HEAR DICK PLAY. SEE JANE TEACH.

Richard Cordova, Hector Manuel Mir, Brian Major, Jane Eaglen, Angela Lee, Melanie Ashkar, and Joshua DeVane

They probably don't teach first graders with the "See Dick, See Jane" books any longer, so please pardon our silly title. There was a bit of silliness last night (leavening some very serious teaching) at Jane Eaglen's master class, given for the participants of Martina Arroyo's Prelude to Performance program. Ms. Eaglen, world famous for her Norma and her Isolde (among other roles) had occasion to mimic the very forward and very even vowels of Italian and comparing them with the similar (!) use of the mouth in English speech from Birmingham, from whence she comes. Innocent merriment!

Ms. Eaglen is a very funny and jolly person but highly serious and perceptive in her teaching. Much of what we heard was of universal value--the looseness of the jaw, the resonance in the mask, keeping vowels vertical rather than horizontal, supporting until the end of any given phrase, finding the place of resonance first before establishing the shape of the vowel, keeping sustained notes alive, and expanding the top note with some bloom.

There were also a few tips that we hadn't heard before but which also served the singers well. We had never heard of "shadow vowels" before but couldn't help but notice how much cleaner the line sounded when they were eliminated. 

Another newish concept was creating pianissimi by narrowing the column of sound, not by using less breath. Yet another was to use portamenti only as a means of getting to the next note, not as an end itself.

All five singers had sufficiently dramatic presentations so there was no need to ask them to think about what was intended by the characters they were portraying.  As a matter of fact, some singers were asked to take it down a notch. Much elegance can be found in stillness!

Baritone Joshua DeVane sang "Largo al factotum" from Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia and he sang it with maximum personality.  He was exceptionally fine in the "patter" part, particularly after taking the advice to bring the sound forward and to sing it more piano. This created a better line. If you haven't yet gotten your tickets for Gianni Schicchi for 7/7 or 7/9, you'd better move quickly because Mr. DeVane will be spectacular in the title role.

On the same program will be another opera from Puccini's trilogy, Suor Angelica, and mezzo-soprano Melanie Ashkar's talent will be seen and heard in that piece. We have enjoyed Ms. Ashkar's singing on a few other occasions and expect a splendid performance from her. Last night she sang "Cruda sorte" from Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri which we enjoyed even more when Ms. Eaglen coached her to voice all the very short notes and to brighten the "ah" on a descending scale.

It was here that we picked up a good practice tip--sing runs with misplaced accents and with varying rhythms.  Seems effective but also kinda fun!

Mezzos need to focus on the mix of head and chest voice and to ascertain at what point to bring in the chest voice, surely never too high in the register.

Tenor Hector Manuel Mir will be singing in the Carmen on 7/6 and 7/8 and the pleasing vibrato of his voice should be great for the character of Remendado. Last night he sang "Spirto gentil" from Donizetti's La Favorita, moving us to get better acquainted with that opera.  It was fascinating to hear Ms. Eaglen describe a voice as an hourglass with the passagio being the narrow place. She wanted the vowels in the passagio to be narrower (more vertical). This sounded great in Mr. Mir's performance.

Soprano Angela Lee sang one of our favorite Mozart arias--"Giunse alfin il momento...Deh vieni non tardar" from Nozze di Figaro. She was coached to brighten her vowels and to speed up the recitativo toward the end to match the tempo of the aria. She was asked for more legato and less portamento.

Another singer you will enjoy at the aforementioned Carmen is (bass)baritone Brian Major who will appear as Escamillo. For the class he sang "Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre", otherwise known as "The Toreador Song".  He and we learned about the position of the head on the neck. It is easy to grasp the concept of what happens to the throat when the head is tilted too far down or too far back. Finding the sweet spot made all the difference. Releasing the jaw results in a freer sound,

It was a fine class and left the students happy with the subtle changes they made. Maestro Richard Cordova did his customary fine accompanying on the piano. The only thing missing was hearing Ms. Eaglen sing!

