WHO IS MARCELLA SEMBRICH AND WHY WE SHOULD CARE

 Michael J. Butler, Lucy J. Altus, Ruby Dibble, Gemma Nha, Rose Naggar-Tremblay, and Magdalena Kuzma at the Marcella Sembrich Awards Ceremony

What a fine Sunday evening we spent at The Kosciusko Foundation! We learned something new and impressive, we heard six superlative young singers, and we dined on Polish delicacies. Before we get to the pierogis, let us share with you an interesting story related to us before the concert by Ewa Zadworna, who seems to keep the Kosciuszko Foundation running. 

Marcella Sembrich, a Polish soprano and star at The Metropolitan Opera House at the turn of the 20th c. was not only a great singer with a 30 year career, but also a founder of voice programs at Juilliard and at Curtis Institute, and a great philanthropist, helping to establish the Kosciuszko Foundation in 1926. She worked tirelessly to promote the music of her homeland, which had been partitioned and virtually ceased to exist-- except in the hearts and souls of its people.

The Russian occupiers forbade the use of the Polish language and, of course, the programming of Polish songs. Having been warned several times against singing Polish songs at her recitals, Sembrich risked her life by singing a Polish song at the invitation of the court of Nicholas II. Not only was she not punished but he enjoyed it. We love when music trumps politics!

And here we are today, always yearning to hear Polish songs at recital programs and, having enjoyed works by Moniuszko and Szymanowski (Halka by the former and King Roger by the latter), wanting to hear more.

At the awards recital, we got our wish granted. Magdalena Kuzma performed Halka's tragic aria  “Ha! Dzieciatko nam umiera “ from the Moniuszko opera of the same name. We also heard two lovely Chopin songs.  Gemma Nha sang the lovely "My Darling" and Michael Butler did equal justice to his "Melodia".

There were several other outstanding moments in the recital. We were floored by the powerful contralto of Rose Naggar-Tremblay singing Fricka's “Weiche, Wotan, weiche” from Wagner's Das Rheingold. We rarely hear such power and intensity from someone so young and if Wotan was not persuaded, we certainly were!

Both Lucy Altus and Ruby Dibble sang the "Composer's Aria" from Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos and we were impressed by how each talented mezzo-soprano was able to extract  different riches from the same mine. We have never been to a competition in which the judges requested the same aria from two different singers. In a way we wished they had performed it back-to-back.

Ms. Nha was hilarious in the playful "Non monsieur ma Marie" from Poulenc's Les Mamelles de Tiresias. Mr. Butler was soulful in "Salut! Demeure chaste et pure" from Gounod's Faust.

Not only were the young singers of exemplary quality but the chosen accompanists, Katelan Tran Terrell and Michal Biel, are both well known to us. They were outstanding in terms of sensitivity to the singers and flexibility of approach to arias from different musical periods. 

The recital went from one high to the next, convincing us that these emerging artists will all go on to success in the opera world. We enjoyed every moment until the very end when the awards were given. We hate to criticize an organization that provides so well for young artists but a misstep like this needs to be remedied.

 If you have six finalists onstage and five of them are given award certificates and bouquets of roses, how do you think the sixth singer feels? Our heart was breaking for her. Obviously competitors have to have nerves of steel and we personally know several semi-finalists whose talents were equal to the five major winners. But they were not onstage putting smiles on their faces. Singers cannot afford to be sore losers but they should never be humiliated in that fashion. This is the same objection we have to the Laffont Competition at The Metropolitan Opera when half of the finalists get awards and the other half do not. This situation exceeded that one in poor taste and should have been avoided.

That bit aside, it was a splendid show of vocal excellence and we are glad not to have been doing the judging. We were happy to be introduced to an important figure in opera and to learn of her outstanding legacy.

© meche kroop

LOVE: RUSSIAN STYLE

Dina Pruzhansky, Briana Hunter, Meryl Dominguez, Sungwook Kim, and Paul An

In its annual coproduction with the Lyric Chamber Music Society, Bare Opera presented a delightful evening of Russian song and arias. The cast could not have been better chosen, nor could the material have been better curated. Composer/pianist Dina Pruzhansky contributed to the pleasure in several ways--first by narrating and introducing the selections, encouraging the singers to give their take on the material--but, more significantly by her stunning pianism.

