KISSED BY EUTERPE

Maestra Speranza Scappucci and soprano Felicia Moore

Between the Verdi and the glories of Felicia Moore singing Beethoven we felt more at home at a symphonic concert than we usually do.  For this commencement concert, the remarkable Juilliard Orchestra was fortunate to have Maestra Speranza Scappucci on the podium. Juilliard is indeed her home.

One could also say she was kissed by Terpsichore since she used her entire body to elicit a focused and stunning performance from the students. The overall sound was that of a professional orchestra and better than many we have heard.

The program opened with Giuseppe Verdi's overture to La forza del destino, the music of which we hold dearer than that of any other Verdi opera.  Unfortunately the opera is rarely performed due to the three demanding major roles. The overture comprises the melodies from the opera itself and was added a few years after the opera premiered.

It opens with a propulsive theme conveyed by the brass but a lyrical melody follows close upon its heels. There is a wealth of melodic material and we particularly enjoyed the brass chorale. The familiar initial theme which we call the fate theme recurs several times with alterations, lending unity to the piece.

It is sad that Beethoven composed only one opera (Fidelio) so we must content ourself with a concert aria he wrote as a young man.  Who better to sing "Ah! perfido...Per pietà, non dirmi addio," Op. 65 than the stunning soprano Felicia Moore. 

It's the old abandoned woman story but it gives the singer an opportunity to marshal all her gifts in conveying a range of emotions from rage and revenge to self pity and pleading. We are left to imagine the opera Beethoven might have written around such a story.

Ms. Moore has uncommon talent and a huge voice that sails over the orchestral forces. We loved the range of emotion she displayed.

The final work on the program was Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 4 in A major, composed in his youth and known as The Italian Symphony. It began with a rhythmic Allegro that any lover of classical music would recognize immediately. Still, we prefer the weary minor key Andante with the basses plodding along. Even better was the third movement in waltz time with some lovely horn calls. The work ends with a Saltarello (an Italian dance form) played Presto. After a forceful introduction there were swirling figures moving through the orchestra that made us think of the music Mendelssohn wrote for Midsummer Night's Dream.

(c) meche kroop

HITTING ALL THE RIGHT NOTES

Anna Christy and Alek Shrader in Fille du Regiment at the Santa Fe Opera (photo by Ken Howard)

Santa Fe Opera's production of Gaetano Donizetti's Fille du Regiment hit all the right notes, and Alek Shrader in the role of Tonio hit all the high notes, the ones we heard him sing some years ago when he won the Metropolitan Opera National Council award. His warm and funny performance was matched by Anna Christy, appealing as the tomboy Marie who counted an entire regiment as her collective father.

Ned Canty's direction was delightful, milking every ounce of humor from the story without overlooking the brief periods of melancholy. Physical humor was much in evidence with Mr. Shrader portraying Tonio as a bumbling hick who can't keep from tripping over his own feet.  Mr. Shrader's instrument is not a large one but he uses it well and is a marvelously appealing performer. But the major share of humor came from the hilarious performance of bass Kevin Burdette whose Sergeant Sulpice outdid any of the comedy greats of the silent film epoch.

Mr. Canty not only emphasized the humor but also the pathos by including plentiful spoken dialogue; this served to illuminate the circumstances of the characters in a way previously shortchanged. We felt we really got to know the characters and to care about them.

Ms. Christy's skill at bel canto singing is impressive. Her instrument has a sweet childlike quality and a great deal of tonal clarity. The fioritura was dazzling in its accuracy and organic in its relationship to the text and the emotions. The colors in her voice changed in the sad "Il faut partir" at the end of Act I, eliciting ample sympathy for her plight.

 

Mr. Shrader is also capable of coloring his voice and although  "Ah! mes amis, quel jour de fete" is the opera's hit tune with it's nine high C's, we enjoyed his "Depuis l'instant, dans mes bras" in Act I and his persuasive Hail Mary pass for Marie's hand in Act II.

As the Marquise of Berkenfeld, a name which Sulpice persisted in amusingly mispronouncing, mezzo-soprano Phyllis Pancella was haughty at first in "Pour une femme de mon nom" but became warm and likable by the end when she relents and accepts her daughter's marriage to Tonio instead of to the favored aristocrat.

Apprentice bass Calvin Griffin again impressed us with his voice and dramatic abilities as he portrayed Hortensius, the Marquise's Major-domo--typically contemptuous of the French army but indulgent toward the Marquise.  His scene at the chateau, where Sulpice is spending months recovering from a battle injury, had us in stitches as he sank into passive-aggressive behavior involving a wine bottle.

Once again we were thrilled by the performance of the apprentices in the chorus, under the direction of Susanne Sheston. The women enacted the Tyrolean  citizens praying for deliverance from the French in Act I and in Act II the guests at the Chateau who were amusingly announced by Hortensius. The men portraying the regiment of French soldiers sounded marvelous in their regimental song.

In the pit Maestra Speranza Scappucci led a spirited performance of Donizetti's tuneful music. Much of the overture was in march time but there were plenty of lyrical moments and the conducting kept up the pace. 

The opera takes place during the Napoleonic wars but there appears to be no bloodshed and the French regiment seems particularly kind to the Tyroliean natives whose land they are occupying. The praying natives have nothing to fear!