(c) meche kroop

DELL'ARTE OPERA ENSEMBLE PREVIEW

Stephanie Kim Johnson and Maestro Chris Fecteau

Because we will be reviewing Santa Fe Opera at the beginning of Dell'Arte Opera's 2017 Festival (UNTAMED) and won't get our reviews up until the end of the run, we want to make sure that our readers are aware of this exciting season . We advise you not to wait for our reviews. There will be two fully staged productions with orchestra at LaMama on E. 4th St.

Saturday evening found us chez Fecteau meeting the directors of the two productions, learning all kinds of interesting tidbits, listening to some great singing, hearing a lovely piano piece composed by Maestro Fecteau, enjoying lovely company, drinks and edibles, and meeting Carter, the well trained resident canine.

Let us begin with the directors. Readers will recall how wildly enthusiastic we were about Brittany Goodwin's recent direction of Purcell's Fairy Queen. (Scroll down for review "In a gadda da vida"). This incredibly talented young woman will be directing Cavalli's La Calisto. That charming baroque opera was done at Juilliard not too long ago and made a very favorable impression with its vocal writing. We cannot wait to see what creative innovations Ms. Goodwin will devise from her fertile imagination. 

Charles Weaver will be conducting and both casts include singers we know and love.  

Equally exciting is Janacek's Cunning Little Vixen which will be performed in the original Czech. We have enjoyed this opera both at Juilliard and at Manhattan School of Music, although we have never heard it sung in Czech. It is beyond impressive that the participants in Maestro Fecteau's program have been getting coaching in Czech from two renowned experts. This is a lot to ask of emerging artists but should serve them well in the future to have mastered it. We, on the other hand, cannot even find a keyboard to share the real title with our readers! Oh those strange diacritical markings!

Conductor of the piece will be David Stech. Directing this work will be Ashraf Sewailam, who also happens to be a splendid singer. He entertained us royally with a vocally and dramatically splendid Leporello, singing the "Catalogue Aria" from Mozart's Don Giovanni, with a great deal of style. We insisted on an encore and got a stirring rendition of "Old Man River" from Jerome Kern's 1936 Showboat, a quintessential American musical--or opera, if you will.

Soprano Stephanie Kim Johnson performed a scintillating "Je veux vivre" from Gounod's Romeo et Juliette. This foxy lady will perform the role of Fox in the upcoming production. We have never heard the role sung by a soprano and are looking forward to hearing what it will sound like. In any case, Ms. Johnson has a gorgeous instrument and there is no doubt that she uses it well and expressively.

We were also treated to the sexy "Meine Lippen, sie kussen so heiss" from Franz Lehar's operetta Guditta, sung by the sexy Alexa Smith.

There was interesting conversation from the artists present about the difference between the uvular "r" and the rolled "r". We will have to do more listening and reading to understand that one!

But we had no trouble understanding the collective voice of all present who agreed with us about presenting opera in its original language. We do love it so when experts agree with us!

Do not forget to go to www.dellarteopera.org to secure your tickets. The quality is high, the cost is low. There are more events than the two operas so you might consider a season pass.

(c) meche kroop

SINGIN' IN THE RAIN

Dan Saunders Petr Nekoranec, So Young Park, and Hyung Yun

Under each umbrella in Jackie Robinson Park was an opera lover, thrilling to a perfectly chosen program performed by three magnificent voices, accompanied by Dan Saunders on the piano. Everything on the program was a "war horse" but the performances were unique and freshly interpreted.

Having a scintillating soprano, a terrific tenor, and a brilliant baritone on hand permitted a splendid selection of arias and duets. The threatening weather might have discouraged some folks from attending but we would risk life and limb, let alone a little rain, to hear three such major talents share their artistry. We brought our own little group to share in the fun and all agreed that it was worth getting wet. No one shrank. No one faded. The threatened thunderstorm did not ruin our pleasure. Good old Thor decided to spare us.

