BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

Richard Owen and the Adelphi Orchestra

It was a chance encounter with an oboist that led to our fortuitous awareness of the Adelphi Orchestra from across the Hudson. Learning of their program Bohemian Rhapsody we decided to attend and wallow in music of our favorite period, the second half of the 19th c. Happily, there were no nerve-wracking modern pieces to disturb our Romantic indulgence.

Not only did we get to hear some soulful solos from oboist Jacob Slattery, but we got a private inspection of all three oboes--the regular oboe, the mellow English horn, and the oboe d'amore that we've mostly heard in Early Music. We also heard a sensational young violinist tackle Saint Saëns' Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso which was written for, and made famous by Pablo de Sarasate.

At the tender age of seventeen, an age when a budding opera singer would best be overlooked, Nathan Meltzer is already playing all over the world, studying with Itzhak Perlman, and worthy of the loan from Juilliard of an 1844 Joannes Pressenda violin! And oh, what he did with that instrument! The virtuoso sections of the work were performed with style and the lyrical segments were performed with substance--and gorgeous legato. This is an artist to watch, dear readers, even if you, like me, are mostly addicted to opera.

Under the firm baton of conductor Richard Owen, the remainder of the program was similarly outstanding. We do not ever have to worry about music lovers in New Jersey being deprived! We love that Maestro Owen actually talks to the audience and tells them interesting things about what is on the program.

The program opener was Dvorák's Carnival Overture. It began with a maelstrom of lively sound, almost frenetic. The central section was lovely and lyrical.

Baritone Andrew Cummings was on hand for Mahler's Rückert Lieder which was composed initially for voice and piano and later orchestrated, adding a great deal of rich detail. We know and love these songs which are filled with deep feelings. 

Since Mr. Cummings was "on the book", we did not feel the connection that we value in vocal music so we concentrated on the orchestration, especially the marvelous oboe solos. We did admire Mr. Cummings' use of dynamic variety and his word coloration but would have to hear him another time without the score to have an appreciation of his value as a singer of lieder.

Of the five songs, our favorite was "Blicke mir nicht in die lieder" in which the string section created the sound of busy bees, hard at work making honey, Rückert's metaphor for creation.

The major work on the program was Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony in the stirring key of E-minor. So many symphonies strike us as a collection of varied movements; what distinguishes this symphony is a sense of dramatic unity. The theme heard in the opening movement reappears in minimal disguises in the subsequent movements and by the end of the symphony we are hearing it transmogrified by being in a major key.

We were particularly taken with the Waltz movement that occupied our imagination with scenes of a ballroom with glamorous dancers swirling around, much as one sees at the ballet.  As a matter of fact, our love of classical music came out of that very art form, which is how we can say that Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov are responsible for our being here today!

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I AM CARRREÑO

Stephanie Chase, Isabel Pérez Dobarro, Anna Tonna, and Robert Osborne

Last night's recital was much more than a recital. It was a dramatic and musical biography of a notable female figure who is rather unknown in the USA but who deserves to be celebrated. For this celebration we must thank The Hispanic Society Concert Series which was initiated in 2010 to promote the music of Spanish and Hispanic composers.

Teresa Carreño was born in 1853 in Venezuela to a musical family which moved to the USA. A childhood prodigy she toured the world as singer, pianist, composer, and conductor. A huge arts complex in Venezuela bears her name. This fiercely independent woman lived life on her own terms and married four times; two of her husbands were brothers. The program notes of dramaturg August Ventura (best known for his film about the Verdi fanatics of Parma) were replete with interesting tidbits.

Mr. Ventura's script, tying all the musical numbers together, made use of Carreño's own words and those extracted from the correspondence of those who knew her, as well as critics and contemporaneous biographers. The selections on the program were composed by her, or by those in the music world who championed her, befriended her, or studied with her.

It was surely a labor of love to research all this material and construct a script. Bass-baritone Robert Osborne performed the musically equivalent labor of love in reconstructing and transcribing her scores and manuscripts.

Her talent was so varied that two artists were required to represent her onstage. As Carreño the singer, we had mezzo-soprano Anna Tonna; as Carreño the pianist, we had Isabel Pérez Dobarro. Both women, as well as violinist Stephanie Chase rocked gorgeous late 19th c. gowns and hairstyles, transporting us to our favorite epoch.

Mr. Osborne portrayed the men in her life and was also spiffily clad in period attire and in fine voice as well.

