BEST. CARMEN. EVER.

Avery Amereau and Victor Starsky

We realize that calling New York Opera Exchange's Carmen the best Carmen ever is quite an extravagant statement. But this is the first time we have been totally absorbed in a production from the opening note of the overture until Carmen dies in the arms of her lover and murderer Don José. We have seen and heard this opera dozens of time and are usually quite restless by Act IV and have been known to mutter sotto voce "Kill her already!"

Let us first give credit where credit is due. To begin with, the role of the eponymous heroine was brilliantly sung and acted. Mezzo-soprano Avery Amereau has a thrillingly dark instrument and employs it so effectively that one is never aware of the technique, only aware that she is completely in the moment and giving 110%. After the first couple minutes we forgot that her fine-featured face looks nothing like that of a gypsy. The way she used her body embodied the free-spirited and rebellious nature of the character in a way never before seen by us. It surely came from a deep inner place and was not, as with most Carmens, a case of "acting sexy".

Secondly, we credit the director Matt Dickson who, surprisingly, is new to the world of opera. He apparently applied everything he knew from the world of theater without interfering with the singers' ability to function vocally. There were countless examples of stage business that supported the interactions of the characters and also served to establish the cultural milieu in which the characters were interacting.

This was an authentic Carmen, true to time and place. (We loathed the Carmen set in the 1950's and had no use for the one set in Franco's Spain.) In this corner of Seville, in this particular production, there was tension between the townspeople and the military; they tolerated one another but there was the feeling that a simple confrontation could erupt at any moment into a conflagration. This atmosphere of tension reflected and contributed to the tension between the characters.

Thirdly, we credit the superlative conducting of Alden Gatt. The full-sized orchestra was placed in front of the audience and during the prelude we had a moment's concern about the volume but Maestro Gatt wisely balanced the sound so that it supported the singers and never drowned them out. The flute and oboe solos were particularly lovely.

Tenor Victor Starsky made a fine Don José who grew in dimension as the story progressed. He began as a rather buttoned-up fellow with his future already determined. As Carmen wove her spell upon him he became expressive, conflicted, passionate, and insanely jealous. By Act IV, he had completely decompensated--wild-eyed, wild-haired and desperate. His Act II aria "La fleur que tu m'avais jetée" was stellar.

The role of Micaëla, the sweet innocent girl whom Don José is supposed to marry, was winningly performed by soprano Kaley Lynn Soderquist whose bright lovely instrument was perfect for the role. Her Act III aria "Je dis que rien ne m'épouvante" was a convincing blend of terror, courage and faith.

Bass-baritone Kian Freitas sang the role of Escamillo and sang it well but could have used more arrogance in his voice and in his body language. We had the same observation of one of the last Escamillos we saw at the Met. We want to see a torero who struts around with shoulders back and head held high, signalling confidence.

As Carmen's two friends Frasquita and Mercedes, we were very pleased with the performances of NYOE favorite Nadia Petrella who has a fine bright soprano just right for the part of Frasquita and mezzo Kate Farrar who made an excellent Mercedes. For some reason, Costume Designer Taylor Mills, who did a splendid job on all the other costumes, dressed these two singers in hideous short satin skirts and street shoes, even as they trekked up the mountains. Give those girls some boots!

We further enjoyed tenor James Grandjean as Le Remendado and baritone Andrew Luzania as Le Dancairo. The Act II ensemble when these smugglers are making their plans with the women "Nous avons en tête une affaire" was excellently harmonized.

Bass Costas Tsourakis made a suitably repellent Zuniga with a nice booming sound and baritone Jonathan Christopher was fine as Morales.

The chorus of townspeople contributed to the proceedings and managed to distinguish themselves as individuals, thanks to the good stage direction. The children's chorus had only one young man and it was a bit strange to see a group of female children imitating soldiers.

The set by Gabriel Firestone was simple but effective and was lit by Kimberlee Hurley.

Georges Bizet composed Carmen in 1875 with a libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy for the Opéra Comique in Paris. It had spoken dialogue and was presented as music theater. It was considered scandalous because of the sexuality and violence. It later came to be considered grand opera with the addition of accompanied recitativi by Ernest Guiraud. It has been a favorite in the canon ever since.

