NUN-PLUSSED

 

Curtain Call for Dialogues des Carmelites

We were privileged to have attended opening night of Juilliard Opera's outstanding production of Francis Poulenc's mid 20th century masterpiece Dialogues des Carmélites, for which he wrote both score and libretto. The choice of this opera, telling a disturbing story taking place during the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution, struck us as particularly timely inasmuch as we are on the verge of an upheaval in our own country. It certainly illustrates the consequences of unbridled anger between political factions with horrifying effects on innocent victims.

This is a fictionalized version of the story of the Martyrs of Compiègne, Carmelite nuns who, in 1794 during the closing days of the Reign of Terror  were guillotined in Paris for refusing to renounce their vocation.

Poulenc chose to set the work tonally giving the orchestra great variety of coloration. The vocal lines are predominantly recitativi  and follow the intonation of the French language, making us wonder how that could be accomplished within an ill-advised translation into English. Poulenc himself wished the work to be performed in the vernacular of any given country and indeed the work premiered in Italy--in Italian. Here in the USA, it has been given in French and in English so we were very happy that Juilliard elected to perform it in French.

So if there is nothing like an aria or duet to be enjoyed, one can still appreciate the melodic nature of the spiritual choruses, most notably the Salve Regina in the final scene as the nuns ascend the scaffolding to submit themselves to the blade of the guillotine. As the blade successively falls with a chilling thud, the voices are reduced until there are only the last two martyrs, the former aristocrat Blanche de la Force, excellently sung by mezzo-soprano Ruby Dibble, and the always cheerful Sister Constance, effectively portrayed by Moriah Berry.

A remarkable piece of acting was offered by mezzo-soprano Lauren Randolph as Madame de Croissy, the Prioress of the convent who dies a very unspiritual death, suffering such physical agony that she upsets the two young postulates. Before dying she puts Mother Marie of the Incarnation (well sung and acted by mezzo-soprano Anna Kelly) in charge of Blanche who has been recognized as needing emotional and spiritual support.

Indeed, Ms. Dibble, by means of vocal coloration as well as acting, made it perfectly clear in the opening scene that she was emotionally fragile . The political situation was discussed during that scene by the Marquis de la Force (superbly sung by the rich-voiced bass-baritone Son Jin Kim) and his son the Chevalier de la Force (beautifully sung by tenor Michael John Butler) who would later visit his sister in the convent with an offer of help that she refuses.

Maestro Matthew Aucoin marshaled the forces of the Juilliard Orchestra in a fashion that brought out the varying colors of each section and infused the overall performance with feelings of foreboding and terror, except for the aforementioned religious choruses. We heard some fine solos by a clarinet and great work from the brass section. If we are not mistaken, there were moments reflecting his earlier post WWI short ironic works.

Louisa Muller's direction was tight and straight to the point, fortunately avoiding anything superfluous. It was exactly the way the story needed to be told, holding one's interest throughout and leaving us feeling grief at the end. We do recognize that some very religious viewers might have found the ending spiritually uplifting. We recall a production in Santa Fe in which the director had an actual guillotine right onstage and as the blade fell, cabbages rolled across the stage. It was so convincing that patrons ran fleeing from the theater! It was a relief to be spared such realism.

Kara Harmon's costumes for the first scene had the aristocrats accurately clad in late 18th century glory, as were the soldiers who came in the last act to evict the nuns from their convent. The nuns were, well, dressed like nuns.

Wilson Chin's set design comprised just a few period pieces of furniture for the first scene and a very modern box-like structure with transparent walls to serve as the various rooms of the convent.

Before closing we would like to mention at least some of the other singers that contributed to the success of the evening. Soprano Jasmin Ward impressed as the new Prioress Madame Lidoine. In some "luxury casting" other sisters included Kate Morton and Naomi Steele. Yihe Wang did double duty as a servant and a doctor. Jin Yu was notable as the Chaplain. Jailers and soldiers included Zhongjiancheng Deng, Yoonsoo Jang, Lin Fan, Nazrin Aslan Alyman and Jack Hicks. 

© meche kroop

LONDON FINALS

 Finalists at the George and Nora London Foundation Competition

(photo by Joan Greenberg)

For as long as we can remember we have considered this competition a highlight of the musical season. Not only are the finalists some of the very best young singers in the country, but we in the audience get to share the excitement with them after their respective performances whilst the judges perform the nigh impossible task of deliberating. Unlike some other competitions which we will not mention, the group is not divided cruelly in half. Of course five of them will get cash awards that are significantly higher than the other seven but no one is left feeling like a loser.

