LAS MALDICIONES

 Soprano Sasha Gutiérrez, Maestro Jorge Parodi, members of the Arya String Quartet, and Rodolfo Zanetti

National Sawdust seemed just the right venue for the premiere of Rodolfo Zanetti's song cycle. The stage is shallow and wide and the seating arrangement permits everyone to have clear visual access to the performers. One would not want to have missed the intense expressiveness of soprano Sasha Gutiérrez, nor the interesting fingering of Mr. Zanetti's bandoneon. The four lovely ladies of the Arya String Quartet provided visual interest and we enjoyed being able to distinguish who was doing the bowing and who was doing the plucking in Mr. Zanetti's interesting score. Furthermore, Maestro Jorge Parodi eschewed the baton in favor of eloquent hands, each finger expressing a mood or color or emphasis. We thought of these fingers as a corps de ballet, sometimes performing in unison and at other times, with one standing out as soloist. What an interesting performance!

Produced by Opera Hispanica, in collaboration with New York City Opera, Las Maldiciones comprises fifteen sections. With only a couple sections as solely instrumental, the voice of Ms. Gutiérrez carried the evening. And what a voice that is! We have enjoyed her performances for several years and can only say that her artistry has grown with time.

Addressing the work as a whole, we were reminded of Schubert's Winterreise in that the theme is a monochromatic one. Winterreise is all about grief whereas  Las Maldiciones is about rage. Both are about suffering. In the Schubert, the suffering is turned inward. In the Zanetti, the suffering is turned against the cause of the suffering, presumably a man who has disappointed the singer romantically. 

However there is a major difference that has resulted in the enduring popularity of the Schubert. Schubert told a story in which the words paint a picture that we can create in our mind's eye. Every song is different. Each of his twenty-four songs has a memorable melody and a varied piano part. Two centuries later, a male singer of reputation will consider the work a challenging summit to be climbed, a capstone to a career, an attempt to create 24 shades of grief. Schubert accomplished this through two artists, a singer and a piano.

By contrast, in the Zanetti cycle, our ears did not pick up 24 shades of rage not even 15 in spite of the fact that the four members of the string quartet gave full expression to the written parts and that the composer's bandoneon produced some fascinating sounds. The members of the Arya String Quartet (violinists Melisa Atoyan and Rebecca Racusin, violist Laura Sahin, and cellist Molly Von Gutzeit) alternated in legato and staccato parts, lending aural interest alongside Mr. Zanetti's bandoneon.

However the text was devoid of variety and it was only through the artistry of Ms. Gutiérrez, both her facial expression and vocal coloration, that we perceived enough variety to hold our interest.  We couldn't help wondering what Mr. Zanetti had in mind when he wrote the text. In the 12th section, "Maldición Cuarta", we were enchanted by the musicality of the Spanish text and musical phrasing that put it way above the other sections. We found ourselves waiting for some transformation of the heroine. She found peace through rage? Perhaps there is something within Latin American culture that we missed but we didn't feel any growth or transformation.

That being said, we were glad we experienced it due to the excellent performances. However we are still waiting for a contemporary work that will take our breath away, one that tells a story by means of melody and linguistic beauty. We have a feeling that it will probably be in the Spanish language.

© meche kroop

GESAMTKUNSTWERK AT NATIONAL SAWDUST

 Silvia Santinelli, Ashley Galvani Bell, and Maestro Pedro Halffter

We struggled to find a word to describe Klara, the compelling performance piece we attended last night at National Sawdust, presented by Opera Hispanica. There was very little operatic about it and very little Hispanic. The music and words were those of Pedro Halffter, renowned Spanish composer/conductor. The lead character was portrayed by soprano Ashley Bell, well known to us from her productions at DIVAria Productions, which also collaborated with Opera Hispanica on this work. 

As regular readers are aware, we choose not to prepare for attending a performance, preferring to allow the work to speak for itself. We would say that Klara spoke for itself loudly and (sometimes) clearly. Why it was called "an Opera in four Haikus" we know not. The four haikus on the program struck us as obscure and unrelated to the work we saw.

Some digging around the internet post-performance led us to a prize-winning novel by Kazuo Ishiguro entitled Klara and the Sun; it tells the story of an android purchased by a family as a companion to their daughter, exploring the relationship between the android, the daughter, her mother, and the daughter's male friend. Although we have not read the novel, as we understand it, themes of love and consciousness are explored in a way that is touching and meaningful. We could easily see it as an animated film from Gibli Studios.

