SHORT BUT SWEET

 

Meghan Kasanders

Thanks to Carnegie Hall Citywide, New Yorkers were treated to another lovely vocal recital at St. Paul and St. Andrew United Methodist Church on the Upper West Side. Our only complaint was that it ended too soon. It left us wanting more.

We love what we do to support young singers in New York City, following them through their conservatory years and getting a thrill witnessing their respective stars on the rise. This is far easier when they remain in the area but most of them wind up leaving for Europe which seems to offer more opportunities, or they sing with companies in other cities, or join young artist programs.

And so it happened that our numerous reviews of dramatic soprano Meghan Kasanders are all from 5 to 7 years ago.  Although we missed witnessing the gradual evolution of her artistry, we got plenty of satisfaction from re-reading those reviews (available by typing her name in the search bar) and observing that we recognized her talent even when she was an undergraduate at Juilliard.

This gifted artist has taken everything she learned at Juilliard and all her experience winning awards and prizes, and added them to her naturally ebullient and engaging personality in order to craft an exciting career. Yesterday's recital was a fine taste, but we crave the entire vocal banquet of which she is more than capable of serving.

She opened her program with Sieben frühe Lieder by the early 20th c. composer Alban Berg. These seven songs are nowhere near as accessible as those of the 19th c. composers of art song. The harmonies are strange to an ear accustomed to those of the 19th c. and the melodies wander. With this in mind, we were impressed by the way Ms. Kasanders conveyed the mood. There is one song that always stands out for us--"Die Nachtigall" ;  we like the text by 19th c. poet Theodor Storm so much that we enjoy reading it aloud to appreciate the rhyming scheme and the iambic rhythm. Perhaps that is what inspired Berg to write a melody that remains in one's memory.

Nonetheless, we found much more to cherish in the set of songs by Sergei Rachmaninoff. We got the feeling that the artist really enjoys singing them. There is considerable variety which permitted dramatic interpretation-- from the frisky "The Ratcatcher" to the mournful. "Sing not to me, beautiful maiden", to the ecstatic and timely "Spring Waters". Our companion, who is fluent in Russian, granted a seal of approval.

The program ended with a humorous curiosity that struck a chord with every woman in the audience and gave the artist an opportunity to show off her comedic skills. We are not familiar with the composer Richard Pearson Thomas. who seems to have used as his text some Yelp ratings of hairstylists. He entitled the work Hair Emergency. 

The work encompasses five songs, each one relating the experience of the writer,  but with music adding another layer, that of emotion.  It was difficult to tell who was having more fun, Ms. Kasanders or the audience. We love to see an artist let go and immerse herself in storytelling; the overall impact was that of a woman telling a friend about her (mis)adventures at a hair salon. The facial expressions and gestures came across as spontaneous; however we suspect it involved a great deal of experimentation and coaching to achieve.

We have yet to say anything about the artist's vocal technique. When the technique is perfect, we get to focus on interpretation and connection. The singer becomes a conduit through which the audience can connect with the music and the text.When one is served a five-star meal, one doesn't think about whisking and tempering and searing!  

We can, however, say that Ms. Kasanders possesses an ample voice, one with pleasing tone and lots of overtones that filled the sanctuary of the performance space. We could definitely see her in Verdi roles and we think she'd make a fine Sieglinde, which just so happens to be our favorite character in Wagner's The Ring Cycle.

At the risk of repeating ourself, it is quite a thrill to hear an artist achieving the potential that was recognized years ago!  We are still smiling.

Collaborative pianist for the recital was Dror Baitel, also a graduate of Juilliard (Doctoral Program) who will probably be familiar to those of you who love Broadway shows.

© meche kroop

TWO MASTERS

René Fleming and Elina Garança

Guest Review by Ellen Godfrey:

One of the most eagerly awaited events this year was the Song Studio program in the Weill Music Institute /Resnick Education Wing of Carnegie Hall. The renowned American soprano, Renee Fleming, is the Artistic Director. In the second year of this program, she continues to help mentor singers and collaborative pianists. The program focuses on art songs and refreshing the art of vocal concerts. The emerging young singers receive voice training through a week-long series of workshops, master classes, private coaching, and performing opportunities. 

On the last day of the program, a recital is held in the Judy and Arthur Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall (review forthcoming) to showcase the talents and progress of these gifted singers. The Song Studio program builds on the legacy of the great Marilyn Horne’s program, “The Song Continues,” which supported young artists in the repertoire of song recitals.

Renee Fleming brought several famous artists to this year’s Song Studio to help mentor the young singers;  The great Latvian mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca; the multi-talented young American vocalist, Julia Bullock;, and the renowned and most sought after German piano accompanist, Hartmut Hall.

On Thursday afternoon, Elina Garanca gave a wonderful masterclass to five of the singers. She was born into a musical family and her whole life has been spent in music. In 2013 she was given the honorary title of Kammersangerin by The Vienna State Opera. She is a major star throughout the world in both opera, symphonic concerts, and song recitals. Her life long love of opera has made her a great master teacher as well.  She works gently but seriously with each of her emerging singers. Her focus is mostly on improving their technique, but she is also attentive to their pronunciation.

The first singer on the program was mezzo-soprano Kady Evanyshyn, who was accompanied by pianist Nara Avetisyan .She sang a song by Clara Schumann. Ms. Evanyshyn has a beautiful sweet sound to her mezzo voice.  She also has a charming personality and relates well to the audience. Ms. Garanca begins her work with each singer first asking them what they are looking for in the song. Ms. Garanca told her to put all the love into the music and at certain spots slow down and let the audience take in the singing. She was given some technical hints to make the sound vibrate behind the neck. The fine pianist was Nara Avetisyan, who set up the scene at the beginning of the song.