We've only heard tenor Petr Nekoranec a couple times but he has made a strong impression on us with the sweet timbre of his instrument, which lends itself beautifully to the bel canto repertory.  His technique is flawless and his execution of the challenging showpiece "Ah! Mes amis...Pour mon ame" could not have been better. Aside from his musicality, he has the ability to create a character one cares about. Donizetti's La Fille du Regiment only works when you really want Tonio to win the love of Marie and overcome the obstacles of nationality and social class.

Similarly, one must have affection for Nemorino and root for him to win Adina's hand in Donizetti's other delightful comedy L'Elisir d'Amore. Last night, he proved himself to be a superb scene partner with soprano So Young Park in "Caro Elisir! Sei mio!...Esulti pur la barbara" First we laugh at his ignorance as he swigs from the wine bottle and develops "Dutch courage", acting careless and indifferent to Adina. But he has won our heart and we want him to win Adina's as well.

When Mr. Nekoranec's Nemorino gets around to singing "Una furtiva lagrima" we are cheering him on and never comparing his performance to anyone else's. The fine vibrato of his voice was effectively employed with a new shade of joyful anticipation. No doubt the stunning arpeggio toward the climax, the subtle portamento, and the carefully modulated dynamics were well thought out but everything sounded organically spontaneous.

Nadir's lovesick aria from Act I of Bizet's Les Pecheurs de Perles, "Je crois entendre encore" was sung movingly with fine French phrasing and some floated high notes that seemed to hang in the air for a long time. The final note was spun out into a delicate thread of sound. Incredibly gorgeous!

From the same opera, the famous duet  "Au fond du temple saint", was performed with the impressive baritone Hyung Yun. It  gave the two artists an opportunity to produce harmonies that were beyond beautiful. Moreover, you could accept that Nadir and Zurga were both friends and rivals, thanks to some excellent acting.

Mr. Yun impressed us with his versatility. He did justice to the "Toreador Song" from Bizet's Carmen by filling the verses with more subtle variations of color than we usually hear. We liked his interpretation far more than the usual bombastic one. Escamillo became, for us, a real person, not just a rival for Carmen's affection.

Just consider how differently he came across in the elegiac "O du, mein holder Abendstern".  We never want to hear anyone tell us that German is not a beautiful language! Wagner's exquisite poetry and Mr. Yun's soulful singing drew us into Wolfram's world and made us want to hear Tannhauser again as soon as possible.

In yet another demonstration of versatility, he performed "Cortigiani vil razza dannata" from Verdi's Rigoletto. This aria requires the baritone to be vicious at first toward the members of the court who abducted his dear daughter, then to become contrite and beg them for information. We needed no limp or padding on the shoulder to understand the deformed character of the poor hunchbacked court jester. It was a gripping performance.

Yet another manifestation of versatility had Mr. Yun enacting the role of Don Giovanni trying to seduce Zerlina in the Mozart opera of the same name. We saw and heard him becoming increasingly forceful until his prey was secured.  Another impressive performance to add to the list.!  Zerlina was sung by soprano So Young Park who did her best to resist the irresistible.

Ms. Park shone in a couple of challenging arias. Adele's "Laughing Song" from Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus, "Mein Herr Marquis" showed off the singer's bright voice, charming personality, and skilled coloratura technique.

Similarly, she was excellent in "Les oiseaux dans la charmille", Olympia's song from Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffman. This challenging song requires extraordinary flexibility in the voice combined with rigid mechanical movements of the body. This must be like patting your head and rubbing your stomach simultaneously!  Ms. Park was completely convincing.

Moreover, she showed an entirely different side of her artistry in Musetta's aria "Quando m'en vo" from Puccini's La Boheme. In this aria, Musetta has to feign indifference to her on-again off-again lover Marcello while letting the audience know that she really wants him back. We loved the way she performed it. 

