's Les Huguenots. Her French was parfait; the scale passages and arpeggi were finely handled.

Soprano Nadine Benjamin performed "D'amor sull'ali rosée" from Verdi's Il Trovatore with fine nuance. She knows what so many singers with high voices ignore.  High doesn't have to mean loud! Instead she floated her top notes with lovely delicacy.

There was plenty of ensemble singing as well. The Ebony Ecumenical Choir made their annual appearance offering a rousing "Go Tell it on the Mountain".

The entire cast joined forces for Adolphe Adam's "O Holy NIght", with each singer taking a phrase. It was a very generous program that seemed to fly by. Generous is the right word. The artists gave their all and so did the grateful audience.

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WAGNER LEIT by NEW AMSTERDAM OPERA

Terina Westmeyer, Maestro Keith Chambers, Maestro Thomas Bagwell, Janara Kellerman, Hyona Kim, Megan Nielson, Kirsten Chambers, Thomas Hall, Melissa Citro, Heather Green, Tyler Smith and Errin Brooks

A late afternoon of Wagner on a cool Autumn afternoon seemed like a great idea and drew us up to Riverside Theater, the comfortable venue within Riverside Church where New Amsterdam Opera makes its home. But we can't help recalling that Wagner's own concept was that of "gesamtkunstwerk"--a work bringing together all the arts, aural and visual.

Planning a few arias in concert version gave us an opportunity to hear some new singers and to hear some others with whom we are acquainted and who are now essaying the Wagnerian repertory, with some interesting results. But we missed the staging, the costumes, the drama, and the sets. That most of the singers were on the book made attempts at acting look just plain silly. Supposed lovers rarely made eye contact!

At this point, let us give props to dramatic soprano Terina Westmeyer who sang Brunnhilde in "Wotan's Farewell" with dramatic baritone Thomas Hall as her father. The two sang without music stands for which we were grateful. We have favorably reviewed Ms. Westmeyer as Lady Billows in Britten's Albert Herring at the Bronx Opera and as La Badessa in Puccini's Suor Angelica. Three years ago we loved her singing of Verdi.

But we have not been present for her Wagner and we were delighted with the power of her voice and the tonal beauty. We see a lot of Wagner in her future and hope to hear more of it. Mr. Hall did not sound beautiful but he followed this scene with Siegfried's confrontation with Erda in which he sounded far better. Perhaps he just needed to warm up.

Erda was sung by mezzo-soprano Hyona Kim, whose dark chocolate sound was excellent for the role.  Ms. Kim first appeared on our radar screen four years ago when she won the Joy of Singing Award. Indeed, she is a superlative lieder recitalist who has been making inroads into the operatic repertory. She is such a fine actress that she dissolves into the part, as she did when she sang Suzuki in Puccini's Madama Butterfly with Martina Arroyo's Prelude to Performance and Wokli in his Fanciulla del West with New York City Opera.

We are also familiar with the work of mezzo-soprano Janara Kellerman whom we enjoyed greatly in the role of Preziosilla with New Amsterdam Opera's recent production of Verdi's Forza del Destino. Her plush sound was enjoyed and noted in the role of Mamma Lucia in Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana with Martha Cardona Opera and Santuzza with New Amsterdam Opera. It was a thrill to hear her expand her repertory into Wagnerian territory.

Soprano Megan Nielson has delighted us as Tatiana in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin with Utopia Opera and as Nedda in Opera Ithaca's production of Leoncavallo's Pagliacci. We also remember her performance as the eponymous Suor Angelica presented by Chelsea Opera. Yesterday, she showed a lot of promise in Wagnerian territory singing Elsa in a scene from Lohengrin, with Ms. Kellerman adding some interesting texture as the conniving Ortrud and Mr. Hall as fellow conniver Telramund.

Tenor Errin Brooks seems to have gotten his huge instrument under better control and did well as the rejected Erik with soprano Heather Green as Senta in a scene from Der fliegende Hollander.

New to us is tenor Tyler Smith whose sizable instrument was colored with tenderness in the "Liebesnacht" from Tristan und Isolde with the beautiful soprano Kristin Chambers as his scene partner. We liked the way he modulated, successfully employing dynamic variety.  We have enjoyed Ms. Chambers more in other roles such as Fidelio. Ms. Kellerman lent gravity to the situation as Brangäne.

Mr. Smith appeared once again in the final scene of the program in which he has awakened the sleeping Brünnhilde, sung by soprano Melissa Citro.