The second singer was baritone Laureano Quant, who sang a jaunty song by Francis Poulenc. He has a big, lovely baritone sound and he acquitted himself quite well in the rapid singing at the beginning of the song and the A la la la la in parts of the song.  However, his tone was a bit raw, without a lot of high resonance. Ms. Garanca told him to sing while holding his nose so that the resonance would be higher by sounding in the back rather than pushed down on the lower front part of the body.  This made his voice sound richer and less stressed and Mr. Quant was pleased with the sound. Toni Ming Geiger was an excellent pianist who supported Mr. Quant very well.

The third singer was tenor Eric Carey, who sang a Spanish song by Joaquin Turina.  His accompanist was Tomomi Sato, who played very delicately.  Mr. Carey has a beautiful sounding big voice and good diction. Ms. Garanca told him that he should see the picture of the song in his head and take as much time as needed.  He was advised to slow down and not to push but rather bring the air up from the bottom and release the pressure from high notes.

The fourth singer was mezzo-soprano Xenia Puskarz Thomas, who sang a Gustav Mahler song.  She has a good voice which can produce beautiful sounds. Ms. Garanca's coaching was to prepare better for the high notes. She worked with the singer to get the sound she wanted to hear; finally in the middle part of the song Ms. Garanca told her that the twelve notes she had just sung were the most relaxed for her and produced a beautiful sound. Ms. Garanca said she should try to get this sound throughout the whole song. She added that every singer should find a phrase in the music that helps get through the whole song with a beautiful sound. Her pianist was Richard Fu, who supported her singing very well.

The final singer was baritone Dominik Belavy, who sang a romantic song by Maurice Ravel.  He has a nice baritone sound, however, he had some problems in the lower part of the voice. Ms. Garanca had him hold his nose, as did an earlier singer, and it helped to relax him and make the lower part of his voice sound better. She told him to let his voice out gently and not to press on the larynx too hard.  His supportive pianist was John Robertson.

Ms. Garanca congratulated all of the singers and pianists for their good work. Later this month she will be performing in Berlioz' La Damnation de Faust at the Metropolitan Opera.

The day after Ms. Garanca’s master class, the great pianist and accompanist, Hartmut Holl, gave a master class. He is known for his sensitivity to sound and his ability to think beyond the notes to create atmosphere and lyrical emotions. For ten years he was the performance partner of the great German baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. They presented acclaimed lieder recitals for major festivals in Europe, Japan, and the United States. For almost 20 years he toured with Renee Fleming in Europe, Australia, Asia and the United States. He has also recorded more than 60 CDs.

Mr. Holl’s first singer of the day was baritone Dominik Belavy, accompanied by pianist John Robertson. Mr. Belavy sang a song by Franz Schubert. His voice has a nice quality and he had lots of personality. He was also quite relaxed. Mr. Holl worked with the pianist, John Robertson. He used his arms, like a conductor, at the beginning of the song, showing John how to make the music more sweeping. He worked with the baritone to get certain phrases to have the right tone and the right meaning.

The second singer, Meghan Kasanders, is a wonderful soprano. She has a shimmering sound and good resonance and is able to float a tone. She sang a song by Joseph Marx. Mr. Holl made some minor changes in the size of the tone for parts of the song and Ms. Kasanders picked up on his corrections. The pianist Cameron Richardson-Edwards accompanied her and he was also attentive to all the suggestions given by Mr. Holl.

The third singer was the tenor Randy Ho, and his accompanist was Celeste Johnson, who is a fine young pianist.  Mr. Holl, played the piano to show her how to make the music start softly and then get louder. He played the notes that he wanted her to work on and she absorbed his teaching. Mr. Ho has a sweet tenor sound but at the beginning seemed to push too much. Mr. Holl worked with him to relax and have a softer sound. He also worked with him on pronunciation of vowels .

The fourth singer was soprano Natalie Buickians, who sang a song by Edvard Grieg. She was accompanied by pianist Sandy Lin. Ms. Buickians has a nice lyric soprano voice with easy production. Mr. Holl worked with both of them to speed up the music in certain places and worked on some phrasing.

The final singer was Laureano Quant  a dark-voiced baritone with good diction who is capable of making good pianissimi. He sang a song by Schubert. Mr. Holl worked with him to get some phrases to go from from loud to soft and also went over some of his corrections several time until it was the sound he wanted. 

Both Ms. Garanca and Mr. Holl gave excellent master classes. Each of them had different ideas of what they wanted to present to the singers. Ms. Garanca concentrated more on the technique of singing whereas Mr. Holl worked more on diction and phrasing.  Both of them also gave valuable advice to the accompanists. One of the great attributes to Ms. Fleming’s Song Studio is giving the young artists the opportunity to be exposed to different styles and techniques.  

We look forward to following the progress of these young and talented singers.

© meche kroop

 

  

 

A DUO OF DONS

Xiaomeng Zhang and Erik van Heyningen (Photo by Richard Termine)

Maritina Tampakopoulos, Gregory Feldmann, Jessica Niles, Hubert Zapiór, Erik van Heyningen,
Meghan Kasanders, and James Ley (photo by Richard Termine)

Mozart's 1787 masterpiece Don Giovanni was perfectly cast and magnificently performed by graduate students of the Juilliard Vocal Arts Department. One could not enjoy better performances on any of the world stages!

If you wanted an appreciation of baritone Hubert Zapiór's ability to create a complex character--an astute portrayal of sociopathic narcissism-- you would have three hours to do so. If you wanted an appreciation of his gorgeous instrument and the skills with which he employs it, you would have had to wait for his "Champagne aria" in Act I and his romantic serenade in Act II-- "Deh vieni alla finestra" which was accompanied by an onstage mandolin, played by George Meyer. It was our favorite moment of the evening, mainly because we love Mr. Zapiór's voice.

