KOME TO THE KABARETT

Sari Gruber, Naomi Louisa O'Connell, and Justin Michael Austin

We have missed the many pleasures of Steven Blier's New York Festival of Song but now that masking requirements have been lifted, it is just like the good old days B.C. (before Covid)...or almost. Loyal audience members have returned to Kaufman Recital Hall and Maestro Blier is back at the piano with his carefully curated program of songs, astutely chosen singers, and witty commentary.

Last night's concert was devoted exclusively to German cabaret of the 1930's, known as the Weimar Era, and the three singers lit into the material with gusto and wit. When we opened the program, our heart sank when we saw the English text. To our ears, the sound of German matches so perfectly with the music that we were sure we wouldn't like the English translations. However, once the program began, we started to feel appreciation for the skill of Jeremy Lawrence, the translator. The verses rhymed!  They scanned!

We very much enjoyed it none the less when some verses were sung in German, or spoken in one language and sung in the other. We still maintain that there is more of a bite to the German language but the trade off is that more members of the audience could understand the meaning. There was bitterness and irony and political criticism. There were amusing sexual innuendoes. There was plenty of gender bending.

Soprano Sari Gruber was joined by Irish mezzo-soprano Naomi Louisa O'Connell and baritone Justin Michael Austin, all of them known from the world of opera and art song, and all with the dramatic ability to convey the emotions of the song, be they anger, irony, or wistfulness. Solos alternated with duets and trios, in which the harmonies delighted the ear and the back and forth dialogue engendered knowing smiles.

The ensemble was particularly strong in the opening number, Mischa Spoliansky's "It's all a swindle" with lyrics by Marcellus Schiffer (English translation by Jeremy Lawrence); it could have been written this year. Schiffer also wrote the lyrics to "Sex Appeal" which was given a very entertaining performance by Ms. OConnell. Ms. Gruber charmingly delivered Mischa Spoliansky's "Maskulinum-Femininum" with Schiffer's gender bending lyrics . 

Speaking of gender bending, Mr. Austin sang "Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuss", Friedrich Holländer's famous song, sung by Marlena Dietrich in the film The Blue Angel--a song we recognized as "Falling in Love Again". Mr. Austin sang it straight which made it all the more powerful. Very different was his delivery of Hanns Eisler's "Rosen auf den Weg gestreut" in which. Kurt Tucholsky's ironic text was performed with intense passion.

What struck us was the similarity to our own epoch. Ninety years ago, Europe was gripped by difficult economic circumstances, fascism was encroaching, and sexual freedoms were being explored. Songs by Friedrich Hollaender, Mischa Spoliansky, Olaf Bienert, and Kurt Tucholsky could have been written today.  Most affecting were the anti-war pieces. We were deeply stirred as we considered the dire condition of the world at this very moment in time and how important it is for us to avoid another cataclysmic outcome.

Watch for more to come from NYFOS--of course the theme for the February 15th concert will be.,.."Amor"!

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HIP HÄNDEL

                                                         Mary Beth Nelson and Shelén Hughes

 (Photo by Richard Termine)

   

                                                   Richard Pittsinger and Maggie Renée  (Photo by Richard Termine)

Now that masking is optional, we have happily returned to reviewing performances at  The  Juilliard School and last night we saw TWO performances. The first one was a musically authentic production of a Händel opera in which the stellar Maestro Gary Thor Wedow led Juilliard 415, the schools principal period instrument ensemble, in a musically authentic reading of Atalanta.  Thanks to some recent exposures to Baroque performances, we were not surprised by the presence of musicians onstage with the singers from time to time.  As a matter of fact, the overture put trumpeter John Thiessen onstage   and some excellent duets were heard with the woodwinds and theoborist/lutenist Dušan Balarin. Harpsichords were played by Mo. Wedow himself and David Belkovski,

Not only did Mo. Wedow draw such admirable performances from his orchestra, but the vocal values were equally dazzling. Soprano Shelén Hughes, whom we wrote about when she was a student at Manhattan School of Music, made a powerful Atalanta who is supposed to be a Princess disguised as a shepherdess named Amarilli. Ms. Hughes has a voice of notable flexibility and a strong stage presence.

