WHAT A FINALE!

Directors Marc Verzatt and Brittany Goodwin taking a bow with participants of IVAI

We were completely bowled over last night at the second and final evening of opera duets, trios, and ensembles. In the week we attended we witnessed something akin to a miracle--the transformation of a group of somewhat insecure and unsteady young artists into fully fledged performers. Perhaps all the requisite skills were there just waiting to be brought out. And brought out they were!

Much credit must be given to coaches Joan Dornemann, Jane Steele, Pei-Wen Chen, and Dura Jun and to the teachers on the faculty whom we never met; there is no doubt in our mind that they kept the students busy with constant lessons and coachings which we did not observe. What we did observe were the juicy fruits of their labor, tastefully arranged for our delectation by directors Brittany (Bea) Goodwin and Marc Verzatt who, without sets or costumes, created meaningful onstage interaction.

There were a number of instances in which we learned something new about characters that are customarily portrayed in a "stock" fashion. Let us provide a couple examples. In the card reading scene from Bizet's Carmen, our doomed heroine (the marvelous mezzo-soprano Jihyun Choi) was set on stage right brooding whilst Frasquita (lovely soprano Hanna Lee) and Mercedes (marvelous mezzo Xiaohan Chen) were having a gay time talking about their future fortunes and upcoming romances. This contrast emphasized the tragedy to come.

There's an even more poignant example from the same opera. Country girl Micaela is usually portrayed rather blandly, as an oblivious innocent. Last night, the way soprano Miriam Chaudoir portrayed her, she sensed, by his indifferent embrace, that Don José (Alonzo Jordan Lopez) was not really present for her. He sings of his joy in hearing from his mother and she sings along but you could tell from her facial expression and body language that she was hurting. She wanted him to sing about his joy in seeing her! This subtle difference made Micaela a complete character, not just a plot device.

In Rossini's Semiramide, the deluded title character, portrayed by soprano Melanie Spector, indicated by her posture and the imperious way she held her head that she couldn't even imagine that Arsace would prefer another. We might add here that Ms. Spector's coloratura fireworks were never impaired by the acting but rather served to illuminate Semiramide's character. Furthermore, Keymon Murrah's countertenor was superbly employed and one could read on his face his discomfort around the heroine's expectations. The two voices sounded so perfect together that we cannot imagine Arsace performed in a different fach.

Soprano Julia Katherine Walsh tackled Lucia's "mad scene" with relish and complete dramatic abandon while maintaining fine control over the vocal fireworks. She has resonance to spare in the high-flying tessitura that sent overtones bouncing around the room. Through her eyes we could see all of her frightening hallucinations. What a performance! 

Juliet Morris created an imperious Queen of the Night from Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, one that wielded authority without benefit of extravagant makeup and costuming. It was all done with posture, gesture, and vocalism. Ms. Morris really knew what she was singing about, making every word count.

The final scene not only knocked our socks off but also our shoes! We were completely unfamiliar with Rossini's Otello and are sure it would have been a major member of the current repertory, had not Verdi undertaken to write his Otello. What a treat to hear scenes from two serious Rossini operas in one night! 

Soprano Jaeyeon Kim was incredibly touching as the frightened Desdemona, singing the heavily embellished vocal line with flexibility and the most gorgeous timbre. In a world in which sopranos sound so much alike, it was a special experience for us to hear a unique instrument. As the jealous Otello, tenor Eduardo Belmonte was threatening and scary, without any holding back. The scene gave ample opportunity for him to show off a strong and full middle voice.

From Puccini's audience pleaser La Bohême, we heard "O soave fanciulla" sung by soprano Clara Iranzo and tenor Eduardo Belmonte. Was it the excellent direction that made their romance seem so very real? Or was it the fact that they are a couple? Like Oscar in Ballo in Maschera, we know but won't tell!

A scene from Puccini's La Rondine was charmingly executed with tenor Nicolas Gerst taking the role of the poet Prunier, starting "Il bel sogno di Doretta" with Ms. Irazo's Magda taking over. In attendance were a group of gossiping friends (Mithuna Sivaraman, Nicole Karrs, and Michelle Encarnacion Pozo) and a finely drawn Lisette (the maid) enacted by Angela Candela. She was so compelling in the role that we wanted to see the scene in the café dansant! She is one of those "stage animals" that can lose herself in any one of a number of characters.

We loved the scene from Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia in which Rosina beats Figaro to the punch. He is clever but she is still more clever. "Dunque io son" was given a humorous performance by mezzo-soprano Cloe San Antonio who is blessed with one of those distinctive voices of true mezzo timbre, flexibility in the fioritura, and a charming stage presence. Her chemistry with baritone Robbie Raso as Figaro was pure delight. We think this role suits him to a "T", giving ample opportunity for acting as well as singing.

