OLD MEN NEED LOVE TOO

Cast of Don Pasquale at Manhattan School of Music

Although it is reasonably well accepted in our culture that old men can marry trophy wives, especially if they have ample financial assets, society was rather cruel to such men in the 19th c. Donizetti's comic opera Don Pasquale boasts as its theme the humiliation of just such a fellow at the hands of his rebellious and disinherited nephew and his very own doctor, who play on him a very dirty trick.

The part of the eponymous hero must evoke humor but also sympathy and yesterday, at Manhattan School of Music, Thomas Muraco--conductor and coach--led an ensemble production that admirably realized the spirit of the piece.

Gaetano Donizetti composed this comic masterpiece toward the end of his life and it was his last major success.  Due to the ravages of syphilis, his health declined and he would be dead within five years from the 1843 premiere in Paris. Although the libretto is attributed to Giovanni Ruffini, it is widely believed that Donizetti's contributions were so insistent that Ruffini removed his name from the score.

What is important about this fact is the enormous humanity with which the characters are invested. They derive from the stock characters of the commedia del'arte but are far more well-rounded. Don Pasquale derives from Pantalone the foolish old man (as did Don Bartolo in Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia). 

It was a triumph of acting and singing that Hidenori Inoue, who is nothing if not young and handsome, was able to convince as the titular character. He submerged himself in the performance and sang with a rich, full, and mature bass that hints at a wonderful future in this fach. His mastery of "patter" was exceptional. Alongside his foolish attempt to get even with his rebellious nephew was a generosity of spirit which readily forgave his tormentors. Still, we loved his rage aria "Aspetta, aspect, cara sposina".

Dottore Malatesta derives from the wily character Scapino in commedia del'arte, similar to Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia.  Justin Austin's interpretation was filled with the sparkle of fun. Not just shaming his patient, he was also trying to help the young lovers Ernesto and Norina. He forged a complicated plan, setting up a sham marriage with his convent-bred "sister" Sofronia who would appear to be modest and shy and then, after the marriage, reveal herself to be nasty, greedy and controlling. (Was Donizetti commenting on wives in general???)

Mr. Austin has a lovely warm instrument and fine phrasing, as well as highly developed comic instincts. He too handled the "patter" remarkably well and had a fine duet with Mr. Inoue. We especially enjoyed his "Bella siccome un angelo".

In an interesting coincidence, the role of "Sofronia" his sister was played by his wife Amanda Austin. (The two of them met studying voice at Manhattan School of Music. Sometimes truth is better, if not stranger, than fiction.)  Ms. Austin made a superlative Norina, representing the willful Columbina character of commedia del'arte--much like Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia.

She has a luminous presence and an impressive facility in the bel canto style with a memorable trill in her satchel of skills. Donizetti asks her to slap Don Pasquale as part of her making "Sofronia" detestable and this is the point in the opera where one feels pity for the object of everyone's deceit.

Ernesto is the lovesick nephew--analogous to the Pierrot character of commedia del'arte --and Timothy Lanigan sang with a fine lyric tenor that opened up beautifully by Act II. By the time he met up with Norina in the garden in Act III, the "Com'e gentil" could melt anyone's heart. His serenade was accompanied by a pair of guitars perfectly plucked by Diego Fernandez Arraya and Joseph Douglass.

At this point we must mention the well-rehearsed chorus whose collective diction made sure that not a syllable was lost.  One rarely hears an operatic chorus this lucid. Stefano Baldasseroni was the Italian Diction Coach and can take much of the credit, since everyone's Italian was perfect.

Yonghyun Kim added to the fun as the false notary called to record the sham marriage.

The orchestral score was reduced for two pianos by Mr. Muraco and the pianists themselves.  We heard Jiwon Byun and Jia Jun Hong. We never missed the orchestra and could even hear threads of voices that can get lost in the carpet of orchestral sound.

The overture was particularly well done with melodies anticipating what one would subsequently hear. The trumpet solo was happily preserved and well played by Imani Duhe.

As is always the case with Mr. Muraco's Opera Repertoire Ensemble, the audience is assured of a good time and the cast appears to have mastered a true ensemble feel and superb stagecraft, witness the well-balanced duets, trios and ensembles.