Regular readers will recall our distaste for contemporary compositions but the pen of Ms. Pruzhansky plays a different tune, paying tribute to the composers of the 19th c. whom we so greatly admire. We do love melody and her songs have no lack of melodic invention. We noticed most of all how well the melodies reflected the sound of the Russian language. One advantage of hearing songs in a language one doesn't speak is that one can hear the abstract connection between the language of the poet and the rise and fall of the vocal line.

The poet in question was Alexander Blok, a symbolist poet whose words were probably not completely comprehensible in Russian and rather untranslatable into English. In this case, tant mieux! Meryl Dominguez, a singer we remember well from Santa Fe Opera, gave the four miniatures an excellent performance with great attention paid to the sound of the words. Each song had a different mood and the final one was filled with anxiety. We are really looking forward to hearing more of Ms. Pruzhansky's music at Carnegie Hall on March 3rd.

Ms. Dominguez' soprano is a generous one and her performance of Shemakha's "Hymn to the Sun" from Rimsky-Korsakov's The Golden Cockerel was glorious in its melismatic seduction, all done in an Eastern mode. Her voice opened like a parasol at the top of the register. We loved that opera in Santa Fe when Ms. Dominguez was in the chorus. We would love even more to hear her sing the role of Shemakha! We shall put that on our wish list.

Mezzo-soprano Briana Hunter, always astonishing in her ability to enter a role and give it all she's got, gave an outstanding performance of Olga's arioso "Ah, Tanya, Tanya" from Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin. She explained to the audience how unusual it was to assign the role of a light hearted girl to the mezzo fach; yet when she sang it the feeling was perfectly natural and it was easy to visualize the reserved Tanya sitting in a chair nearby, mildly accepting the loving teasing from her extroverted sister.

The sister, we know, is no saint and somewhat lacking in judgment, having also teased her devoted Lensky by flirting outrageously with Onegin, thus provoking a duel--which takes us to the next selection on the program. Tenor Sungwook Kim was so convincing in Lensky's aria "Kuda, kuda" that our emotions got drawn in. We had to stifle the urge to rush up and stop the duel! And Mr. Kim accomplished all this with pure vowels and crisp consonants. He paced himself well and built to a searing climax.

Bass Paul An shone in Aleko's cavatina "The entire Gypsy camp is asleep" from Rachmaninoff's first opera Aleko, adapted from Pushkin's poetry, as was Eugene Onegin, and so many other works on the program. The piano prelude was particularly portentous. Mr. An impressed us with a pianissimo note, floated at the upper end of the register; this is exactly what we like to hear from tenors and hearing it from a bass just blew us away.

Strangely enough, three days ago we reviewed a song cycle by Janáček about a young peasant who runs off with a gypsy woman. Aleko begins where that cycle ends!

Three songs by Rachmaninoff were finely handled as well. Ms. Dominguez exhibited her fine vibrato in the upper register in "Sleep" whilst Ms. Pruzhansky's piano created a dreamlike state with some gorgeous arpeggi.

Mr. Kim performed "Dream" in lovely fashion; he surely knows how to swell a note in careful crescendo and how to hold a note with sustained energy--all evidence of superlative breath control. He generated lots of excitement in an expansive delivery of "Spring Waters", amplified by parallel excitement in the piano.

Ms. Pruzhansky delighted us with a solo--Tchaikovsky's Nocturne in C# minor, begun at a leisurely tempo but moving on to a livelier theme and ending with what in vocal performance would be called embellishment of the line. We hope pianists will forgive our lame description but we are unaccustomed to writing about piano music.

The conclusion of the program was a quartet by Alexandre Dubuque, a 19th c. composer of French origin who was raised in Russia. The song "Don't Be Cunning" involved men making advances and women rejecting them. The gimmick of the performance, which took it right into the 21st century, was that the men kept trying to take selfies with the women. It was all in good fun and made the perfect end for a perfect concert.

© meche kroop

OPERA, FUN, AND FASHION

Liana Guberman, Eric Lindsey, and Kirsten Scott

We were there at Bare Opera Company's birth and get a special thrill from watching them flourish. Their interest in immersive opera has taken them to some very interesting venues and has led to some productive partnerships with artists from other disciplines.

