YALE OPERA MEETS GERDA LISSNER

Gerald Martin Moore, Jillian Tate, Leah Hawkins, Rosario Armas and Ryan Capozzo

(photo by Rezi Aliaj)

One didn't need to be outdoors last night to watch the stars. They were all inside at WQXR's Greene Space, introduced by the lovely Midge Woolsey. This dazzling array of opera stars all had connections to Yale Opera, past or present, and the concert was generously sponsored by The Gerda Lissner Foundation. Both institutions can be honored for supporting the careers of young singers. The evidence of effective training was readily available to the thirsty ears of the attendees.

Let us begin with the prodigious achievements of mezzo-soprano Rosario Armas whose total investment in her artistry is immediately evident. Zarzuela is such an immediate art form that goes from ear to heart and when Ms. Armas sang "Al Pensar" from Ruperto Chapi's La hijas del Zebedeo, the emotions of a woman crazy about her man came through loud and clear, (her man being the one on the front row, the gifted accompanist Ahmed Alom Vega). This was IRL, not acting! This challenging aria has rapid fire vocal effects that were brilliantly executed but our attention was riveted by Ms. Armas' total emotional immersion.

This quality was also noted in her duet with Ryan Capozzo, a very engaging young tenor who was new to us, but one we cannot wait to hear again. The pair performed the scene from Act II of Bizet's Carmen that takes place in Lillas Pastia's taverna (hopefully not in a gas station as The Metropolitan Opera would have it!). We treasure the moments when singers show us something new about the characters and that can only happen when the vocal technique is so exemplary and so revealing of character that we can forget about the technique and focus on the interpretation.

We came to realize, as Ms. Armas' Carmen went from seductiveness to disbelief, to rage, to vindictiveness, that the volatile Carmen lives from moment to moment, responding with immediacy and emotional honesty. Mr. Capozzo drew a portrait of Don Jose who was on a more steady arc, one of obsession. His hamartia is that he is unable to shift emotional gears. One could actually believe that Carmen has cast a spell on him. The scene was nothing short of riveting.

Mr. Capozzo distinguished himself elsewhere in the program. His warm tone and ardent expressiveness were evident in the Prince's aria "Vidino divna přesladká" from Dvořak's Russalka. We cannot comment on his facility with the Czech language but we can say that he gave the vowels full measure so that it sounded as beautiful as Italian.

We do speak German so are in a position to comment favorably on his diction in "Dein ist mein Ganzes Herz" from Lehár's Das Land des Lächelns. A new tenor on the horizon who is both talented and handsome is always welcome.

Famous soprano Leah Hawkins made a stunning appearance and gifted the audience with the lighthearted "Nobody's Business", a traditional song arranged by Peter Ashbourne. She also lent her powerful instrument to a pair of French mélodies--Lili Boulanger's "Nous nous aimerons" evincing a subtle vibrato and a pianissimo note that seemed to hang in the air, and Poulenc's "Les chemins de l'amour" to which she added far more dramatic intensity than cabaret singers we have heard. Once again we were taken with a  pianissimo spun out of silver. 

A young soprano new to us, Jillian Tate, performed a text by Toni Morrison which was so densely set by André Previn that her voice was rather overwhelmed. We liked the text of "Take my Mother Home" from the cycle Honey and Rue but we can't say we were thrilled by Mr. Previn's piano score.

We got a better appreciation of Ms. Tate's vocal skills when she joined Ms. Armas and Ms. Hawkins for the final trio from Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier. She made a very fine Sophie and the balance between the three voices was perfect. Since the singers were "on the book", we took the opportunity of closing our eyes and just listened to the manner in which Strauss wove three very different voices together into a rich tapestry.

The superb accompanist for the evening was the well known and well loved Gerald Martin Moore. It was a thrilling recital, giving us the opportunity to hear two voices we have admired for several years, and to be introduced to two voices we look forward to hearing again.

© meche kroop

DVORÁk'S REQUIEM AT CARNEGIE HALL

Stefan Egerstrom, Joshua Blue, Lindsay Ammann, and Leah Hawkins 

It was a rare opportunity to hear Dvorák's Requiem, a piece commissioned by the Birmingham Festival in England where it premiered in 1891, shortly after the master returned from his long stay in the United States. Our initial interest in the composer was aroused by living next door to his former home on 17th Street. A kindly neighbor invited us into the house and we were thrilled.  The home was demolished and the property was taken over by the hospital down the street during the AIDS epidemic and was later converted into a homeless shelter. We always felt that was a low blow, not giving sufficient respect to a seminal figure in the "musicverse".