Had we been free, we would very much have wanted to hear the cast Friday night.  Alas, we were not free but they were probably just as excellent.

Settings were minimal and costuming was contemporary. Nothing more was needed

© meche kroop

MORE MORLEY PLEASE

Erin Morley

We can still recall the first time we heard soprano Erin Morley in recital (just before we started writing about singers) and we were blown away by the purity of her voice and the warmth of her connection with the material and the audience.  Every time we have heard her we have been increasingly impressed.  Her groundbreaking performance at the Santa Fe Opera in the role of the eponymous "Rossignol" of Stravinsky's opera has led to our calling her by that name.

But we also recall with pleasure hearing her as Adellina Vocedoro-Gambalunghi in Mozart's Der Schauspieldirektor, her "Marten alle Arten" at a Richard Tucker celebration, and also delivering fireworks in some Mozart concert arias at a Mostly Mozart night. And also singing a duet with Isabel Leonard on a beastly hot night in Central Park--"Oh, belle nuit" from Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffman.

It was Olympia's aria from that same opera--"Les oiseaux dans la charmille"-- that knocked our socks off last night at the 19th annual Alice Tully Vocal Arts Recital.  It was her first encore; her coloratura fireworks and charming dramatic skills brought the cheering audience at Alice Tully Hall to their collective feet for a prolonged and well deserved standing ovation.  Those skips and those trills left no doubt that Ms. Morley is a MAJOR talent and a splendid choice to receive this award.

A true Juilliard daughter, she earned her Masters Degree there and her Artists Diploma as well. The Lindemann Program and a number of prestigious awards brought her to the attention of the opera world and has resulted in worldwide fame. 

Working in perfect sync with the highly esteemed collaborative pianist Ken Noda, Ms. Morley planned a most unusual program based on different types of love. Instead of arranging the program by composer, she devoted each set to a different stage of love. Schubert's "Lied der Delphine" expresses unthinking adolescent infatuation in a charming fashion.

The section on erotic love comprised Joaquin Rodrigo's sprightly "De donde venis, amore?" and Enrique Granados' tender "El mirar de la maja" which blossomed into a passionate response from the beloved, granting Ms. Morley multiple opportunities for variations in color and dynamics. We also heard Brahms' provocative "Therese".

If the section on motherly love was particularly lovely, we attribute it to the fact that Ms. Morley has an adorable youngster (we can attest to this as her family joined her in Santa Fe when we reviewed her performances) and another on the way.  Dvorak's profound tribute to what passes from mother to daughter--"Songs My Mother Taught Me"-- was sung in Czech with Mr. Noda's piano contributing a Bohemian flavor.

Her delivery of Rachmaninoff's "Margaritki" allowed us to appreciate the symbolism of daisies as little girls, something that somehow had escaped our imagination heretofore. Mr. Noda's trills added to the vocal thrills. Especially symbolic (of pregnancy) was Schumann's "Der Himmel hat eine Trane geweint"; we may never hear those two songs the same way again. Ms. Morley's interpretation opened our ears and our heart--what all fine artistry should do!

For sheer pleasure we would exalt Strauss' "Amor". Ms. Morley's crystalline coloratura seems made for Strauss and, indeed, she will be heard at the Met as Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier. Her high notes soar into the stratosphere and the embellishments are always incredibly exciting. Her rapport with the audience grew as she related how she identifies her child with the rascal Amor.

Unrequited love was explored in the next set, limning various ways a woman reacts to betrayal. We have always responded to Hugo Wolf's "Das verlassene Magdlein", a very sad song about a young woman just going through the motions of getting through another day. For the first time we noticed that during the piano interlude, when the subject recalls her dream of the prior night, the piano flips to major for a couple seconds. It was such a poignant moment.

Mozart's "Als Luise die Briefe ihres ungetreuen Liebhabers verbrannte" is yet another favorite. In this song, the spunky heroine tries to extinguish the fire within by burning the man's love letters. All the passion and resolve were heard in Mozart's marvelous vocal line.

The grief of losing a love to death was the subject of the next set.  Our favorite here was Edvard Grieg's "Zur Rosenzeit", another instance where the symbolism became clearer for us. Goethe's text scans and rhymes magnificently and Ms. Morley sang it sensitively.