As her beloved "Tirsi" (actually King Meleagro in shepherd disguise) we had the remarkable mezzo-soprano Mary Beth Nelson (whom we heard recently at the National Arts Club as Cenerentola) utilizing the same dazzling technique as she used in the Rossini.

Another mezzo-soprano Maggie Renée immersed herself totally in the role of Irene, aggressively tormenting the man who loves her in spite of some better advice by her father Nicandro (bass-baritone Donghoon Kang). Richard Pittsinger made an excellent Aminta who had such stunning vocal moments that we found ourself holding our breath.

The hit of the evening was baritone Jared Werlein (whom we wrote about enthusiastically in a freshman recital) who brought the opera to a close as Mercutio, about which more later. Keep reading!

So, what was the second performance we attended at Juilliard? Well, it was simultaneous with the one we just described! It was a Broadway show with a lavish set (by Ryan Howell) and striking costumes (by Ryan Park) with a crazy story having nothing to do with the libretto Händel chose on which to drape his fluent arias, of which there were many.

We completely understand that audiences of three centuries ago were enchanted by pastoral stories which could be rather boring for contemporary audiences. We have observed an unending series of performances of Händel's operas tricked out with beach chairs and umbrellas and all kinds of nonsense meant to engage a 21st c. audience. It seems like a lack of trust in the music to stage it so.

The theme of the story is how young people play games on the court of love. Our association was that of middle school students who fake disinterest in those on whom they are crushing and who try to make their crushes jealous by flirting with others. So we appreciate that there is room here for a "concept".  Much as we dislike updating, audiences must be attracted or opera will die.

In this production, director Omer Ben Seadia's concept was a group of young people at some kind of music/art festival in the desert. An overhead sign on stage read "Bacchanalia". On stage left was a performing stage with drums that didn't get played until the final postlude with the fantastically costumed cast trying to disco dance to Baroque music.  You can imagine!

On stage right was a food truck in which Aminta seemed well supplied with ingredients and a chef's knife which he wielded whilst singing, making us a bit nervous. When he and Irene finally get their games straightened out at the end of the opera they can be seen through frosted glass, presumably fornicating.

Irene seemed to be the one admitting outlandishly costumed participants to the festival, checking ID's and cell phones. But the platform shoes seemed more suggestive of the 70's. Does it matter?  No one seemed to care but rather enjoyed the eye candy. But the story seemed shoehorned into Ms. Ben Seadia's concept. After the opera we read her Director's Note and can see where she was coming from. However, the stage business was so overdone that it distracted from the music. It seemed as if every important aria was overshadowed by someone moving furniture or performing some kind of acrobatic activity. There were times when we had to shut our eyes to hear the beauty of the voices.

We did promise to tell you about Mr. Werlein's performance since one might say he stole the show. In extravagant white drag and platform boots, his Mercurio sang about the blessings of love, reminding us that this work was created to celebrate a royal marriage between Frederick (son of George II) and Augusta of Saxe-Gotha. The bridal couple did not deign to attend the premiere which was anything but modest and involved a great deal of spectacle. Well, this 21st c. audience did not suffer from want of spectacle!

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ACTION FOR ARTISTS

 Emma Luyendijk, Jihye Seo, Chantal Freeman, and Dina Pruzhansky

It is always a great pleasure for us to find organizations that share our goal of helping young artists on their way--including, among others, Classic Lyric Arts and Career Bridges. Yesterday we were introduced to the very exciting Action for Artists, helmed by vocal coach and collaborative pianist William Hicks, whom we have listened to and admired for several years. His new project will award grants to emerging artists with, as they say, no strings attached. The six month grant will help with whatever the young singer, pianist, or composer needs and will be renewable for up to 2 years-- as long as the artist shows progress.