The program opened with her jaunty Intermezzo scherzando which left no doubt about her superb writing for piano. Gottschalk's The Dying Poet was given a lyrical waltz treatment. That she could write for other instruments as well as piano was demonstrated by her Romance for violin and piano.

But our favorite work for piano was Chopin's Mazurka, op.33, no. 1. The work is in Rondo form and the first theme overwhelmed us with it's sorrow; it is never lugubrious but we heard plenty of pain. The second section sounded a note of triumph. Each time the first section was repeated, the color became a little brighter and by the end it was almost cheerful. Ms. Dobarro must be a magician on the keys to limn so much subtlety.

There were two devilishly difficult pieces on the program that did not faze this gifted pianist: "Lizst's Transcendental Etude #10" and Edward MacDowell's "Hexentanz".

We enjoyed a couple of duets from Ms. Tonna and Mr. Osborne. We particularly enjoyed Anton Rubinstein's tender Der Engel. "La ci darem la mano" from Mozart's Don Giovanni can be performed countless ways and our two artists put their own spin on it.  Mr. Osborne's Don was more authoritarian than seductive and Ms. Tonna was less coy and sang some of the lines as if they were private thoughts, not shared with the Don. We usually hear a soprano in this role but Ms. Tonna's voice was well suited to the role.

Ms. Tonna also excelled in Rossini's "A Granada" which seemed perfect for her warm tone and graceful phrasing. There was some lovely melismatic singing in a Carreño piece entitled "Barcarola".

Another Carreño piece "Feuillet d'Album" was sung by Mr. Osborne in his customary fine French which he also employed in Gounod's famous "Sérénade", a melodic setting of text by Victor Hugo to which Stephanie Chase's violin contributed.

We liked these better than "Sebastianos Tanzlied", composed by Eugen d'Albert, one of Carreño's husbands. This had nothing to do with Mr. Osborne's performance but it seemed off-kilter that a French composer wrote about a Spanish theme, in German.

The program ended with "La Serenata" by Gaetano Braga, a duet with which Carreño usually ended her program. All four artists joined for a beautiful finale.

The program entertained and educated. We hope to see works by Carreño on more programs.

(c) meche kroop

GIMME SOME BLUES!

Joshua Blue onstage at Juilliard

A tenor with a point of view took the stage at Juilliard yesterday in a very personal program filled with passion, as befits his middle name, which is Vaspassion. Mr. Blue is about to be awarded a Master of Music Degree and he chose a theme for his graduation recital--the theme of oppression. Different sets were devoted to political oppression, sexual oppression, and racial oppression.

Mr. Blue has a voice that can caress or strike hard and he always colored his voice to suit the material. He employed the services of a number of different artists which made for a very compelling recital, although we have no doubt that he could have carried the recital on his own.

His collaborative pianist, Amir Farid, opened the program with the oceanic prelude to Rachmaninoff's "Arion", the setting of a text by Pushkin, selected from the composer's 14 Romances. Voice and piano worked together, creating both storm and peace.

Next we heard Sechs Hölderlin Fragments and were surprised at how significantly we preferred Britten's setting of German text over his setting of English. We cannot say whether it was Mr. Blue's powerful presence or the fact that German sings so much better than English. The rhythm of Britten's music seemed to fit the rhythm of the text in far better fashion. Mr. Farid's piano was exceptional in "Hälfte des Lebens".

For Ravel's Chansons madécasses, Mr. Blue and Mr. Farid were joined by cellist Matthew Chen and flutist Jonathan Slade who effectively created the bird song in "Il est doux". The songs related to the oppression produced by colonialism. "Nahandova" speaks of desire for the indigenous and exotic woman whilst "Aoua" speaks of betrayal by the colonializers.

Three art songs by some rather unknown Soviet composers captured our attention with marvelous melodies and texts that often seemed ironic in their praise of life under Communism. Perhaps these works were commissioned by the State but we have no way of knowing. 

"Lullaby" sounded suspiciously reassuring. "Times Have Changed" glorified life under Lenin and Mr. Blue amplified his forceful Russian with dramatic gestures. 

The final work on the program filled the stage with drama and fellow musicians. Guitarist Jack Gulielmetti, whom we remember from his appearances with New York Festival of Song, was joined by drummer T.J. Reddick and the four artists performed the world premiere of Andrew Seligson's rousing Break Your Chains--the subject of which was the Afro-American experience. 

