AN AUTHENTIC SUOR ANGELICA

 Vita Koreneva and Rachel Hippert

Perhaps the most accurate phrase to express our opinion of Regina Opera's production of Puccini's Suor Angelica would be "well worth the trip". Admittedly it is a long way from Manhattan but where else can a hard core opera lover go to see a production that makes sense by virtue of faithfulness to time and place. We are sick and tired of productions that are shoehorned into some narcissistic director's "concept"!

Suor Angelica is imbued with the values of late 19th - early 20th century Italy. Girls who got pregnant were considered a shame upon their families' reputation and were consigned to the convent as punishment for their sins. Nowadays in the United States, single women who want a child barely think twice about deliberately achieving the state of motherhood. The opera does not translate well. 

Here we have Director Helen Van Tine not only giving us the real McCoy but also appending an original moment that touched us deeply, even though we are of a pagan nature. We hesitate to tell you about it because we would like you, Dear Reader, to attend one of the several upcoming performances and experience the moment for yourself. It must be said that singers make the best directors and in a perfect world we would banish all the self-important directors and send them back to Europe or Hollywood or wherever they came from.

So now that you know how highly we regard Regina Opera, let us tell you some specifics. The opera has been cast with a rotating cast of talented young singers, all of whom threw themselves into their roles with enthusiastic intent. The cast we saw at the dress rehearsal included soprano Rachel Hippert as the eponymous Suor Angelica and mezzo-soprano Vita Koreneva as La Principessa. The latter was of particular interest because, by subtle gestures, she permitted us to see a more well rounded character than we have previously seen.

We have been primed by prior productions to hate this woman who has banished her niece to a convent and only visited her after years of neglect. But what Ms. Koroneva showed us was a woman who was obliged to hide her sorrow out of duty to her aristocratic family and society. As she leaves the convent with the legal papers she brought for Angelica's signature, you could see her ambivalence in her glance and posture. We felt sorry for the character who must ensure the successful marriage of her other niece. This evoked the same feelings in us as when Germont Père in Verdi's La Traviata is well portrayed so that we can experience his softer side.  Now that's artistry!

Ms. Hippert also demonstrated the anguish of her character in "Senza Mamma" --the conflict between wanting to join her son in heaven and the guilt experienced by wanting to take her own life. We were allowed to experience her ambivalence without judging. This made the ending very satisfying. We confess that we were so taken with the storytelling aspect that we focused less on the voices, only remembering that all of the voices were better than adequate for their roles. This is an ensemble opera with a large cast all of whom were fine.. Due to the costuming it was difficult to tell the roles apart except for Sister Genovieffa who sang of missing the lambs that she used to tend; Margaux Frohlich made an impression with a very sweetly colored soprano.

There wasn't much opportunity for originality in the costuming but Marcia C. Kresge did well by La Principessa, giving the character a very believable regal Italianate appearance.

An English language translation of Giovacchino Forzano's libretto was projected very legibly and without glitch so we would like to commend Linda Cantoni.

Maestro Scott Jackson Wiley conducted his fine orchestra with sensitivity and subtlety, never overpowering the voices. In an unusual move, instead of filling out the evening with one or both of the other operas in Puccini's Il Trittico, Mo. Wiley programmed two concerti, each featuring a member of the orchestra. We enjoyed Nathan McKinstry's trumpet in a Haydn Concerto and. Anna Lien in a Harp concerto by Händel.  This programming decision allowed the full impact of the opera to sink in without the distraction of the violent Il Tabarro or the humorous Gianni Schicchi.

Before ending, we would like to share a bit of information that we never knew until we researched it. One of the earliest performances of Suor Angelica took place in the Tuscan convent to which Puccini's sister belonged. He played the score on the piano and sang all the roles himself; it was reported that all the nuns wept. Perhaps you will weep too when you see it...and we truly hope that you do. All subsequent performances will take place at 3:00PM this weekend and next.  Don't miss it!

© meche kroop

PHOENIX!

