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Elad Kabilio and Larisa Martinez

We have been writing about Larisa Martinez and her gorgeous soprano for a couple of years now and have enjoyed her performances in opera, song, and zarzuela.  We have also been writing about Elad Kabilio and his unique MUSIC TALKS  for some time.  The pairing of these two talents is an exciting one.  Last night's recital at Interface (an unusually comfortable venue with great acoustics and couch seating) was an extension of one we heard a year ago.

Cellist/impresario/educator Elad Kabilio presented a captivating program exactly one year ago that demonstrated the influence of J.S.Bach on the Argentinean composer Astor Piazzolla. We confess to never having enjoyed or understood Bach's highly intellectual music until Mr. Kabilio, in his educator hat, demonstrated what a fugue was by utilizing his cohort of cellists.  But, just as Steven Blier has expanded our appreciation of song beyond those of the 19th c., so Mr. Kabilio has expanded our appreciation of instrumental music in similar fashion.

Bach wrote Die Kunst der Fuge just for fun; it was not commissioned.  He never specified which instruments should be employed.  In this case, the four voices were distributed among four cellos and each cellist was given different voices from time to time, so the adventure would not fall on only one pair of arms. The result is complex but accessible with voices layered upon voices.

The "Contrapunctus" XIV" in D minor was the last one he wrote and it was never finished. Performance tradition includes a chorale at the end which resolves into D major, leaving the listener satisfied.  Uncharacteristically, aside from the original theme, two new themes were included, the second of which spells out B-A-C-H (we are not sure what note H represents). Was Bach pulling our collective leg?

Piazzolla was a 20th c. composer and, having been introduced to the concept by Mr. Kabilio, it became clear how he was influenced by Bach. Mr. Kabilio and his three gifted colleagues (Grace Ho, Talya Buckbinder, and Caleb van der Swaagh) had a great time with the energetic and syncopated fugue which was followed by a slow section (Misterio).  When a short demonstration without the syncopation was played one could readily appreciate the Bach-ness of it all.

We enjoyed the traditional tango "Oblivion" which involved a lot of plucking and a compelling three note ascending motif.  But our favorite was "La vi llegar" which made us want to get up to dance the tango. The pizzicato playing was stirring to say the least.

The Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos was next on the program, fulfilling the promise of the program Bach in Brazil II. The early 20th c. composition Bachianas Brasileras No. 5 is ineffably lovely and we were thrilled with the opportunity to hear Ms. Martinez perform it once more, so immersed is she in this music.

The beginning aria, the Cantilena, has Portuguese lyrics but our joy is maximized in the vocalise since no words are needed to convey such deep emotion as Ms. Martinez expressed. The spirited Dansa (Martelo) is followed by humming which seems very difficult to achieve in the upper register but Ms. Martinez demonstrated how she uses the "ng" position of the tongue.

The final work on the program sent us over the moon.  Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona wrote the one-act zarzuela Maria La O in 1930. The plot is a sad one in that the mulata Maria bears the child of an aristocrat who marries within his own social class. This zarzuela was popular in Puerto Rico, where Ms. Martinez was born and her performance showed both fine technique and depth of feeling. We enjoyed Ms. Buckbinder's tremolo accompaniment.

The audience for MUSIC TALKS is growing rapidly and all the couches were occupied. The audience seems delighted by the intimacy and informality, as well as the educational aspect. If you have end-of-year donations to make, this would be a great group to consider.  Their next event will be a world-famous harpist on January 24th. What a way to celebrate our birthday!

(c) meche kroop

KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR

Sophia Muñoz and James Edgar Knight

Tenor James Edgar Knight strode onstage clearly eager to delight the audience and delight he did. No shining armor on this knight but rather a suave velvet jacket and bowtie; sporting a David Niven moustache, he looked rather debonair. He and his glamorous collaborative pianist Sophia Muñoz made an elegant pair.

His love of singing was infectious. He made the effort to translate all the texts--French, German, Italian, and Russian--into English.  This clearly showed in the singing which was full of commitment and connection. Further, he demonstrated comfort with different types of material from lied to Broadway; we definitely heard the Steven Blier influence.

He began the program with our three favorite Duparc songs. He sang "L'invitation au voyage" with a powerful round sound, painting a picture that was more than usually visible to the mind's eye. We loved the way he swelled into a full crescendo. "Le manoir de Rosemonde" was filled with excitement and urgency.  In "Phidylé" he brought it down several notches and emphasized the delicacy of the text. One could not tear away one's eyes or ears.

The same connection with the material was evident in the five songs of Richard Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder. But, sadly, the connection with the audience was impaired by the use of a music stand.  Violinist Basma Edrees and cellist Talya Buckbinder joined Ms. Muñoz for the gorgeous accompaniment. Our personal favorite is always "Im Treibhaus" with its pattern of four ascending notes reminding us of Tristan und Isolde. 

Mr. Knight won our heart with "On the Street Where You Live" from Frederick Loewe's My Fair Lady. He sang it with romantic fervor and involvement.

We also greatly enjoyed the trio of Tosti songs. Although not the possessor of an Italianate timbre, Mr. Knight could never be accused of lacking Italian passion. "L'ultima canzone", Ideale", and "Non t'amo più" were equally stirring-- but the first offering has that melismatic vocalise at the end that drove us wild.

The program closed with three Rachmaninoff songs which Mr. Knight sang "on the book" which again interfered with total audience connection. In "Do not sing, my beauty" he floated his high notes ethereally and the piano accompaniment was more than usually stirring.  The seasonally appropriate "Spring Waters" was luscious.

It was the encore that engaged us the most. We are convinced that Mr. Knight was channeling Richard Tauber for whom "Dein ist mein ganzes Herz" was written by Franz Lehár; it was for the 1929 operetta Das Land des Lächelns.  Fritz Löhner-Beda wrote the romantic lyrics that scan and rhyme and go perfectly with the music. It was just the right end to the recital which was given to fulfill the requirements for a Master of Music Degree from Juilliard.

This reminds us to mention that Manhattan School of Music is presenting that very operetta this weekend, conducted by the wonderful Jorge Parodi. We will be there of course and happy to hear the song once more.

(c) meche kroop