We don't know whether to call it a cantata or a cycle of songs. We don't know what genre to which we can attribute it. Jazz Rock maybe?  It doesn't matter. It spoke to us and to the audience that greeted its conclusion with cheers. Although Mr. Blue warned the audience that they might be upset and close their ears to this cry of pain and injustice, he was preaching to the choir. The energy in the room was that of people truly listening, truly hearing, and those willing to be inspired.

Text for this work was provided by Andre Cardine, Epiphany Samuels, Preston Crowder, B.J. Tindal, the composer, and also Mr. Blue. There was a lot of anger and drive behind the words.

The message of the program has remained with us. Every battle needs a battle anthem! There are people all over the world fighting against oppression at this very moment. We see no reason for Mr. Blue to have included oppression of women in his program but our thoughts went toward women fighting to be free from sexual harassment, women in Saudi Arabia who seem to have won the right to drive, and Iranian women who are fighting against a rigid patriarchal dress code. Music is so powerful in mobilizing and inspiring people!  

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CAREER BRIDGES HONORS MARTINA ARROYO

Career Bridges Grant Winners

Career Bridges held their 16th annual gala concert and dinner last night at the Metropolitan Club. Citizens of Planet Opera gathered to honor distinguished soprano Martina Arroyo, whose Prelude to Performance has done so much to help young singers to launch their careers. Her Lifetime Achievement Award is so well deserved!

Patron of the Arts Award was given to Joan Taub Ades, a philanthropist on many fronts, famous at Manhattan School of Music for endowing the Ades Performing Space and for establishing the Ades Competition which, coincidentally, we reviewed last night. Scroll down to read about it. As if that were not enough, she started "Joan's Closet" which provides appropriate gowns for female singers.

What is unique about Career Bridges, founded by David Schuyler Bender and Barbara Meister Bender, is that they make a three year commitment to the chosen singers, providing training, mentoring, financial support, and performance opportunities. They also bring opera to young school children, whose ears, hearts, and minds are thirsty for this most absorbing of all the arts.

The entertainment portion of the evening was most generous, and continued all through dinner. Not only did we hear 2018 winners but also winners from prior years and guest artist tenor Jonathan Tetelman.

There were so many excellent performances we don't know where to begin. So let's begin at the beginning when mezzo-soprano Rachel Arky (2012) and baritone Robert Balonek (2007) got the evening off to a great start with the charming Papageno-Papagena duet from Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. The audience went wild when he picked her up in his arms and carried her offstage.

Baritone Michael Gracco (2018) gave a powerful performance of Valentin's aria "Avant de quitter ces lieux" from Gounod's Faust. Mezzo-soprano Yinpei Han (2018) was artistically forceful in Dorabella's aria "Smanie implacabili" from Mozart's Cosi fan tutte.

Baritone Matthew Ciuffitelli was appropriately annoyed as Count Almaviva in "Hai gia vinta la causa" from Mozart's Nozze di Figaro. Soprano Brittany Nickell reprised her "signature aria" "Robert, toi que j'aime" from Meyerbeer's Robert le diable with the fine French we well remember.

Baritone Emmet O'Hanlon (2018), whose Juilliard days we fondly recall, gave a landmark performance of "Largo al factotum" from Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Soprano Emily Misch (2017) performed the delightful "Ch'il bel sogno di Doretta" from Puccini's La Rondine.

Super-charged baritone Joshua Conyers (2018) lent his large instrument and dramatic intensity to "Nemico della patria" from Giordano's Andrea Chenier. Soprano Megan Nielson (2016) sang "To this we've come" from Menotti's The Consul. There is no denying her artistry but we wish she had chosen a different aria. We have heard her many times and love her voice but that aria just doesn't do it for us.

What did do it for us was baritone Hubert Zapior (2018) who sang Eugene Onegin's aria "Kogda bi zhizn domashnim" by Tchaikovsky. This was a special treat because Mr. Zapior just appeared on our radar screen this year and because this is the year we have developed a fondness for Russian opera. The performance was flawless and character driven.

From Cilea's rarely heard L'Arlesiana, tenor Jonathan Tetelman sang a beautifully rendered "Il lamento di Federico", filled with sorrow and longing.

Soprano Teresa Castillo (2017)was glittery and gay in Bernstein's sensational aria from Candide and captured Cunegonde's dual nature. Baritone SeungHyeon Baek (2015) performed his "signature aria"--the Prologue from Leoncavallo's Pagliacci--and was just as superb as we remembered.