 Rachel Hippert, Maestro Richard Cordova, Jose Heredia, Dilara Unsal, Muir Ingliss, Gennady Vysotsky, Director Sabrina Palladino, and Daniel Chiu

Last night was the closing night of Amore Opera's production of Puccini's heartbreaker La Bohême. Our last exposure to Amore Opera was just before Covid, shortly after which our beloved Nathan Hull was prematurely taken from us, leaving a vacuum in leadership. The last we heard was that Amore Opera's gorgeous sets and costumes had to be sacrificed due to lack of funds to pay for storage. We never considered that the company we had enjoyed for so many years would survive those two major blows. Not only did they survive but, like the proverbial  phoenix rising from the ashes, they are thriving.

Perhaps it was some extraordinary leadership and whole-hearted determination plus moving south from the Riverside Theater to the Center at West Park that led to the packed house. It was definitely the quality of the production that led to the vociferous applause. Amore Opera is back on its feet, producing the classics in relatable fashion and with modestly priced tickets. We call "Bravi Tutti"!

La Bohême is arguably Puccini's most relatable opera. Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa fashioned an engaging libretto from stories by Henri Murger; Giacomo Puccini set the libretto to highly dramatic and melodic music that emphasizes the emotions of the characters and also describes the setting. We always listen for the dying of the fire and the water sprinkled in Mimi's face in Act I. The bustle of Paris on Christmas Eve is equally limned and the snowfall in Act III as well. 

We are happy to report that Maestro Richard Cordova did not miss a beat🤦 in telling the tale with the fine orchestra he conducted. Gone were the worst intonation failures of the string section which bothered us so in former days. Favorite themes were elicited to our delight; it is largely the orchestra that creates the mood.

We are also delighted that Stage Director Sabrina Palladino presented the opera with accuracy to time and place, respecting its creators. It is very much a story of the mid 19th c. and we never thrilled to the production by NYCO that chose to set it at the start of The Great War. Just as we like it, the work spoke for itself and required no lengthy Director's Notes to tell us how to interpret it. Moreover, all the stage business was valid and served to illuminate the characters and to tell the story. Our only quibble was in Act IV, Mimi is dressed in a night dress and barefoot and she was, according to the libretto, found stumbling around in the street. Other costumes (Sara Pearson, Costume Designer) were perfectly appropriate and Musetta's costume was particularly outstanding, revealing a character who is independent and does exactly what she wants. We refer you to our Facebook page (Voce di Meche) for photos of same.

While we are discussing Musetta, let us begin with the performance of soprano Dilara Unsal who picked up the role and ran with it, scoring a victorious goal. Her voice is more than sufficient to cut through Puccini's orchestration and her technique is so secure that one is allowed to appreciate the convincing acting. We meet her in Act II when we see her bad girl side, abusing poor Alcindoro, her "admirer" and doing everything she can to get the attention of poor Marcello, her erstwhile (and future) lover. Of course, she succeeds. Casting this role requires a woman beautiful enough to be convincing and vocally strong enough to dominate the quartet.

In Act III, we see even worse behavior as she and Marcello (Muir Ingliss) bring out the worst in each other. The irony is that Marcello has just been lecturing her about not making love difficult. It is in Act IV that we get to witness the soft heart underneath the bristly exterior as she pawns her earrings to pay for a muff to satisfy Mimi's dying wish.

Mimi was portrayed by soprano Rachel Hippert who hit all the right notes both musically and dramatically. She was charmingly and shyly seductive in Act I, succeeding in getting Rodolfo to take her out for dinner whilst hinting about what might happen after dinner. In Act II, we see her in vivid contrast with the attention getting Musetta. In Act III, we see her overhearing the true reason for Rodolfo's rejection and realizing that death was not far away; the pair will make the best of a bad situation, staying together until Spring. In Act IV, we feel our heart break as she is brought to her friends' garret to die. We see the depth of her attachments and the pain of letting go. Puccini's music tells us and Ms. Hippert showed us.