From Massenet's Manon we enjoyed the scene in which the now-sophisticated heroine is enjoying some gambling with her fancy friends the "party girls", portrayed by Yingjie Zhou, Olesia Verzole, and Wenjie Zhang. They enjoyed being louche and we enjoyed their enjoyment. The harmonies were exquisite and the French was just fine.

More Massenet followed with a scene from his Cendrillon in which Prince Charmant (the ardent mezzo Heather Jones) becomes enraptured by the title character (soprano Lauren Curet) who sang with brightness and clarity. True to Massenet, the harmonies were again exquisite and no one failed their French.

Finally, we saw an appealing scene from Mozart's singspiel Die Entführung aus dem Serail. The two sopranos (Sarah Heilman and Hyune Kwon) and two tenors (Masachika Watanabe and Zachary Sebek) made some gorgeous harmonies together. It pleased us to see Mozart's genius with contrasting vocal lines so well executed.

This astonishing evening was, for us, the capstone of a wonderful ten days, although there will be one more performance--an evening of American song. We would like to point out that the youngest participant was but 18 years old and several of them are still undergraduates whilst others have completed advanced degrees. Obviously, the 50 participants began the program at varying levels of expertise but they all made a giant step forward. After a brief recess, the Institute will take place in Montreal. We wish we could be a "camp follower"!

(c) meche kroop

WIN-WIN

The excellent artists of the International Vocal Arts Institute 

onstage at Mannes College of Music

It has become a yearly event that we look forward to every June--Joan Dornemann's International Vocal Arts Institute in residence for ten days at Mannes College of Music. Last night we wrote about Diana Soviero's brilliant master class and tonight we attended a concert of arias performed by the students. It was particularly interesting to hear singers we heard last night to evaluate how well they incorporated  what they learned. For some, it was too soon to telp but one soprano stood out.

Melanie Spector was last on the program last night but the first to come to mind since she took what she learned about breathing and let the sound fly. She performed Norina's scene from Donizetti's Don Pasquale with a voice twice the size of what we heard at the master class. Furthermore, she demonstrated an understanding of the text and a lot of personality. The ascending and descending scales were beautifully rendered, as was the trill.

This opera is full of humor and charm and we enjoyed baritone Gabriel Garcia's Dr. Malatesta as he tries to sell Don Pasquale on his so-called sister, the aforementioned Norina. His baritone has a nice texture and pleasing tone.

Donizetti was quite popular in this concert. We were thrilled hearing mezzo-soprano Jihyun Choi who performed "O mio Fernando" from La Favorita. Her intense involvement in the role pulled us right in. There was a lovely contrast between the legato of the cantabile and the animated cabaletto.

From the master's L'Elisir d'Amore, tenor Eduardo Belmonte performed "Una furtiva lagrima" with sincerity of feeling and generosity of spirit. He has a graceful crescendo which opens up his voice beautifully.

From the same opera, tenor Zachary Sebek lent his sweet tone to Nemorino's other aria "Quanto è bella". When he lets go of the piano and steps forward toward the audience he comes across much better.

Donizetti also set operas in French and Fille du Regiment is a favorite. Tenor Nicolas Gerst bravely tackled "Ah! Mes amis...pour mon âme" with some fine French and a lovely descending portamento at the end.

We do believe French is more difficult to sing than Italian but all of the students excelled. Soprano Hyune Kwon performed "Je suis Titania" from Ambroise Thomas' Mignon, an opera we have never seen. Her coloratura was excellent with fine execution of the fioritura; the upper register had an appealing bright tone. We wanted her to let go of the piano and act the part. The character Philine is an actress after all!

Édouard Lalo came along a generation later and his Le Roi d'Ys is high on our list after hearing tenor Yunxuan Zhu perform Mylio's aubade to his bride. We liked the timbre of his voice and his ardent delivery. Lalo's music is as melodic and rhythmic as one would wish. We'd like to hear more!

Massenet came along shortly thereafter and, although we are familiar with his more serious operas, hearing soprano Angela Candela sing Chérubin's Act I aria "Je suis gris" from his light hearted  opera of the same name made us want to hear the whole opera. We think singers love doing scenes of intoxication the way actors crave death scenes. Ms. Candela chewed up the non-existent scenery and created the character before she even began to sing. We loved it!

As an aside, several composers have tried to continue what Mozart and Rossini started with mixed results. We liked Corigliano's The Ghosts of Versailles and we hated Milhaud's La mère coupable.

But in telling the tale of the Almavivas, nothing can compare with Mozart's Nozze di Figaro and we enjoyed Cherubino's aria "Voi che sapete" sung by mezzo-soprano Heather Jones who showed that she knew what she was singing about. We remember Ms. Jones well from her performances with Cantanti Project, Light Opera of New York, and Mannes Opera.

