WAGNER & VERDI

Giuseppe Verdi

Richard Wagner

What an excellent idea to present a program of arias composed by two 19th c. titans born two centuries ago!  The feisty Chelsea Opera, helmed by Lynne Hayden-Findlay and Leonarda Priore, took on this bicentennial celebration.  Christ and St. Stephen's Church was bursting at the seems with loyal fans.

The first part of the program was devoted to the works of Richard Wagner, works we all know and love.  Wagner is notoriously difficult to sing and the performances came across as rather mixed.  Soprano Maria Russo tackled Brünnhilde's "Hojotojo!" with a great deal of gusto and volume and tenor Caleb Stokes performed "Winterstürme wichen dem wonnemond", one of our favorite Wagnerian arias.  Jennifer Behnke performed "Der Engel" from Wesendonck Lieder.  Soprano Elizabeth Beers Kataria was convincing as Senta in "Traft ihr das schiff im meere an" from Die Fliegende Holländer but did not seem to have much connection with bass Steven Fredericks in their duet "Wie aus die Ferne"

Caleb Stokes reappeared as Parsifal in "Nur eine waffe taugt" and Ms. Russo returned for Isolde's "Liebestod" from Tristan und Isolde in which she failed to float her line successfully over the piano.  The best part of the Wagner program was the ensemble from Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg in which the voices blended and balanced well; the aforementioned singers were joined by Monica Hershenson Thuris and Shawn Thuris.

One would never call Verdi easy to sing but the singers in Part II, which was devoted to his works, managed considerably better.  Baritone Robert Kerr made a fine Falstaff in the eponymous opera, singing a rather touching "Va! Vecchio John".  In  "Reverenza", mezzo Leonarda Priore herself was quite amusing, enjoying her role as Mistress Quickly to the fullest, while tenor Jonathan Morales took the role of Bardolfo.  Mr. Kerr reappeared later in "Per me, giunto...O Carlo, ascolta!" from Don Carlo and impressed us with his Verdian legato and dramatic commitment.

We greatly enjoyed soprano Regina Grimaldi whose generous and expressive voice animated "Ernani, Ernani, involami" from Ernani.  She has a lovely vibrato and needs only a bit more support in her lower register.  She also did a fine job with "Morró, ma prima in grazia" from Un Ballo in Maschera. 

Mr. Morales reappeared as the Duke in Rigoletto.  The audience enjoyed his "Questa o quella".  Tenor David Kellett performed "Madre, non dormi?" as Manrico with the part of Azucena being taken by Ms. Priore.  Mr. Kellett reappeared later as Macduff from Macbeth in the deeply felt aria "O figli, figli miei".  To close the evening, the entire company sang the moving "Va pensiero" from Nabucco.  Accompanying the singers throughout the evening was Steven M. Crawford.

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OFF WITH HER HEAD

Elza van den Heever

Joyce DiDonato

Two queens did  battle on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera in Donizetti's worthy Maria Stuarda, based upon the Schiller play (which took some large liberties with history).  Not the knock-down drag-out fight between the two divas in the 1835 opening, but the battle of two characters of varying temperaments and character--the shrewd and brilliant Protestant Elizabeth and the emotional and sensual Mary Queen of Scots, a Catholic without honor in her own country.  What was most thrilling about the production was the contrast between two prime donne--soprano Elza van den Heever as Elisabetta and mezzo Joyce DiDonato as the hapless Maria.  We are convinced that these two superstars, unlike the two divas of 1835, got along just fine backstage!

Donizetti's writing for the voice is thrilling and just needs the right voices to bring it to life; here we had the right voices.  Ms. van den Heever has a bright penetrating sound and the agility to master the fioritura of the bel canto style, sadly missing from last season's production of Anna Bolena also at the Met.  Ms. DiDonato has a mellower sound, full of pathos and vulnerability except in the scene where she verbally attacks Elisabetta with vile insults, instead of assuming a modest submissive mien which might have saved her life.  Ms. DiDonato is likewise a master of the bel canto style with incredible precision in her runs and a trill to die for.

There is not much to the story.  The Earl of Leister, winningly sung by Matthew Polenzani, wants Elisabetta to forgive Maria, or at least to meet with her and consider it.  They meet in a forest outside the prison in which Maria has been sequestered.  The meeting goes badly and Maria is condemned to death by chopping block.  Maria is also supported by George Talbot, well-sung by bass Matthew Rose, and her companion Jane, equally well-sung by sturdy mezzo Maria Zifchak.  Taking Elisabetta's side is her Secretary of State Lord Cecil, sung by the fine baritone Joshua Hopkins.  But it is the two stars that carry the show.

David McVicar's production is inoffensive, properly accurate in time and place.  No great risks are taken, which is all to the good so that we can focus on the music.  Sets and costumes by John Macfarlane are acceptable in that the sets suggest the halls of the various palaces but a bit strange when the forest is set off by steps on all sides, reminding one of Chichen Itza.
The costumes in the first scene are all white against a background of bloody red, probably meant to be symbolic of the bloodshed to come but not at all suggestive of the court of that epoch.  In the final scene, the characters are all in black.  A bit obvious, no?