As Rodolfo we heard tenor Jose Heredia in fine voice, granting us a tender but slightly boastful "Che gelida manina". He was particularly moving in Act III, at first blaming Mimi for the breakup but finally accepting responsibility for his fear of death. His acting revealed to us the major theme of the opera. It's a coming of age story in which a callow youth faces death and the loss of youthful invulnerability. The story was told so successfully that we have been pondering the fate of the other characters and what will happen to them as they outgrow their youthful self-obsession. Mimi's death will surely hasten their adulting.

The tragedy is lightened by some comic moments that were well realized. For example in Act I when baritone Daniel Chin recounts his very funny story of playing music for a parrot, his three flat-mates ignore him whilst devouring the food he has brought. (We, however, paid attention to his entertaining delivery.) The way in which the four young men manipulate their landlord is another amusing moment.  In Act II, there is humor in Musetta's control over her "patron" Alcindoro. Both the landlord Benoit and Alcindoro were performed by the marvelously funny Garry Giardino. In Act III there is humor in the over-the-top name calling of the battling Marcello and Musetta.

In Act IV, there is no humor but there is poignancy in Colline's farewell to the overcoat he is about to pawn to get medicine for the dying Mimi. The role was performed by Gennady Vysotsky.

So, Dear Reader, we got exactly what we wish for--a traditional production of one of our favorite operas, sensitively directed, uniformly well-sung with excellent musical values. We wish Manhattan had a nice mid-sized theater with an orchestra pit. The Center at West Park has the orchestra seated at ground level but the action takes place on an elevated stage. This must be a challenge for the singers and the conductor but the challenge was met. The set was minimal but with such fine singing and direction, our mind's eye filled it in.

© meche kroop

AMORE MEANS LOVE

Act II of La Boheme at Riverside Theater

Our first exposure to Amore Opera was three years ago when we saw their commendable production of Puccini's 1898 opera La Bohème. It is such a charming and intimate production that we wish that President Nathan Hull (who also directed the production with his customary singer-friendly touch) would make it an annual Xmas event, as we hope he will do with his recently reviewed Scrooge.

Mr. Hull changes the casting from one performance to the next but the singers are always fine. At last night's performance, one cast member was remembered from the performance we saw three years ago. The role of the painter Marcello was sung and enacted beautifully by baritone Robert Garner with soprano Cassandra Douglas wowing both the onstage "audience" at Café Momus and the audience at Riverside Theater with her over-the-top performance of an histrionic vain woman who also is the possessor of a generous heart.

As the doomed Mimi, soprano Rachel Hippert superbly conveyed a real young woman, not just a cliché. Amore regular José Heredia used his full-throated tenor to show us a Rodolfo who is love-struck in Act I and II, but in over his head by Act III and in denial in Act IV.

We are quite sure that everyone knows the story and there isn't much new to say. We perceive it as more than a tragic love story; it is also a story of "adulting", part of which is facing reality. 

Four feckless young men share a garret in Paris, eking out a barely sustainable living but still full of high spirits and horseplay. We love the scene in which they "prank" their landlord and the way they attack Schaunard's bountiful Xmas basket with no interest in the amazing story of how he earned the funds to supply it.

Rodolfo is very human and acts like many people do when they face a situation with which they cannot cope; they blame someone else. He cannot face the fact that Mimi is dying and he cannot keep her warm or restore her health so he invents petty jealousies. Marcello, who cannot keep his own love life straight, is the one everyone turns to for advice. Before he knows the entire story, he counsels Mimi to separate. The fact that Mr. Garner is somewhat older than the other "bohemians" lends verisimilitude to his position as advisor.

Mimi has also been in denial about her illness until she overhears Rodolfo being forced by Marcello to reveal the reason for his bad behavior toward her. Now that the facts are on the table, Mimi and Rodolfo decide to stay together until Spring.

Because of the episodic nature of the libretto (by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa) we do not know what happened between Acts III and IV but Mimi is found wandering the streets in extreme physical distress and is brought to the garret by Musetta so she can die surrounded by beloved friends (accompanied by Puccini's most gorgeous music.)  It was difficult to stanch our tears.

We in the audience know that none of the survivors will ever be the same again.

