BRUSH UP YOUR SHAKESPEARE

 Kyle Oliver, Stephanie Doche, Alina Tamborini, Robert Kleinertz, and Michael Leyte-Vidal

Actually, Vincenzo Bellini's version of the Romeo and Juliet story is just one of many tellings of the tale of the "star-crossed lovers".  Most people would associate Shakespeare's tragic play with the story.  Ballet fans would think of the ballet created with music by Prokofiev. Film fans might think of the one Zeffirelli directed from 1968 (among others, dependent upon their generation).  Opera lovers would most likely think of the Gounod opera Romeo et Juliette.

As we learned at last night's stimulating evening spent with Teatro Nuovo, some mighty fine music related to the story of Romeo and Juliet was created by Niccolò Antonio Zingarelli in 1796 and by Girolamo Crescentini and Nicola Vaccai (Yes, that Nicola Vaccai, the one all young singers begin with). There is even a lovely duet written by Stephen Foster entitled "Wilt Thou Be Gone, Love?"

The main event however was the stunningly melodic and harmonically original I Capuleti e i Montecchi, not as well known as the Gounod opera but highly worthy of our interest, especially when so well sung as it was at the Rose Theater.

So dramatically compelling it was that we forgot to listen for the distinctive details which set Bellini's music apart from that of other famed composers of the bel canto era. One can never be unaware of Bellini's lengthy legato lines, so challenging to the singer. However, we are ashamed to admit that we got so wrapped up in the performance that we neglected to note the interesting dissonances pointed out so well at Will Crutchfield's compelling lecture which immediately preceded the performance.

Nonetheless, it was interesting to hear the unique dissonances Mr. Crutchfield illustrated at the piano and also interesting to learn how Bellini's harmonic inventiveness influenced Wagner, among others. We had never realized the importance of the semi-tones and appoggiature. Even Berlioz, initially unimpressed by Bellini, was won over by this opera

Well, Dear Reader, you already know that our heart lies with melody and of that we heard many, enough for the next few operas! As the hapless couple, one could not imagine better performers. Alina Tamborini created a moving Giulietta, torn between her love for Romeo and her loyalty to her unloving father, well portrayed by Michael Leyte-Vidal with all the right degree of arrogance and stubbornness coloring his substantial bass-baritone.

Ms. Tamborini's warm soprano was unfazed by Bellini's challenging fioritura and her duets with mezzo-soprano Stephanie Doche were the highlights of a wonderful evening. Were her performance any less impressive, we might have said that Ms. Doche stole the show. She caught every nuance that Bellini threw at her character and was dramatically convincing in the role. We are often disappointed in "pants roles" when the singer just doesn't have the masculine movements down right. There was enough swagger to Ms. Doche's walk that we forgot we were watching a woman.  Now that's art!

Baritone Kyle Oliver portrayed the resident physician of the house of the Capulets and created a sympathetic character. As Tebaldo, tenor Robert Kleinertz might have been miscast. As soon as he began to sing, we thought "What a sweet voice, what a great Tamino or Nemorino he might be". But Tebaldo is the villain of the piece and needed more snarl, more angry color. Unfortunately, pressing the voice for more volume is no substitute for coloration.

Although it is not necessary to describe in detail how the story differs from other tellings of the tale, it is necessary to note that the principle of rival factions is as important as the love story. We are moved to learn a bit about the Guelphs and the Ghibellines but it is not a stretch to consider the destructive divisiveness in our own culture at present. We just hope that some arrogant director won't decide to do the opera with such a reference.  Far better it is for the audience to make that connection.

As is usual with Teatro Nuovo, there is virtually no costuming, almost no stage furniture, and no sets. Instead, there are beautiful projections, fortunately not film, rather stills portraying Renaissance Italy, although looking nothing like the Verona of our memory. Whilst not exactly a concert version, there is almost no stage direction (although a stage director was listed in the program)  and the excellent chorus, dressed in suits, just stood around in a group. One got the impression that the singers worked things out for themselves. The tomb scene worked particularly well. 

The Teatro Nuovo Orchestra is always a pleasure to hear and was enthusiastically and stylishly conducted by Primo Violino Jakob Lehmann, who is a lot of fun to watch. Mr. Crutchfield was Maestro all Cembalo.The solos were superb, especially a clarinet solo (Maryse Legault) which reminded us how similar the clarinet is to the human voice, not only in term of sonority but also in terms of musicality.