Musical values were strong all-around.  Maestro Maurizio Benini evinced an unusually clear and nuanced reading of the score while supporting the singers totally.  There was a memorable moment when Ms. DiDonato produced one of the finest diminuendi ever heard while Maestro Benini held the orchestra down.  Unforgettable!

The Met chorus sang with its customary verve and clarity of diction.  They opened the opera with a joyful chorus about Elisabetta's impending marriage and closed the opera with a mournful dirge about Maria's impending death.  We watch Maria's ascent to the scaffold with the looming figure of the executioner--waiting.

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WILHELM MEISTERS LEHRJAHRE

Franz Schubert was but a babe in arms when Johann Wolfgang von Goethe published Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre, a classic of German Romanticism; the two seminal artists never met but Schubert was inexorably drawn to Goethe's poetry and set his work more often than any other poet.  Most lovers of lieder are fond of the songs related to the aforementioned novel, particularly the songs connected with Mignon, one of the characters who made a great impression on the hero during his wanderjahre.

These songs were given a compelling shape by the artistic directors of Schubert@Co. at yesterday's recital.  While Jonathan Ware took on the collaborative piano work for the first half of the program, Lachlan Glen provided the narration directly from the novel, a narration that stitched the songs together into a meaningful evening.  We are familiar with the fine work of all the singers involved in the recital and we have never heard them so intensely involved and so present.  We attribute this to the effective dramatic concept.

Baritone Michael Kelly, who will be singing Die Winterreise next Saturday evening, opened the program with "Wandrers Nachtlied I," D.224 and closed the program with "Wandrers Nachtlied II", D. 768.  His arresting performance was marked by exquisite word coloring such that "süss" sounded just like honey tastes and "schmerz" produced an ache in our chest.  Bass-baritone Evan Hughes performed "Der Sänger" with his customary dramatic flair, but it was "flair squared".

Soprano Raquel Gonzalez sang "Heiss mich nicht reden" and "So lasst mich scheinen", also known as Mignon I and Mignon II from D. 726 and D. 727 respectively, using her gorgeous instrument to successfully evoke the plaints of a troubled child.  Following Mr. Kelly's lovely "Harfenspieler II" D.480, the collaborative piano was taken over by world-renowned Malcolm Martineau who, like Warren Jones, seems to breathe along with the singer.  His participation was evidence of the importance of Schubert@Co.'s artistic mission, a genuine treat which did not in any way detract from Mr. Ware's excellence in the first half of the program.

"Grenzen der Menschheit", D. 716 permitted Mr. Hughes to show off his vocal power at the bottom of the register with consummate expressiveness.  Baritone Jesse Blumberg gave an astonishing performance of "Gesänge des Harfners I, II, and III" (D. 478, 480, and 479 respectively), songs of such grief and loneliness that our eyes filled with tears.  Mr. Blumberg caressed each word, seemingly enjoying the flavor.  The result was riveting.

Ms. Gonzalez followed with "Nur wer die Sehnsuch kennt", D.359, not the version with which we are most familiar, but equally tragic and moving.  Soprano Simone Easthope took over from there with "Kennst du das Land" D.321; her just-right vibrato and involvement with the song made the far-off land for which Mignon pines completely visible in the mind's eye.  She followed this with "Gesange aus Wilhelm Meister I, II, III and IV", all from D.877.  This included a new setting of "Heiss mich nicht reden" and the version of "Nur wer die sehnsucht kennt" with which we are most familiar.  We felt like we were meeting a dear old friend wearing beautiful new clothes.

It would seem that Schubert just loved setting these songs over and over again, that the singers loved singing them, and the audience loved hearing them, as evidenced by the standing ovation at the end of the recital.

One cannot fail to be impressed by the hard work, love and dedication of everyone concerned with Schubert&Co.  There are many more recitals to come and lovers of lieder will be sated by the end of the project.  Or...maybe they will want a repeat next year!

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DALTON BALDWIN MASTER CLASS

As part of The Song Continues, the venerable Dalton Baldwin offered a master class of inestimable value.  There is no one alive today that we know of who has as much to offer in the art of French chanson.  He was able to divide his attention equally among four superb singers and four equally talented collaborative pianists.  No one failed to profit by his suggestions and gentle guidance.  His unassuming and humble manner made the medicine go down very easily.

Participating singers were sopranos Pureum Jo, Emily Siar and Meghan Lindsay, mezzo-soprano Samantha Malk and tenor Brenton Ryan.  Participating collaborative pianists were Ronny Michael Greenberg, Dylan Perez , Saule Tlenchiyeva and Peter Walsh.

It's the little refinements that change a very good performance into a great one.  Even inexperienced members of the audience could not fail to hear the difference made by Mr. Baldwin's tutelage.  What a privilege to learn so much by observation!

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