After a welcome by Mr. Hicks, the charming director Carol Castel. shared some words of wisdom from her late husband Nico Castel which was followed by an hour-long concert of beloved classics performed by some remarkable young artists and a reception. 

We have loved the compositions of Dina Pruzhansky for some time now, having heard her at Carnegie Hall and the 92nd St. Y. We heard two of her compositions last night, both excellent, with one of them highlighting what a gifted composer can do with the English language. We go numb when we hear deathless prose set to unmelodic music, but when we hear humorous text given a setting that highlights tha rhythm of the words and phrases, we feel fizzy with delight.

Sung by the splendid soprano Chantal Freeman, we heard "I am a Singer" from Ms. Pruzhansky's Heroes of New York. In this song (lyrics by singer Brianna Hunter), we are introduced to the exhausting life of a young singer with all of its trials and tribulations; Ms. Freeman captured the humorous mood perfectly, as did Ms. Pruzhansky's music.  In a second piece "Puzzling it Out" (lyrics by Mary Moore Easter) we made note of a lovely vocalise by Ms. Freeman.

The versatile soprano Jihye Seo was joined by the South African collaborative pianist Emma Luyendijk for two very different arias. In "Egli non riede ancora ...Non so le tetre immagini" from Verdi's Il Corsaro, the ill-fated Medora gives voice to her fearful premonitions as her beloved pirate Corrado will be going out to sea. Although you may not have ever seen the opera you would surely have recognized this gorgeous aria in 3/4 time which gave Ms. Seo the opportunity to show off a lovely legato, dynamics put to good expressive use, and an impressive messa di voce. Excellent breath control made possible an exquisite pianissimo.

Later in the program, she brought Pamina to life in "Ach, ich fühls" from Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. This sorrowful aria shows the character at her lowest moment as she fears abandonment by Tamino.

The third singer on the program was tenor Victor Starsky who excelled as an ebullient Rodolfo in "Che gelida manina" from Puccini's La Bohême. Mr. Starsky has a pleasing tonal quality and impressive acting chops, convincing us that he was an ardent young man out to win the affection of his modest neighbor. He acted just like any young man on a first date with someone for whom he feels intense attraction and wishes to impress.

He also sang "Je suis seul...Ah, fuyez, douce image" from Massenet's Manon. He surely conveyed the anguish of the abandoned Chevalier des Grieux as he, in spite of his clerical intentions, longs for his lost love. Mr. Starsky excels at using gesture and facial expression to limn his character, but he was most successful at drawing us into his grief and longing in the pianissimo phrases.

We were sorry when the singing ended. As much as we love bubbly, finger food, and socializing with the denizens of Planet Opera (and the room was filled with notables), we would have happily sacrificed that to hear more singing. Dear Reader, you have probably figured out by now that we were completely enchanted. Cheers to a worthy new organization which deserves our support.

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THE THREE ''E"s of EXCELLENCE

Nicholas Simpson, Hannah Ludwig and Simone McIntosh

Jakob Lehmann and Lucy Tucker Yates

(photos by Steve Pisano)

An excellent evening comprises, entertainment, education, and enlightenment. That's a lot of alliteration! We have spent many evenings enjoying opera and have watched them evaporate from our consciousness by the next day. So many operas seem to be churned out like sausages. Well, how about an opera that involved probably a year of preparation to be seen only once? Should we consider that a rare privilege to have seen and heard it or a tragedy that it may never be repeated?

Teatro Nuovo, helmed by Will Crutchfield, is the only opera company in the world dedicated to historically informed performance of Italian music from the Bel Canto period (our favorite). What this means might have been gleaned by visual observation and a refined ear. In this case, it was described in the program and, even better, illuminated in a pre-opera lecture for which "standing room only" seemed a small price to pay.