After all that very special entertainment, each artist offered an encore in a more popular vein; what we would call American classics. Ms. Park sang "I Could Have Danced All Night" from Lerner and Loew's My Fair Lady in a most winning manner. Mr. Nekoranec sang "Be My Love" and we'd be surprised if there were a woman in the audience not ready to comply!

 Mr. Yun sang "Some Enchanted Evening" from Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific, and that just about summed up our experience, an enchanted evening indeed. The wonderful arrangements of these songs were created by Dan Saunders who added so much to the evening's success.

The Metropolitan Opera must be appreciated for bringing opera to all five boroughs and making it available free of charge. Had this been our first exposure to opera we would have been a convert for life.

(c) meche kroop

DARLING DUNN

Juri Jung and Mignon Dunn

Being a great singer does not guarantee being a skilled pedagogue but it's always a pleasure to find an artist who impresses us in both roles. Last night was our last opportunity to share in the excitement of the International Vocal Arts Institute. We have been exposed to so many up and coming young artists who seem to have grown a great deal through their participation.

Mignon Dunn's master class was not just an opportunity to hear more of these young artists but an opportunity to learn what to listen for and what to appreciate. Ms. Dunn, in a brief 15-20 minutes, was able to identify exactly what each young singer needed to improve the aria that he or she chose to present. There was no boilerplate, not just one issue that she emphasized for all comers.  No! Each young artist got individualized attention and a pointer or two to take them to the next level.

Tenor Alexei Kuznietsov is already quite a star in his homeland, the Ukraine. But moving onto the opera stage requires new techniques and he has grown considerably during his time spent with IVAI. He just needed to hear the advice not to pack in the breath and push out sound. He also needed a boost to get into the character of Don Jose in the "Flower Aria" from Bizet's Carmen. Everyone noticed the difference.

Soprano Claire Wilmoth sang "Du bist der Lenz" from Act I of Wagner's Die Walkure. This is our favorite part of the entire Ring Cycle and we were thrilled to hear it sung by someone with Wagnerian potential. What was needed here was some dramatic verisimilitude. Ms. Dunn coached Ms. Wilmoth to recite Wagner's alliterative poetry and to recite it slowly. Ms. Wilmoth was still a bit on the declamatory side until Ms. Dunn asked her to whisper it. Then, and only then, did she sing it as beautifully as one would have wished.  As a matter of fact, we have been reciting it all night at a whisper and feeling the beauty of the discovery of love. Yes, Wagner did write gorgeous poetry and yes, it is just as important as the music.

Baritone Evan Henke had a marvelous lesson from Ms. Dunn. At first, his serenade "Deh vieni alla finestra" was not quite convincing. It was too sweet, too polite.  Don Giovanni is a vile seducer and some of what Tarquinius puts into his aria in Benjamin Britten's The Rape of Lucretia was just what was needed to make the performance consistent with the character. We couldn't help noticing that Mr. Henke has a marvelous embouchure which carried over even into Britten's English.

Tenor Hyunho Cho performed "Recondita armonia" from Act I of Puccini's Tosca. Ms. Dunn pointed out a subtlety that we had overlooked but we will never miss it again! The painter Cavaradossi must show more feeling when he describes his brunette lover Floria Tosca than when he describes the blond woman in his painting of the virgin. That means fewer portamenti for the Virgin! Ms. Dunn wanted more beauty and less volume. Also she mentioned that is was OK to leave out the "s" in Tosca at the upper end of the register where the voice seems to catch.  Franco Corelli was mentioned as an artist who never pronounced an "s" and everyone had a good giggle.

Mr. Cho also sang "Nessun dorma" from Puccini's Turandot. He needed to trust his voice more and not to push so hard. A borrowed pair of earplugs did the trick! Further, he needed to find a good placement for the final "Vincero!" and to hold the final syllable longer.  These tips made a big difference.

