I AM CARRREÑO

Stephanie Chase, Isabel Pérez Dobarro, Anna Tonna, and Robert Osborne

Last night's recital was much more than a recital. It was a dramatic and musical biography of a notable female figure who is rather unknown in the USA but who deserves to be celebrated. For this celebration we must thank The Hispanic Society Concert Series which was initiated in 2010 to promote the music of Spanish and Hispanic composers.

Teresa Carreño was born in 1853 in Venezuela to a musical family which moved to the USA. A childhood prodigy she toured the world as singer, pianist, composer, and conductor. A huge arts complex in Venezuela bears her name. This fiercely independent woman lived life on her own terms and married four times; two of her husbands were brothers. The program notes of dramaturg August Ventura (best known for his film about the Verdi fanatics of Parma) were replete with interesting tidbits.

Mr. Ventura's script, tying all the musical numbers together, made use of Carreño's own words and those extracted from the correspondence of those who knew her, as well as critics and contemporaneous biographers. The selections on the program were composed by her, or by those in the music world who championed her, befriended her, or studied with her.

It was surely a labor of love to research all this material and construct a script. Bass-baritone Robert Osborne performed the musically equivalent labor of love in reconstructing and transcribing her scores and manuscripts.

Her talent was so varied that two artists were required to represent her onstage. As Carreño the singer, we had mezzo-soprano Anna Tonna; as Carreño the pianist, we had Isabel Pérez Dobarro. Both women, as well as violinist Stephanie Chase rocked gorgeous late 19th c. gowns and hairstyles, transporting us to our favorite epoch.

Mr. Osborne portrayed the men in her life and was also spiffily clad in period attire and in fine voice as well.

The program opened with her jaunty Intermezzo scherzando which left no doubt about her superb writing for piano. Gottschalk's The Dying Poet was given a lyrical waltz treatment. That she could write for other instruments as well as piano was demonstrated by her Romance for violin and piano.

But our favorite work for piano was Chopin's Mazurka, op.33, no. 1. The work is in Rondo form and the first theme overwhelmed us with it's sorrow; it is never lugubrious but we heard plenty of pain. The second section sounded a note of triumph. Each time the first section was repeated, the color became a little brighter and by the end it was almost cheerful. Ms. Dobarro must be a magician on the keys to limn so much subtlety.

There were two devilishly difficult pieces on the program that did not faze this gifted pianist: "Lizst's Transcendental Etude #10" and Edward MacDowell's "Hexentanz".

We enjoyed a couple of duets from Ms. Tonna and Mr. Osborne. We particularly enjoyed Anton Rubinstein's tender Der Engel. "La ci darem la mano" from Mozart's Don Giovanni can be performed countless ways and our two artists put their own spin on it.  Mr. Osborne's Don was more authoritarian than seductive and Ms. Tonna was less coy and sang some of the lines as if they were private thoughts, not shared with the Don. We usually hear a soprano in this role but Ms. Tonna's voice was well suited to the role.

Ms. Tonna also excelled in Rossini's "A Granada" which seemed perfect for her warm tone and graceful phrasing. There was some lovely melismatic singing in a Carreño piece entitled "Barcarola".

Another Carreño piece "Feuillet d'Album" was sung by Mr. Osborne in his customary fine French which he also employed in Gounod's famous "Sérénade", a melodic setting of text by Victor Hugo to which Stephanie Chase's violin contributed.

We liked these better than "Sebastianos Tanzlied", composed by Eugen d'Albert, one of Carreño's husbands. This had nothing to do with Mr. Osborne's performance but it seemed off-kilter that a French composer wrote about a Spanish theme, in German.

The program ended with "La Serenata" by Gaetano Braga, a duet with which Carreño usually ended her program. All four artists joined for a beautiful finale.

The program entertained and educated. We hope to see works by Carreño on more programs.

(c) meche kroop

ANATOMY THEATER

Anatomy Theater

Gross Anatomy Lab in medical school lasted for three miserable hours and this was taken into consideration when we decided not to become a surgeon.  David Lang's new music-theater piece entitled Anatomy Theater lasted less than half as long and involved no misery whatsoever. Rather, it involved our rapt attention such that we resisted the urge to look away from its gruesomeness.

Mr. Lang, who also wrote the libretto with Mark Dion, based his work on texts from the 16th and 17th c, a time during which the church held sway over people's beliefs and there was no science without the encroachments of religion. It was posited that the devil's evils were implanted within people's bodies.  But in which organ? That was left to anatomists to determine.