Clearly Halffter was inspired by this theme although no attempt was made to follow the story in any literal sense. There was a scene in which Ms. Bell became self-aware and began to mirror the gestures of the three dancers (Laura Henning, Amanda Lamotte, and Jordana Rosenberg) that provided a framework for the story of awakening consciousness. We did indeed feel touched.

We enjoyed Halffter's music which produced some surprising associations. The opening bars brought to mind the opening bars of Wagner's Das Rheingold for reasons we cannot explain. Perhaps a musicologist could. As the music grew in texture and complexity, we were reminded of the repetitiveness and key changes of Philip Glass and Steve Reich. Not that the work was derivative in any way; it struck us as original. Duo pianos were played by Silvia Santinelli and Maestro Halffter himself.

The choreography and direction were by Richard Stafford and, although modern dance is not our first terpsichorean choice, it suited the work well. Eric Lamp's costumes were similarly a propos, with white pants suits yielding, by means of stepwise undressing, to metalicized body suits of different colors.

John Farrell's set design was similarly effective with nothing onstage but an elevated square platform encased in sheer white panels. Ms. Bell only emerged from under a pile of white fabric after the three dancers danced round about the platform. Presumably she represented artificial intelligence and the story Mr. Stafford told was of her awakening to a form of consciousness by imitation. There was another touching scene in which one of the dancers fell and Ms. Bell expressed compassion and physical caring. Ms. Bell has quite the gift for conveying emotion through facial expression and body movement. There were also video projections for which Mr. Farrell is credited but we found them nothing more than a distraction.

We have heard Ms. Bell sing on a number of prior occasions and have had only good things to say about her voice. Last night did nothing to change our positive opinion although this work did not give her much to sing. The tessitura was sufficiently high that we had difficulty making out much beyond "I wish".

Following the performance a panel discussion, organized by Ms. Bell, was held. We had the opportunity to hear some opinions about artificial intelligence shared by the most engaging Mo. Halffter, a thoughtful Hindu monk, and two NYU professors. We have our own opinions which we will not share here so it was stimulating to hear what some experts had to say. In sum, the evening offered both artistic and intellectual value.

© meche kroop

FERNANDA

César Delgado and Laura Soto-Bayomi

Kelly Guerra and Marcelo Guzzo

Things have a way of coming full circle.  It was Maestro Jorge Parodi who taught us everything we know about the art of zarzuela and launched our deep interest in this art form. And now several years have elapsed and it is Mo. Parodi who, having taken over the reins of Opera Hispanica as General and Artistic Director, brought one of our favorite zarzuelas to the stage!  He has done so in an accessible fashion, emphasizing the gorgeous melodies of Federico Moreno Torroba's 1932 masterpiece Luisa Fernanda and omitting the confusing Republican versus Royalist politics of 1868 during the reign of Isabel II.

Although some day we would love to see the work produced in toto, for the time being we were more than satisfied to hear the memorable melodies sung by an excellent Panamerican cast, accompanied by Mo. Parodi himself at the piano, joined by violinist Mia Nardi-Huffman. We were delighted but not at all surprised that Mo. Parodi accomplished the excellent reduction of the lavish orchestral score.

Like many zarzuelas, the story of Luisa Fernanda is a combination of romantic issues and political ones. Poor Luisa, sensitively sung by Peruvian mezzo-soprano Kelly Guerra, is enamored of the dashing military man Javier, (dashingly performed by tenorific Mexican  César Delgado) who happens to be a "player". He surprises everyone by falling for the Duchess Carolina (seductively sung by Puerto Rican soprano Laura Soto-Bayomi) and switching political affiliations. Meanwhile Luisa is being courted by the wealthy landowner Vidal (authoritatively performed by Uruguayan baritone Marcelo Guzzo) who switches his political affiliations to win Luisa's affection. What political turmoil there was in 1862 Spain, matched only by the characters' romantic turmoil! We are not going to tell you the romantic outcome.

By eliminating the dialogue and extraneous characters, Mo. Parodi allowed the audience at the Instituto Cervantes (a most appreciative audience, we might add) to focus on each character's emotional shifts, which are so well delineated by Torroba's music. No doubt, the melodies may sound as familiar to your ears as they did to ours and, be warned, may lead to an infestation of "ear worms". We have been humming the themes all day!

The work was performed with minimal set but authentic period costumes by Eric Lamp, lending an air of verisimilitude.

Mo. Parodi, himself an Argentinian, succeeded on so many levels, from adapting the score to finding an attractive quartet of gifted singers who had the right style and the acting chops to make us care about the characters.

Fortunately, the opera world has not seen the end of this gem, since it will be performed at Opera in Williamsburg on May 13th. We left with our appetite appeased but somehow a hunger for more. Let us hope that this project will be developed further.