It was brave of NYOE to tackle such a work but we were thrilled with the intimacy and never missed the parade of picadors in Act IV or the mountains in Act III. With acting and singing this good, the imagination supplies the rest.  We have watched NYOE grow over the past few years; the quality keeps improving. We have seen the future of opera in New York City and it's looking great.

(c) meche kroop

THE MAGIC OF THE FLUTE

The Three Spirits:  Lorenzo Jordan, Cecilia Antonelle and Elizabeth Sharp

If you read this in time you can still see New York Opera Exchange's charming production of Mozart's Magic Flute Sunday at 3PM at All Souls Unitarian Church.  You will thank us for the recommendation.  Artistic Director Justin Werner, Musical Director Alden Gatt and Director Andreas Hager are responsible for bringing this work to the stage with a fresh spirit that left the young audience smiling and enlightened as to what opera can be.  It thrilled us to see several hundred young people filling the acoustically excellent church and enjoying themselves so much.

We do not mean to imply that Mr. Hager has burdened the familiar work with a far-out unworkable concept; rather he has mounted a traditional production with thought-provoking psychological insight.  Pamina, sung by the always excellent and beautiful Margaret Newcomb, is a troubled child of divorced parents who, at one point, is ready to kill herself until the three adorable spirits pictured above dissuade her with gorgeous harmony and persuasive words.

Father Sarastro, well sung and acted by bass-baritone Javier Ortiz, is pompous, controlling, self-righteous, sexist and insufficiently protective of his daughter, leaving her vulnerable to the amorous advances of Monastatos, tenor Victor Starsky.  Mother Queen of the Night,  high-flying coloratura soprano Julie Norman, has the advantage of having earned her daughter's love and being eager to help her to a worthy husband; she dispatches the importunate Monastatos with a wave of the hand, injuring him exactly where potential rapists should be hurt.  But, she is undone by her vengefulness when she tries to get Pamina to kill her father.

Instead of casting Tamino as a tall handsome prince, he is seen as a chubby pubescent boy (fine tenor Joseph Palarca) who is still playing with stuffed animals at bedtime.  But when he falls asleep his dream-life is filled with the characters of the opera as he enters the phase of life called "growing up". 

If there is a star-turn in the opera, it is the Papageno of Paull-Anthony Keightley, an Australian baritone who knows just how to use his expressive face and flexible body to create an original version of this lovable character. The "birds" he catches are girls!   He shows Tamino a Playboy centerfold, thus providing the impetus for the boy to shift his attention from stuffed animals to a beautiful girl.  Not to worry about bringing the kids; this centerfold is fully dressed!  Happily, Papageno gets his Papagena at the end, the lovely soprano Anna Richardson.

From here on in, Tamino continues on his journey to young adulthood, armed with his rescue fantasy.  With the help of Papageno, a gift-wrapped magic flute and magic bells, and the guidance of the three spirits, he is able to find the girl of his dreams and endure the trials that will lead to his enlightenment.  To be a man, he must learn to be steadfast, silent and patient.

The three ladies (lots of threes appear in this Freemasonry-inspired tale with libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder) are very nicely sung indeed by sopranos Amanda Matson and Jennifer Russo with big beautiful Helena Brown taking the mezzo part.  Their voices are superbly balanced creating gorgeous harmonies.  Bass-baritone Victor Clark took the role of the Speaker and Scott Ingham distinguished himself as an Armored Man whose tenor soared above the orchestra.

Not only were all the singers first-rate but the New York Opera Exchange Orchestra, comprising 31 astute musicians, were guided into a performance Mozart himself would have approved.  We would be remiss not to mention the principal flutist A. Lish Lindsey.  Magic flute indeed.

Costumes by Joel Yapching were clever.  Papageno was dressed like Tony the Tiger; Tamino wore odd pajama pieces, Pamina wore a black corset and sheer skirt, the Queen of the Night had an other-worldly headpiece, Monastatos wore white athletic gear, and the three young spirits were dressed as school kids with back packs.  We were puzzled that Papagena had a feathered cape and cap when Papageno bore no feathers.  We also wondered why the members of Sarastro's community all wore dark glasses.  There was a scene in which donning the dark glasses symbolized enlightenment; this seemed rather counter-intuitive.