We will return on Friday night to see the Don of Xiaomeng Zhang and append the review.  Keep reading!

The main feature of sociopathic narcissists is how sensitively they can suss out the desires of their prey and to charm their way into that place. However, this type of character is only interested in his/her own advantage and hasn't a care for the well being of the chosen victim. These features were successfully enacted in Mr. Zapiór's performance.

And what about his victims? Soprano Meghan Kasanders sang with full open tone that rose to the heights and created a believable character--the aristocratic Donna Anna who is shocked to learn that her would-be rapist and the slayer of her father (Il Commendatore) is fellow aristocrat Don Giovanni. Ms. Kasanders delivery of the difficult arias "Or sai chi l'onore" and "Non mi dir" could not have been better. We believed her sincerity.

Due to the consistency of his interpretation in the role of Don Ottavio, tenor James Ley projected feelings of strength as her supportive suitor. This was not the wimpy Don Ottavio that comes across as easily dismissible; oh no, this was a big-hearted and dependable fellow, and one who could dispatch both of his difficult arias ("Dalla sua pace" and "Il mio tesoro") with ease. This tended to shift the balance in his relationship with Donna Anna. We sensed a different and more satisfying direction in their future; we believed that she would come around and marry him!

The Donna Elvira of Maritina Tampakopoulos was not someone we could laugh at. Her love for Don Giovanni was not crazy, just misguided. The strength of her soprano lent verisimilitude to the characterization. The difficult "Mi tradi" was colored with more than anger and we realize that her character is more complex than we had thought. All those wild skips suggest characterological imbalance but we experienced them as the battle between love and rage, fire and ire.

Zerlina was well realized by soprano Jessica Niles; her character has a touch of narcissism as well, in her willingness to betray the feelings of her husband on their wedding day. In the role of Masetto, baritone Gregory Feldmann was believable as the poor guy who is not too effective in controlling his errant spouse. The scenes of the two of them together involved every possible emotion between two spouses--love, possessiveness, protectiveness, anger, and forgiveness. 

We have a great big cheer for the Leporello of bass-baritone Erik van Heyningen. In this role, everyone waits for the "Catalog Aria"; as good as it was, we took in his entire performance and were impressed by his comedic skills. He made a perfect foil for Don Giovanni who seemed humorless; most of the funny moments in the opera belong to him and he made the most of them. We think Mr. van Heyningen owns this role!

Although he doesn't have as much to sing as the other characters, bass William Guanbo Su made a huge impact as Il Commendatore with his forceful stage presence and deeply resonant instrument.

We noticed that all the artists were more than usually expressive in their gestures as well as in their voices. No movement was wasted and each one seemed connected to what they were singing about--or the subtext. If director Emma Griffin is responsible for this, we give her credit.

However, we found fault with the production as a whole. Clearly Ms. Griffin had some "concept" in mind, but it had absolutely nothing to do with the story or Lorenzo Da Ponte's libretto. We enjoyed her direction of Cunning Little Vixen and of Les mamelles di Tirésias (both at Juilliard) so we were terribly disappointed with this illogical and confusing betrayal of the story.

It would take more space than we have to outline all the misjudged directorial decisions but the major one is that all sense of place, period, and class structure were lost. Don Giovanni first appears in a fencing mask and several chorus members were periodically onstage in full fencing gear and even escorted a dead but vertical Il Commendatore offstage.

The opera ends with Don Giovanni being waterboarded or drowned in a fish tank!  He emerges to join in the final ensemble making us wonder if that is meant to be a ghost since none of the other characters seem to see him. But if that's the case, how can he drag Donna Anna offstage by the hair?

In between were dozens of similar inconsistencies, lapses, and anachronisms. If the libretto mentions peasants who are friends of the wedding couple, we want to see peasants in their Sunday best, not kids in gym clothes. If the libretto mentions Don Giovanni wearing a cloak, we want to see a cloak. And why were people taking off their shoes and performing barefoot? What were the modern dancers and fencers doing in the ballroom scene?

There was no set to speak of although Laura Jellinek was listed as "Scenic Designer". There was a fussily patterned backdrop with two doors through which characters came and went without any sense of origin or destination. Occasionally a chair appeared but mostly characters were obliged to sit on the floor. In Act II the small playing area was opened up to include the entire stage with a fish tank way upstage. This was distracting throughout the act but just risible when it was put to use.

Olivera Gajic's costumes were colorful for the main characters but way off base. Il Commendatore appeared as Karl Lagerfeld with white hair and dark glasses. He looked striking but...WHY? Massetto was dressed like a slob in an ill-fitting white suit and inside out tie, whereas his Zerlina was wearing a sparkly bustier with a voluminous pink skirt.  Was she supposed to be a Mafia bride in a Long Island marriage hall? We are meant to laugh at Donna Elvira's timely interruptions and at Leporello's lip-syncing of Don Giovanni's serenade; must we also laugh at the costumes?

Don Giovanni wore a shiny red suit with black sparkly slippers. Only Leporello looked the part, wearing a service apron. There was a funny moment when he and Don Giovanni exchange clothes and the latter doesn't know how to "Don" an apron.

Even the lighting (Mark Barton) was flawed. If the libretto speaks of it being too dark to see, the lighting should be dimmed.

We have no quarrel with a director finding something new to say about an opera if what he/she has to say is not just original but valid. This was not valid. It reminded us of another awful production we saw years ago that set the opera in what looked like a church basement during an AA meeting.

Drama works best when it is specific. The generic nature of the characters and setting left us cold. If a reader is interested in discussing some original ideas about this story, we would be happy to share our own! But they had better be valid!

