HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARILYN

Brian Zeger and Susan Graham

As far as song recitals go, Susan Graham has everything one would wish for in a performer--stage presence, communicative skills, understanding of the text, linguistic perfection, a gorgeous instrument, a sensitive partnership with her collaborative pianist (the eminent Brian Zeger) and that something extra that makes people adore her.

Her performance at the conclusion of the Marilyn Horne Song Celebration at Zankel Hall seemed to be a lesson for prospective lieder singers and a superlative way to honor Ms. Horne, whose contributions to the world of song is legendary.  Significantly she has mastered the rare art of making French comprehensible.  We wish we could say the same for the other singers on the program.

Alfred Bachelet's "Chère nuit" was given a rapturous and romantic reading, as was "Quand je fus pris au pavillon" by Bachelet's contemporary Reynaldo Hahn.  Poulenc came along at a later period and his waltz "Les chemins de l'amour" filled us with nostalgia for our own sacred memories.  As encore, Ms. Graham and Mr. Zeger offered another Poulenc song of a more surrealistic nature--the well known languorous "Violon".

Of the rest of the program, we feel obligated to point out that it was not as celebratory as we had hoped.  Glamorous mezzo-soprano Cecelia Hall made some fine music in Arnold Schoenberg's Vier Lieder, Op.2 with its many references to natural elements and colors--poet Richard Dehmel must have been very fond of gold and green, red and blue.  Ms. Hall has a fine stage presence and a fine instrument that sounds rather soprano-y for the most part.  

Her German was excellent but her French diction in Ravel's Cinq mélodies populaires grecques fell short.  A native born French speaker of my acquaintance shared the same opinion.  The words to these charming folk songs deserve to be understood! The melodies nonetheless came through with charm to spare.  Renate Rohlfing's accompaniment was marked by a delightfully soft touch.

A last minute replacement for a singer who was generously "lent out" to the Philharmonic, bass DeAndre Simmons has a marvelously resonant sound.  He and his piano partner, the superb Brent Funderburk, were asked to step in with a program they had already prepared for another engagement.  In the entire Brahms canon, we cannot think of a group of songs we like less than "Vier ernste Gesänge".  To our ears they are painfully preachy and the bible is not what we want to hear quoted in an evening of celebration. Perhaps we are alone in this opinion but that is how we felt.

That being said, Mr. Simmons sang them well with an expressive rich tone and fine German diction.  Mr. Funderburk's piano handled the many scale passages with elegance.  It is obvious that he studied with Mr. Zeger!

Edward Parks has a marvelous baritone that we have enjoyed to the point of fanaticism on prior occasions.  Last night his delivery of selections from Schubert's Schwanengesang did not live up to his earlier performances. Schubert knew he was dying at the time of their composition and the settings of Heine's poetry are tinged with underlying sadness, even when they appear cheerful at first hearing.

We always love the lilting "Das Fischermädchen" and the eerie arpeggios of "Die Stadt"; the music made by pianist Keun-A Lee was extraordinary.  We just wanted a little more color and variety from Mr. Parks, the color and variety he lent to Schubert the last time we heard him.

We got plenty of color and variety from soprano Alison King, accompanied by Peter Walsh, in a selection of songs by Pauline Viardot. This musical polymath should be included in more vocal recitals!  As a singer, she wrote exceptionally well for the voice.  Her Havanaise had some marvelous melodies and exciting rhythm.  

Ms. King sounded a lot better in German than she did in French, mainly because of the diction.  We understood every word of the delightful "Nixe Binsefuss" and she injected an interesting bit of irony in Ms. Viardot's setting of "Das ist ein Schlechtes Wetter" in which Mr. Walsh conveyed the state of the weather in stormy fashion. We prefer the Viardot setting of the Heine text to that of Richard Strauss.

And so the week of celebration came to a successful conclusion with Ms. Graham's stunning appearance.  Lieder lovers come from all over the world for this glorious week of song.  We hope some new converts were made.