An inspirational closing was provided, as it was last year, by baritone Jesse Malgieri singing a medley of Mitch Leigh's "Impossible Dream", from Man of La Mancha, and Richard Rodgers' "Climb Every Mountain" from The Sound of Music. 

With such a wealth of talent in every fach, performing the final quartet from Verdi's Rigoletto was a kind of foregone conclusion and we very much enjoyed Ms. Misch, Ms. Arky, Mr. Tetelman, and Mr. Balonek whose voices blended beautifully.

Music Director for the evening was Ted Taylor and the host was WQXR's Robert Sherman. It seemed like everyone in the room was on the same page, doing whatever they could with whatever resources they have, to foster these brilliant young singers. We loved each and every one of them and imagine they will all go far!

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ADES COMPETITION WINNERS RECITAL

Craig Rutenberg, Shaina Martinez, and SeokJong Baek

This is the time of year when singers we know and love are graduating from our three local music conservatories; it is a bittersweet time for us. We are thrilled for their accomplishments and excited about their summer programs and young artist programs; we feel sad because we will miss them; we always hope they will stay in touch and let us know how they like their "new homes".

Thankfully, Opera America's Emerging Artist Recitals series (the last of the season) presented two singers who won the Alan M. and Joan Taub Ades Vocal Competition; the purpose of the competition is to select singers who possess outstanding talent and potential for careers in opera. As pointed out by Dona D. Vaughn, Artistic Director of the MSM Opera Theater, the winners' prize money is used to support the singers' professional development in many ways, subject to approval.

Competitors are selected from among students getting their degrees from Manhattan School of Music.  The top three winners this year were baritone SeokJung Baek, mezzo-soprano Hongni Wu (who just won the Met National Council competition) and soprano Shaina Martinez, all of whom are being awarded their Masters of Music degree.

Onstage last night in Scorca Hall at the National Opera Center were Ms. Martinez and Mr. Baek, both covering wide musical territory that revealed their versatility. They were accompanied by the always wonderful Craig Rutenberg whose light touch and sensitivity toward the singers always impresses us.

Ms. Martinez opened the program with "Come scoglio", from Mozart's Cosi fan tutte; Ms. Martinez' sizable soprano was put in the service of Fiordiligi's resoluteness in the face of temptation. Whilst negotiating the huge leaps Mozart wrote (purportedly to embarrass an unpopular soprano) and some lovely embellishments, she managed to portray a young woman who "doth protest too much". 

This soprano is poised onstage and able to use expressive gestures to amplify her expressive voice. She switched gears for two selections from Poulenc's Fiançailles pour rire which shows Poulenc's lighter side--the languorous "Violon" and "Fleurs" with its delightful piano part. Her French was quite good.

But, for reasons of our own, we got the biggest thrill from her singing in Spanish, a language that resonates with us on par with Italian. We heard a trio of songs by the 20th c. Argentinean composer Carlos Guastavino. Ms. Martinez' partnership with Mr. Rutenberg was outstanding in "Pampamapa" with its vigorous rhythms. In "Abismo de sed" she sings "Soy cantor" (I am a singer) and we smiled. The third song was "Hermano".

Even better was "Hija del amor" from Gonzalo Roig's zarzuela Cecilia Valdés in which a mother vows to protect her daughter from the romantic betrayal she has endured.  The air was thick with passionate intensity and we were transported.

This versatile artist, having done justice to opera, art song, and zarzuela, joined Mr. Baek for the duet "Nedda! Silvio!" from Leoncavallo's Pagliacci. The pair left no doubt about the high stakes they were facing. Ms. Martinez limned Nedda's conflict; Mr. Baek used every strategy he could to persuade her to leave Canio--seduction, promises, and even guilt. Meanwhile, Mr. Rutenberg's piano sustained the tension.

Mr. Baek is similarly versatile and we were very happy to hear two of his "signature arias" which he performed in 2016 when we was an Opera Index Competition winner. His facility in French has gotten even better with more legato in the line; his interpretation of Valentin has also grown. His baritone is capable of silky smoothness and also vigor. In "Avant de quitter ces lieux" he used the vigor as he sang of battle and a smooth tenderness when he spoke of his love for Marguerite. His voice swelled to a passionate climax.

The other "signature piece" is Tosti's "L'alba sepàra dalla luce l'ombra" sung with great depth of feeling. We think we understood the meaning of the song for the first time.