As well as being Artistic Director, Maestro.Crutchfield is an exemplary lecturer, illustrating his points at the piano. We feel that what we learned about Gioachino Rossini, composer of the opera we were about to see, Maometto Secondo, added enormously to our fund of knowledge and appreciation. Let us give but one small example that tickled us. As complex as Rossini's music sounds, he made use of the same chord progression as is used in rock and roll! Once Mo. Crutchfield illustrated this on the piano we were astonished. It is his unique rhythmic variations that make Rossini's music sound complex, along with the decorations of the vocal line which (news to us!) were copied by the master from the singers themselves.  We could go on and on but less us get to the experience itself.

Upon arriving at the Rose Theater, the first thing we noticed was that the orchestra was on the same level as the audience. Then we noticed the double basses which were split up, two to each side, and raised a bit above the rest of the orchestra. There was no conductor at the podium. As was the custom in that period, all the musicians could see each other and were led by the primo violino (in this case the marvelous Jakob Lehmann). Equally prominent was Lucy Tucker Yates, maestro al cembalo (harpsichord).

We soon noticed the beauty (visual and aural) of the instruments. The woodwinds were wood and the brass had no valves. And what was that exotic instrument in the brass section? Unlike any instrument we had seen heretofore, it is called the serpentone and its player Barry Bocaner allowed us a closer look during intermission.

In this performance we experienced the orchestra as a character in the story, not just a support for the singers. The clarinet, played by Thomas Carroll, was given some memorable melodies woven through the texture of the music. Instead of feeling swept away by an ocean of music, we felt drawn into a fascinating fabric of harmonious threads.

The libretto by Cesare della Valle told the simple story well. The 15th c.Venetians were defending their territory from attack by the armies of Sultan Mehmed II; the romance of the opera was added on, as dictated by convention. The daughter of the Venetian Governor Paolo Erisso  had fallen in love with the Sultan who had previously wooed her under false pretenses. She cannot forgive his deceit; this will not end happily.

The glorious music held our interest throughout. There were only a couple pauses for applause since the music was continuous, rather than being presented as separate numbers. One could say that Rossini's late style had an influence on Richard Wagner. Another unusual convention presented itself. This was the first time we witnessed an onstage band (including a snare drum and a bass drum) except for the Act I serenade in Rossini's Il barbieri di Siviglia.

By this time, dear reader, you must be wondering about the voices. Whoever cast the roles made some fine choices. Rossini wrote the part of the daughter Anna and the part of Calbo  (the loyal general chosen by  Erisso to marry and defend Anna) within the same range. Here, both roles were given to mezzo-sopranos.  One could not imagine two more different voices--each beautiful in its own way, giving duets a special quality. Simone McIntosh possesses a crystalline tone in her upper extension and Hanna Ludwig has a depth and breadth of tone that borders on contralto. Not only did they make incredible music together but Ms. McIntosh had a duet with the harp, played by Chelsea Lane, that was as remarkable as Lucia's duet with the glass harmonica.

Nicholas Simpson's tenor was strong but unforced, musical in its phrasing; his very tall appearance added to the illusion that Anna was his child. As Maometto the conqueror, baritone Scott Purcell was suitably arrogant and vindictive; his voice had the interesting texture of corduroy.

If we have nothing further to say about the voices, it is for want of space. Let us just say that the singing was flawless on all counts and perfectly suited to the bel canto style with all its flourishes and fioritura. 

Even the smaller roles were well sung. Tenor Spencer Lawrence Boyd stepped out of the chorus to play Selimo and tenor Toby Bradford stepped out to sing Condulmiero. The chorus was excellent as well. There were a dozen women onstage together but unstaged, and a dozen men also unstaged.