Perhaps that disrespect  resonated with us last night when the four singers were positioned behind the orchestra where they could not be seen, at least not from our seat in the orchestra. They could be heard due to the strength and focus of their singing and when the orchestra was in a quiet place, but we would say that the desired balance was not achieved.

Maestro Leon Botstein had a huge chorus (The Bard Festival Chorus, directed by James Bagwell) and orchestra (American Symphony Orchestra) at his command and would have received  praise had he not given the singers such short shrift. That being said, the work is rarely performed and we must be grateful that we had the opportunity to hear it.

It is our mission to write about singers so we will begin there.  Two of the singers are well known to us. Soprano Leah Hawkins won our admiration a few years ago when she was a member of the Lindemann Young Artists Program.  Her voice is full-bodied and expansive with overtones that fill the hall.  Tenor Joshua Blue has been on our radar since his days at Juilliard and we never missed a chance to hear him at the student recitals and operas. To his credit, he never pushed his voice and managed somehow to float above the orchestra. It is a lovely sound and deserved to be heard.

Mezzo-soprano Lindsay Ammann. is new to us and we long to hear her in a friendlier acoustic environment. The sound is rich, full, and satisfying. Stefan Egerstrom's sturdy bass resounded well.  Our favorite movement, the "Hostias", was a quiet one and we had the best opportunity to hear the singers, beginning with Mr. Egerstrom, then Ms. Ammann , then Mr. Blue, and finally Ms. Hawkins.  We also liked the harp played by Ruth Bennett and the way the voices overlapped as if in a fugue. 

The work is a long one and therefore performed with intermission. It struck us as less nationalistic than the works with which we are more familiar. We know him best through his operas (actually, Russalka is the only one we know) and the song cycle Songs My Mother Taught Me, which we loved in German and loved even more the one time we heard it sung in Czech. His music definitely belongs to the Romantic Period. 

This work is a somber one, as befits a Requiem, and very different from the other works we have heard. The opening "Requiem aeternum"  began with a spare melody but a sudden eruption from the chorus let us know that we were in for a wild ride. There were frequent sharp bursts of fortissimi and a sobbing motif. The "Graduale" introduced a brief swirling motif of four notes-- a gruppetto. Voices bounced off each other and at a couple points our unconscious led us into Wagnerian territory which we are unable to pinpoint.

We particularly enjoyed the quietude of the gentle "Quid sum miser". We liked the flute solo in the "Recordare, Jesu pie". The "Lacrimosa" involved some insistent violins. The "Offertorium" had a lot of variety--a gentle opening that built and swelled and a lively rhythmic section. The "Sanctus" was written in 3/4 time.  The "Pie Jesu" had a lovely chorale of wind instruments.  The "Agnus Dei" that closed the work finally allowed us to hear the soprano.

We couldn't help wondering what the work might sound like if the orchestra were in the pit. Perhaps it is just my taste but we felt the singers and the text merited more importance.

© meche kroop

WE TOOK THE A TRAIN

Dimitri Dover, Joseph Lim, Leah Hawkins, and Mario Bahg at Jackie Robinson Park Bandshell

Lucky us!  Thor held his thunder until after the Metropolitan Opera recital and Tlaloc kept the threatened rain in abeyance. The crowd at the bandshell in Jackie Robinson Park in Harlem was sadly sparse but nonetheless wildly enthusiastic, sensing that the artists were giving their all for the occasion. If what we write is tempting to you, there will be several more opportunities to hear the same program in the other four boroughs. It would be a shame to miss it.

We know pianist Dimitri Dover since his student days at Juilliard and have always admired his artistry at the piano. Last night he moved readily from Mozart to Bernstein and everything in between. Not only did he play magnificently but he fulfilled the role of narrator, explaining to the audience what each aria was about and its place in the opera. Not everyone is an experienced opera goer and this knowledge went a long way toward enhancing audience appreciation.