© meche kroop

S&M OPERA???

Brett Umlauf and Amber Youell

If we were asked to consider sadomasochism in connection with the opera, our first thought would be sitting through Moses und Aron (with apologies to you Schoenberg fans).  But now there is a new point of reference.  The highly original Morningside Opera Company presented an evening of Pergolesi in which there was a serious consideration of the validity of taking pleasure in another's pain.  Serious, but filled with humor, just like Pergolesi's music.

The poor fellow died of tuberculosis at the age of 26 but managed to produce a considerable amount of delightful music, bridging the Baroque and the Classical. Shortly before his death in a monastery, he composed the gorgeous Stabat Mater about the indescribable pain of Mary watching her son's agony on the cross.  The music is nearly frivolous--melodic and lighthearted while the words are excruciatingly painful.  Dare we enjoy it?

The evening took place in a so-called black box theater which was....WHITE!  Just another disjunction. The performing area was situated between the two sections of seats occupying the long walls of the space, giving everyone a good view.  The two superb performers were just as adept in acting as they were in singing.  Soprano Brett Umlauf and alto Amber Youell entered in their undies with their hair compressed by stocking caps.  For awhile they faced each other and mirrored each other's actions.

As the piece progressed, they donned and doffed various articles of clothing--purple tights, black pumps, a black leather corset, opulent 18th c. gowns and white wigs topped by little bird cages.  They enacted various scenarios of power--dominance and submission.  Periodic hand-washing movements reminded one of Lady Macbeth and the interactions suggested Jean Genet's The Maids.  Other images suggested Michelangelo's Pietà.  Choreography was by Laura Careless .

Both women have highly expressive voices and the harmonies were incredibly pleasing to the ear. Musical accompaniment was provided by the superb all-female Siren Baroque, comprising violinists Claire Bermingham and Antonia Light Nelson, cellist Anneke Schaul-Yoder, with harpsichordist Kelly Savage providing the continuo and serving as Musical Director.

The second piece on the program was a short opera buffa composed by Pergolesi a few years earlier--La Serva Padrona.  Initially intended as an intermezzo for an opera seria, it was so beloved that its fame far outlived the opera seria.  It's a simple story of a female servant who blackmails her elderly master into marrying her.

But, in the hands of Morningside Opera it became something completely different. The servant Serpina, addressed as "Mistress", is now a professional dominatrix and Uberto is her client.  He is quite fond of her and can't quite detach himself. She is costumed in a black corset and boots and comes equipped with whip and ball gag.

Although we generally want our opera sung in the original language, there was a very important reason to sing this one in English.  It was astonishing to see how the very 18th c. language which suited the power dynamics of a master and his servant worked so well to limn the power dynamics of a dom and her client.  It is generally understood that the member of an S&M duo that holds the power is the masochist.

Baritone Michael Shaw made an excellent Uberto who rails against his servant but has strong needs for what she has to offer.  As the servant/dom Serpina, soprano Brittany Palmer was effectively winsome. Several modern references were interpolated, such as eHarmony and Face Time.  The music handily depicts the beating of hearts when such is called for.

Stage direction and costume design for both pieces was by Annie Holt (Executive Artistic Director of Morningside Opera) and the Production Design was by Dante Olivia Smith.

Morningside Opera has been delighting audiences since 2008 and we were thrilled to have discovered such a creative group of performers and designers; we hope to review more of their work in the future.

© meche kroop

A LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT

Kenneth Merrill and Diana Yodzis

To some folk, two recitals in one day would be excessive but we confess to gluttony where music is concerned.  Our first event, as part of "The Song Continues" at the Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall, was a most enjoyable recital by a lovely young soprano named Diana Yodzis.  She employed her pleasing bright soprano to serenade the audience in a varied program.  As she gradually moved away from the piano, she let go and revealed her engaging personality.