Speaking of which, let us note that the principals did act in a believable fashion, although there were no costumes (just evening dress) and no props. The projected backdrops were drawings of scenes of palaces piazza, and pavilion. Nothing moved.  Nothing distracted from the music. We don't have enough space to mention all the excellent chorus members (Mo. Crutchfield also serves as chorus master) and all the musical soloists whose lines interwove with the singers.  Let's just say it was a memorable evening all around.

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A VISIT FROM OPERA LAFAYETTE

 Christa Patton and Markéta Cukrová

It is always a special event when Opera Lafayette comes to New York City from their home in Washington D.C.  The company makes an annual visit in the Spring, bringing neglected masterpieces, mostly from the 18th c. Opera Lafayette can be counted on to provide not only entertainment but education, by means of lectures which illuminate the operas that are presented.

Artistic Director Ryan Brown came to town for a short visit to pique our curiosity about this season's works and we will only give you a hint--they relate to Madame Pompadour--and we urge you to watch our FB page for advance notice. And if you cannot wait, go directly to their website (operalafayette.org).

Guests at this private event were treated to a delightful performance of Baroque music at a lovely space in Chelsea, not to mention a generously provided spread of delicacies and wine. But we are not here to talk about food (our other passion) but to tell you a bit about the music.  

Czechoslovakian mezzo-soprano Markéta Cukrová was accompanied by Christa Patton on a Baroque harp. True to Opera Lafayette form, we were not only entertained but also enlightened by Ms. Patton who demonstrated the unusual features of her harp.  Not only does it lack pedals but it has a third row of strings. Something that was entirely new to us is that the flats and sharps are played on different strings.  As an amateur pianist, we know that G# for example is played on the same key as A-flat. Not on this harp! We had to listen very closely to discern the difference in color and tonality.

Ms. Patton also introduced the gorgeous songs to which Ms. Cukrová lent her magnificent instrument. We had never enjoyed Baroque singing until our friend soprano Jessica Gould introduced us to her opinion that Baroque songs should not be sung dry, without overtones. And so we grew to love the early Italian canon when so performed.

Ms. Patton told us some interesting facts about the Caccini family. Father Giulio is the composer of "Amarilli", a song that has enchanted us since our first hearing. However we were a bit disappointed to hear that it might have been meant to be ironic. We have always taken it seriously when the poet says "Open my chest and see my love written on my heart".

We heard a number of songs and learned about his daughters and why women chose to be courtesans.

We were completely enraptured by the superlative artistry of both women. The singing was beautifully phrased and the dynamics astonishing. There were some delicate diminuendi that tapered off to a thin thread of sound hanging in the air. The fioritura was cleanly rendered. Although one song was of a religious nature, most were about love.  All were sung with consummate expressivity. We so enjoyed this trip back in time.

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ERIC OWENS AND FRIENDS

 

Sarah Fleiss, Lucy Baker, Joseph Tancredi, and Eric Owens

What a magical evening we spent in the company of four artists from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, on tour as part of Curtis on Tour. Led by esteemed bass-baritone Eric Owens, who graduated from the Curtis Institute a quarter century ago and who now serves on their faculty, three emerging artists dazzled us with their artistry. Mr. Owens' legendary gifts have been sufficiently recognized and treasured worldwide, so let us focus on the three young artists who seem to have profited enormously by his tutelage.

Let us begin by praising the program which contained not a single disappointment. There was something for every taste--art songs, folk songs, cabaret songs, musical theater songs, and of course a couple operatic scenes. The theme of the evening seemed to be love in all of its many manifestations--the longing, the satisfaction, the disappointments.

Who beside Brahms has brought so much artistry to the folk song! We never pass up an opportunity to hear his Liebeslieder Waltzer, Op. 52, but are far less familiar with his Neue Liebeslieder Walzer, Op. 65. We imagine that the first collection was so successful that Brahms was urged to set more of Georg Friedrich Daumer's text. (The final song of the group was written to text by Goethe but it was not included.)