From his Don Giovanni,  soprano Jaeyeon Kim gave a convincing portrayal of Donna Anna in "Crudele...Non mi dir". There was a good contrast between the legato and the fioritura. We appreciated that she stepped forward from the security of the piano and connected with the audience.

We found plenty of other works to enjoy from the Baroque and Classical periods.

From Händel's Giulio Cesare, soprano Mithuna Sivaraman tackled the long and difficult aria "Da tempeste il legno infranto" and wrestled it to the ground. We loved Cleopatra's enthusiasm expressed through accurate coloratura that served the text. Her performance reminded us of how much we enjoyed her performances with Cantanti Projects and New Camerata Opera.

From his Rinaldo, we heard the famous "Lascia ch'io pianga" given a splendid performance by soprano So-Chung Shinn who conveyed Almirena's grief by means of vocal artistry and facial expression. We would like to see her add some involvement with her body as well which would necessitate letting go of the piano! The embellishments in the return were finely rendered.

In the opera canon, Haydn is kind of a wild card. Baritone Luka Jozic conveyed the joy of a happy farmer in "Schon eilet froh der Akersmann" from Die Jahreszeiten, and he did it in good crisp German.

Sarah Heilman's German was also fine in "Ach, ich liebte" from Die Entführung aus dem Serail. Her bright tone was notable in the upper register.

We are looking forward to a performance of Carl Maria von Weber's Der Freischutz next season and got a good preview when soprano Hanna Lee performed Ännchen's aria "Einst träumte meiner sel'gen Base". This character has a lot of personality and Ms. Lee captured all the nuances as she related her scary dream to Agatha the bride. She had no problem establishing the character by means of expression and gesture. It was a treat.

We have saved for last the aria "My Darling Jim" from Tom Ciupullo's Glory Denied. This is one of those prosey arias that amounted to a weather report, apparently from a wife to her husband who is fighting in the Vietnam War. Soprano Jessica Bayne employed perfect diction and appeared involved but we were bored. This is generally the case with contemporary opera with which we rarely can relate. We crave melody!

The excellent accompanists for the evening were Jestin Pieper and Pei-Wen Chen.

Next week will bring another concert of arias and two recitals of opera scenes, all of which we intend to attend. The win-win situation here is that the students at the institute get an opportunity to perform and the audience gets a thrilling evening of singing, without cost. Do come!  You won't be disappointed.

(c) meche kroop

e

WORK OR FUN?

Pei-Wen Chen, Joan Dornemann, Melanie Spector, Diana Soviero, Emilia Poma, Cloe San Antonio, Jennifer Jaroslavsky,
Zachary Sebek, and Clara Iranzo

We have lost count of all the master classes we have attended. We have noted that each master teacher brings something else to the table. Some focus on role interpretation, some on language skills, some on stage presence, and other aspects of performance.

Last night, as part of the International Vocal Arts Institute at Mannes College for Music, we became acquainted with the unique style of superstar soprano Diana Soviero. Ms. Soviero is a "character" and we mean this in the best possible way. She is fearless in her attempt to get her students on the right pathway, even at the expense of making funny faces and saying funny things, and contradicting "received wisdom".

The true measure of her method is the change in the sound of the students. The six people we heard were all excellent to start out with but achieved a far fuller sound under her tutelage. We would say that they did the work and we had the fun but, truth to tell, they seemed to be having as much fun as we did. Ms. Soviero stands right next to the student and moves their arms, conducting them as they sing. 

Rather than describe what each one sang, we will share with you some of the valuable tips we gleaned. We confess that some of the tips exceeded our modest understanding but most of them made sense to anyone with a basic knowledge of vocal production.

Before the singing began, the arrival of a few latecomers became an opportunity to tell the singers to never turn their backs to the audience but to stand and wait, in character, until the audience settles down. She also pointed out how the orchestral introduction tells the singer when and how to begin. Never begin by belting the note but slide into it.

Of course, everything starts with the breath and most singers have an unclear picture of the role of the diaphragm and have been ill-advised to "push the breath". Ms. Soviero is careful not to label anything as "wrong" but prefers to call things "misunderstood". One way to keep the larynx and diaphragm down while going up is to try to lift the piano!

Some of the singers needed to be told not to hold back but to send the sound out. We have always heard the instructions to send the voice forward but her instructions were often to send it back. For our understanding, this would require a bit more explanation but it certainly made a positive difference. 

To achieve a diminuendo, she instructed the student to send the sound out with energy so it vibrates, and then to bring it back in. Another tip for a dry mouth is to suck in on your cheeks.  That's one we never heard before!

In a trill, the singer should put the lower note on the beat. That was a good one!

Since the tongue connects with the larynx, it is important to avoid mouth positions that tense the tongue. The upper molars should be well separated from the lower ones. "Nyeh, nyeh" is a good way to find the right place for the tongue.