She began with Rossini's La regata veneziana which we always love to hear.  It gives the singer an opportunity to express, in turn, anticipation, anxiety, excitement and relief.  This was readily accomplished by Ms. Yodzis; we felt as if we were living through the gondola race ourself.

Hugo Wolf is a more challenging composer with less obvious vocal lines.  His Mignon songs are not nearly as melodic as those set by Schubert but always worth hearing. Word coloring was well employed and the sad story was given ample expressiveness. Our sole (and rather minor) criticism is the singer's insecurity (typical of many American singers) with the final "ich" which is often left unvoiced or pronounced as "ick".  This is a minor flaw and easy to correct.  Otherwise, her German was excellent, particularly with the umlaut.

A trio of songs by Duparc were song beautifully with nicely phrased long even lines. We particularly enjoyed "Phidylé". French diction was fine.

A recital given under the auspices of Ms. Horne would not be complete without a set of American  songs.  The selections from Aaron Copland's Old American Songs were well chosen and we especially enjoyed Ms. Yodzis' rendition of "I Bought Me a Cat".

Kenneth Merrill was a fine supportive piano partner who subtly pulled back the volume whenever the vocal line entered.  Great work!

As encore, the artist dedicated "La Vie en Rose" to her fiancé who is serving in the military.  We couldn't help thinking that this fortunate young man will find himself with a beautiful and talented wife--a fine reward for serving our country!

Bryn Holdsworth, Adanya Dunn, Raphaella Medina, Juliana Han, Kirill Kuzmin, Miles Mykkanen, Robert Bosworth and Marilyn Horne

Still on a high from the lovely recital, we attended Marilyn Horne's Master Class in which four fine young singers had the rare opportunity to be coached by one of the 20th century's iconic singers.

When the singer sings the song initially, one wonders how it could possibly be improved.  And then Ms. Horne supplies the answer.  Her four young singers worked hard to implement her suggestions and reached a new level of accomplishment.

We are very familiar with tenor Miles Mykkanen's fine technique and outsize personality, but last night we heard a different side of him as he essayed Hugo Wolf's "Benedeit die sel'ge Mutter".  Ms. Horne had him work on being more reflective and tinkered with his dynamics to fine effect.  Robert Bosworth served as piano partner.

Mezzo-soprano Raphaella Medina worked on a gorgeous Spanish song by Fermin Maria Alvarez with whom we were unfamiliar.  "La Partida" has ample melismatic passages and stirring Spanish rhythms, the strictness of which Ms. Horne wanted observed. Incisive diction was another feature she emphasized.  Further, she encouraged Ms. Medina to use her arms.  The end result was a stirring performance, to which pianist Juliana Han added a great deal.

Soprano Adanya Dunn took the stage with a wonderful relaxed stage presence and delighted the audience with her engaging personality.  Ms. Horne guided her through Britten's "The Salley Gardens", slowing the tempo and encouraging some sentimentality to good effect.  We truly enjoyed her storytelling in Liszt's "Die Loreley".  Shifts in dynamics and tempi made the performance even better.  Kirill Kuzmin was her fine accompanist.

Soprano Bryn Holdsworth, accompanied by Robert Bosworth, performed Strauss' wonderful "Allerseelen".  Ms. Horne suggested that young people may not have experienced significant losses sufficient to convey the depth of feeling in the song (we beg to differ--loss is not confined to the elderly, nor to the middle-aged) and that a young singer would have to "act".  Ms. Holdsworth did just fine in this regard and brought tears to our eyes.  Ms. Horne worked with her on grounding and on steadying herself through the diaphragm.  There were places that she encouraged Ms. H. to be more reflective and more pianissimo.  This definitely added to the success of the performance.

It was truly a magnificent day--a "double header" of a day.