As usual, we would like to address the smooth running of the competition, held at The Morgan Library. There was no excessive fanfare nor lengthy speeches. The overall quality of the performances indicates marvelous futures for these young artists. Please do not count on us to tell you how much each singer won or who was "the best". That information is probably available on the Foundation's website, if you care about such things. The judges are all luminaries in the opera world and must have had a most difficult time.

 Gracing the piano bench was a dear friend of ours, the renowned Lachlan Glen who managed to switch gears from one singer to the next and to give each one the necessary support. That aspect alone lent a very special quality to the fast moving display of artistry.

Readers will recall that we lack affection for contemporary opera and for the English language. We all have our preferences and it is most rewarding when we hear a performance of something we did not expect to like and find ourself relating to it and wanting to learn more about the opera. Since all of the voices were beyond excellent, we would like to focus on audience engagement and dramatic presentation.

Take, for example, the riveting performance of "A Dream Wasted" from an opera completely unknown to us--Highway One, USA by W.G. Still, performed by bass-baritone Joseph Parrish. Mr. Parrish has been on our radar for quite some time; no surprise that he was selected by Young Concert Artists after making quite a splash as a Santa Fe Opera Apprentice. His performance was so intense and seemed spontaneous; we got a real sense of the character and intend to learn something about the opera. We might add that alone among the singers who sang in English, Mr. Parrish made every word comprehensible.

Another dramatically riveting performance was that of another bass-baritone Evan Lazdowski, well remembered from his time at Juilliard, who performed Bottom's aria from Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream. This was a highly physical performance that showed off his dramatic skills. There was Bottom crawling around the stage and hiding under the piano. Even if you didn't know the Shakespearean plot, you would have marveled at the convincing nature of the characterization and the humor. 

And whilst we are talking about convincing male performances, bass-baritone Sam Dhobhany made a fine Figaro in "Non più andrai" from Mozart's  Le nozze di Figaro. Similarly, baritone Korin Thomas-Smith enacted a perfectly arrogant and perfectly clueless Count Almaviva in "Hai già vinta la causa". We could have cast Mozart's masterpiece right then and there.

Bass Alan Williams utilized his splendid instrument to limn the nastiness of Claggart in Britten's Billy Budd. Tenor Alec Carlson did equal justice to Peter Grimes' mad scene from the eponymous Britten opera. Both men awakened us to Britten's skill at writing music specific to unlovable characters.

Let us move on to the women on the program. We were particularly excited to learn that soprano Shelen Hughes would perform an aria from the very same role that we heard her sing at Manhattan School of Music some years ago. Rimsky-Korsakov's Snegurechka (The Snow Maiden) is so rarely performed and it is truly a gem of a fairy tale, allowing the singer an opportunity to reveal a variety of emotions. We loved it back then and we loved it even more last night as Ms. Hughes has grown in her artistry. We might add that her Russian sounded fine to our ear, although it is not one of our languages.

Soprano, Magdalena Kuźma, is another singer we have admired and she also sang in a language that is not one of ours. We have always enjoyed the music of Moniuszko and his opera Halka is one we yearn to see, especially after hearing Ms. Kuźma's portrayal of the romantically betrayed village girl.

Happily French is a language we do understand and especially enjoyed mezzo-soprano Ruby Dibble's portrayal of Carmen, the heroine of Bizet's beloved opera. Carmen is anything but a stock character and we love to hear a singer who can make the role her own. Ms. Dibble's Carmen was a clever one, and a woman of mercurial emotions, confident of her power over men.

Mozart seemed to be a favored choice among the women as well as the men. Soprano Dalia Medovnikov as Pamina in Die Zauberflöte presented just the type of heroine we want to see, full of innocence but fearful of the loss of her love. 

Soprano Emily Damasco brought some fine singing to her portrayal of Fiordiligi in Mozart's Cosi fan tutte. In "Come scoglio", Fiordiligi emphatically declares her steadfast faithfulness but the audience can see that she will soon lose her resolve.

Closing the program was a puzzling selection from Jonathan Dove's children's opera The Enchanted Pig. Soprano Rachel Kobernick threw herself into the role of Adelaide but, truth to tell, we had to look up the opera to get an idea what it was about. Apparently Adelaide is a witch's daughter who wants to marry a King who is destined for someone else. Had Ms. Kobernick's English diction been clearer we might have gotten some inkling of the story but we did not. She sang with a lot of "personality" but our ignorance of the situation and inability to understand the text added up to disappointment.