© meche kroop

ARGENTINIAN SOUL

Maestro Jorge Parodi, Mezzo-soprano Morena Galán, and Bandeónista Rodolfo Zanetti

If New Yorkers are ignorant of Argentinian music, we are sure that will not last long since Maestro Jorge Parodi has assumed the helm of Opera Hispánica; he will see to it that these treasures will be mined. The most interesting feature of Latin American music, in our opinion, is that their composers were not seduced by the destructive tendencies of the world of music academia which gave the old heave-ho to melody and key signatures.; Latin American music remained melodic and relatable all through the 20th c. and on into our own epoch.

Last night, hosted by The Consulate General of Argentina in New York, a full house was gifted with a program of Argentinian music, including art song, folkloric song, piano compositions, and, of course, tango. There was no shortage of melody and rhythm, joined in celebration of a wide range of human emotion.

Included among the artists were Maestro Parodi himself, appearing as collaborative pianist, solo pianist Pablo Lavandera, Metropolitan Opera star baritone Fabián Veloz, baritone Gustavo Ahualli, two lovely young mezzo-sopranos Morena Galán and Malena Dayén, guitarist Andrés Guerra, and bandoneónista Rodolfo Zanetti.

The above photo captures an intense moment in which Ms. Galán offered a passionate rendition of a tango from the 1920's entitled "Romance de Barrio" by Anibal Troilo. Aside from possessing an appealing and well-supported instrument, this young artist has a formidable ability to connect with the audience, an ability than can only come from a deep connection with the music. We enjoyed equally Carlos Gardel's "Por una cabeza" which allowed her the opportunity to show off a smoky lower register. The more modern "El clavel del aire blanco" by Carlos Guastavino was also given the same heartfelt treatment.

From the same song cycle, the familiar. "La rosa y el sauce" was beautifully performed by Ms. Dayén whose rich mezzo was put to good use in her phrasing of the gorgeous melody and in the fine use of dynamic variation.  In the livelier dance-like "Pampamapa", also by Guastavino, we had trouble staying still. Splendidly accompanied by Mr. Guerra, she introduced us to Daniel Toro's "Samba para olvidarte". Unfortunately, the audience broke into applause before we could hear the conclusion of Mr. Guerra's tender postlude.

Mr. Veloz' generous textured baritone filled the room with resonance in a stunning rendition of Guastavino's "Cita", making ample use of phrasing and dynamics. The dancy rhythm of Jorge Cafrune's "Cuando llegue el alba" was delightful. He wisely matched his large voice to the size of the room.

Mr. Ahaulli's powerful baritone fit well with Guastavino's "Abismo de sed" which was preceded by a complex introduction in the piano part which was stunningly performed by Maestro Parodi. We also enjoyed Carlos Gardel's familiar "El dia que me quieres" which just oozed romance.

Mr. Lavandera performed Tres Danzas Argentinas Op. 2  by Ginastera, composed early in his life. The rapid fire "Danza del viejo boyero" was followed by the lilting adagio "Danza de la moza donosa" (our favorite), and finally  "Danza del gaucho matrero"  the complex rhythm of which the artist was thoughtful enough to explain to the audience.

He also performed a gentle work by the recently deceased Claudia Montero entitled "Junio", given its New York premiere. He shared with the audience the fact that what sounded like improvisation was written down note by note. The work was marked by. thrilling runs and lilting arpeggi.

There were many more delights in the generous program, including tangos by the famous Astor Piazzolla. One could not fail to appreciate the wide variety found in this program which was entitled An Argentinian Affair. For us it was a golden opportunity to get a taste of many different styles of composition and to hear some new voices.  A big bravissimo to all concerned!

© meche kroop

Y VOLVER

 Pablo Zinger, Verónica Villarroel, Sonia Olla, and Ismael Fernández

Last night found us at the stunning theater of El Museo del Barrio for an exciting evening of Spanish music presented by the newly reborn Opera Hispanica. It was an exciting evening for us, dear Reader, not just because of the thrilling performances, but because we were there at the original birth of Opera Hispanica some years ago, with Daniel Frost Hernandez at the helm. We were overwhelmed with excitement that New York City would have a company to bring Spanish music to the forefront of the cultural scene.

And now, with brilliant conductor Jorge Parodi at the helm, Opera Hispanica is receiving a timely rebirth, just when we need Spanish music the most. Two years of pandemic restrictions and isolation have left our populace low in spirits and what could be better than Spanish music to lift them from lethargy to passion!

The title of the program Y Volver (I will come back) is not only the title of one of the songs on the program (Jorge Ramón Lucero/María I Lo Forte) but also symbolic of the comeback of Opera Hispanica and the comeback of the arts in NYC.