© meche kroop

GREAT AMERICAN SONGWRITING TEAMS

Kelsey Lauritano, Theo Hoffman, Tiffany Townsend, James Edgar Knight, Alexander McKissick, Aaron Mor and Hannah McDermott

Steven Blier, Founder and Artistic Director of New York Festival of Song, is a major presence at Juilliard and a favorite among the students of the Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts.  At last night's performance, it was easy to see why.  Mr. Blier prepares the program with the students, accompanies with great panache and serves as charming host and raconteur, introducing the songs with interesting tidbits.  This is the 10th edition of NYFOS@Juilliard and it was a celebration of collaboration.

In the case of presenting some of America's great songwriting teams, he gave the seven students he worked with a great amount of latitude in choosing two solos each wished to perform.  The rest of the evening comprised duets and ensembles.  The entertainment value was top-notch.  Much credit goes to Mary Birnbaum for the stage direction and Adam Cates for the choreography.

Mr. Blier made two points with which we are in total agreement.  He described the mutual support of Juilliard students for one another and the lack of envy.  We have witnessed the same phenomenon with pleasure and have often spoken with "outsiders" about it.

The other point he made is that working on "popular" songs is an experience that carries over into the young singers' performance of opera.  Yes indeed.  They get to "let loose" and exercise their dramatic skills in a supersized delivery.  Of course, it is also true that their operatic experience affects their performance in American musical theater.  They perform using all their operatic training to project without the use of amplification. That in itself is a treat for us in the audience who can't stand amplification and love the sound of a human voice.

Verbal clarity was quite good for the most part with some singers getting every single word across.  Tenor James Edgar Knight made a huge impression with "Captain Hook's Waltz" from Comden and Green's 1954 Peter Pan.  The music is tuneful, the lyrics are funny and Mr. Knight used his background in musical comedy to create a wonderful character.  He created a totally different character in "Real Live Girl" from Coleman and Leigh's 1962 Little Me.  Kelsey Lauritano's silent reaction to his country bumpkin character was a masterpiece of acting.

Ms. Lauritano gave a soulful reading to "It Never Entered My Mind" from Rodgers and Hart's 1940 Higher and Higher.  We liked the touch of irony and bitterness. She showed her funny side in "My Father the Gangster" from Bolcom and Weinstein's 1990 Casino Paradise which was not just funny but a moving lament.

Another song from that show, "The Establishment Route" permitted Andrew McKissick to draw some laughs as he donned a wiseguy persona.  He showed his versatility by performing "You and the Night and the Music" from Dietz and Schwartz' 1934 Revenge With Music.  He hammed it up to great effect when he switched to Spanish.

Theo Hoffman excelled in the same team's "Blue" from their 1996 Cabaret Songs and balanced that serious song with the light-hearted (and unpublished) "Luckiest Man in the World" from George and Ira Gershwin's 1933 Pardon My English. Ms. Lauritano was his gum-chewing bimbo, another acting triumph. Mr. Hoffman also excels in verbal clarity and threw himself totally into his supporting roles in the ensembles.

Tiffany Townsend delighted the audience with some bluesy renditions of "Blue Grass" from Dietz and Schwartz' 1945 Inside U.S.A. and was even better in "I Ain't Here" by Leiber and Stoller.

Hannah McDermott performed the romantic "I Was Doing All Right" from the Gershwin brothers' 1937 The Goldwyn Follies and got to show off her funny side in "Arthur in the Afternoon" from Kander and Ebb's " 1977 The Act.  She was a very funny foil to Aaron Mor's delivery of "We Can Talk to Each Other" from Maltby and Shire's 1976 Starting Here, Starting Now.  

Mr. Mor waxed rhapsodic about the couple's communication without allowing Ms. McDermott to get a word in.  There was a surprise ending. Mr. Mor was hilarious telling the 1922 tale of  "The Sheik of Avenue B" by Kalmar and Ruby, which he delivered with a funny Yiddish accent.

Aside from the sensational solos, we enjoyed the staging of "No Other Love" from Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1953 Me and Juliet in which Mr. Knight was auditioning Ms. Townsend in a charming duet. 