Set design was by Lucas Womack and could not have been more simple--just a bed for Tamino to fall asleep on and later for Pamina to occupy in the room in which she must fight off Monastatos.  The pulpit and the stairs leading up to it were employed as needed.  German diction was mostly good and, if you were German speaking, you could definitely understand without the titles.

We understand that this singspiel was originally created by a talented troupe in a low-rent theater and made a big hit.  Well, we are happy to report that in over 200 years talented small companies are still doing the same thing!

© meche kroop

ROMEO AND JULIET FOR TODAY

Scott Ingham and Kendra Berentsen-photo by Jacob Lopez

In Shakespeare's play, we are moved by the language; in Sir Kenneth MacMillan's ballet, the choreography gives us thrill after thrill; in Charles Gounod's opera Roméo et Juliette, the music goes straight to the heart.  As presented by the New York Opera Exchange this past weekend, we were presented with a modern dress version performed by some superb young artists and the New York Opera Exchange Orchestra, conducted by David Leibowitz.

Gounod's music always relates to the emotions of the scene and serves to augment the feelings.  The overture is portentous and has some interesting fugue-like figures originating with Concertmaster Suxiao Sue Yang.  We want to commend the chorus (comprising singers with smaller roles) for such fine diction.  French is one of the more difficult languages to sing clearly and, in this case, every word was understood.  We wondered who coached them--perhaps Music Director Alden Gatt?

We were very impressed with soprano Kendra Berentsen who made an innocent and vulnerable Juliette, expressing her emotions with a room-filling sound and beautiful phrasing.  The challenging aria "Je veux vivre" is filled with trills, thrills and scales, none of which daunted her; her easeful upper register resonated gloriously.  The harmonies with her Roméo were delightful and emphasized the chemistry between the two.  Tenor Scott Ingham was superb in that role, demonstrating a powerful sound and some top-notes that were free of the strain so often heard in young tenors.  We loved his "Ah! Lève-toi soleil". We eagerly awaited the softer orchestral passages in the final scene in order to hear what he sounded like at reduced volume.

Special mention must be made of baritone Nicholas A. Wiggins who performed the role of Mercutio as well as we have ever heard it.  The "Ballad of Queen Mab" was superb.  Mezzo Rebecca Henry made the most of her role as Gertrude, Juliet's nurse.  Initially she was quite disapproving of her charge's romance but she comes around to a place of empathy.  In the pants role of Stephano, mezzo Sarah Miller gave a spirited performance and sang "Que fais-tu blanche tourtourelle?" with a lovely sound and fine vibrato.

Bass-baritone Colin Whiteman was fine as Frère Laurent, Victor Starsky sang the role of Tybalt, Joseph Palarca performed the role of Benvolio, Joseph Beckwith was a kindly father Capulet and Javier Ortiz was Paris.

We were delighted to observe the youthful nature of the audience; perhaps they related more to the contemporary clothing (costumes?).  We, sadly, did not.  The story is a window into another century and another country.  It could not have happened in the USA in present times.  We did not miss the swordplay but we did miss the authenticity.  For example, a sleeping potion would not be given by a cleric to his parishioner whereas a friar would have known all about herbs and potions.  Similarly we found the bizarre headdresses used to replace the masks at the ball to be a distracting touch; indeed Juiette was obliged to wear a schooner on her head!  But these are minor quibbles when the overall production and musical values were so excellent.  The production was directed by Andreas Hager.  We are looking forward to Die Zauberflöte in February!

© meche kroop

DON GIOVANNI AS POLITICIAN

The cast of Don Giovanni--New York Opera Exchange

In New York Opera Exchange's radical new production of Mozart's opera Don Giovanni, the eponymous "hero" is reimagined as a politician in l963.  His sense of entitlement is the same as it was centuries earlier and the media have not yet taken control of the daily dissemination of political scandals.  Men of power take what they want just because they can.