A set of songs on sacred love closed the recital. Ms. Morley has some happy memories of singing in the Salt Lake Children's Choir and gave pride of place to the song "Little Lamb", a setting of a William Blake text by choir director Ralph B. Woodward. This is a simple melody and Ms. Morley can handle simplicity just as well as fireworks. As a surprising bonus, every word was clear and we hardly ever find that in sung English.

We loved the intensity of Tchaikovsky's "Whether Day Dawns" and Mr. Noda's piano was powerful throughout, lending gravitas. But it was the final song by Strauss that we loved the most--the well known "Zueignung" sung with deep feeling and impressive artistry.

The recital did credit to Ms. Morley, to Mr. Noda and to Juilliard, from whence so much artistry emanates.

(c) meche kroop

BACK TO BACH

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

LIEDERABEND IN HALF

Minjung Jung and Seiyoung Kim

It was a nasty night of wind and rain and broken umbrellas but our trip to Juilliard seemed worthwhile, even though we were not able to stay for the entire program, due to a prior commitment.  It is always worthwhile to be introduced to young artists we may not have heard before.

First on the program was tenor Seiyoung Kim who has the lovely clean and warm tone that a young tenor should have.  His performance of songs by Schubert and Beethoven impressed us by its musicality.  We liked his phrasing, the clarity of his German diction, and the variety of dynamics with which he made the line interesting. 

His onstage presence is confident and unfussy with most of the expressiveness emanating vocally. The texts bore a great deal of repetition but his change of coloration made each repetition sound fresh.  Beethoven's upbeat "Adelaide" stood in contrast with the composer's downbeat "Resignation". Minjung Jung's piano accompaniment gave full throat to the nightingales!

From Schubert's oeuvre, he contrasted the melancholy "Erster Verlust" with the joyful and passionate "Ganymed", reminding us of Schubert's fortunate attraction to the poetry of Goethe.  There is much to be said, in terms of planning a program, for alternation of moods!

Perhaps that was what was missing from the set of Schubert songs performed by bass Andrew Munn who was accompanied by Nathaniel LaNasa. Songs written for the bass fach are generally dark but after a group of grim songs we noticed our spirits sinking and longed for something cheerful.  It was well that Mr. Munn ended with the sanguine "Der Schiffer".

The bass fach is a late-blooming one; Mr. Munn surely has the stuff at the lower end of the register but has plenty of room to develop the overtones that will make his voice more varied and interesting. He has a strong presence onstage and is generous with gesture.

The final singer we had time to hear was soprano Kathryn Henry, with the always excellent collaborative pianist Cherie Roe. She sang two chansons in graceful French that needed only a little refinement of the nasal vowels and more legato in the line, to be superbe.  In Cesar Franck's "Nocturne" we loved the top note floating effortless into the stratosphere.

Ernest Chausson's "Chanson Perpetuelle" is lengthy and sad but Ms. Henry kept it interesting.  We were sorry to leave before the final two sets.

(c) meche kroop

CAT FIGHT AT THE COURT OF THE SUN KING

THE BOSTON EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL--VERSAILLES: portrait of a royal domain

Anyone who expects early music to be staid or effete would have had their expectations exploded at the Morgan Library where The Boston Early Music Festival came to show us what the court of Louis Quatorze must have been like. Although the fascinating and erudite talk by Benoit Dratwicki (Artistic Director of the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles) was largely drowned out by latecomers clumping up and down the stairs, the program notes by Stage Director Gilbert Blin provided ample information to enhance the experience which, truth to tell, required no enhancement!

We were transported to Versailles in 1683 and it was easy to forget that one was sitting in the lowest level of an important institution in 21st c. New York. The highly creative and imaginative Louis XIV moved the court from Paris to Versailles and provided unlimited entertainment for his fortunate courtiers.  There were separate rooms in the palace for opera, dance, art, and poetry with other rooms allocated to grand buffets and intoxicating beverages. Chocolate was particularly prized and must have been brought over from the New World.

Chamber operas with limited casts were created for the occasion with the subject matter being self-referential.  The courtiers got to witness their own lives at court being reflected back musically.