It isn't necessary to open the mouth wide to get a big sound. We've never heard a teacher focus on the embouchure but she described the upper lip as a steering wheel that directs the sound. Singers should be careful about jutting the jaw forward.

Before going higher, lift the palate first. 

To find the center of the pitches one can practice humming them first. Hum the upward jump, then open the mouth. Keep the vowel in place for upward leaps.

Much of this comes from the Garcia technique, of which we have never heard; but since it worked so well for these six singers it would be valuable to learn more about it.

Beyond the technical aspects there were a couple acting strategies that we'd like to share. In "Stridono lassù", the soprano should not keep looking up. A flock of birds doesn't remain overhead, they sweep across the sky. The singer can follow them just for a brief moment only! We never heard that before but it makes so much sense.

Also in Pagliacci, when Arlecchino serenades Columbina, he should be very relaxed and can . "tune the lute" before he begins to sing. It's these little gestures that make a performance believable and we were so glad to be made aware of them.

We expect big things from these six promising young singers!

We plan on attending the concerts of arias and opera scenes for the rest of this 10-day institute about which we have written a great deal in the past.  So should you!  Particulars are on the IVAI website.

(c) meche kroop

DON da DON DON

Melanie Spector, Gabe Reitemeier, Yeseul Choi, Laura Alley, Maestro Steven Crawford,  Joshua DeVane, YoungKwan Yoo, Nam Won Huh, and Matthew Greenberg

Seeing and hearing young artists onstage and forgetting that they are "young artists" is a special treat we experience when attending one of Prelude to Performance's productions. Given a professional production and the right coaching the young artists who have completed this program are uniformly excellent in both musical and dramatic values. Happily, the productions are generally traditional, just the way we like them.

In the case of Donizetti's Don Pasquale, director Laura Alley created a comic drama with a successful overall arc; each individual scene was as coherent as a well written phrase of music. There was undeniable rhythm to the performance, and loads of laughs. Replete with duets and a stunning quartet, the score invites such effective direction.

We noticed a theme to this season's productions.  Both of the eponymous heroes are older men who lust after younger women. Both stories involve their humiliation and reformation. Both stories make them likeable by the time the curtain falls. This isn't just in the libretto but in the music and the dramatic skills of the singer portraying them. In the Falstaff we just reviewed, José Maldonado made the Fat Knight seem loveable at the end, and last night, Joshua DeVane's remarkable performance made us care about poor Don Pasquale.

This theme dates back to commedia dell'arte in which the foolish old man was a stock character. We can't help thinking that we never lose our desire for love and "dirty old men" need love too.

Another stock character is the wily doctor and YoungKwan Yoo was a fine choice for the role of Dr. Malatesta as he plans some trickery to get Don Pasquale to give up on wanting a wife and to let Ernesto marry his beloved Norina.

Of course, the audience is rooting for the success of the young lovers and ready to forgive the three conspirators for their misdeeds. Yeseul Choi made a splendid Norina. We loved the scene in which Dr. Malatesta coaches her on how to act modest and shy like the cloistered sister whom he is passing her off as.  

Another favorite moment is the one in which Norina slaps Pasquale and realizes she has gone too far. One could readily read the shame on Ms. Choi's face and understand so much of her character. Sometimes we do shameful things in pursuit of our goals-- so we get it.

Ms. Choi's musicality was in evidence throughout but really dazzled us in the final scene in which Donizetti provided the soprano with plenty of vocal fireworks, all excellently sung.

NamWon Huh made a very convincing Ernesto, basically a good fellow and loyal to his beloved, but rather entitled. He created a believable character and sang well in the lower and middle register, evincing a lovely messa di voce. To bring his performance up to a "10", he will have to learn to float his top notes. Nothing mars an otherwise fine performance than a tenor who thinks he must push out the top notes at top volume.  Float 'em baby, float 'em!

Gabe Reitemeier created a very funny bit as the notary. Pasquale's servants were performed by Melanie Spector and Matthew Greenberg.

Maestro Steven Crawford led a spirited reading of the tuneful score. From the melodic cello solo in the overture, we knew we were in good hands. There was a brief moment in the prelude to Act II when the strings had some intonation problems but we are sure it had to do with the heat and humidity since we ourselves felt a bit unstrung. 

As usual, Charles R. Caine's costumes were perfect, especially the red velvet gown worn by Ms. Choi as she was leaving for the theater. Steven Horak's excellent wig and costume design allowed us to see the handsome young Mr. DeVane transformed into an elderly man,. Of course, Mr. DeVane's acting sealed the deal. It was very humorous to watch him trying to pick up a barbell with arthritic knees and spine, but to witness how he perked up when Dr. Malatesta told him a wife had been found.

We ourself perked up from our heat-driven lethargy and found ourself dancing and humming on the way home.

(c) meche kroop