SYNERGY

Students at Classic Lyric Arts

We have spilled plenty of (electronic) ink touting the glories of the total immersion summer programs of Classic Lyric Arts.  Ten lucky emerging artists get the chance to study in a small town in France for nearly a month under the tutelage of master teacher Michel Sénéchal.  They are immersed in the language and culture and return home transformed by the experience, having reached a new level of proficiency. They are not just singing in French; they are making the French language sing.

Twenty equally fortunate young artists receive similar training in Italy in the Emilia-Romagna region, imbibing pasta and wine along with the grand historical tradition conveyed by master teacher Ubaldo Fabbri.

We have heard and thrilled to the results but never had a clear picture of what this intense training looked and sounded like.  Last night's program at Opera America remedied that lack.  The result of an inspired collaboration between Artistic Director Glenn Morton and film maker August Ventura (two endlessly positive and creative men whom we are privileged to call friends) we were finally able to appreciate not just the outcome but the process of learning.

Mr. Ventura gave an inspired talk about Mr. Morton's vision, comparing it to that of the Roman god Janus in that he is able to relate to opera's glorious past and also to project into the future what is necessary to protect that patrimony.  He showed the three short films he created in which the audience could glimpse snatches of lessons from the great masters and coaches.  Mr. Ventura's point about the importance of preservation of a nation's past from apathy and from the danger of destruction by outside forces was very well taken.

But the proof of the pudding, so to speak, is in the singing and several former and present students delighted the audience by demonstrating the facility they gained during their residencies abroad.

Accompanied by the lyrical arpeggios of alumna Laetitia Ruccolo, soprano Dorothy Gal sang Antonia's aria "Elle a fui, la tourterelle" from Offenbach's Contes d'Hoffman in fine French style with the long lyric lines that we so love.  Yes indeed, she "made the French sing" with some lovely word coloring.

Soprano Nadia Petrella knocked our proverbial socks off with the eerie first act aria "Regnava nel silenzio" from Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.  The feelings seemed to come from deep within and anticipated Lucia's instability of character. She fearlessly  attacked the high notes. This was exactly the way we want this aria to be sung. Michael Stewart was her able accompanist and they worked beautifully together.

Jia-Jun Hong gave a passionate and spot-on performance of the Marcello song "Il mio bel foco", accompanied by Fabio Bezuti. Mr. Hong was seen in the film as one of a group of Chinese singers who attended the Italian program.  How pleased we were to learn that Italian opera is held in high regard in China!  The students were incredibly enthusiastic about the training they received.

The fine tenor Vincent Festa delivered "É serbato a questo acciaro" from Bellini's I Capuleti ei Montecchi.  The performance was filled with "garlic" and we loved the way he handled the upward skips.  The cantabile and the cabaletta were equally impressive, as was Ms. Ruccolo's piano.

From Verdi's Ernani, baritone Baejoon Lee sang "Oh de' verd'anni miei", accompanied by Mr. Bezuti.  It is a fine sturdy sound and we will look forward to hearing more of Mr. Lee after his summer in Italy. A good Verdi baritone is always welcome.

As a special treat, Mr. Morton took to the piano bench to accompany two international stars, romantic tenor Leonardo Caimi and soprano Donata D'Annunzio Lombardi, on the CLA staff in a coaching capacity.

Mr. Caimi employed his marvelous sound with its generous amplitude and passionate spirit for Cardillo's "Core 'ngrato".  His style and fine legato phrasing made us feel as if we were Italian for those few minutes.

Ms. Lombardi achieved the same effect in Tosti's "Amour, amour" but in this case we were seeing France through Italian eyes.  It is easy to see why she is famous as an interpreter of Tosti's songs.  We have also witnessed her coaching at a prior event and her skills are remarkable.

We refer you to www.classiclyricarts.org where you too may see film clips of this outstanding program.

(c) meche kroop

ANNA CHRISTY AND KEN NODA AT THE SCHIMMEL CENTER

Ken Noda and Anna Christy

This fine pair of musicians graced the Schimmel Center at Pace University yesterday afternoon and one could not imagine a finer way to spend a couple hours.  Although the sun made one of its rare appearances, one was still happy to be inside listening to such lovely music.