Renato's rage at Amelia, the wife he wrongly suspects of infidelity, is the subject of the aria "Eri tu ce macchiavi quell'anima" in Verdi's Un ballo in maschera. Only an artist can reveal both the outer contempt of Renato whilst letting the grief and pain peek through. Looks like we have a new Verdi baritone worth celebrating! 

In yet another manifestation of versatility, he captured the wry humor of "La Maîtresse volage" by Poulenc.  Two other songs from Chansons gaillardes were "Madrigal" and the rather naughty "L'Offrande" in which Mr. Rutenberg's piano portrayed the postulate's innocence.

From Copland's Old American Songs we heard the tender "Long Time Ago" and the jaunty "The Boatmen's Dance". They were sung in crystal clear well-enunciated English and given the grace and simplicity they require.

It was over all too soon.  Mr. Baek leaves for San Francisco Opera's Merola Program and then will be a resident artist at Lyric Opera of Kansas City. 

We wish all good things to these artists but also to all of the wonderful students getting their degrees from MSM this month. We wish we might have heard all of their graduation recitals.

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ORPHIC MOMENTS

Anthony Ross Costanzo, Bobbi Jene Smith, and Keir GoGwilt (photo by Erin Baiano)

Christoph Willibald Gluck wrote his glorious version of the Orpheus myth--Orfeo ed Euridice-- in 1762.  Last night at the Rose Theater, we saw the piece, magnificently sung by countertenor Anthony Ross Costanzo in the title role, with soprano Kiera Duffy as Orpheus' beloved Euridice, and soprano Lauren Snouffer as the god Amor. The vocalism could not have been better, nor the acting. The 130 voices of Ted Sperling's Master Voices brought the many choral numbers to vivid life. The Orchestra of St. Luke's was perfectly wonderful in evoking the subtleties of Gluck's music.

There we were, feeling the pain of losing someone dear, half lost in the music, half reveling in the sound of Italian, so well sung that we scarcely needed to look at Cori Ellison's excellent titles. Mr. Costanzo painted the perfect portrait of a man bereft, half crazed by grief. The adorable Ms. Snouffer entered and offered him the hope of rescuing Euridice from Hades. (As a god, Amor knows of Orpheus' great talent as a singer. He will use this talent to save her.) 

We were experiencing his struggle confronting the Furies and doomed souls of Hades, so well staged by Movement Director Julia Eichten who ensured that the singers onstage all looked like dancers. We felt his joy in finding Euridice.  We felt the annoyance that Euridice was mistrustful of Orpheus and were so involved we had to restrain ourself from calling out to her "Shut up and follow him".

And then, as abruptly as any pleasure interruptus, the music turned irritating, the vocal line became unmusical, and the words became incomprehensible. This was composer Matthew Aucoin's interpolation of the Orphic Moment--his imagining of what went on inside the brain of our hero as Euridice gets into her "You don't really love me" mode.  

We never read the program notes until after we have experienced a performance because we want a work to speak for itself.  If it requires explanation and exegesis, the work has failed. What Mr. Aucoin said he was thinking about was that Orpheus is such an aesthete that he needed more tragedy of which to sing more gorgeously. At least, that's how we understand what he wrote.

Well, perhaps if there had been titles for the English text, we might have gotten something out of it beside the irritation of trying so hard to understand the words. We canvassed the audience members nearby and a dozen people in the elevator to see if anyone had heard enough text to tell us but not a single soul had understood. That's just a problem of singing inEnglish.  Titles should always be provided.

But we don't think anything could have gotten us to enjoy the music. Perhaps there were some gods in the audience who would have allowed Orpheus to keep his reputation as the champion singer of all time but we would have revoked the award on the spot.

Sometimes we appreciate a fresh take on an old work but when our ears perform the aural equivalent of eyes glazing over, this is not going to happen.

The Orphic Moment episode, which involved modern dancer Bobbi Jene Smith and solo violinist Keir GoGwilt, seemed interminable but finally things got back to normal for Orfeo's famous aria--"Che faro senza Euridice" with its gorgeous melody. Mr. Costanzo invested it with all the requisite feeling, achieving artistry through the skills of word coloration and dynamic variation. His messa di voce almost made up for the prior alienation we felt.

Ted Sperling's conducting was as excellent as we expected and Zack Winokur's direction was fine, especially in the opening scene which is a wedding celebration turned funeral ode when Euridice gets bitten by a snake.

Stacey Berman's costumes were simple and, for some unknown reason, everyone was barefoot. The next time we attend a wedding in a garden, we will make sure to wear shoes, lest we get bitten by a serpent!