Last night, in celebration of Valentine's Day, they joined forces with Lyric Chamber Music Society of New York for the third time at the Kosciuszko Foundation. It was a very special evening. Costumes were devised by designer Taylor Mills, whose company Taylor Catarina has launched a line of clothing suitable for singers and dedicated to comfort and flexibility. So we got a fashion show along with our recital of opera standards.

The arias and ensembles were almost all chosen from among the more well-known and accessible operas, which was just fine with us and very suitable to an audience that may not be as familiar with opera as are regular opera goers. In place of titles, the program included brief synopses of each piece. 

The opening was a real stunner. Although British Airways has done everything to make a cliché of  the "Flower Duet" from Léo Delibes' Lakmé , it's melodic and harmonic beauty refuse to be trivialized. With Kaleigh Rae Gamaché's crystalline soprano paired with Kirsten Scott's creamy rich mezzo-soprano, we felt as if we were discovering it for the first time.

This may be a good time to point out that Bare Opera was co-founded by Ms. Scott and Maître de Chant Laetitia Ruccolo, whose artistry at the piano ensured that we never missed the orchestra. What colors this beautiful young woman can produce on those 88 keys!

All of the young artists are prize-winners and have sung in several opera companies around the country, as well as taking assignments abroad.

Baritone Suchan Kim, a Bare Opera regular, is the possessor of a very fine instrument that he employs with superb technique.  Moreover, his extensive repertoire allows him to slip into a very wide selection of roles with every gesture and facial expression intact--but always appearing spontaneous. That's a wonderful skill! We loved his interpretation of Doctor Malatesta describing the potential wife he has found for Don Pasquale in the Donizetti opera of the same name. "Bella siccome un angelo" is an old favorite for the baritone fach but we seemed to be hearing it anew.

Later in the program, he performed a duet from the same opera with the superb soprano Liana Guberman. In "Pronto io son", Malatesta is coaching Norina in how to fool Don Pasquale into thinking she is a shy convent girl. Ms. Guberman was unfailingly funny as well as musical.

She was contrastingly serious in "Dis moi que je suis belle" from Massenet's Thaïs, the one aria on the program that was of the less familiar category. It was delivered dramatically and poignantly, leading us to wonder why it isn't performed more regularly.

Bass-baritone Eric Lindsey is another singer we have come to admire in a great variety of roles. He made a dashing Don Giovanni in duet with Ms. Gamaché as the peasant girl Zerlina, all too willing to be seduced in "La ci darem la mano". From the same opera, he gave a different spin to the role of Leporello in the famous "Catalogue Aria". We have seen and relished Mr. Lindsey's performance of the role of the Don in a Dell'Arte production, and if we were casting the Mozart opera we wouldn't hesitate to put him in either role!

We also enjoyed two selections from Bizet's Carmen.  In the "Habanera", Ms. Scott captured all of Carmen's fickleness with her expressive dusky mezzo. Tenor Victor Starsky, in a later scene, tries to appease Carmen's anger with "La fleur que tu m'avais jetée".

Ms. Gamaché wowed the audience with the challenging aria "Glitter and Be Gay" from Bernstein's Candide. As if we were not already dazzled, she threw in a high F, taking the audience to the heights, as it were.

Puccini's La Bohême also made an appearance on the program with the aria from Act I ("O soave fanculla") in which Mimi (Ms. Guberman) and Rodolfo (Mr. Starsky) fall in love and decide to spend Xmas Eve together. Later, in a scene which opens the last act, Rodolfo (Mr. Starsky) and Marcello (Mr. Kim) torment each other with reports of having seen their estranged lovers. The two men are unable to concentrate on their writing and painting but the two singers were able to deliver artistically.

Our favorite trio is from Mozart's Cosi van tutte. In "Soave sia il vento", Fiordiligi (Ms. Guberman), Dorabella (Ms. Scott), and Don Alfonso (Mr. Lindsey) are watching Ferrando and Guglielmo sail away. The women are bereft but Don Alfonso is laughing up his sleeve. The harmonies are gorgeous and the singing just perfect. Ms. Ruccolo's piano created the sea for our eager ears.

The evening ended with the Finale of Act I from Rossini's La Cenerentola in which all six cast members participated. Rossini's froth is the perfect way to end a satisfying program of opera.

Bare Opera's next venture will be Astor Piazzola's tango opera Maria de Buenos Aires.  Stay tuned for details.