On the whole, we were sufficiently impressed by the dozen finalists (selected from 175 applicants), that we considered the afternoon a complete success. We don't believe in heaven, but if we did, we would think of George and Nora London looking down with pride and pleasure.

© meche kroop

WHO IS MARCELLA SEMBRICH AND WHY WE SHOULD CARE

 Michael J. Butler, Lucy J. Altus, Ruby Dibble, Gemma Nha, Rose Naggar-Tremblay, and Magdalena Kuzma at the Marcella Sembrich Awards Ceremony

What a fine Sunday evening we spent at The Kosciusko Foundation! We learned something new and impressive, we heard six superlative young singers, and we dined on Polish delicacies. Before we get to the pierogis, let us share with you an interesting story related to us before the concert by Ewa Zadworna, who seems to keep the Kosciuszko Foundation running. 

Marcella Sembrich, a Polish soprano and star at The Metropolitan Opera House at the turn of the 20th c. was not only a great singer with a 30 year career, but also a founder of voice programs at Juilliard and at Curtis Institute, and a great philanthropist, helping to establish the Kosciuszko Foundation in 1926. She worked tirelessly to promote the music of her homeland, which had been partitioned and virtually ceased to exist-- except in the hearts and souls of its people.

The Russian occupiers forbade the use of the Polish language and, of course, the programming of Polish songs. Having been warned several times against singing Polish songs at her recitals, Sembrich risked her life by singing a Polish song at the invitation of the court of Nicholas II. Not only was she not punished but he enjoyed it. We love when music trumps politics!

And here we are today, always yearning to hear Polish songs at recital programs and, having enjoyed works by Moniuszko and Szymanowski (Halka by the former and King Roger by the latter), wanting to hear more.

At the awards recital, we got our wish granted. Magdalena Kuzma performed Halka's tragic aria  “Ha! Dzieciatko nam umiera “ from the Moniuszko opera of the same name. We also heard two lovely Chopin songs.  Gemma Nha sang the lovely "My Darling" and Michael Butler did equal justice to his "Melodia".

There were several other outstanding moments in the recital. We were floored by the powerful contralto of Rose Naggar-Tremblay singing Fricka's “Weiche, Wotan, weiche” from Wagner's Das Rheingold. We rarely hear such power and intensity from someone so young and if Wotan was not persuaded, we certainly were!

Both Lucy Altus and Ruby Dibble sang the "Composer's Aria" from Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos and we were impressed by how each talented mezzo-soprano was able to extract  different riches from the same mine. We have never been to a competition in which the judges requested the same aria from two different singers. In a way we wished they had performed it back-to-back.

Ms. Nha was hilarious in the playful "Non monsieur ma Marie" from Poulenc's Les Mamelles de Tiresias. Mr. Butler was soulful in "Salut! Demeure chaste et pure" from Gounod's Faust.

Not only were the young singers of exemplary quality but the chosen accompanists, Katelan Tran Terrell and Michal Biel, are both well known to us. They were outstanding in terms of sensitivity to the singers and flexibility of approach to arias from different musical periods. 

The recital went from one high to the next, convincing us that these emerging artists will all go on to success in the opera world. We enjoyed every moment until the very end when the awards were given. We hate to criticize an organization that provides so well for young artists but a misstep like this needs to be remedied.

 If you have six finalists onstage and five of them are given award certificates and bouquets of roses, how do you think the sixth singer feels? Our heart was breaking for her. Obviously competitors have to have nerves of steel and we personally know several semi-finalists whose talents were equal to the five major winners. But they were not onstage putting smiles on their faces. Singers cannot afford to be sore losers but they should never be humiliated in that fashion. This is the same objection we have to the Laffont Competition at The Metropolitan Opera when half of the finalists get awards and the other half do not. This situation exceeded that one in poor taste and should have been avoided.

That bit aside, it was a splendid show of vocal excellence and we are glad not to have been doing the judging. We were happy to be introduced to an important figure in opera and to learn of her outstanding legacy.

© meche kroop

A COMPASSIONATE RULER

 Curtain call at Juilliard for Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito

What sort of work might please a newly crowned Emperor in the late 18th c.? How about a tale of a beloved magnanimous Emperor from Ancient Rome named Titus? An old libretto by Metastasio was tailored to meet the demands of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart by one Caterino Mazzolà, after Antonio Salieri repeatedly declined the commission for a work to celebrate the coronation of   Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor, as King of Bohemia. It is believed that Mozart rose to the occasion and composed the opera in 18 days, possibly beginning his labors on the 4 day coach trip from Vienna to Prague.