Colline was sung by bass Virdell Williams who sounded fine throughout but failed to move us to tears with "Vecchia zimarra". Colline is not just saying goodbye to his overcoat but to his youth; we wanted more poignancy.

Schaunard was sung by Charles Gray whose tale of the poisoned parsley went by so unnoticed by his greedy flatmates.

Benoît was performed by bass Gennadiy Vysotskiy, whose humor was effective. If we are not mistaken, he performed Colline three years ago.

Rick Agster, whom we just enjoyed in Scrooge, was funny as Musetta's wealthy and much put-upon "patron".

Andrew Watt played the toy vendor Parpignol who captivated all the children like the Pied Piper.

We liked the directorial touch (by Mr. Hull and Iris Karlin, who portrayed Musetta three years ago) of having the customs officials (Thomas Geib and David Owen) behaving rather passive-aggressively at the city gates toward the waiting merchants and street sweepers.

Richard Cerullo's clever sets worked well with the stage of the Riverside Theater and Cynthia's Psoras' costumes were perfect. Gone were the awful wigs of three years ago!

We hear probably 360 performances a year and we have never witnessed a more enthusiastic audience. Even the Café Momus waitress (Nyah Williams) got lavish applause which she surely deserved for putting an individual spin on the role.

Directed by Susan Morton, the chorus was excellent. Maestro Scott Jackson Wiley did his best with a rather deficient orchestra, beginning the evening with intonation problems. As the evening progressed, he pulled them together but this is the only sub-par feature of a wonderful evening.

The final performance is tonight, New Year's Eve, and we plan to see it again with a different cast.  And so should you!

(c) meche kroop

NATHAN HULL MEETS CHARLES DICKENS, W.S. GILBERT, AND ARTHUR SULLIVAN

Scrooge and Gilbert & Sullivan by Amore Opera at the Riverside Theater

We think of creativity as the ability to take things that are known and to combine them in a new way to produce something novel. That concept can be applied accurately to the work of art created by Nathan Hull, Artistic Director of Amore Opera.

The multi-talented Mr. Hull has directed his own creation for the first time and directed it with his customary skill and inventiveness. We are surprised that we never heard of this production before but New York Village Light Opera presented it a decade ago and it has been performed around the country many times since then.

Judging by the quality of the work, Mr. Hull must have labored long and diligently, adapting Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" for the stage and curating over 20 songs from 11 operettas by Gilbert and Sullivan. The greatest part of the task would seem to have been writing the lyrics for Sullivan's music, retaining the wittiness, the meter, and the rhyme scheme established by Gilbert. Clearly the selections had to be chosen to fit the characters singing them and to advance the drama of the scene. We consider the work a complete success.

The work opened with the fine chorus singing "Christmas Season", an adaptation of "Welcome, Gentry" from Ruddigore. This bustling joyful scene set the stage for Scrooge's negativity. The closing number was borrowed from The Gondoliers-- "Now Let the Loyal Lieges" and utilized Gilbert's own lyrics.

In between we enjoyed some excellent voices illuminating the dramatic arc of the enlightenment of a very unpleasant man, the selfish and miserly Scrooge, effectively enacted by Ray Calderon. Who doesn't enjoy seeing the transformation of the wicked into the lovable!

The transformation is effected by the ghost of Scrooge's deceased partner Jacob Morley (scarily portrayed by Stuart Whalen). He introduces Scrooge to three spirits who guide him through this transformation.

The Ghost of Christmas Past was portrayed by Alexa Rosenberg, a wraith in a white gown who danced through her role. The Ghost of Christmas Present was superbly sung by Alexis Cregger whose "Come in and Know Me Better" was a fine iteration of  "Pirate King" from The Pirates of Penzance. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come was performed by Michelle Thompson in scary long black gown.

There was so much delight in the evening that it is difficult to pick out special moments but we will make an effort. There was a lovely duet between the young Ebenezer (tenor Charles Calotta) and Belle (soprano Elise Mark), the woman he lost because of his materialism. There was a sprightly dance by Fezziwig, Tom, Dick, and Harry (Benjamin Spierman, Thomas Geib, James Stephen Longo, and Jaden Lux) trying to loosen up young Ebenezer--"Soon as We May" adapted from Iolanthe's  "If You Go In".