We found no fault with the German. Alles klar!

Accompanists for the evening were beyond superb. Both Maestri Keith Chambers and Thomas Bagwell elicited most of Wagner's orchestral magic on the piano. Often, when the singers fail to connect with us (usually due to flipping pages on the music stand) our attention shifted to the piano and we heard things in the score that we might have missed.

A highlight of the evening was the presentation of New Amsterdam Opera's first Pathfinder Award to Maestra Eve Queler who broke the glass ceiling for female conductors. Ms. Queler is a girl after our own heart, and we are calling her a girl because she has never lost that youthful quality that we so admire.

We have so many memories of hiking up to the highest level of Carnegie Hall, where the sound is best, to be introduced to rarely performed and forgotten operas and new singers--right up until last year's production of Donizetti's Parisina d'Este. Ms. Queler founded Opera Orchestra of New York in 1971 when there were no female conductors. Brava Eve!

She has plenty of European fame that we haven't experienced but we tend to personalize things and the above describes our Eve Queler. Just one more note of interest is that she has shared all of her scores with New Amsterdam Opera. Dare we hope that we will hear repeats of these rarely produced operas?  Let us hope!

(c) meche kroop

NEW OPERA NYC

Keith Chambers, Mikhail Svetlov, and Kirsten Chambers

We know Maestro Chambers as the conductor of New Amsterdam Opera where he is putting on some wonderful opera, the latest of which was Verdi's La Forza del Destino. His lovely wife Kirsten was heard and enthusiastically reviewed in Fidelio. Mikhail Svetlov, however, is a basso previously unknown to us.

Last night at the Sheen Center, the three appeared for New Opera NYC which will be producing Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's opera The Golden Cockerel May 18th to the 21st and we have already put it on our calendar. What an opportunity to hear a work we've never heard! But last night's program comprised a varied program of opera, art song and Broadway favorites.

For us, the highlight of the evening was Ms. Chambers' performance of "Vissi d'Arte" from Puccini's Tosca. She showed all the conflicted emotions of Floria Tosca--the despair, the incredulity, the guilt.  Come to think of it, she did the same with Turandot's aria "In questa reggia" from the Puccini opera Turandot. One could feel the fear and vulnerability of the character underneath the icy exterior, which is important if we are to forgive the character for her brutality and to realize that she is worth Calaf's risking his life to win her.

Ms. Chambers has a sizable soprano which she utilized well in the "Liebestod" from Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, a role she covered at the Metropolitan Opera, and also in Elizabeth's aria "Dich, teure Halle" from Tannhauser.

We also enjoyed a song by Sven Lekberg entitled "The Spring and the Fall'. Every word was clear and the song benefitted from the rhyming text.  Ms. Chamber's warmth here was engaging.

We didn't enjoy "La ci darem la mano" as much. Part of the problem was a mismatch between Ms. Chambers and Mr. Svetlov. Her elegant and glamorous appearance did not suggest a cute little peasant girl. However, it was a cute "wrinkle" to have her be rather overeager towards the seducing Don Giovanni.

The Russian basso is a fach which we usually enjoy but we found Mr. Svetlov's bass to be gravelly and not too pleasant. His best effort was in Rachmaninov's "Ves tabor spit" from Aleko, an opera we hope to hear someday. We generally love "Spring Waters" but his performance was too bombastic for our taste.  We prefer a lighter touch for that song.

He also sang "Come dal ciel precipita" from Verdi's Macbeth, in which Banco is warning his son to escape the assassins.

He sounded better in the lively aria "Fin ch'han dal vino" from Mozart's Don Giovanni and showed sufficient flexibility in "Le veau d'or" from Faust, which he also did in the wonderful aria "La calunnia" from Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia. 

We thought it was a grievous error to have this pair sing "Bess, you is my woman now" from Gershwin's Porgy and Bess. Hearing a Russian accent and an educated American accent trying to imitate the dialect of Catfish Row sounded almost funny. We are anything but "PC" but this smacked of cultural appropriation.

It also felt wrong to hear Mr. Svetlov singing Broadway tunes with his Russian accent. It didn't add anything to the program.

As always, Mr. Chambers' piano was elegant and supportive.