Starring in this extravaganza were world renowned Chilean opera star Verónica Villarroel,  Spanish flamenco dancer Sonia Olla, Spanish cantaor Ismael Fernández, and Uruguayan pianist Pablo Zinger who used his multiplicity of talents to provide interesting commentary on the program as well as to accompany.  As Musical Director, he also arranged many of the selections.

Before telling about the program, let us mention the fine guitar work of Olli Hirvonen, the double bassist Pedro Giraudo, and the percussionist Danny Mallon. Yang Yu's lighting design comprised brilliantly colored washes on the rear screen that consistently set off the artists' costuming and set the mood. As far as Anthony Riveron's sound design, it is worth mentioning, since we have no affection whatsoever for amplification, that is was never overamplified.

The program itself demonstrated the wide variety of Spanish and Latin American music. Not only was the singing in crossover mode but also the instrumentals.  Boleros, tangos, canciones populares, and Spanish art song existed side by side and melded into a guisado deliciosa.

Regular readers could probably guess that our personal preference lay in the unamplified delivery of Carlos Guastavino's "La Rosa y el Sauce", a tender art song that never fails to touch our heart. We have no doubt that Ms. Villarroel's voice could have easily filled the theater without amplification for the entire evening which we would have preferred.

Each artist had at least one selection that was unforgettable. Isaac Albéniz' "Tango in D" was stunningly delivered by Mr. Zinger and Mr. Giraudo.  We think Mr. Zinger must have a special connection with Albeniz because his performance of "Cádiz" was performed with particular attention to a gorgeous recurrent theme that lingered in the ear.

Mr. Fernández' emotional performance of Astor Piazzolla's "Oblivion" gave a flamenco slant to the tango master's composition,  accompanied by Mr. Zinger with Mr. Hirvonen's guitar solo capturing the ear.

Flamenco dance has long been a subject of our admiration but we have eschewed the sanitized over-choreographed performances that seem to have taken over the stage in recent years. We will probably never get to see a real tablao in a cave in Seville but Ms. Olla's performance surely satisfied our yen for authenticity. Her precise footwork was marked by rhythmic intensity; her arms were exquisitely expressive; the arch of her back was perfect. In one number she made great use of an enormous red mantoncillo--at first covering her entire body like a curtain and then swirling it around with great poetry of motion.

We always love the Canciones Españolas Antiguas which were arranged and popularized by Federico García Lorca; in this case they were jazzed up and amplified which may have pleased other members of the audience more than me.

Similarly, the romantic songs of the Mexican composer Maria Grever are among our favorites and we heard "Júrame" and the lovely "Te quiero dijiste".  Just the phrase "muñequita linda" gives us goosebumps. We would have preferred less jazziness. Still, we are always happy to witness a celebration of female composers. The program ended with the lovely "Gracias a la Vida" by Violeta Parra.

We have a quibble (when don't we?) that will not surprise our regular readers.  That quibble is the loathed music stand.  Just as amplification interferes with our auditory appreciation of a singer's natural voice, so does the music stand interfere with our visual connection. A phrase begins, we connect, the singer glances down, the connection is broken.  Just sayin'!

What we have seen and heard of Opera Hispanica' season has been exciting and rewarding. There is more to come and we refer you to www.operahispanica.org for details. 

© meche kroop

 

MARIA, I JUST MET A GIRL NAMED MARIA!

Jorge Parodi

JP Jofre

Marcelo Guzzo

Maria de Buenos Aires was composed over 40 years ago by Astor Piazzolla and has been getting produced all around the world.  This past weekend it was given an admirable production as the capstone of the Opera Hispanica Festival; Founder and Artistic Director Daniel Frost Hernandez left no detail to chance, assembling a fine cast and production team.  Nine musicians were in the capable hands of Maestro Jorge Parodi, Artistic Director, Music Director and conductor of undisputable talent.  Chief among them was JP Jofre whose electrifying playing of the bandoneon is both music and dance.  Guitarist Tali Roth also stood out for her fine musicianship.  The opera has a marvelous melody "Tema de Maria" which is reprised a couple times throughout the opera, a tune which we have been humming all night.

There were only two sung roles; performing the part of the eponymous heroine was Solange Merdinian whose movement skills were just as impressive as her voice and baritone Marcelo Guzzo as El Payador, a gentle country poet whose dark chocolate voice reminded me of Guinness.  (Well, it was St. Patrick's Day!)  Having learned a bit about the Argentinean dialect from Maestro Parodi at the master class a couple days earlier, we feel confident in saying that the diction was right on point.