Scenic and Costume Design by Allen Moyer was delightful. In Act I, the villagers have erected a monumental pile of furniture as a barrier and in Act II, the Marquise's chateau is on a revolving stage which showed the front of the chateau and also the room behind the door where Marie gets her very funny singing lesson.  The Marquise has been trying to overcome Marie's rustic and tomboyish nature to make an aristocratic lady out of her. The efforts are doomed to failure because the influence of her army upbringing has been just too strong. This is symbolized by her breaking into the regimental songs (encouraged by Sulpice) during her singing lesson.

The soldiers' uniforms are exactly what one would wish for--colorful and accurate to the 1830's. The Marquise's costume is in the newer Empire style, whereas the elderly Duchess of Krakenthorp (a spoken role portrayed by a bewigged and powdered Judith Christin) is dressed in the style of the late 18th c., revealing just how elderly and old-fashioned she is.

Donizetti tossed off this "trifle" (HA!) in a very short period of time; it had its premiere in 1840 and we are still loving the story and the characters and the music nearly two centuries later. Contemporary composers labor for years over operas that we see once and forget about. What's wrong with this picture?

(c) meche kroop

TURKEY vs. ITALY

Hyesang Park (photo by Ken Howard)

Of course we are not familiar with every single opera company in the USA but we would be surprised if any of them could put on a better show than Juilliard Opera.  If they presented a couple dozen operas each season we would be reviewing every last one. But of course, that is not possible and we must be content with three every year. We consider them major events on the New York opera scene.

Perhaps each one is a gem because such care is taken to hire the very best artistic and musical staff in the field.  Perhaps it's because so much care is taken with casting from among a group of singers that are so outstanding, all of whom are singing around the country in operas and recitals as well as winning competitions.

Last night's opening of Rossini's Il Turco in Italia was a resounding success. Composed two centuries ago when Rossini was but 22 years old (but with several successes under his compositional belt), the opera was a bit advanced for the moralistic Milanese population but went over far better in Rome and Naples.  The work achieved a second life when Maria Callas sang the lead in Rome in 1950 and hasn't been heard in NYC since Beverly Sills performed the role in 1978 at the New York City Opera.

Scintillating soprano Hyesang Park knocked our socks off last night as the fickle Fiorilla who manages men like a juggler keeping all his balls in the air.  First there is her cuckolded husband Geronio, sung by Polish bass Daniel Miroslaw; then there is her steady companion/lover (cavalier-servant) Narciso, sung by tenor Joseph Dennis; and finally the newly arrived Turkish prince Selim, performed by the very funny bass-baritone Michael Sumuel.

The meta-premise is that a Playwright (baritone Szymon Komasa) is stumped for ideas while visiting a spa in Naples and decides to both observe and manipulate the characters to advance the plot of his play.  The marvelous mezzo Kara Sainz portrays Zaida, a Turkish woman once in love with Selim, but now working at the spa; Albazar (tenor Nathan Haller) is her landsmann, now managing the spa. Just imagine the complications which ensue as Fiorilla tries to ensnare Selim!

We are delighted to report that the voices--every single one--excelled in their handling of the bel canto style.  Furthermore, the comic acting was fine all around; this is not a farce and it's more than an opera buffa.  It is a comedy of manners and the final resolution of the romantic adventures and misadventures is a bit shy of happy, even though the lovers and marital pair are reconciled.

In a stroke of luxury casting, we noticed that the chorus comprised several of our favorite singers--including Takaoki Onishi, Avery Amereau, Joe Eletto, Kurt Kanazawa, James Edgar Knight, Tyler Zimmerman and several other.  It was fun picking them out.

We hope you will still be able to get tickets to the subsequent performances and that you will notice some of the highlights we particularly enjoyed: the sparkling overture; Fiorella's aria sung with the arriving Turkish sailors singing a minor key chorale; the playwright instigating a catfight between Fiorella and Zaida, the towel fight between Selim and Geronio; the duet between Selim and Fiorella; Albazar's deeply felt aria. Oh well, there were too many outstanding moments to list them all.

A true coup was getting the superstar conductor Speranza Scappucci to lead the Juilliard Orchestra, equal contributors to the evening's success.  We hope the term does not sound rude but this beautiful woman is a "podium animal".  Rossini's pen never failed to turn out an endless supply of melodies that make our heart sing.  And her baton brought out the joy and sparkle of each one.

Director John Giampietro made some minor adjustments to fit the plot into a new time and place.  The band of gypsies were converted into spa workers and the work took on the flavor of the films coming out of Italy in the late 1950's and early 1960's.  This served the comedy well and did not detract at all.  Mr. Giampietro is a superb storyteller.

Scenic Designer Alexis Distler scored with an impressive spa, replete with palm tree, white latticework, rows of chaises longues and several dispensers of mineral waters. Lighting Design by Derek Wright was effective.  Costume Designer Sydney Maresca contributed smashing red and white uniforms for the spa staff, throwing in a doctor with a stethoscope. Fiorilla was dressed as perkily as her capricious nature called for. 

Our sole quibble was the Turkish-vested fellow wandering around onstage carrying a model of a sailing ship.  We never did figure out who he was!

(c) meche kroop