WE GOT WHAT WE VOTED FOR!

Melanie Ashkar, Jeremy Moore, Milica Nikcevic, Noelle Currie, Eric Alexieff, and Megan Nielson

We are happy knowing that we were among those fans of Utopia Opera who voted for Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin. For those of you readers who don't know, Utopia Opera is unique in producing their season by audience vote. This is Utopia Opera's sixth season and it has been a glorious one with the final entry giving us a unique up front and personal view of a long-cherished opera which premiered in Moscow in 1879.

We love this opera because it gives us a glimpse of a highly structured society, one from long ago (1820) and far away (Russia). Nonetheless, we are seeing human nature as it is and always has been--just constrained by the mores of that time and place. We all can recall the naivete with which we approached our first love. We all know people whose pride gets in the way of self-fulfillment. We all have broken off friendships for trivial reasons.  We have all known the pain of jealousy when our beloved has put someone else ahead of us.

But this is not a "whatever" society; this is a society in which "honor" is taken seriously and revenge is serious and often fatal.. "Feeling pissy" and "walking away" are modern inventions. Tatiana falls hard for her sister's fiance's friend. Onegin is a city slicker and she is a country mouse. She overcomes her shame and shyness and bares her soul in a letter to him. He gives her a "Dutch uncle" speech in response.  Not brutal but honest.

At her name-day party, the eponymous Onegin flirts with sister Olga.  Her fiance Lensky takes offense and challenges Onegin to a duel.  Lensky is shot and dies.  Onegin lives an empty sad life for a few years until he runs into Tatiana once more. She is now wed to the elderly Prince Gremin and rejects Onegin whom she still loves.  How old-fashioned to put honor ahead of love!

Of course, Alexander Pushkin's verse novel offers a great deal more elaboration but we will concern ourself with the opera as it is performed. As testament to the power of the story we offer our personal experience of fretting over what happens to poor Olga and whether Tatiana might reconsider when Gremin dies!

As testament to the power of Tchaikovsky's music we confess that we are still playing the themes in our head!  In this case, Jonathan Lyness' orchestral reduction was performed by 11 musicians under the baton of Dmitry Glivinskiy who brought out every ounce of Russian soul in the string quartet which sat at audience level, with the wind instruments and keyboard on one side of the raised stage. Aside from an occasional pitch problem in the strings, the music sounded just fine.

The singing was good all around with soprano Megan Nielson making a winsome Tatiana and Melanie Ashkar using her lustrous mezzo-soprano and spirited dramatic instincts to create a very believable feckless younger sister Olga. Jeremy Moore used his mellow baritone to create an Onegin who seemed to represent a more modern sophisticated fellow rather than the arrogant selfish fellow of the Pushkin poem. We favor this interpretation because he must have some good qualities to win the affection of the sensitive Tatiana. And because we have good feelings about men who do not deceive women!

As the poet Lensky, tenor Chris Georgetti gave his all and elicited audience sympathy with a finely wrought "Kuda, kuda". How interesting that the most famous aria from this opera, heard often at competitions, was not given to the "hero". Tatiana's "letter scene" is equally famous but rather long and not as often performed.  (Coincidentally, we just heard  and reviewed it the previous night.) We thought Ms. Nielson sang it very well with many shades of coloration.

Milica Nikcevic was fine as Madame Larina, as was Noelle Currie in the role of the nanny Filippyevna, although looking much too young to be a grandmother. Steven Fredericks had the right voice (bass) and appearance to create the dignified Prince Gremin who has been rejuvenated by his young wife. Indeed Tatiana has by the end of the opera matured into her station in life and Ms. Nielson conveyed that vocally and dramatically.

Finally, let us mention tenor Eric Alexieff whose performance as Monsieur Triquet was very fine without indulging in any over-the-top foppery. One of the highlights of Benjamin Spierman's direction was that very scene in which his musical encomium to Tatiana resulted in her embarrassment and some tolerant eye-rolling among the assembled guests.

There were some other enjoyable touches in the direction of the second act including the flirtation between Olga and Onegin, the confrontation between Onegin and Lensky, and Lensky's aria in which he kneels down on the ground when thinking about the possibility of going to his grave.  If Mr. Spierman was responsible for the choreography of the country ball and the city ball, props to him for that as well.