The spoken role of El Duende was performed by Gerardo Gudiño and one couldn't ask for any more from an evil spirit  reciting surreal poetry.  As far as the libretto by Uruguayan poet Horacio Ferrer, it had a lovely rhythm in Spanish and was replete with symbolism but not in narrative coherence.  The projected English translation was not much different from other translations into English; neither comprehensible nor poetic.  The story is not even meant to be a narrative but a rather surrealistic examination of redemption.  Allusions to the story of the virgin birth and perhaps also to Jesus' resurrection are also present.

Stage Director Beth Greenberg did her customary excellent work in keeping one's attention focused on the significant action.  Maria in Part I is an unfortunate prostitute from the ghetto and in Part II, after her death, a "shadow" (perhaps what we call "a shade") who gives birth to herself for what may be a second chance at life.

Choreographer Daniel Fetecua Soto along with dancers Gayle Madeira and Sidney Grant provided the tango dancing.  We have never seen a tango for three dancers and found it rather compelling.  When not dancing, the trio sat at the back of the stage at a table, drinking and passing the time.  Projections were provided by Brett Banakis and Anka Lupes was credited with the costume design.

Choosing a nightclub in Greenwich Village as a venue was an interesting choice.  The buzz about the tango opera was huge and there was insufficient standing room for all the folks who wanted to attend.  The applause was deafening and the many curtain calls responded to the adulation of the audience.  On the other hand, the multiple distractions of people ordering food and drinks as well as the consequent delivery and consumption of same was a bit distracting.  To those accustomed to nightclubs it wouldn't be a problem; to those who attend musical events in an auditorium it would be.

We are eager to see what impressario Daniel Frost Hernandez has up his sleeve next!

(c) meche kroop

A TWO-MASTERS CLASS

Martina Arroyo

Jorge Parodi

 Two great talents joined forces at Manhattan School of Music for an invaluable master class; universally beloved soprano Martina Arroyo and conducting whiz Jorge Parodi were able to provide complementary instruction to the participants with Ms. Arroyo focusing mainly on character development and Mr. Parodi helping the singers with Spanish diction in both dialects and helping the pianist with some of the finer points.
The stimulating and instructive afternoon was presented as part of the Opera Hispanica Festival, in association with the Martina Arroyo Foundation and Sociedad Internacional de Valores de Arte Mexicano.  Naturally, the music was Spanish and we were delighted to have another opportunity to hear these wonderful songs.

Soprano Amelia Berry from MSM made a fine appearance, introducing each song in a way that engaged the listeners.  The Rodrigo songs she performed with pianist Hyerim Song, Cuatro Madrigales Amatorios, were sung with a bright sound, long arching phrases and a nice palette of vocal colors.  Mr. Parodi pointed out that the melodies of the songs were of a Baroque or Renaissance nature but that Rodrigo's harmonies were of a modern nature, requiring more rubato from the piano.  For Ms. Berry, he elucidated some of the expressions in the poetry that a contemporary American might not understand.  Ms. Arroyo instructed Ms. Berry to stay active in her thoughts and to let her face reflect what the next phrase had to say.

Mezzo Fleur Barron, a Martina Arroyo Foundation participant with a most expressive face and voice, sang a duet from Torroba's 1930's zarzuela Luisa Fernanda with SIVAM baritone Jorge Espino.  Ms. Barron was given some excellent instruction in Spanish diction from Mr. Parodi; Mr. Espino got some fine advice from Ms. Arroyo about staying in character and singing to his partner rather than to the audience; collaborative pianist Kyung Eun Na got some help with the typical Hispanic juapango rhythm.

Tenor Marcos Vigil, another Martina Arroyo Foundation participant, performed de Falla's "El Paño Moruno" which led to a valuable discussion of interpretation and Ms. Arroyo pointed out that the singer must collaborate with the pianist to paint the same picture; the character decided upon must be consistent with the singer's particular gifts.  Kyung Eun Na learned how to use the pedal to imitate the sound of the guitar.

We also enjoyed hearing Mr. Espino sing an aria from Luisa Fernanda, a zarzuela which we would love to hear in toto.  We loved spending the afternoon in such stimulating company and learned a great deal.  Now we know more about Castilian Spanish and Andalucian Spanish; we know that the "V" sound doesn't exist in Spanish; we know which consonants are soft when between two vowels and we know about the distinctive juapango rhythm.   And if you want to know what "en cabello" means, just ask us!  We heard some wonderful performances and walked out of the hall with a big smile and a feeling of gratitude to Ms. Arroyo, Mr. Parodi, Manhattan School of Music, SIVAM and Opera Hispanica for bringing it all together.

(c) meche kroop