The opening opera by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Les Plaisirs de Versailles, was our favorite of the three short operas that were presented. Although the librettist is anonymous, Mr. Blin's scholarship presented ample evidence that the text was written by Donneau de Vise and versified by Thomas Corneille. 

Delightful Canadian soprano Mireille Asselin performed the role of La Musique whose vocal efforts were amusingly interrupted by Canadian mezzo-soprano Mireille Lebel in the role of La Conversation, whose constant interruptions led to a very funny fight between the two women, reminding us of Susanna and Marcellina duking it out in Mozart's Nozze di Figaro. The wordplay (translated into English for the surtitles projected above the stage) accused La Conversation of excessive "ill-timed praise".

Eventually the two women are reconciled and civility prevails so that the next opera can be presented.  Actually what we saw and heard comprised two excerpts from Jean-Baptiste Lully's Atys, said to be the King's favorite opera. Canadian baritone Olivier Laquerre was the perfect choice to play Le Fleuve Sangar with the two divinities of the fountain played by soprano Molly Netter and alto Virginia Warnken who harmonized beautifully. Tenor Oliver Mercer sounded sweet as a river god.

The first part of the program closed with a paean to sleep with Le Sommeil portrayed by Aaron Sheehan, John Taylor Ward as Phobetor, and Oliver Mercer as Phantase.  It was tenor Jason McStoots' performance as Morphee that came across with the clearest diction.  We missed not a single word. We also enjoyed his role in the Charpentier as Le Jeu, who was in charge of gambling.

The Sun King himself, portrayed by Choreographer/Dancer Carlos Fittante, entered in une chaise roulante and Part I of the evening ended with everyone going to sleep.  But not the audience! We eagerly anticipated the second part of the program.

Part II comprised Michel-Richard de Lalande's Les Fontaines de Versailles which involved less drama but more music and dancing.  Thankfully, Louis recovered sufficiently from his gout to participate in the dancing--every step a revelation--all performed by the BEMF Dance Company.  We left les grandes appartements of Versailles, just as the nobles did in the 17th c.  and were transported to the gardens of Versailles where statuary came to life. 

Proceedings were led by Latone (Ms Warnken) with Ms. Netter's gorgeous soprano getting a wonderful aria as Flore.  Mr. Sheehan reappeared as Apollon (reduced to second place by the glory of The Sun King), while mezzo-soprano Sophia Michaux represented Ceres, Goddess of the Harvest. Soprano Margot Rood, Mr. Laquerre, and Mr. Ward made significant vocal contributions.

Baritone Jesse Blumberg reappeared in the role of Comus, as he did in the Charpentier and sang with a rich and satisfying tone.  Mr. Mercer was a welcome presence as Bacchus.

We rarely experience an opera in which every single role is as well cast and as well sung!  It was a remarkable display of vocal artistry and a true ensemble experience.  Factoring in the sensational playing of the BEMF Chamber Ensemble and the glorious dancing of the BEMF Dance Company (Melinda Sullivan, Dance Director) as well as the sumptuous costumes by Anna Watkins, this will be an evening long remembered.

Mr. Blin's stage direction was always on point and Robert Mealy made an excellent concertmaster for this talented group of pluckers and pipers.  Paul O'Dette and Stephen Stubbs are Music Directors.

(c) meche kroop

JOY AND MORE JOY IN SINGING

Jason Wirth and Marie Marquis

Joy in Singing has been celebrating art song for six decades, supporting young singers with master classes and competitions and bringing emerging artists to the public by means of recitals. The big news is that this non-profit foundation, founded by Winifred Cecil, is expanding its activities and will have master classes open to the public, additional SongSalon evenings in private homes (program directed by Maria Fattore), and increased educational and community outreach. Song lovers take note and keep yourself informed by visiting their website-- www.joyinsinging.org. Start thinking about what you may take from them and also what you might have to contribute.