Douglas Fitch's set was simple--the banquet table became a slab for the dead bride, but was later hoisted into the flies, dangling there ominously in view of the audience.

We understand that this creation was a joint work of Mr. Costanzo and Mr. Aucoin and has been seen at National Sawdust and the Salzburg State Theater. We wish them well but in our opinion, Gluck's masterpiece did not ask to be "improved" by anyone else's concept.

We will try to remember the evening with the interpolation excised, focusing on the musical glories of three excellent singers, the splendid Orchestra of St. Luke's,  and the massive forces of Master Voices.

(c) meche kroop

THE MARTYR OF ANTIOCH

Alexis Cregger, Adam C.J. Klein, William Remmers, Caroline Tye, and Duncan Hartman

We didn't expect to find much of interest in a dramatic oratorio with a religious theme, especially one sung in English. But.  Big but. Where William Remmers goes, we follow. Such is the cred he has built with us after several years of engaging and stimulating productions by Utopia Opera.

The most impressive part of the performance was seeing what Maestro Remmers could achieve with a full orchestra in the sanctuary of Rutgers Presbyterian Church on the Upper West Side. His conducting is astute and highly energetic, and a bit balletic. 

We couldn't help noticing that The Utopia Opera Choir, having sounded rather muddy in the first scene, became suddenly crisp and clean in the second scene when he left the podium (whilst we were dazzled by an outstanding organ solo, performed by Mary Nelson) and focused his conducting attention on the choir.

The setup in the sanctuary put the strings at audience level with winds elevated on the stage and the choir behind. The splendid soloists sang in front of the strings, and therefore behind Mr. Remmers. It all worked just fine.

Although we knew that Arthur Sullivan had written serious music, we never paid much attention to it, since it is rarely heard on symphony programs. When we think of Sullivan, it is generally in connection with his partnership with W.S. Gilbert, with whom he wrote so many wickedly humorous and satirical operettas--works that are often heard on professional stages, not to mention in schools and summer camps.

What a discovery to hear Sullivan's late Romantic style in its full glory. With the help of Gilbert in adapting the poem of Rev. Henry Hart Milman, a work of musical and spiritual value was created.  It premiered as a piece d'occasion at the Leeds Music Festival in 1880 with Mr. Sullivan on the podium; last night was the United States premiere of the orchestral version.

If, dear reader, you are interested in details about the changes wrought by G&S on Milman's text, we refer you to gsarchive.net. Let it be noted that the text is in iambic pentameter; whereas the original is in blank verse. Gilbert ensured that we would have some rhymes to tickle the ear.

The work takes place in Syria in the 3rd c. and involves the martyrdom of Margarita (the daughter of Callias, the Priest of Apollo) who has converted to Christianity. The poem celebrates the steadfastness of her faith as she sacrifices her love for Olybius, the Roman Prefect and probably her life. With 21st c. cynicism, we see it as the stubbornness of a delusion.

As the martyr Margarita, the stunning soprano of Alexis Cregger filled the nave with clear bright sound that thrilled the ear. The sweet tenor instrument of Adam C.J.Klein was just right for his aria "Come, Margarita, come!" in Scene 1; he became more forceful in Scene 3 when he tried to persuade Margarita, and he darkened the color appropriately for their confrontation when she refused to relent.

Duncan Hartman's dark bass was perfect for the role of Callias, the pompous priest of Apollo, who was understandably stentorian when angry at his daughter's betrayal of the family faith. Their confrontation was rather chilling and made for a fine duet.

Utopia Opera regular Caroline Tye used her rich chocolatey mezzo-soprano in the role of Julia, the speaker of the choir. She colored her voice even darker as she opined that Margarita would die. If we are not mistaken, this role was not in the original poem but was created by G&S. And we are glad they did!

Baritone Kevin Miller sang well in the small role of Fabius, Bishop of Antioch. We liked the mellow sound of his voice.

Except for the choir, all the soloists enunciated clearly so that the text could be understood. We never take that skill for granted.

We enjoyed Evan Chertok's gusto on the timpani as well as Mr. Remmers' picking up some of the percussion by striking the triangle. We have never before seen a conductor do so.

Mélanie Genin's harp solo accompanying Margarita's ode to her lyre was a special treat, as was the cello solo in scene 2.

It was a fine evening, full of surprises and enlightenment. We love to be surprised and we love to be enlightened.

(c) meche kroop