(c) meche kroop

MARCELLA SEMBRICH INTERNATIONAL VOICE COMPETITION

WooYoung Yoon, Hubert Zapiór, and Alexandra Nowakowski

What better way to honor the legendary soprano Marcella Sembrich than by nurturing the next generation of singers and inspiring their careers! Under the artistic direction of another wonderful singer Edyta Kulczak (review of her recital can be found through the search function on this blog), this year's competition, sponsored by the Kosciuszko Foundation, drew entries from all over the world. We were fortunate to attend the finals yesterday and were impressed by the quality of the final round singers. If only there were more days in the week we would have happily attended the semi-finals.

Top three prizes were awarded to soprano Alexandra Nowakowski, baritone Hubert Zapiór, and tenor Woo Young Yoon. Each contestant sang two songs; this is a very good idea because versatility is important and there is rarely a single song or aria that can show off the artistry and strengths of any individual artist.

Ms. Nowakowski, heard and admired last year at the Gerda Lissner award recital, has a pleasing vibrato that lent special impact to a song by Paderewski entitled "Gdy ostatnia roza zwiedla". We don't often get to hear Polish songs and enjoyed the way in which the melody followed the sound of the text. Yet, it was the subsequent aria "O luce di quest' anima" from Donizetti's Linda di Chamounix that got us to sit up and take notice. We were impressed by her bright coloratura sound and the accuracy of her fioritura, not to mention her charming stage presence. She received all the applause deserved by her excellent performance.

Mr. Zapiór has captured our attention all year and we have not missed a single opportunity to review his performances. He has made quite a splash in New York City and has been garnering awards left and right. Accompanied by Katelan Trân Terrell, one of our favorite collaborative pianists, he gave an unforgettable performance of Figaro's aria from Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia.

This aria offers the baritone an opportunity to create a memorable character, one who is a man of many parts, as they say, and just a touch full of himself. No two baritones sing it exactly the same way; we loved the way Mr. Zapiór colored his voice differentially when he spoke of the ladies and when he spoke of his gentlemen clients. His eyes sparkled and his gestures were generous. We wanted to become his client that very minute! To add to the interest, the patter part was perfectly realized--rapidly but with no loss of clarity.

Bel Canto is Mr. Zapiór's strong suit and we loved the way he sang "Ah!, per sempre...Bel sogno beato", Riccardo's aria from Bellini's I Puritani. There was legato to spare, some gorgeous melismatic measures, and warmth of tone.

Mr. Yoon dazzled the audience with "O Wie Angstlich", Belmonte's aria from Mozart's singspiel Die Entführung aus dem Serail. We noticed that this artist sets up each aria well. It is clear that he knows what his character is about and what the text has to say. He imbued the aria with plenty of dynamic variety and kept it interesting.

His second selection was "Ah mes amis" from Donizetti's comic charmer Fille du Regiment. He had all the right gestures and readily established the lovability of his character whilst hitting all the high C's. To put a "plus" on this "A" performance, we would like to see him ease up on those high C's and trust them more. And one other little thing--although his French was quite good for the most part, a little tweaking of the pronunciation of the word "main" would be helpful, since the word occurs several times.

The other three singers were superb and we would have hated being in the position of those esteemed judges. Particularly admirable was soprano Hayan Kim whose poignant "Piangeró la sorte mia" from Händel's Giulio Cesare was a real heartbreaker. Her bright expressive instrument was stunning in its legato; in the cabaletta there was astonishing fire. She is a master at using dynamic variation and we loved the embellishments in the return of the slow section.

Moving from the 17th c. to the 20th c. she performed Sophie's aria "Ich bin ever liebden" from Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier. She just melted our heart with Sophie's adorable sweetness! We thought it the perfect role for her.

Megan Moore, new to us, sang a melodic Polish song by Moniuszko-- "Powiedzcie mi", making us wish we understood the language or had a translation. She followed this with "This Journey" from Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking in which the nun asks her god for guidance. Her diction was impeccable and we understood every word. Perhaps, however, singing in English is not the best way to show off a singer's gifts.  

Daniel Miroslaw, heard and enjoyed many times at Juilliard, performed a fine Tchaikovsky song "Blagoslovlyayu vas, lesa" (I bless you forest!) with a deep resonance and interesting texture.  In "La calunnia" from Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia, he created a very pompous Basilio for us, employing comedic skills with the excellent pianist Brent Funderburk echoing the humor in the piano.