The Cratchit children sang "We Won't Eat Just Any Old Thing" adapted from  "The Flowers That Bloom in the Spring" from The Mikado; note the scanning similarities!  The young Max Leventon made a fine Tiny Tim and sang "Were I to Walk" adapted from "Were I Thy Bride" from The Yeomen of the Guard.

Do you remember the very funny "A Paradox" from The Pirates of Penzance? Here it was sung by Scrooge's nephew Fred (Daniel Kerr), his wife Celeste (Rachel Hippert) and their dinner guests Julia (Elizabeth Mirandi) and Topper (Mr. Longo). The four had terrific chemistry together.

Do you remember "Things are Seldom What They Seem" from H.M.S. Pinafore? Here it was sung by a cockney-accented pair (Maria Marbet and Richard Agster) trading old Scrooge's belongings after his (future) death.

Colm Fitzmaurice made a sympathetic Bob Cratchit with Perri Sussman doing her usual fine work as his wife and mother of their six children.

This might be a good time to mention how successful Mr. Hull is at getting children onstage in every production and to also mention that he is auditioning children for an all-children production of The Pirates of Penzance.

Aside from the fine direction, we enjoyed the effective sets which were provided by The Village Light Opera, and based upon David Jones' original design. Cynthia Psoras designed the excellent costumes and also sang as a woman begging Scrooge for charity, along with Arina Ayzen. Hannah Spierman appeared as Mrs. Fezziwig.

James Stenborg was credited for the orchestral arrangement which comprised a solitary violin and eight winds, plus piano and percussion, an unusual grouping which worked well.

There was only one flaw in the production and that was the English diction. The lyrics (when we could understand them) were extraordinarily clever and missing so much was disappointing to say the least. Some of the performers were consistently comprehensible, among them Mr. Spierman, Mr. Whalen, Mr. Kerr, and the young Mr. Leventon. Also, the men's group who sang "Soon as We May" were perfectly understandable. 

So, English can be well sung but perhaps we need coaches to ensure that it is! Or titles.

(c) meche kroop

A FESTIVAL OF SPANISH MUSIC

Tziporah Miriam Halperin and Rachel Hippert

Finally our passion for Spanish music has been sated, thanks to Scott Foreman-Orr's Clef Note Productions and Project 142.  Not only did we hear some favorites from the world of zarzuela but had the thrill of hearing an aria from a contemporary opera that is (we couldn't believe our ears!) actually MELODIC. 

Salvadoran Luis Diaz Hérodier composed El Mozote in 2006 to a libretto by his sister, the famous poet Claudia Hérodier, dealing with the country's civil war in the early 1980's. The tender aria "Y yo que haré sin vos, Rufina" was beautifully interpreted by the sweet-voiced tenor Oswaldo Iraheta, a fellow Salvadoran, if we are not mistaken. Perhaps the future of opera lies in El Salvador!  

Two other Latin American tenors captivated the capacity audience with their passionate delivery. We particularly enjoyed José Heredia's nicely modulated delivery of Augustin Lara's "Granada".  This popular song has been sung in many languages but there's nothing like the real thing.

The more passionate "No puede ser" from Pablo Sorozábal's 1936 zarzuela La Taberna del puerto is another favorite of ours and full-voiced tenor Hamid Rodriguez poured a full measure of Latin passion into it, nicely varying the dynamics and volume to hold our interest.

Although the women on the program were not Latin American, they made an equally fine impression. The harmonies of Maria Malibran's "Le prisonnier" were effectively captured by soprano Rachel Hippert and mezzo-soprano Tziporah Miriam Halperin as they sang about the beauties of nature in fine French. The Spanish Malibran, a famous 19th c. bel canto singer, obviously knew how to write for the voice.  Perhaps what we need today are songs written by singers!

These two women are so in tune with one another! They thrilled us with "Séparation", Pauline Viardot's adaptation for voice of "Mazurka #6" by Chopin. Fine French diction is difficult to find but they nailed it. 