Let us just make a quick mention of the excellent artists who sang in the pre-opera serenade, accompanied by Timothy Cheung.  We enjoyed soprano Elizabeth Novella and mezzo-sopranos Sedona Libero and Addie Rose Brown.  We loved the Stephen Foster duet performed by Abigail Rayford and Marcella Astore, although the English diction left something to be desired. The best part, however, was the concluding quartet performed by Zoe Rose Pallas, Jeremy Luis Lopez, Markos Simopoulos, and Owen Phillipson. The four voices were woven together in a fashion reminiscent of a string quartet. We couldn't help noticing that all of the exercises in Vaccai's book were utilized! No wonder all singers start with them!

©  meche kroop

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

            Maestro Will Crutchfield and The Teatro Nuovo Cast and Orchestra

Last night's production of Gioacchino Rossini's comic masterpiece Il barbiere di Siviglia at Damrosch Park was a joy to behold and a night to remember. The New York City opera community has been starved for live opera for over 16 months (but who's counting?) and Maestro Will Crutchfield served up a tasty dish that was completely satisfying but also left us eager for the next meal.

There was something for every taste.  Those who appreciate scholarship had access to some extensive program notes online which we were glad to have read in advance. Readers who are of the same mind can find them here

 https://www.dropbox.com/s/j8glxrj6qhmcrc5/The%20Barber%20of%20Seville%20-%20Preview%20Program.pdf?dl=0#

It was fun to learn more about the background of the opera, some of which we knew and other facts that were new to us. We never knew, for example, how flexible the composition was in terms of numbers that were created by the singers themselves. We were also unaware of the relative absence of fach in Rossini's operas. 

We'd always been told what a departure it was for a soprano to take on the role of Rosina, written for a mezzo-soprano. Not so; categories had yet to be written in stone. Last night's Figaro, for example, was sung by bass Hans Tashjian--and very well sung we might add. We hadn't heard Mr. Tashjian since his multiple appearances with Dell'Arte Opera about seven or eight years ago and were delighted to witness the growth in his artistry.

Maestro Crutchfield devoted a great deal of time and effort in stripping the opera of years of accretions and, truth to tell, we didn't miss the shtick. Thankfully, in spite of a few judicious cuts (necessitated by consideration for the neighbors living around Lincoln Center), all of the scintillating melodies were there, melodies which are still spinning around in our head. Our feet were dancing their way down Broadway, thanks to Rossini's rhythmic gifts.

We can't help wondering where is today's Rossini. He or she is probably writing for Broadway, not for the opera house. We sometimes fail to remember that in the 19th c., opera was a popular art form, an entertainment; it was not about someone grinding a political axe.

Do we care if opera is "relevant"?   No we don't. Do we criticize the presence of stock characters and stereotypes?  We do not. Do we judge the opera for its sociocultural sensitivity? LOL.  We want to have a good time, and last night we did. Pardon our rant but we just had to go there!

As much as we encourage you to read Mr. Crutchfield's exegesis, one didn't need to know a thing about operatic history or scholarship to delight in the wacky story of Cesare Sterbini's libretto. The familiar 19th c. story of a possessive old goat and his subjugated ward has been turned on its head by Sterbini's creation of the subversively rebellious Rosina who outwits the old goat with the help of the wily Figaro, one of opera's most endearing characters.

The role of Rosina was sung by mezzo-soprano Hannah Ludwig who possesses  plenty of strength in the lower register and a brilliant upper register, well employed in a spate of highly original embellishments which, as we learned, Rossini encouraged his singers to devise, as did Maestro Crutchfield  We hope that Ms. Ludwig's artistic evolution involves knitting the two registers more seamlessly, since the decorations often served to highlight the lack of continuity.

The role of Count Almaviva was portrayed by tenor Nicholas Simpson whom we remember as a superb Charles II in Little Opera Theater of New York's production of Carlisle Floyd's Prince of Players and also as having risen above the world's worst production of Wagner's Tannhaüser in the title role. His bright clear tone was perfect for the role; we wanted, however, more clarity in the scale passages and fioritura.

Scott Purcell made a marvelous Doctor Bartolo with first rate singing and acting. The lecherous Doctor is not a likable character but in Mr. Purcell's hands he became a figure of sympathy.

Soprano Alina Tamborini came to our attention just 2 years ago, not only through Teatro Nuovo but also through Talents of the World Competition. We can never forget her performance of "Adele's Audition Aria" from Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus. How happy we were to hear her again in the role of Berta to which she lent her crystal clear soprano and lovely phrasing.

Daniel Fridley made a fine Don Basilio; we just loved the scene in which the other characters tried to get rid of him. It occurred to us that this is a theme of this particular opera. In Act I, Almaviva tries to get rid of the noisy musicians. Later, Dr. Bartolo tries to get rid of Almaviva who is disguised as a drunken soldier.