Accompanied by 4-handed piano (Ting Ting Wong and Miloš Repicky) The soprano of Sarah Fleiss blended beautifully with Lucy Baker's mezzo-soprano, Joseph Tancredi's tenor, and Mr. Owens' bass-baritone. Each song offered a different combination of voices and therefore different textures. 

The solos were particularly poignant, especially those given to Ms. Fleiss which seemed to emphasize the woes of a maiden unsuccessful at love--"An Jeder Hand die Finger" in which a maiden has bestowed all her rings on worthless men, and in "Rosen steckt mir an die Mutter", in which she sees herself wilting and stripped of leaves like a rose.  This characterization would be repeated at the conclusion of the evening when she sang a most pathetic Gilda in the quartet from Verdi's Rigoletto.

Ms. Baker was very well suited to the role of temptress in "Wahre, wahre deine Sohn" in which she tells a neighbor that she is going to bewitch her son. Later, she would be similarly seductive as Maddalena. Hearing the two women bring Sophie and Octavian to life in "Mir ist die Ehre widefahren" from Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier was all one could wish for and gave the two of them an opportunity to interact, which was not possible in the Brahms. 

When a performance is that exquisite, the mind's eye supplies the costumes and settings and we were transported right into 19th c. Vienna. The two women sounded so harmonious together that we longed to hear them sing "Dôme épais le jasmin" from Delibes' Lakme. We are putting that on our wish list! 

We were also happy to hear all voices together in a few of the songs and cannot think of any work written for four voices that we enjoy more . None of the songs were written for two male voices but we did get to hear Mr. Tancredi and Mr. Owens harmonize in double delight with "Au fond du temple saint" from Bizet's Les Pêcheurs de perles, our favorite duet for male voices. 

We noticed a few things about Mr. Tancredi that augurs well for his future success. One is his vocal artistry; few tenors produce such round Italianate vowels, which we attribute to his consistent embouchure. There is no "spreading" and no forcing--rather, complete security of technique. We have reviewed Mr. Tancredi as an undergraduate at Manhattan School of Music where we noticed his promise. Again we observed his growth as a Santa Fe Apprentice in 2019. Nothing makes us happier than seeing growth in an artist. The other thing we appreciated was his total immersion in the character of Nadir. We saw the temple and the crowd through his eyes-- and that is the excitement of opera!

We have also heard Ms. Fliess  a few years ago, singing a duet from Rossini's Tancredi, singing the title role as a mezzo-soprano. We were surprised to hear her as a soprano but happy to report that the high notes are crystalline and unforced. It will be interesting to see where she goes next. Her duet with Mr. Tancredi from Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel was a joy to hear.

Ms. Baker is new to us and we can hardly wait to hear her again. Aside from a lovely instrument she knows how to get a song across and we delighted in her delivery of "Langsamer Walzer" from Schoenberg's Brettl Lieder which is also known as "Den Spiegel von Arkadien" which we alway call "the Bum bum song". Her interpretation was highly dramatic and filled with humor, making every word count.

We have alluded to the closing number, the famous quartet from Rigoletto and it was the perfect way to end this varied program, leaving us with the impression that great voices and great music need not be categorized. Art song or folk song, aria or cabaret, just sing it with style and substance and we are happy.

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TERRIFIC TRIAD

 Larisa Martinez and Joshua Bell

(photo by Shervin Lainez)

It is rare to find a concert as well planned and exquisitely performed as last night's "Voice and the Violin" at the Kaufmann Concert Hall of the 92nd St. Y. We were thinking "Divine Duo" for the title of our review but that would have neglected the exceptional collaboration of pianist Peter Dugan, so well remembered from his Juilliard days. Much pandemic labor went into researching works for violin and voice and in adapting works for this combination. This would seem to be a labor of love--love between husband (violinist Joshua Bell) and wife (soprano Larisa Martinez), since this beautiful pair of artists are indeed wed. The pacing of this concert held us spellbound from beginning to end and left us feeling elevated.