Soprano Juri Jung closed the class with Adele's "Audition Aria" from Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus. This is a marvelous audition piece in which the soprano gets to overdo it as she tries to convey all the different roles she could perform. Ms. Jung nailed the adorableness of the role and her vocal performance dazzled us with it's embellishments and fine trill. She negotiated the wide skips with ease and Ms. Dunn's main suggestion was to portray more desperation. Probably everyone in attendance was recalling how hard they try when they audition!

Peiwen Chen did her usual fine work as accompanist.

Although prior commitments will prevent us from enjoying the final two IVAI events, we would like to encourage you to attend tonight's performance of Puccini's Suor Angelica. With all the marvelous women singers we heard over the course of the institute, it should be a real treat.

Also, there is a recital of American Art Song Saturday night. This is not our thing but it may be yours!  Go!  Enjoy!

(c) meche kroop

GUILTY AS CHARGED

Jennifer Black and Amy Owens in On Site Opera's production of Darius Milhaud's "La Mere Coupable" (photo by Fay Fox)

It was a grand idea of On Site Opera to present little known musical adaptations of Pierre Beaumarchais' trilogy of plays about la famille Almaviva. Two years ago we thrilled to Paisiello's version of The Barber of Seville.  Last year we thrilled to Marcos Portugal's iteration of The Marriage of Figaro. Last night we did not thrill to Darius Milhaud's The Guilty Mother, the final entry of the trilogy, taking place twenty years after The Marriage of Figaro. The superb performances were there. Eric Einhorn's direction worked well. The site chosen was interesting.  Maestro Geoffrey McDonald conducted the International Contemporary Ensemble with his customary artistry.

What went wrong?  Why would we be happy to hear the Paisiello and the Portugal again but not the Milhaud? The fault lay in the libretto and the music.  Great music can survive a flawed libretto and some stories are so compelling that mediocre music can be tolerated.  In this case, we found the libretto deficient in the sense that it was confusing in its adaptation from the Beaumarchais play, which was written in 1792, just before his exile. The fact that the adaptation was performed by his wife Madeline gives us a clue that this was a case of nepotism.

If you've ever wondered what happened after the Count and Countess reconciled and Figaro and Susanna were wed, here it is, according to Beaumarchais. The Count left on a long business trip. The Countess spent the night with Cherubino and bore a son named Leon. The Count was always suspicious of Leon's parentage. Never mind that he himself committed adultery and has taken the female child Florestine into his home to raise. She and Leon are in love.

A snake-in-the-grass, a scheming Tartuffe-like figure named Begearss has wormed his way into the household, taking advantage of aristocratic helplessness. Begearss plans to marry Florestine and acquire Almaviva's fortune. Thanks to bold action on the part of the resourceful Figaro, Begearss is thwarted and the two young lovers learn that they are not related by blood and are free to wed.  Happy ending.  Comedy?  Not quite! There may have been opportunities for comedy but they were missed.  This is a dreary work and the poorly fleshed out characters fail to win the audience's sympathy. What we love about the music of Mozart and Rossini is that it matches the characters and their actions.  That would seem to be a basic minimum requirement for writing an opera!

We understood that, at one point, Andre Gretry proposed setting this play to music and what a pity the project fell through. Putting this story into the hands of Darius Milhaud was not a fortunate move. The 1966 score is replete with ugly dissonances and never seems connected with the onstage action. The vocal lines are devoid of melody or any form of lyricism. The singers gamely did their best with the non-melodic vocal lines and projected well over the dense orchestration, with the exception of poor Andrew Owens whose allergic affliction left him inaudible. We do recall his sweet sound from Aureliano at Caramoor. We didn't mind because he acted well!

As the guilty mother, soprano Jennifer Black sang with strength and conviction. We last caught Ms. Black at the Met in the role of Lisa in  La Sonnambula. As Florestine, lovely coloratura soprano Amy Owens, so well remembered as Zerbinetta in Santa Fe, handled the high tessitura beautifully and very much looked the part. Mezzo-soprano Marie Lenormand, whom we enjoyed previously as La Perichole and also singing with NYOS, handled the part of Susanna very well and, as Figaro, baritone Marcus DeLoach made a forceful opponent to the slimy Begearss, well portrayed by bass-baritone Matthew Burns. 