What about the musical values? We have nothing but good things to say about the Juilliard musicians, both the ones in the pit and the ones who performed onstage in the party scene. We love this score from the portentous opening D minor chord to the cheerful closing ensemble. So how come we felt a sense of emptiness? With Joseph Colaneri on the podium, we expected more.  More what?  More color? Deeper probing of each character's music?  We still haven't figured it out. Perhaps it was just the entire feeling of alienation we felt from the production.

METROPOLITAN OPERA NATIONAL COUNCIL FINALS

MONC Finalists onstage at the Metropolitan Opera

It was a wild rollercoaster ride yesterday at The Metropolitan Opera when nine young singers competed in the MONC finals. Host Anthony Roth Costanzo, who won in 2009, made an excellent and witty host; he explained to the crowd of opera fans how the National Council is run by volunteers and about how rigorous the selection process is, narrowing down applicants in several stages.We were happy to hear that the competition is extending to include Mexico! There are so many fine voices coming from our southern neighbor!

We love so many things about this competition except for one issue which we will mention later. If you want to know which of the nine singers "won", you won't get that from us. For us, they are all winners.

We love that each singer gets two chances to show different aspects of their artistry. We love the fact that they get generous coaching. Each singer used the stage with "presence" and effectively conveyed the emotions of the character they were portraying. Everyone was linguistically adept. Although all are in their twenties, they are already singing around the world, winning competitions, and participating in young artist development programs. So, winning this competition is another feather in the cap and perhaps a step up on the path to stardom.

Here, we will issue a disclaimer. We confess to being partial to singers we "grew up with", those whom we have been reviewing for a few years. This means students from Juilliard and Manhattan School of Music; both schools were well represented as well they should be.

We are also more involved when a singer's repertory is consistent with our taste in opera, which favors the 19th c.  That being said, we make every effort to overcome our biases.  So here goes!

Knocking it out of the box was tenor Miles Mykkanen whose very unusual artistry has always delighted us at Juilliard and with New York Festival of Song. Mr. Mykkanen has sung some very unusual arias and duets that show off his unique personality. Yesterday his presentation was on the conservative side but the artistry survived intact. His "Kuda, kuda" from Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin plumbed the depths of Lensky's soul and left us with tears rolling down our face. He used the consonants well to project his gorgeous tone up and out. His Russian was impeccable.

We also loved his "Je crois entendre encore" from Bizet's Les Pécheurs du Perles which was delivered with long Gallic line and perfect French. The dynamics he chose were highly effective as was the vibrato. There was a decrescendo that spun out to a fine thread and high notes that floated up to the balcony and hung in the air. We scarcely breathed!

The bass fach was never one of our favorites, except for James Morris. That is until we heard William Guanbo Su at Manhattan School of Music.  Mr. Su is now at Juilliard and did credit to both institutions. The bass voice is considered to be a late maturing fach; we do expect there is a Wotan in his future. 

Yesterday he sang the rapid fire "Sorge infausta una procella" from Händel's Orlando and demonstrated plenty of flexibility in the embellishments, in spite of the substantial weight of his voice. Fortunately, his second selection "Vi ravviso" from La Sonnambula showed off his facility with Bellini's long legato lines which were beautifully phrased. We enjoyed hearing both sides of his artistry.

Meghan Kasanders, also known from many recitals at Juilliard, has a sizable soprano and "Dich, teure Halle" from Wagner's Tannhäuser revealed her Wagnerian promise with an heroic quality that never compromised the tender aspect. Her top notes soared and thrilled the ear.

We don't recall hearing her Russian before but she sounded superb in an aria from Tchaikovsky's Pique Dame which she brought to an expressive climax.

Tenor Dashuai Chen, also from Juilliard, is less well known to us but we found the sweetness of his instrument to be immensely appealing. In "Fra poco a me ricovero...Tu che a Dio spiegasti l'ali" from Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, he established his character in the recitativo and never let up. The performance was exquisitely modulated to evoke our sympathy.

In "Salut! demeure chaste et pure" from Gounod's Faust, his French flowed like miel and the delivery emphasized the character's motivation to seduce, rather than a tenor's grandstanding. We loved every minute!

Tenor Piotr Buszewski also has roots in Juilliard. His first selection was "Seul sur la terre" from Donizetti's Dom Sebastien, an aria with which we are not familiar. We loved the sweetness of his tone until he pushed on a few high notes. We enjoyed the way his voice played against the harp.

We preferred his second selection which was in Polish. We never heard Moniuszko's opera The Haunted Manor but we were inspired to learn about the opera; all we could find is that it is a romantic and patriotic comedy written in the 1860's, much loved in Poland but rarely produced outside of Poland. We would love to get one of our local opera companies to mount a production. (But where would they find all those Polish singers?) The melody was gorgeous, the orchestration colorful, the harmonies inventive, and Mr. Buszewski's delivery was stirring, even though we had no idea what it was about. Sometimes we just love the beauty of sound. 

Alaysha Fox is a soprano of great promise with a sizable instrument and fine dramatic instincts. We recently heard her at a salon which we enjoyed a great deal but admit to being unprepared for her artistry in a huge house like the Met. She was a highly persuasive Donna Anna in "Or sai chi l'onore" from Mozart's Don Giovanni.

Her second selection was "Ich ging zu ihm" from Korngold's Das Wunder der Heliane, another aria with which are unfamiliar. The overtones were bouncing around the Met in great profusion. It made us want to hear this opera.

Soprano Elena Villalón was the youngest singer of the group but already quite accomplished. She made a lovely Giulietta in "Oh! quante volte" from Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi. She and the harp made some lovely music, the harp with its arpeggi and Ms. Villalón with a lovely legato line. The coloratura was splendid and the embellishments in the final section very well handled.