Not only do the winners receive generous cash prizes but they also are given recitals in Poland. The audiences in Poland are in for a treat!

(c) meche kroop

A CELEBRATION AT THE KOSCIUSZKO FOUNDATION

Tadeusz Domanowski, Edyta Kulczak, and Disellla Lárusdóttir

The Kosciuszko Foundation on East 65th St. has been a fixture on the New York cultural scene since 1925 and was named for the Polish hero who helped the United States of America during the Revolutionary War.  Its mission is to promote closer ties between our two nations by means of educational, scientific, and cultural exchange.  It is the latter mission that has brought us to their beautiful historic brownstone on a number of occasions.

It is a fine idea to promote Polish culture in the USA. Most Americans, when asked about Poland's contributions to our culture, would barely know what to say except for Chopin, whose prodigious piano output must be on everyone's short list of brilliant composers for the piano.

The Foundation awards up to $1 million yearly to students and scholars, scientists and professionals, but above all--artists.

Last night, we joined in celebration of the hundredth anniversary of Poland's achievement of independence. Before that time, Poland had been divided up like a pie with Russia dominating the Eastern portion, and Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire occupying the remainder. The Polish language was outlawed and Chopin, among many other artists, fled to France where he flourished as a composer. The minor mode of his songs (and yes, many of his piano works strike us as songs without words) reflect the sadness one feels when exiled from one's homeland.

Chopin did write songs with words as well and that brings us to the raison d'être for last night's thrilling recital; it was an hommage to Marcella Sembrich, a famous opera singer of bygone days about whom we knew next to nothing. The fascinating story involves her rise from poverty to wealth, fame, and philanthropy. She was friends with Caruso and the great composers of the 19th c. and impressed Puccini with her performance of the role of Mimi. She starred at the Metropolitan Opera for 25 years.

Guest speaker Richard Wargo, the Artistic Director of the Marcella Sembrich Museum in upstate New York recounted interesting facts about her life, as did Ewa Zadworna, Director of Cultural Affairs at the foundation. The anecdote that captured our imagination is that Alexander II of Russia invited her to the Winter Palace to sing her signature song--Chopin's "Życzenie"("The Maiden's Wish")--in Polish!  This was during the period when Polish was outlawed!

And now we come to the entertainment portion of the evening in which two great artists of the voice performed a most satisfying recital which ended with an encore of this very song, Ms. Sembrich's favorite, and now our favorite as well.  This "maiden's wish" is that Chopin's songs appear regularly on recital programs!

It is always a thrill to get up close and personal with international opera stars and the gorgeous room at the Kosciuszko Foundation is the perfect "stage", what with fine wood panelling, heavy velvet curtains, and a portrait of the dashing Kosciuszko. We felt transported to another time and place.

Icelandic Soprano Disella Lárusdóttir and mezzo-soprano Edyta Kulczak were perfect choices for this special evening and entertained a most attentive audience with operatic selections that seemed to have been arranged sequentially from Baroque to Romantic. They wisely scaled their voices to the intimacy of the room. Their accompanist Tadeusz Domanowski served them well with sensitive piano support, never calling attention to himself.

Ms. Kulczak opened the program with two Händel arias,  In "Se bramate" from Serse, Ms. Kulczak's richly burnished instrument carried us on a wave of melody. With astute variations of dynamics and tempi, she demonstrated great expressivity of both voice and gesture. We enjoyed the accuracy of her fioritura.

In contrast, Händel's "Lascia ch'io pianga" from Rinaldo offered opportunities for a lovely long legato line. The repeated verse was given several variations of ornamentation.

Ms. Lárusdóttir followed with Susanna's final aria from Mozart's Nozze di Figaro, sung in lovely Italian, meaning that the double consonants were never shortchanged, as they often are, by American singers. There was a lovely warmth to the performance and she soared to some stunning high notes at the end and employed an affecting change of color when Mozart made the brief switch to the minor mode.

The two women joined voices several times during the evening and dazzled us with their harmony. It was unusual to hear Countess Almaviva sung by a mezzo but we loved the way it provided distinction between her dignity and Susanna's carefree attitude in "Sull'aria" from Nozze di Figaro.