The Count himself was sung by Adam Cannedy who has a fine baritone that showed up so well in the recent Glory Denied,: here he looked too young for the part. This was supposed to take place 20 years after the action of Marriage of Figaro. Come to think of it, Ms. Black also looked too young for the Countess.  Perhaps her night with Cherubino restored her youth!

Bass Christian Zaremba, last scene as the Commendatore in  Venture Opera's Don Giovanni,   was excellent in the small role of the notary who appears in the last scene. It was just in the last ten seconds of the opera, in the septet, that we heard a little bit of music to which one would want to listen.  Not enough! But it shows that Mr. Milhaud was capable of writing something listenable and chose not to do so.

The site chosen for this opera was an enormous garage near the West Side Highway.  Instead of scene changes, the two acts were staged in different parts of the huge space, with audience seating moved to accommodate. During the first act, we felt as one might feel at a tennis match with much head turning and neck stiffening in order to read the titles which were on either side and perpendicular to the stage. The second act offered some relief with titles projected above the action and readily readable.

We have no idea why the action was set contemporaneously with Mr. Milhaud's composition. It made no sense unless the characters underwent some sort of Rip Van Winkle phenomenon. And why was the furniture threadbare and the costuming so dowdy? In the play, the Count has been spending down his fortune to cheat Leon of his inheritance but he certainly wasn't spending it on furniture or clothing, nor on pay for his servants!

We will decline to mention the production team responsible for this ugliness but will say that Shawn K. Kaufman's lighting was fine and that the French diction was quite good all around thanks to Jocelyn Dueck.

Perhaps this was the only opportunity we will ever have to witness the sequel and for this we thank On Site Opera for this courageous (but misguided) bit of programming. It was, in fact, the United States premiere but was produced recently by the Theater an der Wien as a piece of shocking regietheater. This production was part of New York Opera Fest 2017 presented by the New York Opera Alliance, of which On Site Opera is a member. Partnership with the Darius Milhaud Society was a feature and the production was dedicated to the memory of Katherine Warne, a composer and founder of the society.

(c) meche kroop

SCENE MAKERS

Pavel Suliandziga, Jarvis Dams, Claire Wilmoth, Olivia Ottinger, and Amanda Panaccione

Instead of another "curtain call" photo, we have decided to give our readers a better idea of what we experienced at last night's IVAI recital of opera duets, trios, and ensembles. If you haven't already guessed, Mozart's Die Zauberflote was the source of this scene from Act I in which the three ladies (sopranos Amanda Panaccione, Claire Wilmoth, and Olivia Ottinger) have just given  Tamino the titular Magic Flute.  And what a scene that was with the three ladies harmonizing beautifully and Pavel Suliandziga giving us all the drama and vocalism we want in Tamino. As Papageno, baritone Jarvis Dams was hilarious trying to express himself with a lock on his mouth.

A second Papageno (baritone Evan Henke) performed a charming scene with the exciting young soprano Melody Yun Xie  who is so well-named. "Bei Mannern" is melodic and tender, and just right for Melody and Mr. Henke.

With a program this uniformly excellent, it is difficult to single out the ones that were outstanding. Everything was memorable.

The idea of presenting the opening scene of Puccini's Manon Lescaut followed by the same opening scene from Massenet's Manon was a brilliant one. The story is a very French one and perhaps that gave Massenet's a slight edge, although we must say that the appropriately named Nanyoung Song  matched incredibly well with the Des Grieux of Fanyoung Du. Both are possessors of gorgeous instruments which they use well to create believable characters. Mr. Du was convincingly smitten and Ms. Song showed evidence of the high spirits that will create so many problems later in the opera. That they sang in fine French style was a bonus.