Several ensembles rounded out the evening with our hands down favorite being Lerner and Loewe's "Ascot Gavotte" from the 1959 My Fair Lady, in which the singers had a grand time portraying the pretentious British upper classes--sneers and plummy accents included.  The men were very funny in "Little Tin Box" from Bock and Harnick's 1959 Fiorello.  The women were no less funny in "I Want It All" from Maltby and Shire's 1983 Baby.

The cast was wise to choose songs that are less often heard.  The audience was roused to torrents of applause in appreciation for a very entertaining evening.

(c) meche kroop

THE SONG CONTINUES

Marilyn Horne and John Brancy

Ken Noda

It's been a long time since a man made us weep.  The intensity of last night's recital left us close to blubbering.  Baritone John Brancy's artistry is such that his exquisite technique has become invisible which leaves him free to connect with the audience and to bring his mature comprehension of the text directly to the heart of the listener.

This is not a showy performer; he uses an economy of gesture and a depth of feeling to bring us to the point of view of the poet.  The instrument is an excellent one with a pleasingly mature resonance, but it is the story-telling aspect of the performance that one remembers best.  And it's all done without any artifice whatsoever.

The recital was the initial event in what was formerly called "Marilyn Horne's Birthday Week", now under the auspices of Carnegie Hall.  The intimate Weill Recital Hall was the perfect venue for a recital of this type and Mr. Brancy scaled his voice to the size of the hall.

The theme of the recital was music from around the period of The Great War; therefore most of the songs were a century old.  At this time, the Free World is at war with Muslim Fundamentalists.  It is indeed a very different type of war but the consequences are similar.  There are premature deaths, separations from loved ones, privations and anxiety about the future.  We can identify.

Mr. Brancy's astonishingly fine diction in English, French and German, accompanied by innate musical phrasing, made the words completely comprehensible, along with the message of the text.  At times it seemed as if he were "tasting" the words he sang although "savoring" might be a better word.

Mr. Noda's sensitive and supportive accompanying made the piano part an essential part of the communication.  There were instances when the poet was being, well, poetic but the piano revealed the anger and pain underneath.

We particularly enjoyed the six songs from George Butterworth's A Shropshire Lad with texts by A.E. Housman. The songs are about youth, nostalgia, aging, separation and death.  Their power lay in their universality of message and the richness of the melodies. It was particularly painful to read that the composer died in the war shortly after composing the songs.

The quartet of song by Carl Orff were powerful and evinced a substantial heap of anger with their dissonant chords.  A trio of French songs captivated us.  Ravel's "Trois beaux oiseaux du Paradis" utilized the colors of the French flag to symbolize messages from an absent lover.  Debussy's lament for the children suffering from the consequences of war "Noël des enfants qui n'ont plus de maisons" was so effectively performed that we were way beyond dabbing our eyes with a tissue.  We were close to sobbing.

There were also two songs by Charles Ives--the angry and dissonant "In Flanders Field" and the gently nostalgic "Tom Sails Away".  "Popular" songs of the era (and how are they any different from "art songs" we may ask) included Ivor Novello's rousing encouragement to "Keep the Home Fires Burning" with Mr. Noda's piano contradicting the optimism.  The prayerful "God Be With Our Boys Tonight" involved some lovely tender arpeggios in the piano.  "Danny Boy" was a fitting and soulful final song, sounding quite different from when sung by an Irish tenor.

We have reviewed Mr. Brancy often, since he was an undergraduate at Juilliard. The seeds of his artistry were there from the start and we have revelled in witnessing the flowering of his talent.  It is no wonder that he is achieving recognition worldwide and garnering prizes from prestigious institutions.  His selection as the winner of the Marilyn Horne song Competition in 2013 was well deserved.  It was a major delight to experience him in a new light.  Truth to tell, some of those tears were tears of joy.

ⓒ meche kroop

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NORA LONDON

Craig Rutenberg, Danielle Orlando, Nicholas Pallesen, and Angela Meade

Some songs were old and some were new; perhaps some were borrowed and many were blue.  It was a most unusual program at the Morgan Library as Nora London's birthday was celebrated yesterday.   As you have read here, the George London Foundation for Singers is renowned for supporting young singers.  Winners of the annual competition are invited back to perform in a series of superb recitals.

