TURANDOT--SENZA PING PONG

Joseph Flaxman, Michael Pilafian, Therese Panicali, Judith Fredricks, Edgar Jaramillo, and Xueyan Fan

Tomorrow we will be listening to the broadcast of Turandot from Chicago Lyric Opera on WQXR; we don't expect to enjoy it nearly as much as we enjoyed Opera New York's production, heard last night at the Church of the Sacred Heart. 

Artistic and Stage Director Judith Fredricks produced a slightly abbreviated version of this beloved opera (Puccini's last and not-quite-finished score which premiered in 1926), omitting the scenes with Ping, Pang, and Pong, as well as the decapitation of the Prince of Persia. We find producing Turandot to be a brave choice; but if you have the voices, why not?

There were no projected titles but the enthusiastic audience received a program with a summary in English; a narrator spoke the summary in Spanish for the Spanish-speaking members of the audience. The opening decrees were spoken in English by Robert Montgomery.

The piano reduction was played by Michael Pilafian, who has played for many of Opera New York's productions. To our great surprise, soprano Elena Heimur played the other orchestral parts on the organ, situated above and behind the audience. Not a day goes by that we don't learn something new about the singers we love. So Ms. Heimur's proficiency at the organ simply dazzled us.

Ms. Fredricks' stage direction made the most of the space, utilizing the rear gallery and the aisle. We were so busy listening to the grand voices that we barely missed the huge spectacle provided at the Met. What we gained was a feeling for the intimate relationships of the four main characters. Behind the lavish sets and costumes, this is really a family story.

Our newbie guest wanted to know how father and son came to be separated and then reunited in a foreign land. We couldn't answer but we could certainly make up a back story. Se non è vero, è ben trovato!  Here goes!  Son went off to find his fame and fortune and a princess to be his bride.  Father lost his sight and was deposed and thrown out of his kingdom; wandering into the neighboring kingdom, he ran into his son on the street. He was being led around by his loyal and devoted slave girl who loved Calaf the Prince because he once smiled at her.  (OK folks, how'd I do?)

Calaf, sung by tenor Edgar Jaramillo with rich full tone and ringing high notes, is headstrong like many young men we know. He gets a glimpse of that radiant celestial Princess Turandot and is determined to win her, even with the risk of losing his head, like so many previous Princes had.  Of course, his helpless father is threatened and tries to dissuade him. Unsuccessfully. Mr. Jaramillo was exceptional in "Nessun dorma".

This icy Princess Turandot is bearing the weight of #MeToo. Because an ancestor of hers had been sorely abused and murdered, she is a real man-hater, eager to decapitate all comers by challenging them with difficult riddles. In this role, it was a pleasure to hear dramatic soprano Therese Panicali whose huge authoritative voice limned the character of Turandot in "In questa reggia". The fact that she is young, slender, and beautiful made Calaf's willingness to take the challenge more believable for us. We count ourself among those who want casting to be believable. She was even believable in her change of heart at the end, even without support from Puccini's pen.

The turning point for Turandot is Liu's willingness to take her life rather than reveal Calaf's name. She is being tortured by Turandot's minions and stabs herself so that she won't cave. In this role, soprano Xueyan Fan was also totally convincing. She did an excellent job of conveying the deference of a slave, while singing in impressive Italianate style. Of the entire cast, her role is the most sympathetic. We loved her "Signore, ascolta".

As the blind father Timur, Joseph Flaxman also did a fine job with great singing and some very effective simulation of blindness as he crouched over his walking staff.  Since the singer is young and handsome, this represented a triumph of acting.

This Turandot rested on the artistry of the singers. There were no sets and the costumes were rudimentary, but they worked. The small chorus (Brooke Dobossy, Betsy Cangelosi-Lind, Umberto Ross, and Patricia Ruiz) contributed to the success.

New York is replete with small opera companies, each with a unique approach. Unfortunately, we do not have affordable small theaters and these companies have been finding homes in churches. The surroundings are beautiful but the acoustics are spotty and one's auditory pleasure rests upon finding a seat in just the right spot. Won't some captain of industry build a small theater? We can just imagine how much that would improve the cultural landscape of New York City!