These dissections were open to the public and one wonders whether bloodthirsty entertainment was involved along with moral instruction. This would be a rather different situation from that which is depicted in Rembrandt's painting "The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nikolaes Tulp" in which seven scholarly scientists can be seen watching Dr. Tulp's dissection of a cadaver's left arm, all in the spirit of scientific inquiry.

The bulk of Mr. Lang's piece takes place in a more public theater in which men (no women allowed) observe the post-mortem dissection of the recently dead Sarah Osborne (mezzo-soprano Peabody Southwell) who murdered her abusive husband by drugging and smothering him, after which she smothered her two children. And yet, one can feel sympathy for this poor creature when she relates the sordid details of her miserable life.

Before the show actually started, audience members were welcomed to the BRIC performing space by costumed "wenches" who offered steins of beer and sausages before the hanging took place. Indeed we felt transported back to the 18th c. when bodies of executed convicts were made available for public dissection.  There was a festival spirit as poor Sarah was dragged through the corridors of the space by hooded men, reminiscent of the Ku Klux Klan.

The poor woman confessed and told her tale and was convincingly hanged in a scene of frightening verisimilitude. Her body was purchased by one Joshua Crouch (Mark Kudisch) to provide fodder for the anatomy theater. We in the audience became the observers and therefore complicit.

The shots there were called by one Baron Peel (bass-baritone Robert Osborne) but the actual bloody work was performed by one Ambrose Strang (tenor Timur). The instruments involved were shown and discussed and the unfortunate subject was covered with blood in a scene as convincing and disturbing as the hanging.

Although no aberrations were found in the organs, Mr. Peel would not be seen giving up on his religion-inspired belief. What was interesting to us was that the same deed could be conducted in the spirit of the advancement of science or, alternatively, to advance the cause of religion. The dissection was just an additional measure of punishment for the miscreant.

As a subject for a theatrical work, this was a daring choice. The execution (pun not intended) of the concept was superb, with Bob McGrath's direction most effective.  Mr. Dion's set design featured a cabinet of skulls and surgical instruments; Video Designer Bill Morrison and Projection Designer Laurie Olinder provided meaningful contributions by way of antique drawings. Christopher Kuhl's lighting and Alixandra Gage Englund's costume designs were effective.

When we see a piece such as this one, we think of it more as a play with music than as an opera. We ask ourselves whether the music contributes to the telling of the tale. We liked Christopher Rountree's conducting of this eclectic music, especially the sections of minimalism that brought Philip Glass and Steve Reich to mind. Although the musicians of the International Contemporary Ensemble were not identified in the program, their performance of the music was just fine. Along with strings we spied a trumpet, a flute, and the beloved bass clarinet.  But we cannot say that the music told us any more about the characters on stage than the performers did. We think about Mozart's characterizations and how they told us so much about the bravado and defiance of Don Giovanni, for example, or about the dignity and despair of the Countess Almaviva.

The vocal lines were not at all melodic but we no longer hope to find that characteristic in contemporary operas, which is the reason we are rather unwilling to experience them. In the case of Anatomy Theater, we enjoyed the work for the drama and the effective realization of the story.

The performers were particularly effective at conveying the drama.  As already noted, Ms. Southwell evinced sympathy for her character, Mr. Kudisch was appropriately lascivious and slimy. Mr. Osborne generated total conviction in the rightness of his work, and Timur showed the doubts of Mr. Strang as he found no signs of the devil in the extracted organs.

We take exception to the amplification of the voices, leaving us unable to evaluate their honest timbre. Fortunately we have heard Mr. Osborne before on numerous occasions and recall well how fine a singer he is. The other artists were unknown to us so we cannot comment on their vocal skills. We are not sure why body microphones were used, in light of the small size of the theater and the small size of the chamber orchestra.

We would not hesitate to recommend this work on the basis of its dramatic values but we did not come home humming the score.  We are quite sure Mr. Lang did not intend for us to do so. From a similarly gruesome work (Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd) we surely did! And that is a work we have seen many times and hope to hear unamplified (!) someday in the future.

This New York premiere is part of the Prototype Festival, now in its fifth year of presenting new indie chamber "opera". By rupturing the boundaries of chamber opera, do we lose the meaning of the word "opera"?

(c) meche kroop

OSBORNE DOES WAXMAN

Robert Osborne and Richard Gordon

In September we wrote about a private recital in which baritone Robert Osborne sang a number of unpublished songs by Franz Waxman. We are delighted to report that the songs will be published and that Mr. Osborne has recorded them under the title "Who Wants Love?" We were so impressed by his performance that we jumped at the chance to hear more.  Last night he performed them at the cabaret held at Cafe Sabarsky of Neue Galerie.