Both baritone Nicholas Pallesen and soprano Angela Meade have been setting the opera world on fire and garnering lavish praise and precious prizes for their dazzling vocal artistry.  Yesterday we got to see and hear them "up close and personal".

Mr. Rutenberg, a peerless piano partner, opened the program with some introductory remarks about Francis Poulenc's 1942 song cycle Chanson villageoises, written under the German occupation of France.  France under siege is a topic that cannot help but resonate with us today.  Poulenc's songs are spiky, filled with irony and somehow reminiscent of the cabaret.  We have never heard this cycle before but hope to become more familiar with its treasures.

Mr. Pallesen is a singer of great artistry, demonstrating a consummate ability to communicate the intentions of the composer.  He is equally comfortable with the charming, the frisky and the angry.  His technique is so refined that one doesn't notice it.  We found ourself overwhelmed by the drama, particularly in the bitter "Le mendiant" and the sad "Le retour du sergent".  Poverty and war are never pretty but Mr. Pallesen made them moving and upsetting.

Continuing in the French language, Ms. Meade offered a quartet of songs by Giacomo Meyerbeer that we had likewise never heard before.  Her piano partner Danielle Orlando leapt right into "Le voeu pendant l'orage" with some rumbling in the piano which shifted to some rather tinkly figures.  She is fearless in her accompanying and a perfect partner for Ms. Meade who grabs a song by the throat and doesn't let go. Her operatic expressiveness served her well in these songs of melodic richness and rhythmic intensity.  These songs also merit a second hearing.  Truth to tell, we would happily have had an instant replay of the entire recital!

This ground-breaking portion of the program was not over yet.  Mr. Pallesen and Mr. Rutenberg returned for "Ha! noch einen ganzen Tag!....Ha! welche Lust aus schönen Augen" from Der Vampyr by  Heinrich Marschner, a contemporary of Meyerbeer. This is a role Mr. Pallesen has been performing and he filled the aria with great excitement and power without neglecting German diction.  Every word was clear as crystal; consonants were crisp without cheating the vowels.  We never noticed the absence of titles.

The second half of the program took us to more familiar territory.  Ms. Meade initiated with "Crudele!...Non mi dir", Donna Anna's aria from Mozart's Don Giovanni. This was the perfect vehicle for Ms. Meade to show the ample size of her beautiful instrument, her elegant phrasing, and ease with embellishments.

Five songs by Charles Ives were then sung by Mr. Pallesen; our favorite was "Charlie Rutledge" which he sang with a Texas accent with some contributions from Mr. Rutenberg.  What fun!

The four Strauss songs chosen by Ms. Meade for the next set are very familiar to us but that never detracts from the pleasure we get from the passionate importuning "Stänchen", the joyful "Zueignung", the soulful "Allerseelen" and the enthusiastic "Cäcilie".  Indeed, Ms. Meade brought her unique communicative skills to the performance and made the songs new again.  Her voice seems made for Strauss!

To close the program, both singers joined to perform one of Verdi's father-daughter duets--"Figlia t'avanza...Tu pur lo sai" from I Due Foscari.  In this duet, a woman begs the Doge of Venice, her father-in-law, to intervene on behalf of his son.  It is beyond our understanding how he could resist!  It was such a captivating performance that we now yearn to hear the entire opera, if and when we get the opportunity.

So...happy birthday Nora London and many thanks for the fine way in which you honor your husband's memory.

© meche kroop

THE BRONX IS UP

Steven Fredericks, Gilad Paz, Caroline Tye, Terina Westmeyer, Halley Gilbert, Heather Roberts, Christopher Grundy, and Erik Bagger

Albert Herring proved that Benjamin Britten could create comedies that were just as successful as his dramatic masterworks such as Peter Grimes and Billy Budd. A turn-of-the-last-century English village is shocked to discover that chaste young women are in perilously short supply, so bashful Albert is crowned "King of the May Festival," only to launch a night of revelry that leaves his elders aghast and his chums impressed.