The concert opened with a rarely heard work by Mendelssohn entitled Infelice. Musical scholars claim that the work comprises two separate works written in two different periods but both are settings of text by Pietro Metastasio and both were written in the same key. Perhaps this would explain why the audience burst into applause after the recitativo. In any case, it is a lovely concert aria and allowed Mr. Bell and Mr. Dugan to create an entire orchestra to back up Ms. Martinez' astute handling of the two sections, particularly the urgency of the cabaletta. We admired the fineness of the trills and the drawn out diminuendo of the conclusion.

Ernest Bloch's "Nigun" from Baal Shem alternated sorrowful melodies with aspirational ones; forcefulness was met with delicacy in rapid alternation. We know little about violin performance but couldn't help noticing how much like the human voice it is--but also capable of something else that is beyond the reach of the voice, the double stop. Although ignorant of violin technique, we are capable of recognizing and appreciating artistry which Mr. Bell has in spades, as they say.

The eponymous heroine of Massenet's Manon begins her journey as a wide-eyed impressionable convent-bound young woman and Ms. Martinez's acting here was just as exceptional as her vocal artistry. She created a very believable character, so believable that our mind's eye supplied the town square and the coach! There was something else that impressed us. The artist gave a glimmer of the wildness behind the innocence, hinting at what would follow. What a performance!

In Ferdinand Hérold's. "Jours de mon enfance" from Le pré aux clercs, the gorgeous melodies bounced back and forth between violin and soprano, made delicious by the rapport between the two artists. If Mr. Dugan was denied the benefit of eye contact, he never faltered in his support of the other two artists.

Chopin's Nocturne in E-flat Major, Op. 9, No. 2 is one of our favorite works and to hear Mr. Bell play his own arrangement, with Mr. Dugan relegated to a supportive role, was a revelation. It allowed us to hear the piece with fresh ears and to realize the very different colors and capabilities of two different instruments.

Ms. Martínez voice and personality were perfect for the Iberian inflected. "Les filles de Cadix" by Delibes. Her highly spirited performance was countered by dreamy delicacy in her performance of Richard Strauss' "Morgen".

Mr. Bell's performance of Henryk Wieniawski's  Scherzo-Tarantelle, Op. 16 showed off his astonishing technique, driving the audience wild. We might mention here how much we appreciated the unassuming manner in which he addressed the audience, sharing with us that he played this piece as a 12-year-old. The achieved intimacy belied the size of the packed auditorium and we felt as if we were in a salon in our own home.

Our lovely soprano took over with a rapid fire performance of the lively "Zapateado" from Gerónimo Giménez' zarzuela , La Tempranica. Regular readers will recall how enthusiastic we are about zarzuela! 

We enjoyed Narciso Figueroa's "Mi Rancho" so much that we were inspired to learn something about him. Ms. Martínez is rightfully proud of her Puerto Rican heritage and what a good choice it was to share a work by her homeland's Father of Danzas, as he is called. The work she sang comes from a set of four songs entitled Cuatro Decímas and we want to hear the other three!  Mr. Figueroa was born to a Puerto Rican dynasty of musicians, studied classical composition in Europe and returned home to Puerto Rica to apply what he learned to his country's folkloric musical traditions and to assume a position as professor and director of the piano department of the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico, a position which he held for many years.

The evening ended with West Side Story Suite, an arrangement of Leonard Bernstein's opera by Brohn and Czarnecki. The violin introduction sounded uncomfortably dissonant to our ears but once Ms. Martínez started to sing (both female parts) we grew to love it. We were ready to leave on a "high" but our vivacious soprano took us even higher with a work well suited to her beauty--"Quando m'en vo" from Puccini's La Bohême, bringing the audience to its collective feet once more.

We understand that this divine program will be touring the United States, so if you are living outside New York, watch out for it.

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