Franz Waxman can be said to have led three lives. He began composing in his native Germany and orchestrated Frederick Hollander's score for "The Blue Angel". He fled the Nazis in 1934. and lived in Paris for nearly a year where he continued to compose. Then he got an offer he couldn't refuse from Hollywood where he spent the rest of his life as a successful composer of film scores, his first one being "Bride of Frankenstein" in 1935. There would be 143 more!

Those familiar with his Academy Awards for "Sunset Boulevard" and "A Place in the Sun" may not even know of his vast legacy of cabaret songs and we are grateful to Mr. Osborne for bringing them to our attention.

Accompanied by Richard Gordon on the piano, Mr. Osborne sang them as only a true aficionado could, capturing every ironic nuance, every enthusiastic joy, every crumb of despair.  And he sang them in fine French and German and English.  He is every bit as adaptable as the composer. 

He is a superb actor and uses his expressive face and body to augment the expressiveness of his voice. He has many colors in his vocal palette and makes use of them all. He is also an excellent narrator and shared nuggets of information about each song.

There were funny songs about taxes and the financial crisis, sad songs about loneliness, optimistic songs about love, and jolly devilish songs sung with a twinkle in his eye.

Not only are the vocal lines melodic and singable but the writing for piano is filled with interesting riffs and harmonies.  Mr. Gordon is just the right collaborative pianist for Project Waxman!

We especially enjoyed one about impoverished bohemians feeling wealthy because of the young women of Montparnasse.  Whatever language Waxman wrote in and Osborne sang in, the text and music match up like wurst and senf.

The title song of the new CD "Who Wants Love" came from a film entitled "The Bride Wore Red" and was recorded by Billie Holiday. This is a CD you will want to add to your collection!

(c) meche kroop

VIVE LES ARTS--in all their Gallic glory.

George Hemcher, Stéphane Sénéchal, and Robert Osborne

Last night we had the privilege of attending a private recital at the magnificently art-filled home of painter Lewis Bryden and his lovely wife Betsy.  Mr. Bryden paints exactly the kind of painting that we want in our home--portraits and representational works of haunting loveliness.

It was the perfect setting for a recital by French tenor Stéphane Sénéchal, whom we heard for the first time, and bass-baritone Robert Osborne, whom we enjoyed so much at the Hispanic Society singing Don Quichotte.

The program, entirely in French, seemed designed to highlight the unique talents of each artist and also to show a contrast between the delicacy of Mr. Sénéchal's lyric tenor and the robustness of Mr. Osborne's sturdy bass-baritone. 

The former has quite a career in his native France and has garnered multiple awards both there and here. His ease with his homeland's mélodies is legendary and he has achieved quite a reputation as an ambassador of the French repertoire. He is also affiliated with Classic Lyric Arts as Artistic Director of L'Art du Chant Français which has contributed so much to French performance instruction.

He opened the program with three selections by Francis Poulenc; our favorite was the lively "Vous n'écrivez plus", setting of a text by Max Jacob.  Later on the program he performed songs from an earlier period, all masterpieces.  In Gabriel Fauré's "Ici-bas", he used his fine phrasing to good effect, employing an exquisite caressing tone.

In Henri Duparc's "Soupir", he used delicate vocal brush strokes to paint a picture of longing. Charles Gounod's "Viens les gazons sont verts" was sung with all the enthusiasm the text required, accompanied by George Hemcher's rippling piano. Déodat de Séverac's "Les hiboux" was given a haunting interpretation by both tenor and pianist.

His final solo selection was Nadir's lilting aria "Je crois entendre encore" from Bizet's "Les pêcheurs de perles".  We loved the floated top notes and the lulling rhythm which seemed borrowed from a barcarolle.

Mr. Osborne is well known on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean for his powerful and versatile singing. His recordings are legendary. He performed two melodic songs by Oscar Straus, a composer of whom we wish to hear more. Mr. Osborne used his larger-than-life personality and ample dramatic gestures to convey the feelings of a hopelessly smitten lover in "Je t'aime". His dynamic variety kept the waltz neatly in romantic territory without pushing it into sappiness.

Mr. Straus' music is replete with melody. The text scans and rhymes, making it the kind of music you walk out humming. The two artists joined forces for "Oui, c'est une valse de Vienne" in which a young man celebrates his carefree youth.

Franz Waxman was a Berliner who fled the Nazis and wrote some marvelous unpublished songs while in Paris; he continued on to the USA where he wrote scores for Hollywood films. What joy to have Mr. Osborne bring to our attention these wonderful songs from Waxman's Paris period !