We have been privileged to attend several of their events and are always thrilled to hear artists that we might have otherwise not heard, artists of exemplary quality.  Last night at Merkin Concert Hall we had exposure to two artists that we actually had heard before but we heard them in a new light.  Soprano Marie Marquis was seen and heard this past Halloween as part of Heartbeat Opera's concert of Mozart in drag (Queens of the Night), the review of which can be read by scrolling down a month's worth of reviews. Collaborative pianist Jason Wirth conducted Dido and Aeneas from the harpsichord for Utopia Opera, the review of which is also archived.  Both of these companies are among our favorites.

Ms. Marquis lacks nothing. Not only is she a major vocal talent but she has the beauty and poise to grace any stage. Her self presentation is that of a confident young woman with a natural elegance but no pretensions. Her presence is a warm and engaging one; she makes ample use of her expressive face but reserves her gestures for emotional moments that count.

It is difficult for us to get a good feel for a singer's instrument when they sing contemporary music in English so let us jump right to the encore, a song we know well and always love--Hugo Wolf's "Auch kleine Dinge", sung in fine German and with the requisite charm.  We could not have asked for a better performance.

The final set on the program comprised some highly passionate songs of Sergei Rachmaninoff, Six Romances, Op.38, the very last of his output of 85 songs. Rachmaninoff was at the top of his form here, offering powerful writing for piano and sensitive writing for the voice. Ms. Marquis and Mr. Wirth interpreted these masterpieces quite beautifully. "At Night in my Garden" has spare writing for the piano and evocative writing for the voice with the minor key giving it a mournful feel.

In contrast, "To Her", a song of yearning for an absent beloved, enjoyed lavish writing for the piano. The final song "A-oo"
has the same theme and the intense longing was conveyed by both voice and piano.

Two of the songs involved more cheerful coloration--the familiar "Daisies" with its rapid piano figures and "Ratcatcher" which gives the piano some frisky syncopated rhythms as it portrays the romantic piper.  "Dream" was appropriately ethereal and gave Ms. Marquis an opportunity for a short but lovely portamento close to the end.

Francis Poulenc's cycle La Courte Paille is filled with whimsy. "Le Sommeil", a gentle lullaby, was sung with consummate sweetness and "Quelle Aventure" conveys the wonder of childhood with wide leaps that Ms. Marquis negotiated with finesse.  Our favorites, however, were "Les Anges Musiciens" with its beautiful imagery and the clever "Le Carafon", which made us just want to say "AWWWW". "Lune d'Avril" expresses an anti-war sentiment and Mr. Wirth's piano went from forceful to peaceful.

Dominick Argento set texts from the Elizabethan era for his Six Elizabethan Songs and we think the poetry should have been left alone. The rhythm of the English language seems to dictate a vocal line that is not particularly melodic.  Clearly Ms. Marquis chose these songs because she loves to sing them but we did not love the listening experience.

Neither did we care for the French Renaissance poetry set by Wilhelm Killmayer in his Les Blasons Anatomiques du Corps Feminin, but we loved the sound of the old French and the way Ms. Marquis sang it. Just as we are very unhappy when a poor singer maims a song we love, so we can be made happy when a good singer shows us something worthwhile in a song we don't love!

Another of Mr. Killmayer's compositions made an appearance on the program--yet another setting of Heinrich Heine's famous poem "Die Loreley". Was he trying to outdo Franz Liszt and Clara Schumann whose settings capture different essences of this German fairytale? We do not know, but several dozen other composers have also tried their hand at it. We failed to see what Killmayer's attempt achieved.

John Masefield's "The Seal Man" reads like an interesting scary story but not exactly poetry and not offering much for composer Rebecca Clarke to add. The words get lost at the upper register which is a problem for almost all writing in English. In this genre, we far preferred Claude Debussy's setting of Leconte de Lisle's poem "Les Elfes". Ms. Marquis' facility with French--not just the pronunciation but the rhythm of the phrasing--ensured a more delightful experience of the macabre.

(c) meche kroop

FLIGHT OF THE DOVE

Xiaomeng Zhang, Natalia Kutateladze, Dimitri Katotakis, Kelsey Lauritano, Jakub Jozef Orlinski, Steven Osgood, Rebecca Farley, Amanda Lynn Bottoms, Nicolette Mavroleon, Matthew Swensen, and Cody Quattlebaum

Jonathan Dove's Flight arrived safely at Juilliard International Airport this week, piloted by Steven Osgood and James Darrah;  all singers aboard merit a champagne toast in the Arrivals Lounge! The flight originated at Glyndebourne in 1998 and made 85 stops across Europe, Australia, and the USA. Arrivals were met with laughter and much applause.