In the Puccini, tenor Alexei Kuznietsov revealed a sizable instrument that bodes well for his future. He sang his "Cortese damigella" to soprano Lisa Faieta with great conviction and passion. Ms. Faieta maintained her modest air almost to the end when they ran offstage. We were glad to hear more of her as Donna Elvira in a scene from Mozart's Don Giovanni.

Bass-baritone Lawson Anderson impressed us in two roles, demonstrating a real feel for Mozart and an equal feel for complicated male characters. As Don Giovanni in the aforementioned scene, he was busy trying to persuade Donna Anna (soprano Claire Jihye Choi) and Don Ottavio (tenor Eric Alexieff) that Donna Elvira was crazy.  The scene was his and we were captivated by the texture of his voice and the intensity of his acting.

He was equally fine as Figaro in Mozart's Nozze di Figaro and sang the opening scene with soprano Sofia Sanchez as his Susana. Ms. Sanchez is not the only singer to blossom in an operatic role, making a far greater impression than when delivering a song.

Figaro's Act IV aria "Aprite un po' quegli occhi" was delivered with great indignance over his bride's supposed betrayal. Meanwhile, soprano Kyaunnee Richardson had a fine time teasing him with "Deh vieni non tardar". When we hear of Mr. Anderson performing either role in toto, we will SO be there!

The third Susana of the evening was Ashley Alden who teased Evan Henke's Almaviva in the excellent duet "Crudel, perche fin'ora". This group of IVAI singers responded so well to Mozart, bringing his music to vivid life.

We recently heard soprano Banlingyu Ban's Cio-cio San at Heartbeat Opera so we were not at all surprised by the excellence of her performance last night in the duet "Bimba dagli occhi pieni di malia" --the performance itself filled with malia! But we were astonished by the ardent performance of tenor Yang Chen. Both artists have ping-y qualities to their instruments and a most affecting quality.

And finally, from Mozart's Der Schauspieldirektor, two sopranos (Ashley Alden and Amanda Panaccione) got to duke it out while tenor Eric Alexieff tried to make peace. We saw that opera not too long ago in Santa Fe and have always enjoyed that scene, although, truth to tell, the sopranos we know are uniformly supportive of one another. But still the cliche is a funny one and satisfies those opera goers who would like to imagine catfights between rivals.  And now, we are thinking of Rossini's "Miaou" and if you've never heard that piece of vocal one upmanship, do give it a listen.

Stage Directors for the evening were Joshua Major and Dietlinde Maazel. Conductors were Maestri Paul Nadler and Brent Chancellor.  Pianists/coaches were Lucy Arner, Liora Maurer, and Jane Steele.

For lots of photos of these scenes, please see our Facebook Page, Voce di Meche.

(c) meche kroop

TRULY INTERNATIONAL

Opera Stars of the Future at IVAI recital

As promised, we returned to Mannes for another recital and we are so glad we made the time. This "International Song Concert" had a unique feature that was revelatory, showing us new things about singers we had heard at earlier recitals. Participants offered songs in the languages of their birth or heritage--mainly folk songs. The expansion of their involvement was a joy to hear and there was nary a music stand in sight. Singers who appeared a trifle nervous or constricted at other times were relaxed and highly communicative last night. Our "newbie" guest had a wonderful time as well. It was a wonderful entry level recital for the uninitiated!

Notable for a spirited delivery was tenor Hyunho Cho who negotiated the plentiful consonants of Korean without cheating any of the vowels, of which there are far more than we have in English! We don't recall hearing Korean sung before but we enjoyed the two songs a great deal.

Mandarin established a firm presence by way of beautiful Banlingyu Ban who sang a love song with ardent feeling and a gorgeous upper register. And tenor Fanyong Du closed the program with folk songs about nature which permitted him to show off some very subtle variations of color and dynamics and a kind of jazzy bending of tone. We have appreciated Mr. Du's performances for some time in the standard repertory, but this singular performance took our appreciation to an entire new level.