Ms. Hippert shared a convincing duet with Mr.  Heredia--"El duo de la Africana" by Manuel Caballero. This zarzuela was a satire of Meyerbeer's opera L'Africaine. Equally convincing was the final scene of Bizet's Carmen, sung by mezzo-soprano Galina Ivannikova and Mr. Rodriguez.

We heard two versions of "Les Filles de Cadix", one by Leo Delibes which gave Ms. Hippert the opportunity to exhibit a flirtatious personality; the other setting by Pauline Viardot, sung by mezzo-soprano Anna Tonno, who did her best to convey the same flirtatiousness, hampered by being "on the book".

This brings us to the marvelous soprano Alexis Cregger, whose use of the music stand detracted from her ability to connect with the audience. She clearly connected with the material and has a marvelous instrument; there must have been a compelling reason for her not to have memorized her selections but we sadly cannot approve. Attending a vocal recital involves a reciprocal relation between artist and audience. Anything that interferes with this connection is a distraction.

This was particularly unfortunate because her selections were among the choicest on the program: Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona's gorgeous "Escucha al Ruiseñor" and Heitor Villalobos' thrilling "Bachianas #5".

Soprano Rosa d'Imperio showed excellence in performance of an aria from Lecuona's tragedy "Maria la O". We also enjoyed her in an intensely dramatic duet with Mr. Rodriguez "Amor mi raza sabe conquistar" from the 1924 zarzuela Leyenda del Beso by Reveriano Soutullo.

Accompaniment by Winston Vogel fell short. He was mainly focused on the score and neglected to "breathe with" the singers.

We will close with an unsettling fact previously unknown by us: Georges Bizet's "Habanera" from Carmen first saw light of day as Sebastian Yradier's "El Arreglito"!  Bizet claimed that he thought it was a folk song that he arranged.  Uh-oh!  Well, that wouldn't be the first and only example of musical plagiarism. Last night Ms. Halperin sang it and we enjoyed it, no matter who wrote it!.

(c) meche kroop

LOVE BY COMPARISON

Rosa D'Imperio as Tosca

Alexis Cregger as Salome

Edgar Jaramillo as Edgardo

A few days in advance of Valentine's Day, impressario Scott Foreman-Orr, Artistic Director of Clef Note Productions, presented an evening of operatic arias that encompassed the many faces of love: love fulfilled, love unrequited, forbidden love, desperate love, seductive love, and foolish love.

We always enjoy programs that show off the varied talents of a wide selection of singers.  There are always a couple that stand out--those that we want to hear more of.  Sometimes we have heard them before and relish the opportunity to hear them in a different role. And sometimes we enjoy being introduced to singers that are new to us.

In the former category is up-and-coming tenor Edgar Jaramillo whose rapid rise we have witnessed for the past few years.  Mr. Jaramillo is one of those rare singers who sings from the heart and doesn't hold back. His round Italianate tone was perfect for the love duet "Verranno a te" from Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, with the fine soprano Heather Kelley-Vella in the titular role.

We had never before heard him sing in French and his Don Jose was a revelation.  With the convincing Carmen of mezzo Galina Ivannikova, the pair created the final tragic scene of Bizet's masterpiece in a manner so powerful that we forgot our surroundings totally.  It was a triumph of acting that this kind sweet singer could muster such murderous rage.

As far as tenors go, we were glad to hear another one of the same ilk with a similar warmth of tone and dramatic commitment. José Heredia made a fine showing as the Duke in Verdi's Rigoletto.  It's no surprise that he could seduce Gilda with a performance like that.  His Gilda, soprano Heather Kelley-Vella, has such a sweet young sound! She was equally convincing as Gilda and as Lucia.

Mr. Heredia was just as fine portraying the victim of seduction when he became helpless in the face of Manon's wiles in the Massenet opera named for this dangerous young woman, nicely sung by soprano Rachel Hippert.