How successful is Director Jennifer Shorstein's concept?  Measured by the rapt attention of the audience, which comprised mainly 20-somethings, the production is a roaring success.  We did not observe the texting that takes place regularly at The Metropolitan Opera; cell phones were whipped out only during intermission.  We wondered whether it was the immediacy of the performance, the intimacy of the space or the youth of the artists.  Surely, few members of the audience had been born a half century ago and yet they seemed to relate.

Still, there are a few wrinkles that might bother a veteran opera goer who has seen Don G. more times than there are women he has seduced.  When a story is updated, there are generally conflicts between the libretto (Da Ponte's) and what happens onstage.  Supertitles (credited to Danielle Bendjy) dealt with the discrepancy by substituting the words that described what was happening onstage, i.e. "cavalieri" became "politician".  Audience members who understand Italian may be thrown off by this strategy but we doubt whether anyone cared.  People died, whether by sword or pistol.

We further doubt that anyone noticed a missing aria or the missing onstage ensemble in the ballroom scene.  Nor did anyone get the joke during the penultimate scene when Don G. is listening to arias from Nozze di Figaro.  None of this matters.  What counts is that young people were enjoying themselves and new opera lovers were being born.  We were overjoyed to see this.

Also adding to our pleasure is the knowledge that emerging artists are given an opportunity to add roles to their resumés as well as the opportunity to perform with full orchestra, just as Mozart wrote it, only with keyboards substituting for harpsichord continuo.  Maestro David Leibowitz conducted the New York Opera Exchange Orchestra, the only community orchestra focused solely on operatic repertoire.  We feel quite confident that as the relationship progresses, problems of balance between sections of the orchestra and between orchestra and singers will be on the upswing.

And what about those singers!  The three women had very different types of soprano voices, a real benefit in a vocal world where so many sound alike.  Kaley Lynn Söderquist was an excellent Donna Anna and was particularly lovely in "Non mi dir", with fine phrasing, evenness throughout her range and easily understood Italian.  Rebecca Shorstein has a darker soprano and threw herself into the role of the desperate Donna Elvira with gusto and a fine vibrato; we liked her "Mi tradì", although in Act I she was occasionally overwhelmed by the orchestra, as was Sydnee Waggoner as Zerlina, whose bright clear soprano sailed over the orchestra in the upper register but got lost in the middle register.

Nicholas A. Wiggins made an excellent Don G. both dramatically and vocally.  Likewise Andrew Hiers was a fine Leporello and Jacob S. Louchheim was an appealing Masetto.  Paul Khuri Yakub played the Commendatore with a sense of menace appropriate to a Mafia don (yes, that was in the synopsis) but was drowned out by the brass chorale in the final scene. Brian Michael Moore's sweet tenor was perfect for Don Ottavio and he gave a lovely rendering of "Il mio tesoro" such that we were sorry that "Dalla sua pace" had been cut.  Isn't it usually the other way round?

Sets were basic and costumes by Fabiana Pires Moore seemed appropriate to the early 60's.  Zerlina was payed as a "hippie chick" and looked perfect but Donna Elvira's costuming was unfortunate, especially when the libretto calls for her being described as noble and majestic.

There are several more performances until Sunday and you will surely have a good time if you go.  And just wait until you see what is in store for next season.  GO, NYOE!

© meche kroop

A VALENTINE BONBON

All we were expecting was an evening of opera scenes but we got so much more.  Possibly inspired by the Metropolitan Opera's creation of Enchanted Island, a pastiche of arias and ensembles by baroque composers, Director Jennifer Shorstein created her own pastiche of arias and ensembles by 19th c. French composers entitled The Masked Ball.  The setting was a contemporary cocktail party with the men in dinner jackets and the women in multihued satin dresses.  As the young partygoers interacted with one another, arias and duets by Gounod, Massenet and Offenbach were pressed into delightful service.

The other pleasant surprise was the presence of the New York Opera Exchange Orchestra, led by Maestro David Liebowitz.  As the program notes pointed out, a community orchestra in New York City that focuses solely on the operatic repertoire is a rare thing.  The mostly young musicians played with enthusiasm and talent, matched by the enthusiasm and talent of the young singers who seem to be on the cusp of major careers, already singing in companies around the United States and Europe.