Soprano Anna Christy is known to us through her appearances onstage at The Metropolitan Opera--notably as Olympia in Offenbach's Les contes d'Hoffman, as Papagena in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte and as Lisette in Puccini's La Rondine. We have also enjoyed her performances at the Santa Fe Opera and with New York Festival of Song. But yesterday was something special, hearing her up close and personal in the beautifully proportioned Schimmel Center.

Her well-focused high-lying soprano has the flexibility demanded by Händel and she opened the program with three arias: "Endless Pleasure" from Semele, "Angels Ever Bright and Fair" from Theodora and "O Had I Jubal's Lyre" from Joshua.  Her one and only encore was from Giulio Cesare and sung in Italian.  Regular readers won't have any trouble divining our favorite.  

Mozart was given his due with two of our favorite songs--the charming "Das Veilchen" and the more intense "Als Luise der Briefe ihres ungetreuen".  In Susanna's aria from Le Nozze di Figaro--(you know, the one where she teases Figaro), "Deh vieni, non tardar" Ms. Christy was able to reveal her mischievous side.

Schubert's songs revealed further riches in her ethereal and expressive voice. We are always charmed by "Die forelle" and "Heidenröslein" which are on the playful side while "Du bist die Ruh" is more tender.  Ms. Christy knows how to float her voice up into the stratosphere without any strain whatsoever and she is in perfect control of her diminuendo.  One holds one's breath!

For the second half of the program, we heard two songs by William Bolcom.  "Amor" is usually sung as an encore and we have heard very little of the soulful "Waitin'" before yesterday.  

On the other hand, we recently heard Aaron Copland's The Tender Land when presented by Chelsea Opera and were pleased to hear "Laurie's Song" once more.

Three lovely Japanese songs were on the program, dedicated to the two mothers of the two artists.  How appropriate for International Women's Day!  The three songs were all about memories and had simple tuneful folk melodies.

The final set on the program comprised four songs by Strauss--"Ständchen", "Morgen" (in which Mr. Noda played the very slow and very moving postlude with such feeling that we were nearly in tears), "Ich sehe wie in einem Spiegel" and "Cäcilie". Strauss may not be the best choice for Ms. Christy's very special voice. With her very youthful and sweet tone, the colors of the lighter repertoire seem more suitable.

Mr. Noda's collaborative piano was unfailingly supportive and the diligent teamwork was apparent. He mustered the requisite delicate touch and never overshadowed Ms. Christy.  We have heard him play with many singers and he is always totally present, a true artist in his own right.

The audience was so thrilled that they applauded each and every song and rose for a standing ovation.  We wager they were as happy to be there as we were.  We are eagerly anticipating Ms. Christy's performance as Marie in Donizetti's Fille du Regiment next summer in Santa Fe.

(c) meche kroop

A SINGER'S SINGER

Anna Caterina Antonacci and Donald Sulzen

The more you know about singing the more you would have been in a position to appreciate last night's recital--part of Lincoln Center's Great Performers Series.  Although even someone who knew nothing about vocal production and performance would have been enthralled, this was an evening for the connoisseur.  Ms. Antonacci is an artist's artist, truly a marvel of musicianship.

The program was entirely in French, a language with which she is not only comfortable but incredibly adept, keeping the words in the forward part of the mouth and enunciating as clearly as one might have hoped.  She sings soprano roles at present but her past experience with mezzo-soprano roles is evidenced by the rich coloring of her tone.

She began the program with Hector Berlioz' La mort d'Ophélie, the sad tale of Ophelia's death from Shakespeare's Hamlet.  The heartfelt emotion of the text by Ernest Legouvé was beautifully conveyed by apt word coloring while the piano of Donald Sulzen created the flowing of the brook.  Indeed Ms. Antonacci is a proponent of Berlioz' music and one could tell how intensely she felt it. The thrill of the entire evening could be heard in the way this amazing artist handled the melismatic exclamation "Ah!"

Our personal favorite of the evening was Claude Debussy's impressionistic Chansons de Bilitis.  Pierre Louÿs' text is very special, creating pictures of Ancient Greece in the mind's eye.  We have heard these songs so many times but Ms. Antonacci made them new again.  "La chevelure" was particularly successful in its sensual imagery and word coloring. Mr. Sulzen conveyed the richly textured harmonies magnificently.