The story is a simple one and quite direct. Newly installed  Emperor Tito (tenor Andrew Turner). is beloved by his friends, two noblemen named Sesto (mezzo-soprano Ruby Dibble) and Annio (mezzo-soprano Lucy Joy Altus), but not so beloved by the daughter of the former deposed ruler named Vitellia (soprano Evelyn Saavedra) a vengeful and narcissistic character. She is furious not only because of her father's fate, but also because she wants to be Empress and Tito has preferred others. She manipulates Sesto, who is madly in love with her, into murdering Tito.

Meanwhile, Sesto's sister Servillia (soprano Shelén Hughes) is so in love with Annio that she refuses Tito's proposal of marriage in a confession that is so brave that Tito can do nothing but admire her honesty.

This is indeed a family drama writ large on the political stage. The entire point is that after the Senate condemns the guilty Sesto for his failed assassination attempt, Tito forgives all and tears up the death warrant. The ambivalent confusion of Sesto was extremely well limned. What a weak man won't do for love (lust)!  The one psychological dynamic that didn't read true is the sudden burst of honesty on the part of Vitellia who confesses her role in instigating the assassination plot. We must say that Ms. Saavedra's acting was persuasive in spite of the unrealistic plot turn.

This opera is not nearly as famous as the three operas Mozart wrote with Da Ponte and we can see why. Although the music is as fine as Mozart every wrote, the plot lacks the entertainment value of Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovani, and Cosi fan tutti, all of which are comedies with serious messages. La Clemenza di Tito is an opera seria, the last of a dying breed. Perhaps if the opera were heard as often as the other three, or Zauberflöte, the melodies might lodge in our ear and provide a more rewarding experience. The famous duet "Parto, parto, ma tu, ben mio" is perhaps the most famous and heard often in recital. Last night it was given a beautiful performance by Ms. Saavedra and Ms. Dibble.

Ms. Hughes had her chance to shine in "S'altro che lagrime" in Act II, and Sesto's noble aria of forgiveness was handsomely performed by Mr. Turner. Ms. Altus had a fine aria in "Torna di Tito a lato" demonstrating real care for Sesto's fate.  As they say, there are no small roles and baritone Shavon Lloyd's appearance in the role of Publio was just fine.

Not only was the singing of excellent quality but the Juilliard Orchestra gave their customary exemplary performance under the baton of Maestro Nimrod David Pfeffer. In spite of the fact that the orchestra was not in its usual sunken position, Mo. Pfeffer controlled the dynamics so effectively that there was not a single instance in which a singer was drowned out. We particularly enjoyed the passages in which the Bass Clarinet wove around the vocal line.

Stephen Wadsworth's direction made the most of a mostly static plot. A decision had been made to dress the artists in late 18th c. garb. We have no idea what the singers wore when the opera made its premiere in 1791. We would have preferred to see it in togas but were relieved that it was not performed in contemporary clothing. The distancing to an earlier period allowed us draw our own contrast with contemporary times in which a ruler might pardon those guilty of crimes for reasons which we find cynical--like political advantage, whereas Tito pardons out of love and magnanimity.

Charlie Corcoran's scenic design was simple and effective. A ramp leading up from ground level to an upstairs door and a simply demarcated area at ground level. The entire stage was surrounded by a frame.

Sara Jean Tosetti's costumes were effective with the two female character dressed in a manner that reflected their very different character. Costumes for the breeches roles were convincing and Tito looked suitably imperial.

Juilliard Vocal Arts has once again filled a major gap in New York City's cultural landscape, providing a most satisfying experience to the audience and valuable performance opportunities for students. Before we end we would like to commend Chorus Master John Arida for melding many voices into an exceptional unit, notable for clear diction. This, Dear Reader, is a rare achievement.

© meche kroop

A VERY GRAND FINALE TO RENEE FLEMING'S SONGSTUDIO

Zankel Hall in the Round 

(Photo by Richard Termine)

Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall underwent a surprising transformation for an in-the-round presentation of the Young Artists Recital, presented as the final offering of the annual SongStudio in which young artists are given a week of coaching, workshops, and master classes,  helmed by the world-renowned soprano Renee Fleming, Artistic Director and Host.