We were even more impressed by Sophie's aria "Ich bin Euer Liebchen sehr verbunden" from Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier. Her voice literally sparkled and the top soared to the stratosphere.

Mezzo-soprano Michaela Wolz performed "Addio addio, o miei sospiri" from Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice with some thrilling melismatic singing. So much for Gluck's rebellion against ornamentation!

She delighted the audience with Stefano's aria "Que fais-tu blanche tourterelle?" from Gounod's Roméo et Juliette in which she pranced around the stage wielding an imaginary sword and created a very believable character. We have one quibble. If a female singer performs a breeches role wearing a man's suit, she shouldn't have to do it in pumps with heels!

Thomas Glass utilized a fine lyric baritone in the aria "Captain Ahab? I must speak with you". Although he made every word clear, he couldn't make us want to see this Jake Heggie opera Moby Dick. We cannot get a good idea of a singer's voice in English.

Fortunately, he turned to French for his second selection, the oft heard aria sung by Valentin in Gounod's Faust--"Avant de quitter ces lieux" which succeeded in giving us a better picture of his vocal assets. He created a long lyrical line even when the orchestra depicts a military march. He colored his voice differently for each section, which we appreciated.

Whilst the judges met to do their thing, bass-baritone Christian Van Horn, a winner from 2003 who is having a successful career at The Met, entertained us with "Ella giammai m'amo" from Verdi's Don Carlo. It was technically fine but failed to limn King Philip II's character, neither the evil filicidal side nor the pathetic whimper of an old man.

Maestro Carlo Rizzi's handling of the always wonderful Metropolitan Opera Orchestra was always brilliant. Whatever he asked for, they delivered.

And then...the "winners" were announced and this is the part where we tell you what we do not like about this competition. Five "winners" are announced and the other four are left hanging out to dry. If there were three winners chosen out of the nine it would not be so egregious. Just sayin'!

(c) meche kroop

A LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT

Meghan Kasanders and Maestro Barbara Hannigan onstage at Alice Tully Hall

Yesterday we enjoyed three musical events, back to back, at Juilliard, having decided that music feeds the soul even more than food feeds the body. It was a truly glorious day and indicated the depth and breadth of talent at Juilliard.

We began with a recital by bass William Guanbo Su who, in addition to finalizing his Master of Music degree from Juilliard, just advanced in the Metropolitan Opera National Council competition and has been sharing his artistry all over the map. We have followed Mr. Su since his undergraduate days at Manhattan School of Music and will never forget his performances as the Badger and the Parson in Janacek's Vixen Sharp-Ears.

We noted his facility with languages in his graduation recital, as well as the unique qualities of his instrument. We have been there for numerous galas in which his artistry was recognized and honored with prizes. This is an artist destined for major success.

In yesterday's recital, we saw another side of his artistry which confirmed our belief that American musical theater, when sung by operatically trained voices without amplification, is the direct descendant of European opera. In the second half of the recital, Mr. Su sang "Stars" from Claude-Michel Schönberg's Les Miserables and two selections from Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific. The performance was direct and communicative. We loved it!  We also enjoyed Eric Coates' "Bird Song at Eventide" from the early 20th c. Mr. Coates chose some lovely poetry which rhymed and scanned, thus being inspired to create a melodic vocal line. Richard Fu Yu's piano provided the birdsong.

Mr. Su has perfect English diction and made every word count. He also delighted the audience with his encore, sitting at the piano and accompanying himself as he sang a Mongolian folk song. We didn't know about his secret talent.

The communicative aspect that so delighted us in the second half of the program was impaired in the first half by the use of the detested music stand. No matter how hard a singer tries to communicate, the spell is broken when he glances down at the music. We are sure that Mr. Su's recent occupation with performing and competing was the cause but we couldn't help but feeling cheated out of our full enjoyment of our favorite two Bellini songs.

Truth to tell, we have never enjoyed Brahm's Vier ernste gesänge due to their unrelieved grimness but feel they were chosen to highlight Mr. Su's superb lower register. As far as Poulenc's cycle La Bestiare, he successfully met the challenge of the higher register but needed more variety. We found our attention wandering to the piano, as it does when the singer doesn't connect. We heard the variety we wanted in Mr. Yu's piano.

Because of the success of the second half of the recital, which was performed off the book, we left satisfied and ready for more music. It was my great good fortune to attend a vocal arts showcase directed by Jenny Lord. It is your misfortune that reviews are not permitted. Suffice it to say that the students involved introduced the several opera scenes and we were gloriously entertained. If you, dear reader, only knew how difficult it is not to review!

Coasting along on our musical high, we were treated to a marvelous concert by the Juilliard Orchestra, which responded brilliantly to the exciting double threat/double treat young conductor/soprano Barbara Hannigan. The concert grabbed our attention from the start and kept up momentum until the final note.

Richard Strauss' "Salome's Dance" from his opera Salome gets off to a frenzied start, well suited to Mo. Hannigan's energetic and poetic conducting style. The sensual Middle-Eastern melodies accompanying the dance were given to the flute and the percussion section provided the bombast. Although Mo. Hannigan did not shed any of her graceful chiffon attire, one could see that she was living through the dance. And the orchestra followed her lead.

Strauss' massive orchestra was reduced for Haydn's Symphony No. 96 in D Major, which stands as a lesson in the writing of a Classical symphony. The opening movement in Sonata-Allegro form introduced two contrasting themes, followed by an intricate development section in which one could still recognize the themes, prior to the recapitulation. A lilting Andante was followed by a charming Menuet in 6/8 time. The final sprightly movement--Vivace--was a perfect example of perpetuum mobile. When a long sweeping phrase occurred, Mo. Hannigan swept her arm in a long graceful arc.