We were first introduced to the astonishing talent of soprano Leah Hawkins by our dear friend, pianist/coach/conductor Lachlan Glen who knows a good voice when he hears it. We heard Ms. Hawkins sing in French and was immediately won over. Last night we heard her sing in Italian and English and continue to be impressed.

Ms. Hawkins is one of those big beautiful gals with big beautiful voices. We were immediately drawn in by "Io son l'umile ancella" from Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur. Puccini held no terrors for this gifted lady as she sailed through Liu's "Signore Ascolta" from Puccini's Turandot. We couldn't help thinking that we wanted to hear her sing the title role and we probably will some day.

From Verdi's Otello we heard Desdemona's final act prayer which was intensely moving. Even better was Clara's big aria "Summertime" from Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, her encore piece in which she let out all the stops. Some of the notes were "bent" in true jazzy style and there was a delicious portamento. We had goose bumps.

We think it's important for a singer to choose her roles carefully and we didn't think that Maria from Bernstein's West Side Story was the right role for Ms. Hawkin's powerful voice; she is anything but an ingenue!

Joseph Lim is a fine baritone who was brought to our attention five years ago at one of Marilyn Horne's Spotlight Recitals during her birthday week at Carnegie Hall. We recall being quite impressed and was thrilled to catch him again at the Santa Fe Opera as a powerful Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor. We lost track of him over the past few years but his star is on the rise and we were so happy to hear him again.

We recall that we were a bit nit-picky about his German and are glad to report that it is vastly improved. One of our favorite German arias is Wolfram's "O du, mein holder Abendstern" from Wagner's Tannhäuser. Hearing this aria changed the life of the peasant-turned-linguistic professor in the film Padre, Padrone by the Taviani brothers. It moved us greatly long ago when we saw the film and it probably stimulated our interest in opera! 

We loved the way Mr. Lim sang it. Having heard a lovely tenorial quality in his upper register in Guglielmo's "Rivolgete a lui lo sguardo" from Mozart's Cosi fan tutte, we didn't expect him to do so well with the low tessitura of the Wagner. Accompanist Dimitri Dover played some gorgeously modulated arpeggi that amplified the spiritual mood.

In "Ya vas lyublyu" from Tchaikovsky's Queen of Spades, he sang the Russian with as much legato as we would want, making beautiful phrases in spite of the harsh Russian consonants.

Every singer loves a good drinking song and he did a fine job with Hamlet's "O vin, dissipe la tristesse" from the Tomas opera. The French was excellent and we felt Hamlet's underlying distress. In "Some Enchanted Evening", from Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific, the floated high note at the end added to the romantic feeling.

Tenor Mario Bahg is new to us and we grew to appreciate his artistry more and more as the evening wore on. He has a pleasing warm tone and a lovely legato technique. We enjoyed his performance of "Angelo casto e bel" from Il Duca d'Alba, attributed to Donizetti. We confided in Maestro Ken Noda that it sounded nothing like Donizetti and he confirmed that Donizetti didn't compose it!  Donizetti abandoned the opera and it was finished by his pupil Matteo Salvi after his death. Indeed that is so but it is a lovely tenor piece nonetheless.

His delivery of Faust's serenade "Salut! demeure chaste et pure" was completely convincing and splendidly romantic.  The same lovely legato was notable in everything he sang. As an encore piece, he gave a passionate rendition of "Dein ist mein ganzes Herz" in gorgeous German.

Of course, we always have a quibble and we would like to see Mr. Bahg sharpen his fioritura. The ascending and descending scales in "Il mio tesoro" from Mozart's Don Giovanni were beautifully rendered but we wanted more clarity in the embellishments. He has a real feel for Mozart and we loved his rendition of Ferrando's aria "Un aura amorosa" from Cosi fan tutte.

The two gentlemen joined forces for "Au fond du temple saint" from Bizet's Les Pêcheurs de Perles and created some fortuitous harmonies. They made much of the contrast between the yearning first and final sections and the stormy central section.

That was our favorite duet since we didn't care too much for the English version of the waltz from Lehar's The Merry Widow nor did we experience the requisite chemistry in "Tonight" from Bernstein's West Side Story which we enjoyed so thoroughly the previous night at the Brooklyn concert. Again, it all comes down to choices. It is not enough for a work to fit into the program. It has to fit the voice and personality of the singer.