One of Henri Duparc's few jewels, "La vie antérieure" was similarly evocative, while the Francis Poulenc cycle which followed--La fraicheur et le feu with text by Paul Éluard--represented a more modern and surrealistic idiom.  The poetry in French is quite lovely, far lovelier than the English translation.

The first part of the program closed with Maurice Ravel's "Kaddisch" from Deux mélodies hébraïques, sung in Hebrew.

The second half of the program was given over to a riveting performance of the monodrama La voix humaine, Poulenc's 1958 opera based upon Jean Cocteau's 1930 play of the same name.  This one-act one-character piece is a tour de force for the singer who must convey the wide range of emotions felt by the character  "Elle" as she speaks on the phone with her about-to-be-ex-lover.

Although one never knows what the man on the other end of the line is saying, we must draw our conclusions from the reactions of "Elle". At first she puts on a cheerful face but as the act progresses, she unravels in front of our eyes and ears, even confessing to an attempted suicide.  Anyone who has endured a broken romance would appreciate the text, given in short bursts of conversation.

Today we do not have party lines to interrupt our conversations but we do have cell phone batteries running down so we can make the leap to understand the character's frustration.

Ms. Antonacci's acting was memorable and effective, as it had been all evening.  It was truly astonishing. Her partnership with pianist Donald Sulzen was marked by sensitivity from one moment to the next.

There would be no encore.  The audience cheered and cheered to no avail. From the artists' perspective, we are sure that they were totally drained emotionally. From our perspective, the evening was complete and completely satisfying.

(c) meche kroop

CARDONA DOES DON CARLO

Michael Fennelly, Ricardo Tamura, Julia Rolwing, Daniel Cardona, Ann McMahon Quintero, Daniel Lickteig, Matthew Curran and Jeremy Galyon

When Daniel Cardona, Founder and Artistic Director of the Martha Cardona Theater, undertakes to present one of his evenings of opera, you can rest assured that the talent onstage will be unparalleled.  Last night at Christ and St. Stephens Church he presented Verdi's longest opera--but the evening flew by.  Truth to tell, he presented excerpts from the opera in concert version; all the major highlights were there--arresting arias, divine duets, terrific trios, and a quality quartet.

We don't know how Mr. Cardona managed to assemble such a perfect cast but it was a dazzling assemblage of talent.  As the tragic eponymous hero, we heard tenor Ricardo Tamura, often heard at The Metropolitan Opera.  Hint:  he is singing the role at The Met this Spring.  Don't say we didn't alert you.

As the woman he loves, the French Princess Elisabetta, we heard the fine soprano Julia Rolwing.  As his best friend Rodrigo, baritone Daniel Lickteig exhibited a fine tone and a sympathetic character.  The marvelous mezzo Ann McMahon Quintero took on the role of The Princess Eboli and somehow managed to evoke sympathy for this jealous vengeful character.

Even King Fillipo II, a thoroughly detestable character who has his own son murdered, as sung by bass Matthew Curran, had a moment of sympathy when he sang the famous aria "Ella giammai m'amo!"; an old man suffers when he realizes his wife, stolen from his son, never loved him.

The only character for which one can feel no sympathy whatsoever is The Grand Inquisitor.  Bass Jeremy Galyon has a particularly penetrating sound that was just right for the man that has even the King quaking in his boots!

So aptly cast were these singers and so perfectly sung were their roles that we were on the edge of our seat (a pew, actually).  Large voices all--the kind you rarely get to hear nowadays.

In the role of the page Tebaldo, the beautiful young soprano Madison Marie McIntosh revealed a gorgeous light tone that matched well with that of Ms. Quintero in a highly decorated vocal line.  About to graduate from Mannes, Ms. McIntosh has also made good use of her training with the good folks at Classic Lyric Arts.

The opera itself is one of our favorites.  Happily, the choice was to sing it in Italian in the Modena version, rather than the original French version.  Just as happily, the Fontainebleu scene was included; it shows how Don Carlo and Elisabetta fall in love and thereby justifies all the grief and jealousy and conflict which result.