Gounod's soprano roles are all exciting ones and thus the women all had opportunities to shine in their respective roles.  Rebecca Shorstein's fioritura in "Je veux vivre" from Gounod's Roméo et Juliette was dazzling in its accuracy.  Kendra Berensten's duets with the fine tenor Aaron Short from the same opera were no less wonderful.  Rebecca Henry's fine mezzo in Siebel's "Faites lui mes aveux" from Gounod's Faust seemed delightfully different since she sang it as a woman.  Emily Lockhart's soprano was perfectly suited to "Ah! Je ris de me voir" as she received a jewel box from her suitor.  Courtney Ross' "N'est-ce-plus ma main?" from Massenet's Manon was performed superbly with lots of seductive moves that left her Des Grieux (wonderful tenor Jonathan Winell) all aquiver.   Their voices blended beautifully and delighted the ear.  Bronwyn White was an adorable Olympia and attacked the stratospheric tessitura fearlessly.  There was a very funny moment when she collapsed (in this case, not as a mechanical doll running down but as a live woman who maybe had drunk to excess) and was given a slap on the derrière and carried offstage.

We heard sturdy baritone Kendrew Heriveaux as Mercutio in "Mab la reine des mensonges"; baritone Joseph Beckwith gave Mephistopheles just the right amount of menace in "Vous qui faites l'endormie"; baritone Alex Boyd made a severe Valentin in "Avant de quitter ces lieux"; tenor Scott Ingham was a most seductive Faust in "Salut! Demeure chaste et pure".

That all the partygoers onstage interacted with one another and came across as real people with different personalities made the evening so much more appealing than a mere succession of arias.  We applaud the innovation and were gratified to see so many young people in the audience, many of them not experienced opera goers, but all enjoying themselves.  We are looking forward to New York Opera Exchange's May presentation of Don Giovani set in our nation's capitol.  What will Artistic Director Justin Werner and General Manager Francesca Reindel think of next???

(c) meche kroop

BRING NEWBIE FRIENDS

So, Escamillo strides cockily down the center aisle of the ravishing St. Ann's Church in Brooklyn Heights and kisses the critic's hand.  "Oh", we think, "this evening had better be good because it would be very difficult to criticize after that winning gesture".  Fortunately, it was good.  It was very good.  The entire evening, presented by the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra and New York Opera Exchange (strangely uncredited in the program) was delightful, comprising scenes from operas you know and love, and will be repeated this Sunday at 3PM.  Consider yourself urged to attend and to bring friends who aren't sure they will like opera.  They will leave thanking you and looking forward to more opera.

Under the baton of Nicholas Armstrong for the past 14 years, the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra has become known as one of the finest community orchestras in New York; they showed up best in the Prelude to Verdi's La Traviata in which the themes were clearly articulated and well contrasted.

Since we do not have a TV, nor have ever had one, we are not tired of hearing the "Flower Duet" from Lakme.  Last night it was beautifully sung by soprano Candace Matthews who has a lovely "ping" (not to mention a glamorous gown) and mezzo Kate Wiswell whose fine vibrato was well-remembered from her performance last season as Dorabella in Cosi Fan Tutte.  The two voices blended well and soared above the sizable orchestra.

Next we heard a rather raucous reading of the Bacchanale from Samson et Dalila by Camille Saint-Saëns, complete with clashing cymbals.  The first half of the program ended with the Act I finale of Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri.  Who doesn't love Rossini's wild and crazy ensembles!  In this case, the embellishments were well-articulated and the voices well balanced across the board.  The clever Isabella was performed by mezzo Nichole Peyreigne who left no doubt that she is a true mezzo, not a soprano with a good lower range.  Her superb performance was matched by the fine baritone of Joseph Beckwith as Mustafa.  In this role, a slim handsome baritone in a dinner jacket must convince us that he is a fat unwholesome pasha; that's a stretch but his singing compensated for it.  Tenor Aaron Short made a fine Lindoro; we remember him from several performances at Manhattan School of Music.  John Erban sang Taddeo, Haly was sung by Douglas Balkin, Elvira was sung by Alexandra Lang and Zulma by Natasha Nelson; all were excellent and each held his/her own.