Claude Debussy's "Syrinx" gave flutist Emma Resmini a chance to shine with pure tonal quality and lovely phrasing, not so different from the artistry of the singer.  In our mind's eye we visualized a mythical world of cavorting nymphs and satyrs. Without a break the Debussy led into what was, for us, the highlight of the evening.  Insert fanfare!

Soprano Meghan Kasanders sang in Finnish "Luonnotar", the opening verses of Jean Sibelius' tone poem based upon the Kalevala, a creation myth peculiar to that culture. As Ms. Kasanders neared the end, where the cracked shell of the seabird became the vault of heaven, her voice soared magnificently. Ms. Kasanders has always impressed us with the size of her voice and the manner in which she uses it.  What a treat that was! We were inspired to attend the upcoming Kulervo, performed by the Oratorio Society, wanting more of this glorious music.

We would have been content to have ended it at that glorious moment but there was one more piece on the program, Béla Bartok's Suite from The Miraculous Mandarin. This is a raucous and dissonant piece of music with a few graceful passages interspersed which were steeped in Oriental eroticism. Guess which parts we favored!

And so our long day and evening came to a glorious end with a renewed appreciation for Juilliard's glories.

(c) meche kroop

JUILLIARD HONORS BERNSTEIN AT CARNEGIE HALL

Onstage at Carnegie Hall:  Ryan McKinny, Aubrey Allicock, Paul Appleby, Amanda Lynn Bottoms, Naomi Louisa O'Connell, and Meghan Kasanders

It's aways gratifying to see a woman on the podium and last night's celebration of the Bernstein centennial put the renowned Marin Alsop up there to conduct an interesting program, which will be followed by a symposium today in Paul Hall at Juilliard from 3:00 to 6:00 PM. Maestro Alsop (a Juilliard alumna) is not only a fine conductor, judging by the sound of the always excellent Juilliard Orchestra, but a guiding light to the singers, as expressed by the singers themselves. Her presence on the podium was the right choice since she was one of Bernstein's best known pupils.

The part of the program we wish to focus on is Bernstein's Songfest, a compilation of a dozen songs, each from a different poet. Our enjoyment of the songs lay more in the performances than in the songs themselves. Our appreciation for "modern" poetry and the kind of music it inspires is somewhat deficient but our appreciation for a good delivery is unmatched. It seems to us that the training at Juilliard helps a singer to make sense of even the nonsensical. For this, we credit Steven Blier who has coached these singers (all students or alumni of Juilliard) for his New York Festival of Song. Last year at NYFOS we hear this Bernstein cycle reduced for piano by John Musto.

Unlike his tuneful and rhythmic music for Candide and West Side Story, many of the texts Bernstein set appear uninteresting on the page and don't seem to want to be set to music.  There were a few exceptions.

The 17th c. American poet Ann Bradstreet wrote an encomium to her spouse "To My Dear and Loving Husband", the rhyme scheme and rhythm of which inspired Bernstein to write our favorite selection of the dozen. Sung by soprano Meghan Kasanders and mezzo-sopranos Naomi Louisa O'Connell and Amanda Lynn Bottoms, the many layers of love and adoration filled our heart with joy, and maybe even a touch of envy for such all-encompassing adoration. This is a song we want to hear again and again.

Another song we enjoyed was the Edna St. Vincent Millay sonnet "What Lips My Lips Have Kissed".  Although Ms. Millay belongs clearly to the 20th c. the sonnet rhymes and scans and was a worthy candidate for setting. To hear it performed by Ms. Bottoms was an emotional experience, reminding one of the pain of loss. The metaphor of a lonely winter tree from which all the birds have flown was powerful.

Gertrude Stein's "Storyette H. M." although written in Stein's customary repetitive manner, made sense through the dramatic performance by Ms. Kasanders as the one who was left and bass Ryann McKinny as the one who was leaving. What an effective couple they made!

Ms. Kasanders had a strong solo in "A Julia de Burgos" which was sung in Spanish and invested with Latin rhythms as well.

The versatile tenor Paul Appleby has a way of interpreting contemporary American songs that sets him apart. We have no idea what Gregory Corso's "Zizi's Lament" meant by "laughing sickness", but no matter; the delivery was filled with humor and Bernstein employed a sinuously exotic melody to suggest  the Middle East. Bernstein's orchestration provided plenty of "laughing figures".

Mr. McKinny performed Walt Whitman's "To What You Said" against a background of plaintive strings. Ms. O'Connell performed Conrad Aiken's lament "Music I Heard with You" accompanied by a gorgeous harp solo. Their splendid voices fell beautifully on the ear.

We couldn't call the duet of baritone Aubrey Allicock and Ms. Bottoms "color blind" but that's a good thing in our opinion.  Mr. Allicock performed Langston Hughes "I, Too, Sing America" interweaved with Ms. Bottoms performance of June Jordan's "Okay 'Negroes'" was affecting. What was going through our head was the progress toward true equality that the poets could not imagine. Of course there is more work to be done in this area but progress is encouraging.

Mr. Allicock's solo "The Pennycandystore Beyond the El" tried to make something musical of the Lawrence Ferlinghetti text and succeeded beyond our expectations.

The ensemble of six sounded especially fine together, even in the odd Frank O'Hara text "To the Poem". Even odder was "if you can't eat you got to" with some wonderful sounds emanating from the tuba. Closing the set was Edgar Allan Poe's lengthy paean to the spirit "Israfel" who produces heavenly music, much like Orpheus.

We think of these six singers as incarnations of Orpheus!