(c) meche kroop

SINGERS WITH SOUL

Percy Martinez, Veronica Loiacono, Therese Panicali, Judith Fredricks, Michael Fennelly, Jodi Karem, Edgar Jaramillo, Roberto Borgatti, Chaz'men Williams-Ali

Summer has arrived and it is a good time to enjoy our favorite pastimes in less formal settings. Opera New York, founded by diva/director/teacher/coach/impressario Judith Fredricks has a program called "Opera Goes to the Cabaret" in which emerging artists, coached by Ms. Fredricks and accompanied by the amazingly versatile pianist Michael Fennelly, have a chance to show their stuff in an intimate studio environment. The audience has a chance to relax at table seating and sip wine while enjoying the delicious fruits of the hard work of these artists.

Ms. Fredricks has a knack for finding promising talent and bringing out the best in them. What they all have in common is that they sing from the heart--something which Ms. Fredricks emphasizes in her coaching. It's quite a challenge to convey the sense of an aria extracted from an opera and isolated from all staging and costuming. The fact that we felt immersed in the opera when only a small piece was performed is evidence of the success of the approach. It's kind of an artistic hologram.

Take, for example, the terrific tenor Edgar Jaramillo who embodied all the joy of "Recondita armonia" and the painful final words of Mario Cavaradossi facing death in "E lucevan le stelle" from Puccini's Tosca. In the former we could see him comparing Tosca's eyes with those in the portrait he was painting and in the latter we could see the stars and inhale the fragrance of the night.  Now THAT"S acting. Add to that his warm rich voice and stress-free technique and there is a performance to remember. 

Furthermore, he "plays well with others" as witnessed by the stellar duet "O soave fanciulla" from Puccini's La Boheme that he sang with soprano Veronica Loiacono. This stunning soprano made a fine Mimi and also excelled in her solo "Song to the Moon" from Dvorak's Russalka. She was riveting in "Regnava nel silencio" from Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, showing evidence of Lucia's instability. Her wild vocal flights in the cabaletta had us on the edge of our chair. This is a voice just made for bel canto.

Ms. Loiacono also performed the "Barcarolle" from Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffman with mezzo-soprano Jodi Karem and the two voices balanced perfectly. Ms. Karem appeared later as Delilah in the Saint-Saëns opera Samson et Delilah. Her rich voice was filled with the requisite seductiveness in "Mon coeur s'ouvre à ta voix". In "O don fatale" from Verdi's Don Carlo she successfully conveyed Princess Eboli's remorse.

We had the delightful opportunity to hear a very large voice that sounds great right now but also has room to expand further. Soprano Therese Panicali filled the room with sound in Turandot's aria "In questa reggia" from Puccini's Turandot, and again in "Dich teure Halle" from Wagner's Tannhaüser.

Baritone Roberto Borgatti performed the role of Rodrigo in "Per me giunto" from Verdi's Don Carlo and then dug into the role of Iago in Verdi's Otello; he expressed all of Iago's bitterness in "Credo" and then used his wonderful instrument to insinuate suspicions against Desdemona with Othello portrayed by tenor Percy Martinez in "Si, pel ciel".

Mr. Martinez had some excellent solos as well; he was very intense in "Vesti la giubba" from Leoncavallo's Pagliacci showing enough depth of feeling that we could almost forgive Canio for murdering Nedda. He also brought the program to a close with a larger-than-life "Nessun Dorma" from Puccini's Turandot.

There was yet another fine singer on the program--Chaz'men Williams-Ali whose finely textured tenor was just right for "Che gelida manina" from Puccini's La Boheme. We heard a lovely diminuendo and no strain on the high notes, nor did we hear any as he went from sweetness to arrogance in his excellent "La Donna è mobile" from Verdi's Rigoletto.

It is rare to hear a mixed program such as this one in which every singer was excellent. We are sure to be hearing much more of each of them. As if this bounty were insufficient we also heard the astonishing Michael Fennelly perform the virtuoso work "The Nun's Dance" from Meyerbeer's Robert le Diable. It was a frenzy of showmanship.

Ms. Fredricks closed the evening by sharing with the audience her interest in getting cabaret style opera into the schools and communities of the Boroughs of NYC. She has started a crowdfunding event at www.GoFundMe.com/OperaNewYork and we are passing the information along to YOU dear reader who may wish to make a small (or large) donation to make a difference in the cultural life of our town and to help educate young audiences to guarantee the future of opera.  Let's do it!

(c) meche kroop