The second half of the program was entirely operatic, comprising scenes from Act II of Carmen by Georges Bizet and the Act II finale of Gaetano Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.  The cast of Carmen managed a semi-staged performance without a stage by means of some well-considered acting.  Nicholle Bittlingmeyer's Carmen handled the eponymous heroine's initial lovelorn state and her final contempt for Don Jose with equal aplomb.  Her sequined red gown and fiery mien made the whole scene believable.  The aforementioned Escamillo was sung by Robert Balonek whose finely honed baritone won him a grant from Opera Index.  Scott Ingram made an ardent Don Jose and avoided being pitiable.  The Dancaire of Paul Khuri-Yakub and the Remendado of Francisco Corredor made an excellent and humorous quartet with Frasquita and Mercedes.  The role of Mercedes was sung by Natasha Nelson, well-remembered from her performance as Despina in last season's Cosi fan Tutte while Frasquita was sung by soprano Alexandra Lang; the two gals seemed to have a lot of fun with their roles.

The program closed with the tragic nuptial scene of Lucia.  Selfish brother Enrico was sung by the generous-voiced Joseph Beckwith who was not here obliged to convince anyone that he was a fat Pasha.  Arturo, the hapless husband, was sung by Justin Werner; Edgardo, the equally hapless lover was sung by Aaron Short; John Erban sang Raimondo. The emotional confrontation was quite affecting.  Poor Lucia was sung by Rebecca Shorstein.

We remain impressed by the high quality of the emerging artists who find their way to New York Opera Exchange.  Stay tuned for more information on their season.

©meche kroop

TWENTIETH CENTURY COSI

We are always excited by a new opera company on the NYC musical horizon and always eager to see what repertoire they select and what risks they take.  We are most pleased that New York Opera Exchange chose Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte as their first staged performance and that they performed it in an original way.  The arias we know and love were sung in fine Italian while the recitativi were replaced by modern English dialogue written by the director Cameron Marcotte.

Fiordiligi and Dorabella are two young analysts at a Wall St. firm where their boyfriends Ferrando and Guglielmo are young associates.  Don Alfonso is their middle-aged boss.  Despina is an administrative assistant who sufficiently resents her "gofer" position and is most willing to play tricks on the two sorority sisters, especially when bribed by (hold your breath) a pair of tickets to the Met.

Instead of portraits, the two sorority sisters show each other photos on their iPads.  Statuses are changed on Facebook.  The men get together over barbells in the company gym.  Meetings are taken at Starbucks.  The disguises assumed by the men are scruffy beards and "Occupy" signs. What would Mozart have made of all this?  Apparently mating rituals and fickleness have not changed all that much in 200+ years.

Strangely, it all works rather well in the context of a small theater in a church with translations of the arias projected onto a screen on one side of the orchestra and photos projected on the other.  Unfortunately, the reproductions of FB pages were not legible and many of the photos were unclear.  The second screen might have been better used for translations on both sides.

Nicholas Armstrong conducted about two dozen members of the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra who generously donated their time and considerable musical skills to bring Mozart's masterpiece to life.  The wildly enthusiastic audience testified to the success of the young singers who are on the cusp of professional careers.  Soprano Rebecca Shorstein made a spunky Fiordiligi and shone in "Come scoglio", negotiating the wild skips of register with panache.  Mezzo Kate Wiswell has a lovely top without sacrificing mezzo quality; we enjoyed her "Smanie implacabili".  Natasha Nelson was a winsome Despina.

Tenor Jeffrey Taveras did a fine job with "Un aura amorosa" and baritone Joseph Beckwith was a convincing Guglielmo. Jason Cox brought everything together as Don Alfonso. 

We wish all the best to this fledgling company launched by Artistic Director Justin Werner and General Manager Francesca Reindel with the mission of creating performance opportunities for emerging artists to sing with orchestra.  We are looking forward to what the next season brings.

(c) meche kroop