The libretto, adapted by Eric Crozier from a short story by Guy de Maupassant, offers splendid opportunities for storytelling involving a motley collection of colorful characters inhabiting a small English village at the turn of the 20th century.

Britten's music, written in 1947 for a chamber orchestra (The English Opera Group), provides excellent opportunities for musicians to show their stuff, limning the stunning orchestration and sneaking in several musical references such as a motif from Wagner's Tristan und Isolde when Albert drinks the spiked lemonade.

The opera was an excellent choice for the Bronx Opera.  They have been producing opera for nearly a half-century but this is the first time we have reviewed their work.  The weather was bitterly cold and perhaps the best compliment we can pay them is that the evening was well worth the two-hour round trip.

The venue, the Lovinger Theater at Lehman College, is absolutely perfect with fine sight lines and acoustics, and an orchestral pit that descends below stage level. Musical values were splendid all around.  The dozen musicians were individually and collectively superb and finely balanced under the expert baton of Michael C. Haigler.  There was one long duet for alto flute (Lisa Arkis) and bass clarinet (Monte Morgenstern) which took our breath away.  The singers were also well-balanced, particularly in the sextet of Act I, Scene 1.

The singers were exceedingly well cast.  Each singer created a character with a distinctive personality--the aristocratic and domineering Lady Billows (Terina Westmeyer) commanded the stage with a room-filling Wagnerian soprano and a walking stick, justified by a limp; her much put-upon housekeeper Florence Pike (Caroline Tye) kept things in order with a low and resonant timbre; the straw-hatted schoolteacher Miss Wordsworth (Halley Gilbert) who used her fine soprano in a very funny scene leading her three students in a musical encomium to Albert; the controlling Mrs. Herring (Heather Roberts) who kept poor Albert tied to her apron strings with a fine mezzo; and the flirtatious Nancy (Yselle Blum) whose equally fine mezzo managed to captivate her boyfriend Sid, Albert, and the audience.

Among the men, we enjoyed tenor Erik Bagger's portrayal of the eponymous hero--at first under his mother's thumb, shy and stooped over, later intoxicated and silly, and finally joyful and liberated.  Steven Fredericks employed his rich bass to portray Superintendent Budd of the police force; Tenor Gilad Paz made an excellent conciliatory Mayor Upfold; baritone Christopher Grundy was perfect as Vicar Gedge and had admirable diction. Baritone Steven Eddy portrayed Sid, the butcher's assistant who plotted with Nancy to lead poor Albert down the primrose path.

The singing and acting could not have been better but the diction could have been improved.  The men fared better on this account than the women, with Ms. Blum being an exception.  This is a common problem when operas are sung in English.  The Bronx Opera chooses to perform all of its operas in English and one would think that the goal were to make the story clear to the audience.  In fact, the synopsis in the program made the story clear but a significant part of the dialogue got swallowed.  Fortunately, the acting was so effective that the humor succeeded.  Titles would have been welcomed.

Production values were way beyond what one would expect from a small company. Professionalism of the highest degree was noted in the fluid direction by Rod Gomez, the perfect costuming by Peter Fogel and the effective sets by Meganne George. Simple elements combined to create Lady Billows' black and white parlor with its Victorian silhouettes and Mrs. Herring's grocery with its colorful baskets of fruits, vegetables and flowers.  Lighting by Joshua Rose contributed a great deal, especially during scene-changes which recreated the images of the Victorian silhouettes.

We haven't seen Albert Herring since the Santa Fe Opera performed it 4 1/2 years ago with an all-star cast.  The production we saw last night was in no way less impressive.  If you live in the Bronx you may wish to catch today's matinee.  Otherwise there will be two more performances next weekend at Hunter College.

(c) meche kroop