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COMFORT YE

Raul Melo, Markos Simopoulos, Steven Gaertner, Marsha Thompson, Anias Mejias, Christina Parnell, Nicholas Brownlee, Jennifer Feinstein, Caroline Worra, Philip Cokorinos, Kirsten Chambers, Pretty Yendy, MaryAnn Stewart, and Lauren Flanigan

It has been 22 years since superstar soprano Lauren Flanigan began hosting Comfort Ye, a Christmas recital to raise money for The West Side Campaign Against Hunger. There is always a roster of famous artists on the program and, recently, some of the young artists who have participated in her Music and Mentoring House. The recital was held at The Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew. Music Director was the esteemed Kamal Khan.

This year's lineup could not have been more exciting.  For three hours, the audience was held in thrall by an incredibly varied program and all different types of voices, everyone putting out their very best, as one tends to do for friends. And who is better at making and keeping friends than the warm and generous Ms. Flanigan.

To say that her performance of Lady Macbeth's aria "Vieni, t'affretta" was riveting would be an understatement. Ms. Flanigan's prodigious vocal gifts are matched by a deep understanding of Verdi's anti-heroine who uses every skill and emotional nuance to drive her husband to murder. We cannot stop thinking about this deeply felt and realized performance.

In a sea of superb performances, two stood out as being perfect--a word we rarely use. Two sopranos at the absolute top of their game, possessing every necessary attribute, delivered unforgettable performances,. Nadine Sierra sang "Regnava nel silencio" from Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. She is a master at bel canto and gave us chills. Our benchmark for a top performance is reached when we feel along with the singer and can see what she sees. Ms. Sierra made us see the ghost!

Just as wonderful was soprano Pretty Yende who performed "Una voce poco fa" from Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia, which we normally prefer when sung by a mezzo. A mark of her success was that it sounded as if Rossini wrote it just for her. The extensive embellishments were created by her with pianist Kamal Khan, who played so magnificently for all the singers. Ms. Yendy lives up to her first name but her good looks are enhanced by her smile which lights up her face and added to her characterization of Rosina.  This Rosina is more playful than spunky and the embellishments she devised with Mr. Khan were wildly playful.

Two promising young artists from Music and Mentoring House made a fine impression. Soprano Christina Parnell sang "Porgi amor" from Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro and baritone Markos Simopoulos sang "Avant de quitter ces lieux" from Gounod's Faust, in fine French. The voices were healthy and suggested a fine potential.  What needs to be layered onto that is the ability to create a character with vocal color and the use of the body.

Several other performances impressed us. Bass Nicholas Brownlee performed "Ves' tabor spit" from Rachmaninoff's one act opera Aleko. His vocal colors were so varied that we understood what he was singing about without understanding the Russian!  Now that's impressive.

Another thing that impresses us is a singer who can be understood in English, which is our least favorite language for the voice.  Tenor Aaron Blake sounded terrific in the program opener "Comfort Ye" from Handel's Messiah. He has a nice ping-y quality to his voice and admirable technique for the fioritura. Soprano Caroline Worra similarly made every word count in "Ain't It a Pretty Night" from Carlisle Floyd's Susannah, which we liked far more than we usually do,

Baritone Larry Woodard accompanied himself on the piano for Maury Yeston's "I Don't Want to Rock and Roll".  We got every word!  Not so the case when he accompanied Carol Skarimbas who sang the very funny Cole Porter song "Operatic Pills".  The text is so clever and we really wanted to hear every word!

We wished we could hear the entire opera when soprano Anias Mejias sang "Merce dilette amiche" from I vespri siciliani by Verdi.  We loved the bouncy bolero rhythm and her facility with the fioritura.

Soprano Marsha Thompson gave a dramatic performance of "Tacea la notte placida" from Verdi's Il Trovatore; she was especially fine in the cabaletta with some arresting embellishments.

Also from Verdi we enjoyed soprano MaryAnn Stewart's performance of "Pace, pace mio dio." We were just thinking how much we love that opera and wondering why no one does it, when Keith Chambers, of New Amsterdam Opera, gave us some advance notice of his concert version of the opera coming up March 24th.  We can scarcely wait!

Soprano Kirsten Chambers, so well remembered from her Fidelio with the same New Amsterdam Opera, treated us to the "Liebestod" from Wagner's Tristan und Isolde. 

Verismo was not shortchanged. Stephen Gaertner is a true Verdi baritone and performed "Zaza, piccolo zingara" from Leoncavallo's Zaza. Tenor Raul Melo has never sounded better than he did in his performance of "Vesti la giubba" from Pagliacci by the same composer. Every line was milked for emotional intensity and we loved it.

We are not sure which fach Mascagni intended for Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana but "Voi lo sapete" sounded great from mezzo-soprano Jennifer Feinstein and every phrase seemed dramatically motivated.