(c) meche kroop

M.E.S.S.n AROUND

Lachlan Glen and Ben Bliss at Mise en Scene Studios event

The gestation period for Mise en Scene Studios is a long one. There are excellent physicians and midwives in attendance. The embryo is healthy--viable and kicking. The nursery is well-furnished and friends and relatives are lined up to greet the newcomer. This love child will reflect the many gifts of its parents and will be quite different from any other--a unique offspring.

We have been present since the egg was fertilized and cannot wait to welcome the new opera company to its New York home. While we are waiting the parents have invited us to some baby showers, along with all the other citizens of Planet Opera who are just as excited as we are.

Last night, in a spacious loft in the East Village, we socialized with a great group of equally enthusiastic folk.  We dined on custom made pizza, we drank wine, we talked about music, we toasted the happy parents-to-be. And, most importantly, we heard some exciting music that gives us a taste of the quality we can expect from this nascent group.

Entertaining us royally were tenor Ben Bliss and collaborative pianist Lachlan Glen (both graduates  of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program), along with soprano Leah Hawkins and The Verona String Quartet. Mr. Bliss has had a meteoric rise and sings at The Metropolitan Opera. Mr. Glen tours the world and captivates audiences everywhere as a solo star of the keyboard and as a collaborative pianist.

Soprano Leah Hawkins came to us from the Washington National Opera Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program. She is one of those big beautiful women with big beautiful voices. She performed two songs by Francis Poulenc, the first a 1938 setting of text written in 1912 by Wilhelm Kostrowicki (known as Apollinaire). Ms. Hawkins fine vibrato and word coloration made clear that the song "La grenouillere" (the Froggery) was about nostalgia for les temps perdus.

Her second offering was "Les chemins de l'amour" the 1940 setting of text by Jean Anouilh, which shared the nostalgic feeling and had a similar "old-fashioned" feeling as the first melodie, a quality that we treasure. Ms. Hawkins knows how to spin a decrescendo into a fine silken thread of sound.

The Verona String Quartet, comprising Jonathan Ong and Dorothy Ro, violins, Abigail Rojansky, viola, and Warren Hagerty, cello are all graduates of Juilliard and have achieved significant fame in the four years they have spent together. Residencies at Caramoor and at the New England Conservatory have been added to their graduate residency at Juilliard.

Last night we got a taste of their talent as they performed with Mr. Glen a most successful arrangement of an excerpt from Prokofiev's 1936 Romeo and Juliet, a suite for orchestra. It was so evocative that we couldn't keep from visualizing the ballet itself, which we love.

They also performed the second movement of Borodin's 1881 String Quartet No. 2 which was made popular by being "borrowed" for the 1953 musical Kismet. The writing is lush and melodic and is one of our personal favorites among so many string quartets.

Joined by Dominik Belavy and Alex Rosen for the "Laughing Trio", Mr. Bliss blissed us out with "Un aura amorosa" from Mozart's Cosi fan tutte. He will be performing the role of Ferrando at The Metropolitan Opera this coming Spring and audiences will surely go mad for him. His ardent lyric tenor is perfectly suited to Mozart.

Mr. Glen then joined The Verona Quartet for the fiendishly difficult and spirited final movement of Brahms' Piano Quintet in G minor, following which the four strings gave us the first movement of Ravel's String Quartet which sounded just as anxious as the first movement of the Grieg which we heard a couple days earlier.

Not to worry because we were soothed by a duet from Franz Lehar's Die lustige Witwe. Mr. Bliss sang the role of Camille, persuading Valencienne (Ms. Hawkins) to join him in the little pavilion for a fond farewell. We were very glad to hear it in German!

The final offering was "This is My Night to Dream" by James Monaco and Johnny Burke, popularized by Nat King Cole. We thought the entire night was a dream!

Before we end, we would like to direct you to www.messnyc.com/membership. Did we tell you that YOU TOO can become a member of this vibrant and rapidly growing organization. A mere $99 for an entire year will give you admission to several evenings similar to the one we just described. This should keep all of us entertained and engaged until the opera season begins. That's the baby for which we are all waiting.

It is clear that those of us addicted to great music will find the quality we demand, whilst curious friends can be invited to share in the good fellowship, food, and drink and be introduced to the best the music world can offer in a relaxed and sociable environment. We do believe that the best way to get "newbies" on board is to offer quality.

(c) meche kroop