Strauss' heroines are not cut from the same cloth.  We particularly enjoyed Alexis Cregger's encore piece from Salome as she exulted over the head of Johannan.  She has a voice of great amplitude and beauty and was also a standout as the Marschallin in the final scene from Der Rosenkavalier with Page Lucky taking the role of Sophie and Leslie Middlebrook performing the role of Octavian. This is such a perfect trio with three characters each having her/his own thoughts.

Another sizable voice on the program belongs to soprano Rosa d'Imperio who impressed us with the "three questions" aria from Puccini's Turandot.  Her acting chops were evident as she performed a little later as the eponymous Tosca venting her jealousy on poor Mario, and still later as the seductive Manon in Manon Lescaut.  We don't know how Puccini's name became associated with "piccole donne". There is nothing small about any of these heroines and Ms. d'Imperio gave them each their due.

Accompanist Ming Hay Kwong shifted styles well and added something extra to the evening when he performed the challenging third movement of Beethoven's Appassionata, fingers flying over the keys.

We opera lovers must do everything we can to support the folks on the other side of the curtain who give of themselves so generously. Why not see what you can do on Indiegogo.  Here's the link.

http://igg.me/at/26iqjL2y0lk/x/9855770

MORE BEL CANTO PLEASE

The cast of Bel Canto Gems

Scott Foreman-Orr established Clef Note Productions to offer talented singers a chance to be heard in themed concerts which would showcase their voices.  Last night's theme was Bel Canto Gems and we were delighted since that is our very favorite period of opera.  The definition of bel canto was somewhat stretched but there is no denying that we heard some beautiful singing.  The program included something for everyone.

Two singers made a huge impression--one known to us and one new to us, which is usually the case.  Soprano Zhanna Alkhazova is a singer to look up to, literally and figuratively.  Her imposing appearance is matched by a powerful voice giving her a great deal of onstage presence.  She blew us away with her intensity in Elettra's aria from Mozart's Idomeneo in which she handled the ornamentation with style.  Even better was her "Tacea la notte placida" from Verdi's Il Trovatore.  She was one of the few singers who prepared her arias well and sang off the book.

New to us was mezzo Hayden Dewitt who sang everything with grace and subtlety. She too was excellently prepared; singing without a music stand always permits greater connection with the audience.  From Rossini's Otello she sang the Willow Song "Assisa pie d'un salice" filled with distracted grief.  

She also sang in French--the part of Isolier in the trio from Rossini's Le Comte Ory and, more impressively, the part of Mallika to Julia Lima's Lakme from the Delibes opera of the same name. The harmonies were exquisite.  Still better was her ardent Romeo in Bellini's I Capuletti e i Montecchi.  

Her Giulietta for "Si fuggire" was the lovely soprano Sarah Moulton Faux who beautifully handled the trills and scale passages.  The harmony in thirds was glorious to the ear. There is nothing faux about Ms. Faux.  She is the real thing and was just as winning as Amina in "Son geloso" from Bellini's La Sonnambula.  Her Elvino was the tenor Jon Thomas Olson who has a sweet youthful sound. 

We enjoyed hearing soprano Rosa D'Imperio in several selections.  As Mathilde in "Selva Opaca" from Rossini's William Tell, she exhibited a lovely resonance and floated her top notes effortlessly.  Our only quibble was the use of the music stand. She has a real flair for Rossini and sang in the duet "Non arrestare il colpo" from the composer's Otello, although the role was written for a mezzo-soprano. 

We would like to credit soprano Rachel Hippert for her fine handling of the descending scale passages and syncopated rhythms as Isabelle in Meyerbeer's Robert le Diable.  

Julia Lima, so lovely in the Lakme has a lovely vibrato and was perky as Susanna in "Colle dame piu brillanti" from Mercadante's I Due Figaro.  Singing off the book, she connected well with the audience.  Soprano Roza Bulat made a fine Lucrezia in Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia.

Space does not permit discussion of several of the other excellent singers but we are sure to have other opportunities in the future.

Accompanying was deftly handled by Ming Hay Kwong.  It was a long evening although shortened by the illness of some of the singers.  Happily, bel canto always leaves us wanting more.

(c) meche kroop