The opera is about an impossible love; what's a man to do when his father decides to marry his intended bride for political reasons?  The opera is about loyalty; Rodrigo sacrifices his life so that Carlo can fulfill his political destiny.  The opera is about betrayal; Princess Eboli rats out her mistress Queen Elisabetta out of jealousy and envy. The opera is about power; King Phillip II (Fillipo II) has enough power to subjugate the poor Flemish, enough to get the girl, and enough to dispatch his son, but not enough to trump The Grand Inquisitor whose threats are anything but empty. It asks the question "How can love survive in an atmosphere of terror and suspicion?"

Some of our favorite scenes include the one in which Princess Eboli realizes that Don Carlo loves Elisabetta and not her.  What wrath was exhibited by Ms. Quintero! Another favorite was Filippo's aforementioned aria in which Mr. Curran succeeded in evoking our sympathy for this pathetic ruler. Ms. Quintero's "O don fatale" brought down the house.  Let us not forget the scene in which Rodrigo comes to Carlo's prison, accompanied by repetitive alternations between half-tones in the piano,  and expresses his loyalty and wish to die for his friend-- "Io morrò".  Mr. Tamura and Mr. Lickteig were incredibly effective in this duet.  Finally, Ms. Rolwing's handling of the wide jumps in "Tu che le vanità" were impressive.

The score was played on the piano by the always amazing Michael Fennelly.  Although this is one of the few remaining productions that The Met has yet to trash and one which we love, we enjoyed the piano reduction and the opportunity to hear some sensational voices.  

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BREITHAUPT BROTHERS AT BIRDLAND

The Palookas: Chris Sullivan, Todd Gearhart, Matthew Saldivar, Drew Humphrey, and Michael Halling. 

It's been a few years since we enjoyed Seeing Stars, a highly entertaining musical comedy which delighted us with it's tuneful score by Don Breithaupt, it's clever lyrics by Jeff Breithaupt, and it's compelling book by Shelley McPherson.  We were thrilled to have the opportunity for a reprise last night at Birdland when a few songs from the show were presented as part of the Broadway at Birdland series.

An excellent cast was on hand to perform the songs with Jeff B. on hand to clue the audience in to the underlying story. It takes place in the 1930's and concerns a love triangle in which two prizefighters are vying for the attention of a woman sports writer.

The tuneful music was played by Don Breithaupt (piano); Pete McCann (guitar); Gregory Ryan (bass); Mark McLean (drums); and Michael Leonhart (trumpet and flugelhorn). The numbers performed by "The Palookas" were wildly entertaining and funny.  There was a cute romantic duet by Todd Gearhart and Nancy Anderson-- "Just Thought You Should Know" and a moving solo by Ms. A.--"In This Corner".  

The show has been worked on since we saw it and oh, how we would love to see it again.  Perhaps some Broadway producer will read this and want to hear more?  It could also work beautifully unamplified in a small theater. It's been a very long time since we heard anything outside the area of opera that so captured our ears!

There were lots more goodies onstage from The Breithaupt Brothers latest CD entitled "PassingThrough". The opening number "Maybe He Loves Me", sung by Heather Bambrick, left quite an impression on us, both because of the catchy tune, truthful lyrics and Ms. Bambrick's spot-on performance.

Shelley McPherson sang--and acted!--"He'll Have Another", the most hilarious enactment of a bibulous bimbo that we have yet to witness.

J'Sun used his expressive tenor in "Where Are They Now". Laila Biali accompanied herself on the piano in "Wonder Boy". Catherine Russell was moving in the bluesy "Between Me and My Heart".  The talented Marissa Mulder sang the touching "Missing Me" accompanied by a droning bass line in the piano and bass, a most interesting arrangement.

Peter Eldridge sang "Any Day Now" and a there were yet further contributions from Carolyn and Jamie Leonhart and yes, they are all related.  In a final family affair, our song-writing brothers performed "Bad Influence", a comic number filled with delightful ironies.

So, if you care to extend your ears beyond opera, we heartily recommend the CD..."Just Passing Through". Trust us!  Good cabaret is a far better thing than bad opera.  It just goes to show that there are only two kinds of music:  good music and bad music.  We do so wish that contemporary opera composers could write good melodies and meaningful lyrics.  Why not?  Let us know if you agree.