As is customary, we heard several selections from the Ebony Ecumenical Ensemble, directed by Bettye Forbes. Beside "This Little Light of Mine" and "Go Tell It On the Mountain", we enjoyed an African piece we'd never heard.

Before closing with "O Holy Night", sung by the entire company, Ms. Flanigan treated us to a Leonard Bernstein song "A Julia de Burgos" about the bipolar poet laureate of Puerto Rico who died homeless--taking us right back to the raison d'etre of the evening.

It was a win-win evening. Singers got to show their stuff, the audience got some ravishing entertainment, and the homeless will get coats, blankets, and groceries donated by the audience.  Is everybody happy?  We think so!

(c) meche kroop

BEETHOVEN'S SINGLETON

Lindell Carter, Madison Marie McIntosh, Steven Herring, Brent Reilly Turner, Maestro Keith Chambers, Kirsten Chambers, Kevin J. Langan, Kian Freitas, and Richard Cross

Last night we had the privilege of being present at a birth.  The birth went smoothly and the newborn is healthy and gave some lusty cries. The birthplace was adequate but this baby needs some growing room!  The babe was named....New Amsterdam Opera and was delivered by Maestro Keith Chambers,

We consider it ambitious to have tackled Fidelio, Beethoven's sole opera; thanks to some fine and highly accurate conducting as well as some excellent casting, the night was a huge success. The large church was filled to capacity and the standing ovation impressive. Musical values were so high that sets and costumes were not missed.

Beethoven wrote this opera in 1805 but tinkered with it until its final version was completed in 1814. Two interesting decisions were made by Maestro Chambers: although there were never any recitativi, the opera contained spoken dialogue and Mr. Chambers replaced this with narration by the eminent Richard Cross; although the original overture (thought to be too weighty for the opera) is generally presented as a concert piece, here it was inserted between the two scenes of Act II, not an original idea to be sure but not a treat one can take for granted. 

The story is a straightforward one. The wife of a political prisoner disguises herself as a man and gets a job at the prison where her husband has been unfairly incarcerated. She wins the trust of the warden and finally manages to rescue her beloved. She also inadvertently wins the love of the warden's daughter Marzelline who is pursued by Jaquino.

Soprano Kirsten Chambers has a sizable voice with great overtones, one in which musical values are never sacrificed for volume. As the loyal and heroic titular character (first "Fidelio" and later "Leonora" when her gender is disclosed) she was completely believable. We loved her passionate aria in Act I.

We also loved the duet between Ms. Chambers and Madison Marie McIntosh, whose focused voice and youthful appearance perfectly suited the role of the innocent Marzelline. The two very different sopranos sounded brilliant together.

We do not get to hear the voice of the imprisoned aristocrat Florestan until Act II. The character has been starving in a dungeon for two years but tenor Brent Reilly Turner managed to color his robust voice to indicate  both hope and faith. His big aria is introduced by a sorrowful theme in the orchestra, with Maestro Chambers' handling of the brass particularly impressive.

As the jailer Rocco, bass Kevin J. Langan was particularly fine, both vocally and dramatically. His German was especially fine, a quality we prize inasmuch as there were no titles. We were sitting to the side and his clarity was evident no matter which side of the stage he occupied.

Baritone Steven Herring has a powerful voice and created a threatening character in the role of Don Pizarro, the nobleman who was responsible for jailing Florestan.  We found ourselves hating the character and loving the singer in equal measure!

Entering at the very end of the opera, announced by offstage trumpet, was the Governor Don Fernando. Bass-baritone Kian Freitas did justice to the role.  It was a special moment when he allows the unmasked Leonora to remove her husband's chains. He makes the theme of the opera very clear--story and music both reflect Beethoven's passion for liberty and heroism.

Some special moments that we enjoyed were the quartet in Act I and the prisoner's chorus in Act II. Their placement up high behind and above the orchestra allowed their voices to be heard. Props go to Chorus Master Tony Bellomy.

We cannot comment on tenor Lindell Carter's portrayal of Jaquino because we could not hear him. Part of this can be attributed to his being stage right whilst we were sitting on the other side. Still, singers with larger voices or better focused voices could be heard from wherever.

And that brings us to our one disappointment with the evening. West Park Presbyterian Church does not have great acoustics. The orchestra filled the stage and the singers were placed in front. Our dearest wish for this new company is that they find a home with an orchestra pit or an elevated playing area. They deserve it!

(c) meche kroop