The direction of Act I was not quite as interesting. There is a very special moment when Filippyevna teases Tatiana by pretending to not know which neighbor was going to be the recipient of her letter. By playing it straight, an opportunity was missed to tell us something about their relationship. We also didn't get much of a sense of the comradeship between Filippyevna and Madame Larina.  We did, however, get the warmth of the relationship between the two sisters.

The only major flaw in the production must be attributed to the costuming. We do not expect authentic period attire in a low budget production but we could think of ways to suggest an earlier time period that would have worked well.  Jeans and shirts just seemed wrong. We don't know a woman who doesn't possess a peasant style blouse and a long skirt!  Anything would have been better than the "just walked in off the street" attire. In the ballroom scene of Act II, all the women wore long gowns and that seemed much better.

It also struck us as wrong that Filippyevna looked more glamorous than Madame Larina.

Cutting the large chorus of serfs permitted the work to be performed in just over a couple hours. We were very impressed by the talent of the cast and how effectively the tale was told. We will see this opera over and over again but we doubt whether we will have the same feeling of intimacy with the characters as we did through Utopia Opera.

There is one more performance tonight at Hunter College at 7:30 and we strongly recommend it!

(c) meche kroop

CAMERATA NEW YORK ORCHESTRA OPERA GALA

Andrew Cummings, Antonina Chehovska, Maestro Richard Owen, Tammy Moore, and Riad Ymeri

The lavishly decorated St.Jean Baptiste Church has a resident orchestra called Camerata New York Orchestra and a fine orchestra they are indeed. Last night they presented an Opera Gala that packed the church from the first pew to the last. We have no way of knowing whether the huge crowd comprised opera fans or newbies.

Maestro Richard Owen not only conducted but explained each aria before it was performed, leading us to think that perhaps the majority of the crowd was not made up of experienced opera goers. What better choices could one have made than Mozart, Bizet, Puccini, Leoncavallo, and Tchaikovsky! The choices were tempting to newbies but equally satisfying for regular opera goers. We had the pleasure of hearing two singers of whom we are most fond, and two which we would like to hear again.

A major highlight was soprano Antonina Chehovska performing the "Letter Scene" from Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, a work which Utopia Opera is presenting this weekend and which we will review. Ms. Chehovska has won awards from just about every foundation around and we have always been there to witness her artistry.  As the innocent and confused Tatiana, Ms. Chehovska was completely believable. She sang with a beautiful clear tone, coloring her voice to match the many variations of mood undergone by the character. Anyone able to recall their first infatuation would have been able to identify. It was a flawless performance.

It hasn't even been two weeks since we heard tenor Riad Ymeri perform the role of Don Jose in Amore Opera's production of Bizet's Carmen. So we were not at all astonished by the excellence of his intense performance of "La fleur que tu m'avais jetee".  Still, we found plenty of subtle variations as he accompanied mezzo-soprano Tammy Moore in the "Seguidilla". Ms. Moore gave quite a steamy performance as the manipulative and seductive Carmen with Mr. Ymeri's subtle shift from feigned indifference to total abandonment particularly noteworthy.

Ms. Moore put her fine instrument through its paces in the fiendishly difficult "Smanie implacabile" from Mozart's Cosi fan tutte. Her Dorabella was joined by Ms. Chehovska's Fiordiligi for the lovely trio "Soave sia il vento" from the same opera. The role of Don Alfonso was sung by baritone Andrew Cummings and we were swooning over the delicious harmonies.

Mr. Cummings had a fine solo as Escamillo, singing the "Toreador Song" with fine voice and minimal arrogance. He had another fine solo singing the "Prologo" from Leoncavallo's Pagliacci. He seemed more comfortable in the latter role.

We always love duets and his duet with Ms. Moore was particularly well done--"La ci darem la mano" from Mozart's Don Giovanni. This seemed a comfortable role for him both vocally and dramatically and Ms. Moore made a willing Zerlina, a bit reluctant and quite a bit tempted.