Wil Kellerman made the most of his role as an officer, singing with clarity and acting with purpose and conviction.

Kyle Oliver was successful as Fiorello trying to control his boisterous band of musicians accompanying Almaviva's serenade.

With the shtick removed from the big arias, we were able to focus more on the beauty of the duets and the elaborate construction of the ensembles which Rossini used to bring each act to a climax-- leaving everyone exhausted.

The Teatro Nuovo Orchestra filled the plaza with a gorgeous carpet of sound. Maestro Crutchfield led from the cembalo, following the tradition of the early 19th c. First violinist Jakob Lehmann made significant contributions, as did Peter Ferretti who handled his contrabass as one of the characters in the drama.

We would hope to see Maestro Crutchfield "version" with sets and costumes some day, although we think the cast did a fine job of getting the drama across in what is called a "semi's staged" production. So delighted were we to hear live opera, we were in no frame of mind to attack the amplification; nonetheless, it did not exactly improve upon the singers' natural voices.

Furthermore, we were feeling rather tolerant of the titles projected behind the orchestra.  Lucy T. Yates and Maestro Crutchfield himself were given credit for the titles which rhymed but were not direct translations from the Italian. We dealt with it by ignoring them when we couldn't reconcile them.

Those were our only quibbles with an evening of delights, made even more delightful by sharing the experience in public with fellow opera lovers. We began by describing the opera as having something for everyone. Academics could enjoy the research that went into restoring the opera to something close to its origins. Neophytes could enjoy it for its good humor and tunefulness. Many might not have been aware of the cuts, the eliminations, or the original contributions. But everyone had a good time!

© meche kroop

MORE MÖRIKE

Justine Aronson, Miori Sugiyama, Michael Brofman, Kyle Oliver, Takaoki Onishi

Art Song is alive and well in Brooklyn, thanks to Michael Brofman, founder and artistic director of the Brooklyn Art Song Society, last night winding up its fourth season.  This recital was an installment of The Hugo Wolf Project and comprised a couple dozen of Wolf's Mörike Lieder.  There was something for everyone, ranging from the profound and spiritual to lively paeans to Nature with a few humorous songs thrown in for good measure, the latter being our personal favorites.

Mr. Brofman always manages to attract superb singers that do justice to his programming. Perhaps the most riveting performance was by rising star baritone Takaoki Onishi who is a born storyteller.  Accompanied by the fine pianist Miori Sugiyama, he conveyed all the humor of "Der Tambour" and all the horror of "Der Feuerreiter", arguably two of the finest of the Mörike Lieder.  His technique is flawless and simply dissolved into the drama of the song making everything appear effortless.

Baritone Kyle Oliver has a warm voice with pleasing overtones and a welcoming stage presence.  He carried the lion's share of the program and had gone to the trouble of memorizing the dozen songs and performing them beautifully without a score.

Mr. Brofman worked exceptionally well with him as piano partner, bringing out the nuances of each phrase.    In "Fussreise" we heard the birds singing and in "Auf eine Christblume I" we heard the prancing elf just after a dramatic key change.

We love the way Mr. Oliver sang "Storchenbotschaft" which reminded us of one of Mahler's songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn.  Two storks come to visit a shepherd, the punchline being that his wife has given birth to twins. This lied permitted Mr. Oliver to show his storytelling side and it was most effectively charming.

In "Der Jäger" we appreciated the psychological insight--after a quarrel, a man goes off a-hunting, imagining his woman warm and happy while he is wet and miserable.  Then he imagines the converse.  Finally he decides to go home and reconcile.  That tale has a modern feel to it and we relished the irony.

The soprano on the program, Justine Aronson, we are pleased to say, has a most gorgeous instrument-- bright, resonant and appealing.  We are pleased because we will be reviewing her upcoming performance in Rameau's Pygmalion, presented by On-Site Opera.

Ms. Aronson connected well with each song she sang as well as with Ms. Sugiyama, her piano partner. We particularly enjoyed "Agnes", the mournful tale of an abandoned woman.  Another favorite was the humorous tale she told of an elderly woman advising a young one "Rat einer Alten".  Ms. Sugiyama had some elfin music of her own, giving "Elfenlied" a lovely delicate touch.

Our only disappointment was that Ms. Aronson used a music stand.  We are sure there was a good reason for it but it presented a barrier between her and the audience.  It was impressive how much contact she was able to make in spite of the handicap and cannot wait to hear her unencumbered.

The B.A.S.S. has some exciting plans for the next season. We are only going to give you a hint.  Think Gallic.  Think Six.

© meche kroop