The goal was to shed new light on the art song by adding novel elements-- designed to  bring the audience closer, both physically and emotionally. We wish we'd been able to attend the daily masterclasses as we usually do, but time constraints limited our participation to witnessing the end result without observing the daily progress.

We hope that the goal of bringing new audiences to this art form by endowing it with a fresh perspective was successful.  For our own part, we have always loved art song recitals and have always experienced the requisite intimacy by sitting on the front row. For this experience we were sitting rather far back and therefore felt rather less intimacy. To be fair, far back was not very far back because Zankel Hall had been reconfigured with the audience on all sides and the artists in the center. This must have been a challenge for the singers who were obliged to move around more than usual which could also be seen as a benefit. There was no "park and bark", an expression which grates on us as much as does the stolid stance.

The "theater-in-the-round" concept has been used off-Broadway with mixed results. The negatives are that the audience always feels that they are missing something when the performers' backs are turned. In the case of art songs in a foreign language, there seems to be no way to project titles.

On this particular evening, scenes were semi-staged with more than one singer on the "stage" (performing area?} at the same time with one of them reading the text. If they were rather minimally poetic in their reading, it can be excused by their being singers, not poets. The advantage was that the audience did not have to try to read translations and were able to focus on the singers. Were we meant to feel as if we were participating in a salon? Perhaps it will take awhile to adjust to this particular form of concert but we were left with mixed feelings.

Aside from the readings and the attempt at creating a scenario, we were "treated" to a dancer in a white garment who performed some kind of shapeless modern dancing that did nothing to echo or enhance the singing but served more as a distraction.

Aside from our mixed feelings about the staging, we enjoyed the young singers a great deal and found absolutely no disappointment in their collaborative pianists, who also participated in the week of coaching and workshops.

We loved the opening number--Brahms' "Ein kleiner, hübscher Vogel" from his Liebeslieder Walzer. The voices of soprano Khayakazi Madlala, mezzo-soprano Gabrielle Barkidjija, tenor Edmond Rodriguez, and bass-baritone Florian Störtz balanced beautifully and wove a tapestry of sound that was charming in its deceptive simplicity. Pianists were Jeong-Eun Lee and Yuriko Watanabe. We would have been content to sit there all night and listen to the entire song cycle which we adore.

But then we might have missed the riveting performance by counter-tenor Chuanyuan Liu of an 11th c. Chinese song by Su Chi entitled "When will the clear moon shine?". We hope we are not alone in loving Chinese art song and we grant that not everyone loves the counter-tenor fach as much as we do. The cadence of the language and the eerie sound of the voice filled us with emotion. How amazing that should occur ten centuries after the song was composed!  Mr. Yuan's collaborative pianist was Ye In Kwak.

We also responded to his performance of Fauré's "La lune blanche"and George Crumb's "Night" all accompanied by Ms. Kwak. How interesting that all three of his selections related to the moon!

There were so many other highlights. We always love hearing Debussy's Songs of Bilitis and mezzo-soprano Ruby Dibble, accompanied by Tzu Kuang Tan performed it with as much delicacy, mood shifts, and dynamic variation as one could wish for.

Similarly, baritone Gabriel Rollinson's interpretation of Ravel's Don Quichotte à Dulcinée captured the varying moods of the songs, transitioning readily from the romantically worshipful to the prayerful to the bibulous. And then--Surprise!--Ibert's elegiac "Song of Death" from his cycle Chansons de Don Quichotte et Chanson de Sancho. We have never heard them sung on the same program but in that order it worked magnificently. Collaborative pianist was Ms. Watanabe.

Settings of text by Shakespeare were well handled by baritone Felix Gygli who moved comfortably between the styles of various composers.  Our favorite was Korngold's setting of "Come Away Death".  Pianist was Aleksandra Myslek.

Ms. Madlala conveyed the perfume of the linden blossom in Joseph Marx's "Nocturne", accompanied by Natalie Sherer. Another German song we love is Alma Mahler's "Laue Sommernacht" performed by Mr. Störtz and Ms. Lee. With a similar mood but in a different language (Russian) Mr. Rodriguez sang Rachmaninoff's "Night is Mournful" accompanied by Daniel Peter Silcock.

Mr. Stortz brought the program to a stunning conclusion with Mahler's "Um Mitternaacht", accompanied by Ms. Lee.

There was one selection on the program that seemed just wrong. It was a prosy anti-war "lecture" with obvious and jejune sentiments, a text of the composer's own devising.  "What Can One Woman Do?" by Stacy Garrop. That one should have stayed at home.

© meche kroop