The audience favorite, and perhaps ours as well, was the final scene from Act I of Puccini's La Boheme.  Who doesn't know and love the scene in which Mimi comes to Rodolfo's door and they pour out their hearts to one another! Not only was the singing lovely but the acting was very convincing--so convincing that the absent scenery appeared in our mind's eye. Each artist showed the gradual shifts of mood one experiences when romance is on the horizon.

Ms. Chehovska's Mimi began shyly but grew in confidence as the scene progressed.  Mr. Ymeri's Rodolfo began with the excitement of having a woman come to his door; you could almost read his innermost thoughts of how he might get her interest with a bit of humble-bragging. These are the kinds of performances guaranteed to get people interested in opera!

There were instrumental pieces as well and the orchestra performed in fine fashion for Maestro Owen. We heard Verdi's overture to Nabucco with its forceful trombone and tuba introduction and loved hearing the melody of "Va pensiero". 

The music from Bizet's Carmen was portentous and featured some exciting kettle drumming. There was also a piece by Puccini written when he was a student--"Preludio Sinfonico". One could readily appreciate his skill with melody and orchestration.

When listening to instrumental music, we often focus on an instrument that stands out for us--frequently the harp or percussion.  Last night we fixated on the oboe. It just seemed to be playing a most important part in many of the works. The oboist who so impressed us was Roy Beason.

We believe that those who entered the church as operatic non-believers left as converts!

(c) meche kroop

HOW SWEET IT IS!

Lynnesha Crump, Sharon Sweet, Woo Young Yoon, Molly Burke, Spencer Hamlin, and Zaikuan Song

We almost always enjoy master classes. It is exciting to learn things we might not pick up on our own. We can feel personally satisfied with a singer's performance of an aria but when the master teacher makes some changes we hear the aria again and recognize what we may have missed the first time.

We are planning to attend as many Prelude to Performance master classes as possible this month to prepare ourself for the upcoming season at Hunter College--7/6-7/9. We love getting to know the singers better, to hear what they are capable of, and in what way they can improve their performance.

Legendary soprano Martina Arroyo knows how to select the very best master teachers. It was truly a coup to enlist another legendary soprano Sharon Sweet to teach these five impressive artists who are now headed for major careers--at least, that is our opinion! Some master teachers make nice and fall all over themselves complimenting the students and just tentatively offering some little change "to see if it works" for them.

Not so Ms. Sweet! With high spirits and great humor, she "calls 'em as she sees 'em". She is direct but never offensive. The best support one can give, after all is said and done, is honest feedback. All five of last night's students profited greatly from the work they did with Ms. Sweet. There was no "boilerplate" that was given to all.  Each singer got something special and unique.

Woo Young Yoon sang first with "La fleur que tu m'avais jetee" from Bizet's Carmen. His sweet ping-y lyric tenor grabbed us from the first note and held us captive 'til the end. But in the process of his highly individual instruction, he and we both learned something new that took the performance to a new level.

We had never heard the phrases "onset" and "offset" but they deal with the initiation of a phrase without "scooping" and the ending of a phrase without trailing off.  Also, there are places in the line where the singer must not take a large inhalation but rather permit a subtle release of the abdominal muscles. When one does take a full inhalation, think about the entire phrase. Ms. Sweet does not speak of "legato" but rather of singing a phrase horizontally, not vertically. We understood exactly what she meant.  Great advice!

Soprano Lynnesha Crump blew us away with "Senza mamma" from Puccini's Suor Angelica, one of the operas to be performed in July. Ms. Sweet asked her to create a backstory for Angelica and to portray the vulnerability of a woman who has just been shocked and grief stricken to learn that her illegitimate son has died, and also disappointed that the visit from La Principessa had a cold, rejecting, and strictly practical object. 

Ms. Crump was urged to get down on the floor and to feel her inner thoughts. We were blown away with twice the force! And there was a technical issue that we would hear again later--using the tongue to articulate, not the jaw.

Just imagine two fine tenors in the same class. Spencer Hamlin, who will be singing Renuccio in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi during the July season, gave us a foretaste with "Avete torto...Firenze e come un albero fiorito". Mr. Hamlin possesses a fine squillo but sounded even better after his work with Ms. Sweet.