Is there anything the singers of The Juilliard Opera cannot master?  We think not! Composer Jonathan Dove was fortunate in having as librettist April de Angelis who based the story loosely on the real life tale of an Iranian refugee who was stranded for 18 years at Charles de Gaulle Airport in 1988 due to immigration bungling. The story is irresistible and inspired a 2006 Steven Spielberg film starring Tom Hanks, entitled Terminal.

Our hero is a refugee who (we learn toward the end of the opera) smuggled himself to London in the wheel of a plane; his less fortunate brother fell "like a frozen star", bearing the refugee's papers. After we giggled through most of the opera, this revelation added a note of tragedy; Shakespeare's comedies also added tragedy to the mix.

The role was sung by countertenor Jakub Jozef Orlinski whose otherworldly angelic voice was perfect for the part. His physicality augmented his vocal artistry to evoke feelings of sympathy, not exactly felt by the motley group of passengers in the departure lounge, each of whom is obsessed with his/her own problems.

Soprano Nicolette Mavroleon and tenor Matthew Swensen beautifully portrayed a bickering couple on their way to a resort where they hope to rekindle the romance they once enjoyed earlier in their marriage. She is going by the book--a marriage manual--and wanting more sexual adventure.  She gets more than she bargained for.

Diplomat Xiaomeng Zhang, a mellifluous baritone, has accepted a post in Minsk but his very pregnant wife, sung by mezzo-soprano Natalia Kutateladze backs out at the last minute, terrified of the new responsibility of motherhood and the loss of her freedom. Her water breaking onstage was probably a dramatic first. Any woman who has been pregnant would understand her ambivalence.

Cabin personnel mezzo-soprano Kelsey Lauritano and baritone Dimitri Katotakis have the hots for each other and their attempts to copulate provide even more humor. Their singing was as enthusiastic as their lovemaking.

Mezzo-soprano Amanda Lynn Bottoms used her lovely voice to portray une femme d'un certain age who has come to the airport to await a young lover she had met on vacation, a man who will never come. As funny as she is, her plight is a sad one as she sings of her loneliness.

Credit all the above artists for their gorgeous singing, fine acting, and sympathetic portrayals.

Not so sympathetic is the ice cold Controller, sung with steely tone by soprano Rebecca Farley. She seems to oversee the action and does not like people at all.  She would like to have The Refugee's attention all for herself.

The Immigration Officer was portrayed by bass-baritone Cody Quattlebaum who does not sing until the last scene but was worth waiting for; he even relents a bit in his authoritarian posturing after listening to The Refugee's tale of woe.

The problem of refugees is even more severe now than when the opera was written, making the presentation of this work even more timely. The Refugee wants to make friends very badly--to win favors from the passengers of course--and uses all kinds of manipulative strategies to gain his ends. People turn their backs and a blind eye toward his hunger and loneliness.

The work is powerful.  We laugh and we cry.

Mr. Dove's music is infinitely more accessible than most contemporary operas. Conductor Steven Osgood made the most of the superlative musicians of The Juilliard Opera. The sound of planes taking off and the sound of the storm that interrupted the expected stream of departures were particularly well orchestrated and performed.

Director James Darrah's sure hand provided laughs aplenty in the well-considered stage business. He is endlessly creative.

Ellen Lenbergs designed the spare modern airport lounge, lit by Cameron Jaye Mock. Adam Larsen was responsible for the video projections of blue sky, clouds, and hopeful dawn when the storm ends. Mattie Ullrich's costumes were colorful and well suited to the characters. The Older Woman was particularly colorful as she worried about being conspicuous.

It is rare that we experience a contemporary opera in a positive fashion. There were no arias that we could walk out humming. But the diction was clear (with surtitles for when it wasn't) and the ensemble work was glorious. We would even consider seeing Flight again at some point in the future, which is more than we could say for other contemporary works. Still, we couldn't imagine a production as successful as this one.

(c) meche kroop