They also offered "Ah guarda sorella" from Mozart's Cosi fan tutte in which they made use of the portraits on the walls. The vocal lines were delicately embroidered. We only wish the two lovelies had ditched the music stand. We felt the same way about "The Flower Duet" from Leo Délibes' Lakme. They sounded great but readers will remember how we feel about music stands! It was so lovely that the audience demanded to hear it again as an encore.

Miss Lárusdóttir gave a lovely account of Adina's aria "Prendi per me sei libero" from Donizetti's L'Elisir d'amore, showing her coloratura stuff with brilliant vocal fireworks.  In "Je suis encore" from Massenet's Manon, she sang in fine French and totally convinced us as an innocent provincial girl on her first trip away from home, unguarded in her emotional expression. This interpretation served to heighten sympathy for the character and would make Manon's unhappy fate all the more tragic.

Ms. Kulczak got her chance with Donizetti as well and dazzled us with "Fia dunque vero" from La Favorita.  What a brilliant aria! The arpeggi in the piano effectively support the melodic vocal line. The fiery cabaletta offered the opportunity for Ms.Kulczak to show her bright upper register where the resonance was outstanding. 

Another aspect of this artist was revealed in the seductive coloration she lent to Saint Saëns' "Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix" from Samson et Dalila. The French was parfait and the downward scales seemed like a swoon.

French works very well for her, as heard in "Les tringles des sistres tintaient" from Bizet's Carmen. Mr. Domanowski's piano captured all the excitement and her "sister in song" joined in for some spirited dancing.  It was a fine way to end the program.

But there were more delights to come--the aforementioned song by Chopin, the repeat of the "Flower Song" and "Belle nuit" from Offenbach's Les contes d'Hoffman. Two lovely voices intertwined is a recipe for magic!

We left with a renewed appreciation for Polish history and culture and a desire to hear more Chopin songs.  Are any singers listening?

(c) meche kroop

MORE POLISH SONGS PLEASE!

Michal Biel and Jakub Jozef Orlinski

The Polish songs we heard at Michal Biel's recital at Juilliard on Thursday were so outstandingly lovely that we wanted more. The review for that recital is just a few reviews behind this one but there is more to say about the songs. The performance took place in the gorgeous townhouse of the Kosciuszko Foundation (about which Development Officer Ewa Zadworna had some interesting anecdotes to share). Counter-tenor Jakub Jozef Orlinski shared descriptions about each of the Kurpian Songs of Karol Szymanowski. He is the first counter-tenor to perform them.

We were so frustrated searching for translations online but were told by Mr. O. that the dialect of these folk songs could not be accurately translated.  So...we just let the sounds engulf us and tease our ears. The first song, which we had described as sad, turned out to be a lament for lost love; the one we called lively was about a bird escaping a storm; the one we noted as somber was about a woman being married off to a man she doesn't love; the one we described as anxious was about a woman being seduced by a man on horseback.  So, it appears as if Mr. O. was preternaturally successful at conveying the meaning!

On our wish list is hearing this divine duo perform all twelve of them.

The Baird songs also stood up to a second hearing. We just learned they were written for the basso fach but what difference does that make when they sound so good in the counter-tenor range. Actually "Slodka milosci" utilized the bottom of Mr. O's register which is very mellow and appealing.

Another Polish offering was Pawel Lukaszewski's 1968 "Jesien" about autumn, decay, death, and rebirth. The prelude involved improvisation  by Mr. Biel. As one would expect, Mr. O. is so comfortable in his native language that he seems to be tasting the words as he sings them. He is a singer of great intelligence and musicality. Among the many honors and awards he has accrued was the 2015 Marcella Sembrich competition and the Met National Council Award.

The program also included works with which we are far more familiar. There were some sunny songs by the beloved Reynaldo Hahn who knew how to write a gorgeous melody for the voice. Mr. O. sang them in fine French. "A Chloris" has a baroque introduction on the piano which Mr. Biel enjoyed, and some interesting variations in dynamics of which Mr. O. made the most.

"L'heure exquise" with its gorgeous arpeggios was perhaps our favorite, but we were also taken with the lively "Fetes Galantes". Upward swoops (portamenti) were well handled.

The Schubert songs were not so sunny but impressed us because Mr. O. sang them so completely "on the breath" with complete connection. Consonants were crisply enunciated but no vowel got cheated. "Die Stadt" from Schwanengesang struck us as very ominous, enhanced by a slight change in vibrato.