He was advised to take his time in the recit whilst scolding his squabbling family. There was a lot of emphasis on rhythm. Dotted 1/8 notes are not to be sung like triplets. Grace notes must be brought out. He was also urged to sing the aria with his hands in his pockets, acting solely with his face and his voice. We heard about the jaw again as well. And we heard some general tips about never clearing the throat or drinking water, both of which are abrasive to the vocal cords..

Zaikuan Song performed Leporello's "Catalogue Aria" from Mozart's Don Giovanni and was admonished to pay more attention to the rhythmic markings, i.e. singing the "ma" off the beat. It is necessary to count the beats carefully in Mozart! Also we heard a suggestion about double consonants which are best sung connected to the subsequent vowel. Mr. Song came prepared with his "catalog" in hand which the audience loved. Ms. Sweet urged him to act less with his body and more with his voice, for example in the repeating phrase "La piccina, la piccina, la piccina". Mr. Song (how well named he is!) has a wonderfully full bass and we are looking forward to hearing his Zuniga in Bizet's Carmen during the July season.

Last on the program was mezzo-soprano Molly Burke who performed "Acerba Volutta" from Francesco Cilea's verismo opera Adriana Lecouvreur. Her voice struck us as a force of nature with a future in Wagner. (Let us hope!) Her performance launched a valuable discussion of using the head voice, and of not being afraid of the passaggi. She was given vocal exercises to deal with the descent from pure head voice and taught how to move the same amount of air faster. The other great tip was to create space for the highest note in a phrase during the inhalation. The singer needs to start with the palate elevated.

There was one exercise that seemed helpful for all the singers--the lip trill. Singers can practice doing a phrase with the lip trill before adding the words.  They can learn thereby when and where they run out of breath.

Accompanist for the evening was Dan K. Kurland who was ready, willing, and very very able.

(c) meche kroop

THE MELODY LINGERS ON

Melody Fader and Richard Cox

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Melody Fader's parents made the perfect choice when they named their daughter.  Not only is she a superb musician but she leans toward composers who love melody. This is an artist after our own heart.

Every time we attend a liederabend at Juilliard and witness a singer and collaborative pianist who work very well together, we wonder whether they will stay together as a performing unit.  Yesterday's concert of Melody and Company Chamber Series at West End Collegiate Church gave us an answer to that question.

Ms. Fader and tenor Richard Cox attended Juilliard at the same time--he in the Vocal Arts Department and she in the Collaborative Piano Department. They did indeed perform together and had discussed performing Robert Schumann's Dichterliebe together some day.  Well, yesterday was that day!  And we were delighted to have been included as a member of the audience.

Ms. Fader's audience has been growing exponentially as word gets around of her excellent recitals around the New York area and abroad. She is renowned as a soloist, collaborative pianist, chamber musician, and recording artist. She also plays for a number of ballet companies. The size of the crowd greatly exceeded the number of programs printed but Mr. Cox's German diction was so crisp that we missed not a single word.

Mr. Cox has been the recipient of awards from many of our favorite foundations, including Opera Index, The George London Foundation, the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation, and others.

Dichterliebe is a cycle of songs that plumbs the depths and heights of romantic love. Schumann selected 16 from Heinrich Heine's group of 65 poems. The initial ones express hope and anticipation of fulfillment but as the cycle continues, bitter disappointment emerges until the poet requires an enormous casket in which to bury the songs and his sorrow.

Ms. Fader was the perfect partner for Mr. Cox's plangent instrument. They used a variety of color and a sympathy of phrasing to elicit an entire spectrum of emotions from tenderness to grief to bitterness, irony and despair. We particularly enjoyed the "hurdy-gurdy" feeling of "Das ist ein Floten und Geigen" and the irony of "Ein Jungling liebt ein Madchen".

Our only quibble concerns the use of the detested (by us) music stand. Yes, we do realize that singers may be preparing more than one concert or role at the same time but we still find it a disruption in the artist-audience connection.

The other half of the program was Schumann's Piano Quintet in E-flat Major performed by Ms. Fader and the Momenta Quartet which comprises violinists Emilie-Anne Gendron and Alex Shiozaki, violist Stephanie Griffin and cellist Michael Haas. They have a lovely warm sound perfectly suited to Schumann.