(c) meche kroop

NYOE GETS LUCIA RIGHT

Adam Fieldson, John Viscardi, Sarah Beckham-Turner, Alden Gatt, Joseph Michael Brent and Antoine Hodge

Lucia di Lammermoor is a sensational opera.  Onto Salvadore Cammarano's libretto, Gaetano Donizetti lavished endlessly glorious melodies.  It is so precious to us that we doubly value a company that does it justice and would malign one that trivializes it in any way.  We are delighted to report that New York Opera Exchange has gotten it right and if you are fortunate enough to snag one of the few remaining tickets for today's matinee, you will probably send us flowers or chocolate in gratitude for the tip.

The success of the opera rests heavily on the shoulders of the eponymous tragic heroine whose mad scene is one of the finest in all operadom.  Last night, soprano Sarah Beckham-Turner tore into the demanding coloratura of the scena with wild abandon.  She was completely convincing as a fragile creature completely unhinged by the machinations and manipulations of her politically desperate brother.  Her gown spattered with blood and her hair undone, she immersed herself totally in the role. Every gesture and flight of fioritura was spot on. Who could ask for anything more! This young woman will surely go places in the opera world.

As said conniving brother, baritone John Viscardi was superb. His recent switch of fach from tenor to lyric baritone was a wise one.  His voice sat comfortably in this range, enabling him to focus on a well-rounded interpretation of the role of Enrico, far better than the nasty sneering interpretation we are accustomed to hearing.  He seemed like a fairly decent fellow who was pushed by circumstances into doing bad things.  His remorse in witnessing his sister's downfall seemed authentic and allowed the audience to have some pity for his position.

As Lucia's ill-fated lover Edgardo, tenor Joseph Michael Brent sang well and exhibited all the requisite emotions except for one; we wanted to see some tenderness toward Lucia in their initial scene together to explain why she would have defied her family to pledge her love to him.  He did much better in the scene in which he returns from France to find Lucia married to Arturo and bristled with anger. 

Bass-baritone Antoine Hodge was the voice of normality in this power-crazed family, giving substance to the role of Raimondo, the family's spiritual counselor.  Captain of the Guard Normanno was the character who set the tragedy in motion by spying on Lucia's encounters with Edgardo and then egging on the brother Enrico.  Tenor Adam Fieldson overcame the natural sweetness of his instrument and lent sneering arrogance to the part.

The role of Arturo was finely sung by tenor Vincent Festa and mezzo-soprano Chelsea Laggan did well as Alisa, Lucia's companion who warns her to stay away from Edgardo of Ravenswood, enemy of her clan, the Lammermoors.

Conductor Alden Gatt deftly led the full orchestra through their paces. There was some fine work during the mad scene by flutist Felipe Tristan, and the wind chorales which opened several scenes were powerful.  A keyboard sufficed for the harp.There were a few times when the size of the orchestra overpowered the singers, likely due to their placement on the same level as the audience.

The effective direction was by Christopher Diercksen; the pace was kept up and the story moved along briskly.  There was no set to speak of but it wasn't missed.  Taylor Mills' costuming was minimal.  Street clothes seemed to be the order of the day with motley plaid sashes on some of the cast members. We would have liked to see all the men wearing the same plaid to indicate membership in the same clan, with Edgardo wearing a different plaid.  This would have emphasized the substance of the tragedy--the destructiveness of rivalry with and hatred of "the other", a feature that still exists in many parts of the world.

We wish to counteract the claim that "opera is dying" with the observation that opera is alive and well in the hands of small companies like New York Opera Exchange which rely on talent rather than "big names".  We similarly wish to counteract the claim that "opera is for old folks" with the observation that the packed house at The Church of the Covenant on 42nd St. comprised mostly 20-somethings.

We are already anticipating NY Opera Exchange's production of Carmen in May.

(c) meche kroop

GEORGE LONDON'S LEGACY

Nora London and the 2015 George London Foundation Awards Competition Finalists

Attending competitions can be exhilarating, stimulating, and sometimes disappointing. With so much talent onstage it is easy to get very invested in your favorite performances and to count on a particular artist getting an award.  Second guessing the judges just doesn't work.  It is easy to feel upset when an artist you just love gets overlooked.

On the positive side, it is thrilling to hear so much talent within the space of a couple hours.  This year's finalists in the George London Foundation for Singers Competition, held at The Morgan Library, were of such high quality that a director would have no trouble casting an opera with these young artists in major roles.