(c) meche kroop

MAESTRO YANNICK NÉZET-SÉGUIN'S MASTER CLASS AT JUILLIARD

Jacob Scharfman, Onadek Winan, William Guanbo Su, Dominik Belavy, Kathryn Henry, Meghan Kasanders, John Chongyoon Noh and Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin (photos by Claudio Papapietro)

Yesterday's Master Class at Juilliard was somewhat of a departure from the typical master class for singers. The audience was welcomed by Brian Zeger, Artistic Director of the Vocal Arts Department. He prepared observers by saying that this would not be a one-on-one event with an individual getting coaching on a prepared aria. It would be a renowned conductor (Music Director elect of the Metropolitan Opera) teaching Juilliard Singers how to perform in an ensemble.

The Maestro is a highly engaging presence, filled with humor as well as prodigious artistic knowledge and experience; it was deeply satisfying to witness how the students trusted his judgment and followed his suggestions.

The highlight of the class was the septet from Act I of Mozart's Don Giovanni. This highly elaborate piece of writing makes different demands on each singer. Each character has a different intention.

Donna Anna (soprano Meghan Kasanders) and her intended Don Ottavio (tenor John Chongyoon Noh) are praying for divine protection in "Protegga il giusto cielo". The maestro suggested more direction from Ms. Kasanders. Donna Elvira (soprano Kathryn Henry) needed more "fire".

The rapid-fire duet between Don Giovanni (baritone Dominik Belavy) and Leporello (bass William Guanbo Su--being reviewed for the third time this week!) was greatly improved when the two of them got in rhythm and in tune with each other. 

Zerlina (soprano Onadek Winan) needed to exhibit repressed anger. Masetto (baritone Jacob Scharfman) was helped to get into character and coached to put different colors and emphasis on the repeated "Va bene!".

We confess that we were happy with the first run through but after hearing the improvements we were thrilled. The gifted pianist Michal Biel can always be counted on to accompany skillfully.

We also got to hear two different singers perform the roles of Donna Anna and Don Ottavio in their first act duet "Ma qual mai s'offre oh Dei...Fuggi crudele, fuggi". Their voices were magnificent! They were coached to trust Mozart's dynamics (didn't we just hear that at last night's master class?). Jinhee Park did her customary fine accompaniment on the piano.

Subtle changes can make a big difference and we agree with the maestro that the singer must draw people in. Much of the work was on using the breath to amplify the gestures.  Used judiciously, it can be used to highlight emotional breathlessness.

We also enjoyed the coaching for the marriage scene from Gounod's Roméo et Juliette. Soprano Tamara Banješević was encoouraged to be an excited 14 year old girl. The entire scene needed to be more intimate and less "ceremonial".  Vocal colors were encouraged to avoid a "four square" sound. Too many singers establish a color and then abandon it too soon. 

Bass Alex Rosen made a fine Friar Lawrence and tenor James Ley did well as Roméo with mezzo-soprano Myka Murphy portraying Gertrude. Art Williford accompanied beautifully.

The class closed with some questions from the audience and some general remarks from the maestro about how exceptional vocal and language preparation allows the singer the freedom to personalize his/her performance. The result is the alignment of heart and mind. We couldn't agree more!

(c) meche kroop

RUSSIAN DREAMS

Last night's Liederabend at The Juilliard School comprised an hour of Russian songs, curated and coached by Gina Levinson. It is hard to believe that our interest in Russian songs was late in arriving. We have become ardent fans recently; the more we hear of them the better we like them.  It didn't hurt to learn a few words in Russian so that the sound has become familiar to our ears.

The program was beyond wonderful and the artists who took part earned our attention, our affection, and our applause.  Speaking of applause, the members of the audience could not restrain themselves from applauding after each and every song.

What all the singers had in common was stage presence. Each one introduced him/herself with poise and told a little about the songs they would sing. This is a superb strategy to form a connection with the audience, one that is often omitted.

Tenor Joshua Blue and pianist Minjung Jung opened the program with a song by Mikhail Glinka who is considered the grandfather of Russian song. His work fits squarely into the style of the early 19th c. but is filled with Russian soul. Pushkin's text for "I remember that magical moment" conveys despair and the balm of a soothing memory.

Mr. Blue's sweet tenor falls pleasantly on the ear and his use of dynamic variety and vocal colors brought the song to vivid life. He seemed to caress each tone with ease, never pushing for volume or pitch.

He followed this with a pair of songs by Sergei Rachmaninov. "In the silence of the mysterious night" is very much a product of the turn of the 20th c. and also deals with memory.

From much later in Rachmaninov's career, we heard "Arion", the tale of a sailor who survived a storm by singing. The storm was beautifully reproduced by Ms. Jung on the piano, and Mr. Blue convinced us as a good story teller.

Next on the program was bass William Su with Katelan Terrell as his able piano partner.  Although the bass fach is a late blooming one, Mr. Su, whose graduation recital at Manhattan School of Music had impressed us greatly last Spring, seems to be developing at a rapid pace.

We heard four songs by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, whose Golden Cockerel we reviewed twice this year.  His works date from the second half of the 19th c. The first was about secret dreams and was quite lovely. The second one sets a beautiful stage for a rendezvous but ends with the poet being disappointed when the awaited one fails to appear.

The third song, "Lean thy cheek to mine" was both tender and passionate with text translated from Heinrich Heine. It was the fourth song that we loved the best. A lover singing to an unknown beloved is compared to a nightingale singing to an indifferent rose.  The melody to this song is distinctly Asiatic and haunting. The piano is given some gorgeous arpeggi and the conclusion is whistled! Boy, can William whistle!

We would not be left in a mournful mood however.  The conclusion of the set was Modest Mussorgsky's "Song of the flea". We imagine that this song-- about a king who adopted a troublesome flea that annoyed everyone at court--was a political parable. The humor was effectively conveyed by both Mr. Su and Ms. Terrell.