The allegro movement began with a brief introduction and moved into a glorious opening theme in the piano, quickly picked up by the violins and then the cello.  There were moments when Ms. Fader's piano produced a volley of rushing notes, generating quite a bit of excitement. The development section was inexhaustible in its invention. There seemed to be a brief and forceful motif occurring between themes. There was a wonderful sense of completion when the opening themes were recapitulated.

The leisurely march which followed reminded us of a funeral march. The key was minor, the melody plaintive and haunting, and the occasional dissonance arresting. There was a sweet central section before the first theme returned with passion and an angry outpouring from the viola.

The scherzo was one of perpetual motion with ascending and descending scales as Ms. Fader's fingers literally flew up and down the keys. The final movement kept up the pace until the very end with spirited forward motion and some interesting piano work at the lower end of the keyboard.

The work is one of our three favorite piano quintets, the others belonging to Brahms and Dvorak. We were delighted to hear it up close and personal with such a fine group of musicians.

NO GLORY

Jaely Chamberlain and Brett Pardue

Adam Cannedy and Margaret O'Connell

We spent a most pleasant evening aboard the Baylander IX-514 thanks to Opera Upper West;  Artistic Director Alexandra Fees sure knows how to create an event! The immersive event comprised a performance of Tom Cipullo's opera Glory Denied graced with a number of elements suggestive of what the Vietnamese call "The American War" and which we call "The Vietnam War".  It all depends on one's point of view. The event was part of New York Opera Fest, celebrating the diversity of indie opera in New York City.

The Baylander IX-514 is the only surviving aircraft carrier left over from the Vietnam War. It was used for helicopter landings and in the 80's was used to train pilots for that function. It has since been remodeled and repurposed.

The event included libations on deck which suggested the 1960's (does anyone remember the Mai Tai which we believe should also be restored to trendiness) with a background of 1960's music, and a tour of the ship from its port captain.

No one saw fit to dress in 1960's attire!

After the cocktail hour and tour of the ship we were ushered to a lower deck for the performance of the opera with Mr. Cipullo in attendance.

Glory Denied is based upon an oral history published by Tom Philpott concerning Colonel Floyd "Jim" Thompson who was a Major in the Special Forces when his plane was shot down in 1964. He was held by the Viet Cong for 9 years, 5 of which were in complete isolation. He endured unthinkable torture and interrogation. He survived by living "one day at a time" with the help of his religious faith.  Onstage was a tiny area which marked out the claustrophobic area in which he was confined.

Because of his wife Alyce's refusal to release his name, another man was honored as the longest held captive.

His wife established a relationship with an army sergeant who joined her in raising the four children, one of which was born while Thompson was in captivity. She told the children that their father was dead. We guess we could all agree that the poor guy got a raw deal!

It was helpful to read something about the story in advance because there were no titles and singing in English is always hit or miss as far as comprehension is concerned. The one aria that was quite clear was that sung by baritone Adam Cannedy in which the phrases were short and punchy--"tune in, turn on, drop out". This aria expressed his sense of dislocation upon returning to an America that he didn't recognize.  This was, for us, the most affecting part of the opera, reminding us of the Rip van Winkle story.  Nowadays, we wake up to a new world every day!

The English language is choppy in rhythm; setting long declamatory lines containing a lot of information leads to incomprehensibility and vocal lines that are neither interesting nor memorable. So, although we enjoyed the singing and the staging, this is not an opera we'd care to hear again.  Our major "test" for opera is, firstly, is it tuneful, and secondly, do we want to hear it again. Sadly, we rarely encounter a contemporary opera that passes both tests!

The libretto was taken directly from interviews and from letters involving both Jim and Alyce. In the opera, the younger Jim was sung by tenor Brett Pardue with soprano Jaely Chamberlain singing his young wife Alyce. The older Jim was sung by Mr. Cannedy with soprano Margaret O'Connell performing the role of the older Alyce. Various scenes permitted interaction between all four characters, an interesting premise. All four voices were excellent and the acting served the story well.

Alexandra Fees made a fine director, drawing upon her own resources as a singer.  (We have noticed how many times we admire the direction of an opera and then learn that the director has a background as a singer.)