Mr. Osborne captured the varying moods of the songs with spontaneity and ease. "Sans un mot" had a tender romantic feel and was written in waltz time. "Tout seul" was bluesy and bitter. "La crise est finie" seemed ironic with its martial rhythm. We enjoyed these songs so much and are happy to report that Mr. Osborne has recorded them! And that's a first!!!

The two singers joined forces for "Duetto de la Chartreuse verte", a parodic drinking song from Emmanuel Chabrier's L'Etoile,  in which Mr. Osborne got to show off his formidable lower register. Every drop of humor was captured.

In a display of versatility, he switched gears for "Et toi, Palerme" from Giuseppe Verdi's Les vêpres siciliennes. It is special indeed to hear a bass-baritone achieve such flexibility in the ornamentation.

What program with two male voices could end with anything but "Au fond du temple saint" from the aforementioned Les pêcheurs de perles.  It was the perfect ending for a recital that lasted but an hour but was nonetheless completely fulfilling.  

There was none of the effeteness that can sometimes creep into an evening of French song. The variety of style and attention to dynamics kept it compelling from start to finish. A better accompanist than George Hemcher could not be found; he consistently matched the varying moods and dynamics of the singers.

The evening concluded with a reception and a tour of Mr. Bryden's studio where we admired paintings and sculptures both. Vocal arts and plastic arts in one evening! Only in New York!

(c) meche kroop

OUR WINDMILLS HAVE BEEN TILTED

Babette Hierholzer, Robert Osborne, Lydia Ciaputa, and Conor Chinitz

We were trying to figure out why we were lately hearing so much music related to the character of Don Quixote and learned that this is the 400th anniversary of the publication of Part II of Miguel Cervantes' masterpiece. This figure has inspired choreographers and composers since the work was published. Obviously the word "quixotic" came from the eponymous character.

Last night in the grand hall of The Hispanic Society, against a backdrop of centuries of Spanish art, bass-baritone Robert Osborne brought this character to musical life in an involving and ultimately moving program which he conceived and created--a program entitled Don Quixote in Music.

The first part of the program was devoted to the 1712 cantata by Jean-Baptiste Morin entitled Dom Quixotte which Mr. Osborne sang in French, so clearly enunciated that we understood every word. Accompanied by violinist Judson Griffin playing an instrument as old as the Cervantes' work (!), cellist David Bakamjian, and harpsichordist Alexandra Snyder Dunbar, his rich voice was well employed in the descriptive recitativi, 

The arias, on the other hand, seemed to be the very words spoken by Don Q. Following a lovely theme in the violin, the section "Mort de Dom Quixotte" seemed to be in march tempo. The sad effects were achieved by color without a trace of sentimentality.

The second half of the program was more dramatic as Mr. Osborne was assisted into some very authentic appearing armor and cape by Sancho Panza, portrayed by Conor Chinitz. When he donned the helmet and picked up the halberd, he looked astonishingly like Don Q. himself. With his sharply chiseled features he cut a fine figure.

Alternating works by several composers, both vocal and instrumental, followed a line from the hero's departure through to his death. Interestingly none of the works were written in Spanish although some Spanish composers have composed such works.

We greatly enjoyed the early 20th c. songs by Jacques Ibert, particularly the "Chanson du départ" which had a distinctly Spanish flavor, as did his lovely "Chanson à Dulcinée".

Maurice Ravel's "Chanson à boire" lent a note of comic relief.  It's a rowdy song we never tire of hearing and it was fun seeing our hero passing out on the floor.  In contrast, Mr. Osborne delivered the moving and spiritual "Chanson épique" on his knees in prayerful pose.

Selections from Jules Massenet's late opera, the 1910 Don Quichotte, a comédie-héroïque, included the "Sérénade de Don Quichotte" in which accompanying pianist Babette Hierholzer effectively brought out the octave tremoli. The final scene of his death was most effectively rendered in "Écoute, mon ami, je me sens bien malade". Although she appeared only briefly as Dulcinée, singing from the balcony above, soprano Lydia Ciaputa sounded ethereal while Conor Chinitz sounded earthy as Sancho Panza.

The only music that didn't seem to advance the plot much was that composed by the 11-year-old Erich Wolfgang Korngold. There was nothing about these instrumental pieces that seemed related to the story but they did give evidence of the success that lay down the road and, more importantly, let us enjoy the fine playing of Ms. Hierholzer.

This was the second time this week that we have enjoyed a work created to tell a story, using a pastiche of music.(See review entitled Discovering Mrs. Rossini.). It is a marvelous genre, one which we thoroughly enjoyed and hope to hear more of.

As we exited the gorgeous Hispanic Society building we smiled at the statue of our hero casting a shadow on the wall

(c) meche kroop