THE IMPRESSIVE IMPRESSARIO

Rebecca Greenstein, Executive Director of Opera Moderne, wears many hats and last night, as hostess of The Bohemian Bash, she also wore so many costumes that we lost count.  If you have never met this amazing lady, allow us to introduce her.  She hails from Texas and has degrees in music and vocal performance.  She sings and dances and emcees just for starters, and does them all with special flair.

Last night she put together a fund-raiser in honor of Andreas Stadler, Director of the Austrian Cultural Forum New York, where we have heard and reviewed some pretty impressive lieder recitals (one coming up next Tuesday, don't say we didn't alert you).  Ms. Greenstein does nothing by halves; the evening had such a variety of entertainment that no one could have left unsatisfied.

The champagne flowed and was heralded by Verdi's "Libiamo" from La Traviata.  If that was too serious for you (LOL) there were excerpts from Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus.  Attendees were given the opportunity to bid on arias and duets of their choice; if you figured out that Ms. Greenstein was tapped to sing "O mio babbino caro" from Puccini's Gianni Schicchi you were right on the money.  Much of the accompanying was performed by Pacien Mazzagatti.

Should you prefer the terpsichorean arts to opera, you would have enjoyed the world premiere of New Chamber Ballet's choreographer Miro Magloire (who cut quite a rug himself at the after-party); entitled "Metamorphose", the piece was danced by Kristin Draucker accompanied by Emily DiAngelo on oboe.  If folk dancing were more your taste, there was some lively Czardas and a performance of "Vilia".  Ballroom dancing?  You probably loved the five couples waltzing to "The Blue Danube".  Tappers?  Oh yes, that too.  Just look at Sugar Foot Mafia Dance Company.  And just look at those Hot Box Girls!  Wait, there's Ms. Greenstein again!

New music and classical, it was all there like a bounteous buffet, from Mozart to Berio.  And jazz too!  Franz Hackl Jazz Quartet made quite an impression.  And burlesque!  Right down to the pasties.  Did we forget anything?  Oh yes, dancing at the after party--Jessie Bunting and the Hot Shim Sham Orchestra.  Six solid hours of fun at the Czech Center.  We wish we had space to mention all the talented folk who contributed to this amazing evening of entertainment.  We just want to know who lit the fire under Ms. Greenstein.  And if that sounds like the title of a song, she's probably writing it by now.

© meche kroop

THE MOST HAPPY AUDIENCE

The Dicapo Opera Theatre has managed to fill the house with music and laughter during its extended run of Frank Loesser's The Most Happy Fella--so much so that we were reminded of our long-held wish that one of New York City's small opera companies would fill in one of the gaps in our opera scene.  At the time we expressed this opinion, South Pacific was filling the Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center night after night.  BUT, big but here, they used amplification; Dicapo does not.  It is a comfortably intimate house that seats but 200 and, in this case, involved a cast who moved gracefully from opera to "a Broadway sound" without any feeling of noblesse oblige.  These singers brought the show to life without making any compromises.  Reflecting on what we previously wrote about what comprises an opera, we consider this an opera, especially when it is sung by good voices and without miking.

As the eponymous hero, baritone Michael Corvino gave a most committed performance.  He was completely believable as the lonely Italian vintner establishing himself in Napa Valley, CA in the mid 20th c.  He absolutely oozed garlic.  His sister Marie was gorgeously sung by mezzo Lisa Chavez, who, while very much looking the part did not have an old-country accent at all, leading us to speculate on how she managed to lose it!

The San Francisco waitress with whom Tony falls in love and whom he calls "Rosabella" was winningly acted and impressively sung by soprano Molly Mustonen.  The big issue that this couple must deal with involves a series of betrayals and ultimate forgiveness.  Tony woos Rosabella by mail with a photograph of a much younger and handsomer man, his foreman Joe, in which role Peter Kendall Clark gave a persuasively cocky performance that benefited from his generous baritone voice.  His solo "Joey, Joey" was moving and went a long way toward establishing his character.

In a blind rage at the deception, Rosabella behaves badly, marries Tony anyway but has an intimate encounter with Joe which results in a pregnancy.  Tony also has his issues.  Fear of Rosabella's discovery of his deception leads him to have a driving accident and he is carried home in very bad shape for the wedding.  How these two flawed human beings resolve their issues leads us to care for them and want them to be together in spite of Marie's warnings about the difference in their ages.  Marie wants Tony to be an old man she can look after and is threatened by Rosabella's taking over her duties.