Mr. Cipullo's angular score was well played by pianist Ishmael Wallace with Phil Rashkin conducting. There were missed opportunities for lyricism.

We had a fine evening of immersive theater. We just did not care for the music. We thought the story would have made an excellent play but it did not ask to be set to music!

(c) meche kroop

LES INDES GALANTES

Andrew Appel, Andre Courville, Sherezade Panthaki, Patricia Forelle, Ryan Brown, Dietlinde Turban Maazel, Robert Getchell, and Victor Sicard

We are always excited when Opera Lafayette comes to town. Just when we start to believe that we know a lot about opera, we find an entirely new territory to stimulate and engage us.  Opera Lafayette brings before us baroque works from France, always cast with exceptional singers.

Last night at the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium of the Metropolitan Museum of Art we heard the final entree of Jean-Philippe Rameau's 1736 ballet heroique --Les Indes Galantes. Louis Fuzelier's libretto is an interesting one in that it lauds the simplicity and sincerity of the natives of the New World, while decrying the colonialism of the Europeans.

As a curtain raiser for the vocal part of the evening, we heard several musical selections from the Prologue and the first three entrees. The musical selections shone with infinite variety of rhythms and an inexhaustible supply of melodies. We supplied the visuals in our mind's eye and had great fun choreographing and costuming the imaginary dancers.

But it was the vocal part that we had come to hear, predominantly because one of our favorite young artists, bass-baritone Andre Courville, would be making his debut with Opera Lafayette. We have heard Mr. Courville sing dozens of roles but never anything of the baroque period. Let it be said right away that he performed admirably in the role of Dom Alvar, a Spanish prince come to court the native girl Zima.

His rival, Damon was finely performed by Robert Getchell. The two men exhibited radically different style of courtship and Zima, wonderfully performed by Sherezade Panthaki, wisely threw both of them over for her tribal compatriot Adario, performed by Victor Sicard with fine tone and dignity of character.

Like Goldilocks, Zima found one European suitor to be too indifferent, the other too persevering, and Adario to be just right! Ms. Panthaki's warmly colored soprano and expressive phrasing made us cheer her on. There was something about her expressiveness that reminded us of Indian dancers we have seen who can make the slightest movement speak volumes.

As one might expect, the French of the singers was perfect and understandable without the titles. Similarly, the phrasing took on a special Gallic sensitivity.

Unfortunately, the chorus (Gallery Voices) in the first part of the program did not enunciate clearly and we did not understand un seul mot!

Direction by Dietlinde Turban Maazel was effective considering the narrow sliver of stage in front of the orchestra with which she had to work. Patricia Forelle's costumes were colorful and a propos to the period.

Ryan Brown, Founder and Artistic Director of Opera Lafayette, conducted and played the violin. Andrew Appel provided the harpsichord continuo along with the cello of Loretta O'Sullivan. The orchestral music was lovely.

We would have liked a closer look at the unusual wind instruments, especially the taille d'hautbois, a kind of alto oboe, and a wooden flute. The sound of original instruments fell softly on the ear.  There is so much to learn about music of this period!

(c) meche kroop

BARE, NOT BARE

Cast of Bare Opera's scintillating production of Mozart's Die Zauberflote

Under the directorship of Min Lew, Bare Opera has assumed an important position within the New York opera scene. We'd call it a case of truth in advertising when an institution fulfills its objectives.  Buzz words like "alternative", "minimalist", "immersive", "intimate", and "visceral" can be tossed around as a cover for "cheap" but Bare Opera lives up to its mission so effectively that we would follow them anywhere, even to a walk-up loft, hard by the toxic Gowanus Canal.  If we were not otherwise engaged we would return for the performances tonight and tomorrow night. That's how highly we esteem their production of Mozart's Magic Flute!

It is a fine thing to strip an old warhorse of its cliches, as long as you preserve the spirit of the piece and the glorious music. To fill the work with superlative musical values and a sense of intimacy compensates for the lack of imposing sets and a huge chorus. As a matter of fact, it is just that ponderous group of Sarastro acolytes that has bored us in the past. By contrast, last night's production of Mozart's Die Zauberflote felt fresh and original.  The only thing that was bare was the stage, furnished only with a couple of benches.