The concluding set was a cycle of songs by Dmitri Shostakovich, a 20th c. composer whose work has never thrilled us.  However, this cycle appealed to us quite a bit, especially as performed by soprano Meghan Kasanders, mezzo-soprano Myka Murphy, and tenor Chance Jonas-O'Toole. The rotating pianists were Candace Chien, Jinhee Park, and Richard Fu.

The cycle Jewish Folk Poetry, Op.79 comprises 11 songs, 10 of which were performed by the three singers in various combinations. Eight of the songs described all kinds of disappointments and sufferings with the final two describing happiness under Communism.  We speculated that this was written for political reasons.

We loved the sound of Ms. Kasanders and Ms. Murphy in the duets "Lament for a dead infant" and "A concerned mother and aunt".  In "Before a long separation", Ms. Kasanders is terribly troubled and Mr. Jonas-O'Toole tries to console her with joyful memories. By the end of the song their roles have reversed. The harmonies were exquisite and unusual with plentiful dissonance.

In "Winter" the three singers created the howling of the wind. On the whole, the cycle paints a grim picture of life on the shtetl--nothing like the joyous murals painted by Marc Chagall.

The hour flew by and we were left wanting more.  "Ochen harasho!" and a big "Spassiba" to the singers.

(c) meche kroop

POLISHING THE GEMS

Felicia Moore, Kady Evanyshyn, Ryan Hurley, and Äneas Humm

We think of Juilliard students as precious gems, already possessing beautiful color, clarity, and fine cut.  We think of the faculty as gemologists who refine and polish them.  Last night we heard a memorable recital celebrating Johannes Brahms (who merits even more celebration than he gets), performed by a dozen outstanding students of Edith Wiens who is polishing these gems in what must be a very special class. 

The excellent mountings for these gems were provided by pianists Michal Biel and Chris Reynolds, two collaborative pianists who always impress us with the degree to which they are tuned in to the singer and the song. The recital opened with a pair of Four-Hand Waltzes from Op. 39, No. 11 in B minor and No. 4 in E minor.  Even in a minor key Brahms' music has an inner joy for life that both pianist elucidated.

Following this we heard ten singers in one song each and two in a duet (and oh how we love duets!) German baritone Äneas Humm opened the program with "Mein Mädel hat einen Rosenmund" a delightful volkslied in which the charming Mr. Humm extolled the virtues of a woman, punctuated by his eyebrows. It was a real audience pleaser and set a very high standard for German diction which was almost equalled by those who followed.

Soprano Meghan Kasandera sang "Meine Liebe ist grün" with a bright resonance that tickled the ear.  The text was by Felix Schumann but to our ears it had the same quality as volklieder. We enjoyed this exuberant expression of young love.

Tenor Ryan Hurley employed his fine instrument with a sweetness that was just right for "Minnelied" (the one with text by Ludwig Hoity) which pays tribute to a woman.

Soprano Shereen Pimental captivated us with the captivating Ständchen (the one with text by Franz Kugler). Three students serenade a young woman and the warmth of Ms. Pimental's vibrato created a lovely atmosphere.

Mezzo-soprano Kady Evanyshyn has a richly textured instrument and a sincerity that was just right for "Kommt dir manchmal in den Sinn", yet another love song with text by Hugo Conrat.

Bass Alex Rosen has an expansive sound that suited the serious tone of the next lied, "O wüsst ich doch den Weg zurück", with text by Klaus Groth, expressing sehnsucht for a carefree childhood.

"Da unten im Tale" is another volkslied that we love and it was sung by mezzo-soprano Carlyle Cooney and bass Cameron Liflander.  If we are not mistaken, it is in Bavarian dialect.

A deeply felt performance of "Unbewegte laue Luft" was given by mezzo-soprano Kelsey Lauritano. Georg Daumer's text paints a word picture of peaceful nature inhabited by a man of not so peaceful desires. Ms. Lauritano painted an aural picture, beginning in stillness and ending with passionate intensity.

Tenor James Ley sang another song with text by Daumer--"Wie bist du meine Königen", yet another paean to a woman. He sang it ardently and we loved the way he colored the word "wonnevoll".

Mezzo-soprano Natalia Kutateladze connected deeply with "Sapphische Ode" in which the poet Hans Schmidt draw an analogy between the dew on a plucked rose and the tears of a lover. The melody is both erotic and exotic and Ms. Kutateladze captured the mood beautifully with a graceful decrescendo at the end.

Soprano Felicia Moore impressed us with her performance of the dramatic lied "Von ewiger Liebe" in which a young man worries about damaging his sweetheart's reputation but she reassures him of the strength of their bond. Poet Hoffman von Fallersleben's text gives the singer an opportunity to distinguish between the voices of the narrator, the boy, and the girl. Ms. Moore's total involvement with the text ended the first half of the program on a very high note.

The second half of the program comprised all 18 songs of Liebesliederwalzer, Op. 52. The work is not performed as often as we would like and we were thrilled to hear it so well sung by varying combinations of the singers of Ms. Wien's class. We particularly enjoyed the frisky "Ein kleiner, hübscher Vogel" sung by Ms. Kasanders, Ms. Evanyshyun, Mr. Ley, and Mr. Humm.  

We also singled out the ironic "Nein, es ist nicht" and "Schlösser auf" sung by Ms. Moore, Ms. Lauritano, Mr. Ley, and Mr. Rosen.

It was an evening filled with incomparable pleasure. Brahms' output of lieder is almost as vast as that of Schubert and, mixed in with our favorites were several new ones to be discovered. The singers sang in excellent German and with a great deal of spirit.  That must be some class!

(c) meche kroop