This is serious stuff but comic relief is provided by Rosabella's friend Cleo (the delightful belter Lauren Hoffmeier) and Tony's employee Herman (the hilarious Brance Cornelius) who somehow manage to get together also. Their show-stopping number "Big D" won our hearts. As if this weren't sufficient to keep us smiling, we also heard some wonderful ensemble work in "Standing on the Corner" and, our personal favorite "Abbondanza".

That delicious word just about sums up the entire production.  An abundance of good singing, good acting, good storytelling and good music provided by (gasp!) a full orchestra, ably conducted by Maestro Pacien Mazzagatti.  For unknown reasons, the orchestra was not in the pit but onstage behind the singers.  John Farrell is credited with the set design which consisted of nothing but a few benches and a table; more was not necessary.  Costumes by Julie Wyma were apropos the period.  Francine Harman was responsible for the choreography which we truly enjoyed in the "Big D" number.  General director Michael Capasso did better as Stage Director than he did as an actor portraying the manager of the San Francisco restaurant where Rosabella was working.

We thank him and Diane Martindale, the Artistic Director, for showing us a realization of our dream--to see an American musical treated as the opera which we believe it to be.  With pleasure we noted that next season's roster includes Kismet.  We are filled with anticipation.

(c) meche kroop

THE SCREW HAS TURNED

                     Julia Teitel (L)                        Anna Noggle (R)

A riveting performance of Benjamin Britten's 1954 chamber opera Turn of the Screw was presented last night at Symphony Space by the innovative young company Opera Moderne.  The libretto my Myfanwy Piper, based on the 1898 novella of the same name by Henry James, concerns a naive young woman employed by the owner of Bly House to care for his niece and nephew, Flora and Miles; she is instructed never to abandon them, never to ask about the history of the house and never to bother him.  The groundwork for this gothic tale has been laid--and who doesn't love a good ghost story!

The ghosts involved are Peter Quint, a former valet, and the former governess Miss Jessel.  The newly employed Governess can see the ghosts; the housekeeper Mrs. Grose cannot; we are never sure about Miles and Flora.  Still, it is undeniable that something is up with the two children who behave strangely.  There seems to be a battle between evil and innocence; there are hints of pederasty in the past.  Have the children been corrupted?  Literary scholars have argued the point of whether all this is taking place in reality or in the mind of the Governess.

Soprano Anna Noggle, fetchingly attired in late 19th c. style, sang the role of the Governess with brilliant quality of tone and apt phrasing; her acting was flawless and scored high in believability.  Mezzo Julia Teitel handed in a fine performance as Mrs. Grose.  Tenor Glenn Seven Allen lent his fine tenor to the role of Peter Quint and was absolutely chilling in his interpretation; mezzo Elspeth Davis made a scary Miss Jessel.
And what can one say about the treble voice of the supremely talented Benjamin Perry Wenzelberg who brought Miles to life in a most convincing fashion!  Flora was well sung by soprano Vivian Krich-Brinton who almost convinced us that she was a child.

Director Luke Leonard took many risks in staging this work.   At times the action took place behind the onstage orchestra, but mostly in front; somehow this worked.  The interaction between the characters always felt motivated. Actors with faces swathed in black doubled the ghosts. We are not fond of explications of what creators intended and believe that ultimately it is the effect on the audience that matters.  Since we had goosebumps for two hours we can safely say that the production was effective.  Much value was contributed by the lighting design of Marie Yokoyama and the costume design by Angela Huff which put us right into the appropriate epoch.  Although we found some of the sculptures by Maggie Hartzell perplexing we are sure that those in the audience who love symbolism had a good time figuring them out.

Conductor and Music Director Pacien Mazzagatti elicited a fine reading of the score from his thirteen musicians.  Those who are familiar with our musical taste will know that 20th c. music is not our favorite due to a preference for melodic vocal lines.  In spite of this, we found the music most interesting from the standpoint of the textures of the orchestration; we particularly loved the use of chimes, harp and winds in the creation of an atmosphere of suspense.  It was a rare instance of our experiencing 20th c. music as contributing to the drama.

We are impressed with the way Executive Director Rebecca Greenstein has pulled together all the necessary elements to create an unforgettable work that definitely deserves a longer run than the single night it was accorded.  The house was packed and opinions were as enthusiastic as ours was.  People will be talking about this one for some time to come.  We wish Opera Moderne the very best of luck with next season's productions.  This will be a tough act to follow!

(c) meche kroop