The original twist that occurred at the end seemed so right and organic! But we do not want to spoil the surprise for you since you, dear reader, will feel compelled to beg, borrow, or steal a ticket by the time you finish reading!

Under the baton of Maestro Teddy Poll, the 9-person chamber orchestra captured all of Wolfie's wonderful tunes with Music Director Laetitia Ruccolo as pianist. Special mention is due flutist Mira Magrill.

The singers were exceptional, most of them having been on our radar for some time. The stunning soprano Larisa Martinez enchanted us as the Princess Pamina. Her voice--velvety with a steel core--perfectly portrayed the character who moves from helplessness to self-determination. She was remarkably moving in "Ach, ich fuhl's".

Her Prince Tamino was performed by the promising tenor Andrew Zimmerman who has a lovely pianissimo; he created a believable modern day prince, searching for what is good, truthful, and right.  A delightful twist was having Pamina secretly witnessing his viewing of her photo and deciding that she was the right one for him. He delivered a lovely "Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schon". We of the audience were just as enchanted by his singing as he was over the photo.

As the formidable Queen of the Night, soprano Yungee Rhie fearlessly tacked both very difficult arias, letting loose a volley of vocal fireworks; she managed to bridge the inconsistencies of being a caring mother and trying to get her daughter to commit murder.

Baritone Suchan Kim made a marvelously engaging Papageno with his mellow voice and humorous manner. He made a fine representation of "Everyman". We loved the moment when his intended bride Papagena (Breana Stillman) ripped off her old lady mask; he had quite a reaction. Their duet was adorable.

The three ladies were exceptional--Liana Guberman, Kirsten Scott (also serving as Artistic Director of Bare Opera), and Inbar Goldmann. The scene in which they fight over the unconscious Tamino is always one of our favorites and we can't say we have ever heard it sung better or acted more humorously. What exquisite harmonies!

As Monostatos, tenor Francisco Corredor turned in his typically terrific performances as he threatened poor Pamino with unwanted sexual overtures. When caught he was on his knees begging for mercy from Sarastro, sung by the sturdy bass Do Jin Jung.

More beautiful harmonies were heard from the three helpful spirits--Sacha Bloch, Grace Mosley, and Alexandra Miller.

Sarastro's armored men were well played by Colin Whiteman and David Charles Tay.

Singing was done in practically perfect German and we didn't miss a word. Dialogue was spoken in English which was mostly understandable but presented a challenge for those whose native language is not English.

Justin Griffith Brown's stage direction was effective. Seats were set up along two adjacent sides of the square room of the Gowanus Loft, giving the audience good sight lines and leaving plenty of room for the performers to interact. Being up close and personal made a major difference in our connection with the characters, our perception of the opera, and its philosophical underpinnings.

In place of imposing sets, we had the evocative lighting of Anthony Tornambene which made use of color washes on the two walls, which did a great job of setting the mood of the scene.

Isa Rodrigues' costumes were contemporary, simple, and relevant. Pamina was dressed in a long white dress which emphasized her purity. Tamino was in normal street attire. Sarastro wore all white to emphasize his spiritual orientation. Monostatos wore a raincoat, lending a reference to sexual deviancy. The Three Ladies sported otherworldly face paint. The Three Spirits wore pinwheel caps and clown makeup. The armored men wore angularly sculpted masks.

Mozart wrote this "singspiel" in 1791, shortly before his death. The libretto was written by his friend Emanuel Schikaneder, apparently influenced by the philosophy of The Enlightenment and by Masonic symbolism. It became an instant success and no one seemed to mind the rampant sexism. Mr. Brown's direction included a twist that we enjoyed which put the work squarely in the 21st c.  The work has always lent itself to directorial innovations, not always successfully.  We suspect that if Wolfie himself had been present last night he would have joined in the thunderous approbation given by the audience.

We might add that the audience was far younger than that which we customarily see at the opera. If anyone wants to know how to make opera relevant to millenials, pay attention! Clear away the cliches, say something relevant, and cast young up-and-coming singers. That Bare Opera keeps ticket prices affordable for young folks implies that support must come from those that care about opera's survival. www.bareopera.org/donate!

(c) meche kroop