Both Russian and Ukrainian were on the program and, sad to say, we can not tell the difference. But we can tell a good performance when we hear and see one! Tenor Pavel Suliandziga exhibited the same captivating stage presence as he has in more traditional performances. There was a patriotic folksong and also one about a boy trying to seduce a girl; we would guess that it was the audience who got seduced.

Soprano Tatiana Mills gained her knowledge of Russian from her mother and shared with us two charming songs, one by Alexander Dargomyzhsky and the other by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Ms. Mills is the youngest participant but already on her way.

We didn't get a chance to learn how soprano Virginia Sheffield came by her Russian but anyone who sings Sergei Rachmaninoff's "Oh, never sing to me again" gets our vote! If there is a more evocative representation of homesickness in the repertory we have yet to hear it. Similarly, soprano Kyaunnee Richardson delighted us with two Rachmaninoff songs--"Ostrovok" and "Siren", which was filled with sweetness. We were happy to witness her ability to connect with the audience without distraction from looking at the score.

Tenor Alexei Kuznietsov performed two Ukrainian songs, one by Vasyl Barvinsky and the other by Denys Sichynsky. He exhibited fine dynamic control and a wealth of expressiveness. There was a gorgeous messa di voce that was memorable.

Our only experience with Greek songs has been highly amplified popular songs in nightclubs, so we are grateful to the two artists who introduced us to some splendid music. Soprano EphiGenia Kastanas generously offered four lovely songs. We loved the lullaby which had a melody in an exotic mode but our favorite was "To Layarni" by Spyridon Spathis in which a shepherd mourns the theft of his favorite rare black lamb. Pianist Peiwen Chen successfully imitated the sound of a bouzouki. "To mauro Yemeni" brought in a sense of fun and Ms. Kastanas let loose with a bit of dancing.

Soprano Alexia Mate exhibited a finely texture vibrato in a song by Stavros Xarchakos and also in a French song by Eva Dell'acqua entitled "Villanelle". We couldn't stop thinking about "Stridono lassu" from Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci, with a woman envying the freedom of birds.

Latin America was also well represented with Argentinian soprano Eugenia Forteza performing two songs from her country, sung in Argentinian dialect.  Floro Ugarte's "Caballito Criollo" had a sprightly nature and we mean to ask Ms. Forteza about the symbolism.  Carlos Guastavino's "La rosa y el sauce" is the sad tale of love lost when the willow's beloved rose was plucked. This was one of the few songs on the program that we have heard before and we liked Ms, Forteza's interpretation.

Mexican powerhouse mezzo-soprano Mariel Reyes Gil has a special affinity for Maria Grever and we were delighted to hear "Despedida" and the well-known "Jurame", both sung with great passion. Ms. Reyes has an unusual timbre for her fach and we could feel vibrations in our own head that we have never before experienced.

Soprano Sofia Sanchez sang a couple of Mexican love songs and we particularly enjoyed "No niegues que me quisiste" by Jorge del Moral. We noticed an increase in her ability to communicate the feeling of a song, a most welcome piece of growth!

Colombian tenor David Rivera Bozon performed Jaime Leon's "Si no fuera por ti" which gave him plenty to do with his lovely middle voice. We thought the tessitura suited his voice better than William Dawson Jr.'s "Cancion del Otono". He also sang Ernest Charles' "When I have sung my songs" in perfectly understandable English (quite a feat) and only a trace of accent.

Another one of Mr. Dawson's songs was performed by Ms. Gil. Mr. Dawson was an Afro-American but found these lovely songs in Mexico.

And finally, thanks to tenor Stefan Djokovic, we were introduced to some Serbian songs which he sang with depth of feeling and a lovely pianissimo. "Trust that I love you" had a lovely sentiment and "Three times I knocked" had some wonderfully rhythmic stuff going on in the piano accompaniment.

(c) meche kroop