No program would be complete without some Handel and "Agitato da fiere tempeste" from Riccardo I, Re d'Inghilterra offered all the coloratura fireworks that we want from Baroque opera and Mr. O. handled them with panache.

Two encores were called for: Purcell's "Strike the Viol" and Vivaldi's "Vedro con mio diletto" which decorates the romantic sentiment with a lovely trill.

(c) meche kroop

LARISA MARTINEZ AND FRIENDS

Larisa Martinez and Suchan Kim

We have enjoyed the operatic performances of versatile soprano Larisa Martinez for the past two years-- a winsome Barbarina in Mozart's Nozze di Figaro, the larger than life Musetta in Puccini's La Bohème,  Fire in Ravel's L'Enfant et les Sortilèges, and Giulietta in Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi. So it was no small thrill to experience an entire evening of her performances at the old world townhouse of the Kosciuszko Foundation, presented by the Lyric Chamber Music Society of New York.

The program was wisely designed to show off Ms. Martinez' many assets but also included the artistry of splendid baritone Suchan Kim, whose Mozart we have heard and appreciated, and four cellists, with the superb accompanist Laetitia Ruccolo at the piano.  As if this were not enough we also got to see some fine Spanish dancing from Elisabet Torras Aguilera.

Ms. Martinez appears to have it all--a beautiful and stylish appearance, a warm stage presence, fine technique, and a most attractive sound with just the right amount of vibrato. We enjoyed her most in the operatic works, virtually swooning over "Eccomi...Oh Quante Volte" from the aforementioned Bellini, in which the doomed Giulietta despairs of the marriage planned for her and longs for the distant Romeo.

Bellini's long lovely phrases were exquisitely rendered. The fioritura was florid and delivered in ringing tones. High notes were beautifully spun out and dynamics used effectively for emotional impact.

Two duets with Mr. Kim were extraordinary from both vocal and dramatic standpoints. From among many possibilities of soprano-baritone duets, the choices were perfect. In "La ci darem la mano" from Mozart's Don Giovanni, Mr. Kim was a sly seducer and Ms. Martinez an ultimately compliant Zerlina.

Mr. Kim has a substantial sound and fine phrasing and easily switched gears to become the unfortunate Rigoletto patiently listening to Gilda's recitation of her seduction/rape by the Duke. He clearly showed Rigoletto's inner turmoil while he attempted to comfort his beloved daughter.  It was a real heart breaker and Ms. Martinez switched easily from the minx in the previous scene to the betrayed young woman in the second.

We experience Ms. Martinez as more of an opera singer but that doesn't mean there was any fault in her lieder singing. We might have preferred a less operatic sound for Brahms' simple folksong "Botschaft", but we enjoyed hearing Clara Schumann's "Liebst du um Schonheit" and were better able to put Strauss' setting  out of our ears than we were the first time we heard it.

But the best lied was the meditative "Nacht und Träume", one of Schubert's finest, as she eased up on power and volume, respecting the lovely text.

Hugo Wolf's "Erstes Liebeslied Eines Mädchens" has its frisky double entendres and Ms. Martinez captured them with a sly smile.

We had just heard mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard sing the 15th c. Spanish folksong "Las Morillas de Jaen" and it was great to hear it once again. The graceful dancer Elisabet Torras Aguilera added her terpsichorean skills, casting aside the castanets she used in Isaac Albeniz' "Sevilla" in favor of a fan, which only Spanish women know how to employ so effectively. She also danced through the cute Obradors song "Chiquitita la novia".

Following the dancing, four cellists made their entrance and proceeded to play "Fugue #1" from Bach's The Art of the Fugue. Elad Kabilio was reviewed last week but Grace Ho, Oded Hadar and Caleb van der Swaagh were new to us.  We have never heard four cellos in ensemble but Mr. Kablio did a fine job of arranging; the variety of tone was impressive with bowing and plucking bringing out the different voices.

The four cellists remained to accompany Ms. Martinez as she sang more of Villa Lobos' "Bachianas #5" than we have ever heard before. We still prefer the vocalise section which allowed us to focus on the singer's purity of tone.

As encore we heard a selection called "La Petenera" from Moreno Torroba's 1928 zarzuela La Marchenera. Those who read us will recall how fondly we think of zarzuela.  Again, our greedy ears want to hear the entire work!