A FRENCH GERMAN NIGHT AT ST. JOHN'S IN THE VILLAGE

Emma Lavandier, Eric Sedgwick, and Katrin Bulke

St. John's in the Village is rapidly becoming one of our favorite venues for recitals. Rector Graeme Napier is a fellow music lover and keeps his lovely sanctuary filled with music. Last night's musical offering was a lovely recital performed by soprano Katrin Bulke and mezzo-soprano Emma Lavandier, accompanied by the excellent collaborative pianist Eric Sedgwick. We have enjoyed all three artists on prior occasions and you will find several reviews of each by entering their respective names in the search bar, in which we described their respective vocal gifts.

What was particularly attractive about last night's recital was hearing French sung by a native French speaker and hearing German sung by a native German speaker. Mr. Sedgwick speaks perfect piano!

Another appealing aspect of the recital was the presence of many duets. The more duets we hear the better we like them. They seem to add up to even more than the sum of their parts as overtones meet overtones and create ear-tickling delights.

Take for example the duet between Giulietta (Ms. Bulke) and Nicklausse (Ms. Lavandier) from the Venice scene of Jacques Offenbach's only opera Les contes d'Hoffman.This Barcarolle always makes us smile and sway in our chair.  Quelle belle nuit! 

The "Flower Duet" ("Dôme épais") from Léo Delibes' Lakmé has transcended its popularization and remains one of the most gorgeous duets in the canon. To enhance the performance, the two singers entered together and somehow managed to create the verdant scene without any sets whatsoever.

From Richard Strauss' delightful comic opera Der Rosenkavalier we enjoyed the scene in which Octavian (Ms. Lavandier) presents a silver rose to Sophie (Ms. Bulke) and the two fall in love. The acting added to the singing and there was an actual silver rose which you can see if you look at the carousel of photos on our Facebook page, Voce di Meche.

Another charming duet was that between Hänsel (Ms. Lavandier) and Gretel (Ms. Bulke)--"Brüderchen, komm tanz mit mir" from the Humperdinck opera; both singers performed the dance together and we were smiling from ear to ear.

Even the encore was a duet, but one manufactured for the occasion. Ms. Bulke let loose with "The tipsy song" from Johann Strauss II's operetta Eine nacht in Venedig; the song is otherwise known as the "Annen-Polka" and is filled with clever rhymes like "prickelt und kitzelt"; if that doesn't make you chuckle there is something wrong with you! Meanwhile, Ms. Lavandier sang "Je suis grise" from the Offenbach operetta La Perichole. Performers just love to portray intoxication but there aren't many such arias written for female voices. If you can think of any, dear reader, please leave them in the comment section below.

Another special aspect of this recital was that each singer introduced her song and told what it was about. Each singer got to do a military number, which was cute. Ms. Bulke sang Marie's aria "Salut à la France" from Donizetti's charming comedy La fille du régiment and Ms. Lavandier performed "Ah! Que j'aime les militaires" from Offenbach's 1867 operetta La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein which we so enjoyed at the Santa Fe Opera in 2013 with Susan Graham in the title role.

There were other more serious pieces on the program, some of which were marred by the use of the detestable music stand. Readers are probably bored by our complaints so the less said the better. Suffice it to say that our attention wandered which gave us an opportunity to focus on the piano, so beautifully played by Mr. Sedgwick.

We enjoyed his playing even when the singer was totally present as was Ms. Bulke in some songs by the underappreciated Clara Schumann. He surely created the storm in "Er ist gekommen in Sturm und Regen" with some roiling in the piano but also provided some delicate arpeggi when called for.

It was an evening well spent in the presence of three fine artists.

(c) meche kroop

A NEWBIE CONVERTED

Maria Brea and Jacopo Buora (photo by Jen Joyce Davis)

We find no shortage of Stars of Tomorrow in the opera universe. What we don't find in sufficient number are the audience members of tomorrow who will be there to listen to them. Therefore we make considerable efforts to bring young people to the opera. We love demolishing their prejudices--"Opera is stuffy, boring and irrelevant" is commonly heard. If we choose wisely, it turns out that the newbie is won over.

What better way to introduce someone to opera than at a Prelude to Performance event!  What better opera than Donizetti's comic masterpiece La Fille du Regiment! It doesn't come to mind as a "starter opera" as readily as some others but it seemed to be the perfect choice, what with its young cast, its frothy melodies, and its romantic plot.

Premiered in 1840 by L'Opéra Comique, the work took no time in making its way to New Orleans and then to New York. Although the master at some point created an Italian version with recitativi replacing the spoken dialogue, it is the French version we hear today. We remember with affection Natalie Dessay cartwheeling her limber frame across the stage of The Metropolitan Opera with Juan Diego Florez nailing the nine high C's. And that was in 2007!

Last night at Prelude to Performance we heard a superb cast bring the work to vivid life. As the titular character, Venezuelan coloratura soprano Maria Fernanda Brea created a lovable tomboy (minus the cartwheels) and sang the fioritura with accuracy and style. Her affection for all her "fathers" in the 21st regiment was convincing.

As Sergeant Sulpice, Italian bass-baritone Jacopo Buora created a fine figure of a Frenchman and employed his generous instrument with humor and affection. His duet with Marie in Act I "Mais, qui vient?" was charming.

Soon we were introduced to the local Tyrolean Tonio, portrayed by tenor Spencer Hamlin. Although suspected at first of being an enemy spy, he soon wins acceptance when he establishes himself as the man who rescued Marie from peril. He and Marie also have a lovely duet in which they profess their love. Tonio joins the French (the politics here are rather shaky but irrelevant) and, having been accepted, expresses his joy in the famous aria "Ah, mes amis". Mr. Hamlin attacked the nine high C's with aplomb and not a hint of pushing, bringing down the house, so to speak.

Of course, complications ensue.  Marie is the long-lost illegitimate daughter of the Marquise de Berkenfield. One could not imagine a better performance than that of Karolina Pilou, endowed with a very substantial mezzo and an impeccable sense of comic timing. Her equally amusing steward Hortensius was portrayed as a fussy fop by excellent baritone John Callison, almost unrecognizable in his elaborate get-up.

The veteran soprano Lucine Amara was on hand for the speaking role of La Duchesse de Krakenthorp, on hand to contract marriage for Marie with her nephew. The Marquise has been grooming Marie for an unwanted aristocratic life and the efforts and results are hilarious, giving us a second act filled with great music and dramatic reversals.

Laura Alley's stage direction was just as astute as we have come to expect and Charles R. Caine's costume design left no doubt as to the respective social stations of the locals and the aristocrats. Steven Horak's wigs and makeup made significant contributions. Meganne George's simple sets were lit by Joshua Rose.

In the pit, Maestro Imre Palló took excellent command of the orchestra and brought out the glories of Donizetti's delicious score. Noby Ishida's command of the chorus was equally impressive. The female villagers in Act I, fervently praying for protection from the French, sounded wonderful and the soldier's chorus, even better. French diction coach Dr. Susan Stout deserves props for ensuring that every word of French was understood.

In sum, it was a delightful evening and Newbie went home to listen to several more versions of "Ah, mes amis" on youtube. And as for Voce di Meche, we will not have to wait another eight years to hear this opera again; we will be reviewing it at the Santa Fe Opera next month.

The performance will be repeated Sunday 2:30 at Hunter College and we encourage you to catch it before it's gone.

(c) meche kroop