If you need to know who won the major prizes, we refer you to the Foundation's website.  We prefer to share with you our own perceptions.  Some of the singers we enjoyed did win major prizes, some won Encouragement Grants, others did not and, in our opinion, deserved to win.  Actually, all of them were winners!

A gifted singer can get the listener to appreciate an aria that he/she might not ordinarily enjoy, or a language one does not particularly favor. For example, baritone Reginald Smith, Jr. and bass Adam Lau employed such fine English diction that we understood every word and considered their performances two of our favorites.

Mr. Smith has a compelling stage presence, a rich tone, and a unique way of melding musicality with dramatic intensity such that  "Oh Lawd Jesus, heah my prayer" from L. Gruenberg's The Emperor Jones had us leaning forward in our seat.  When that opera gets produced in New York and Mr. Smith stars in it, we will be there!

Mr. Lau gave a similarly superb performance of "Claggart's Aria" from Britten's Billy Budd, giving the role all the bitterness and envy that was called for without ever compromising the requisite musicianship.

Two terrific tenors injected some longed-for garlic into the proceedings which were strangely short of Italian. The two distinguished themselves from the other tenors by never forcing the voice when a high note was called for.  Michael Brandenburg sang Macduff's grief stricken aria "Ah, la paterna mano" from Verdi's Macbeth, skillfully using dynamics for emotional effect.  Benjamin Bliss' performance of "Un aura amorosa" from Mozart's Cosi fan Tutte was marked by enviable legato phrasing and an admirable messa di voce.

Having just heard Tchaikovsky's Iolanta at the Met, we were delighted to hear "Robert's Aria" once again, sung by the full-throated baritone Sean Michael Plumb who seemed preternaturally comfortable in Russian.  Lovely soprano Mary-Hollis Hundley performed "Iolanta's Arioso", investing Tchaikovsky's lavish melodies with depth of feeling.

German was represented by Julie Adams who employed her ample and expressive soprano in "Einsam in trüben Tagen" from Wagner's Lohengrin.  Amy Owens used her bright soprano effectively in "Durch Zärtlichkeit" from Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail.  Johann Strauss' "Frühlingsstimmen Walzer" was performed by soprano Susanna Biller with great style and an ear tickling trill which roused the audience to huge applause.

Much of the remainder of the program was in French.  Massenet appeared several times and we felt well acquainted with Manon.  Soprano Lara Secord-Haid enjoyed the wild flights of coloratura in "Je suis encore toute étourdie" when the eponymous heroine was still innocent.  Andrea Carroll's well modulated performance of the "Gavotte" profited (pun intended) from her winning personality and fine fioritura.

More Massenet was on hand as soprano Nicole Haslett sang "Ah! douce enfant" from Cendrillon; her ringing tone was perfect for the role of the fairy.  Just another splendid performance! And yet more Massenet appeared as soprano Lauren Michelle sang "Il est doux, il est bon" from Hérodiade in fine French with elegance of line.

Soprano Courtney Johnson gave a most convincing performance of the "Jewel Song" from Gounod's Faust.  Ms. Johnson is only 23 years old but is gifted beyond her years, judging by her technique and commitment to the material.  We have been watching her growth as an artist for a couple years now with great expectations.

Mezzo-soprano J'nai Bridges is another artist we have been watching and her performance of "O ma lyre immortelle" from Gounod's Sapho demonstrated a fine liquid vibrato, and equal connection with the material and with the audience. We want to hear the entire opera based on this gorgeous aria.

Meyerbeer's florid vocal line in "Nobles seigneurs, salut" from Les Huguenots was no challenge to mezzo-soprano Julia Dawson who filled the role with ample personality. From Berlioz' Les Troyens, mezzo-soprano Sarah Mesko sang Dido's aria "Adieu Fière Cité" with a lovely legato line.

Notably, each singer introduced him/herself and the aria he/she would sing. There were several other performances that we enjoyed but we have already run on and on. As accompanist Linda Hall was peerless and switched styles effortlessly.  

Nora London has been tireless in sustaining the legacy of her late husband George London.  He would have been so happy to see all the generous prizes being awarded to these deserving young artists!

© meche kroop