(NOT SO) SILENT NIGHT

Brittany Renée and Daniel Okulitch

We approached Paula Prestini's production of Silent Light as we generally do, avoiding the reading of Director's Notes. We like to see if a work of art speaks for itself, without explanation.  As we recall from 15 years ago, The Carlos Reygadas film with the same title, although not our favorite, spoke for itself. By means of the absence of music, relying strictly on sound effects, visual metaphor, and spare speech by the principles, Reygadas drew a portrait of an unusual subculture, that of Mennonites living in Mexico, near Chihuahua.

Whilst watching the film, never once did we wish for a musical soundtrack. The visuals had a melody and rhythm of their own. We fail to understand why the esteemed composer thought it a good idea to compose music to decorate this work which never asked for it. We will not comment on the quality of the music, only point out that we found some pleasure in the rare quieter passages and some pain in the more raucous ones. 

During the love-making scene the music was particularly discordant; we couldn't help thinking of the music Richard Strauss composed for the opening scene of Der Rosenkavalier which was luscious and sensual, and referenced the climax with a series of "whoops" that let us know we were in for a light-hearted comedic ride.

Speaking of the sex scene (and we generally have no negative reactions to them) we found this one particularly gratuitous, in that it told us nothing about the relationship between the two lovers. (What we recall from the film is that the man left his children sitting outside in his truck whilst having it on with his paramour. And that told us something!)  By comparison, the stoic appearance of the characters in other scenes told us a lot about this laconic community.

For those of you who do not know the story, it is about a supposedly pious married man who is devoted to his wife and many children--but not sufficiently devoted to avoid an entanglement with a single woman member of the same community. He confides in his friend and in his father and to all appearances, seems tortured by this conflict. He claims to be "in love" with this woman but what we witness is lust, not love. It is an old story with an interesting twist. He has told his wife about the affair and watches her suffer. The two women know each other.

Onto this framework, Ms. Prestini has composed music that did nothing to add to our understanding. Esteemed and awarded as she may be, this is just not our kind of music. The vocal lines offered nothing to hold one's ear. Royce Vavrek's libretto was often impossible to hear over the brass-heavy music.

It is difficult to evaluate a vocal performance under such circumstances although a most illustrious cast was assembled. Under the direction of Thaddeus Strassberger, the performances were admirable. Daniel Okulitch was persuasive as the tortured husband Johan and Brittany Renee was completely convincing as the miserable wife Esther.  Julia Mintzer portrayed Marianne, Johan's paramour, and we are sure she was directed to be non-seductive; there was no way to understand the attraction the husband had for her. This must be intentionally left mysterious and undisclosed.

Our favorite performance was that of Anthony Dean Griffey as Johan's friend Zacarias because, of all the singers, he handled the English diction the best. When there are no subtitles, we must rely completely on the singer. Margaret Lattimore did an excellent job as Esther's mother, and her expressive face told us how she felt about her son-in-law.

As Johan's father we heard James Demler and Margaret Carpenter Haigh took the role of his mother. The pair appeared to be dairy farmers and the cows were portrayed by female members of the chorus (The Choir of Trinity Wall Street) wearing cow masks on their heads. We were not alone in feeling uncomfortable watching them being "milked". We wondered if the director wanted to say something about the role of women in this community.

Perhaps it was just part of the intention to make the experience an immersive one. As the work opened and the projected stars faded in the sky, Johann pours himself a cup of coffee. Then Esther comes in and prepares breakfast for the group. Yes, she actually cooks in real time and we were reminded of our very first theatrical experience in which a solo artist baked "Sweet Nut Bread to Make Your Mouth Water" while delivering her monologue, and then served it to the audience. No, Esther did not share the pancakes with us but then we expect to remember the former work long after Silent Light will be forgotten.

Mr. Strassberger's set design was apt, the furniture appearing no more than spare and functional. A complete kitchen occupied  one side of the stage and a workshop on the other side which was also utilized as a farm. A raised platform served as the cab of a truck. Bruce Steinberg's lighting was most effective as were the projections by Greg Emetaz.  Whilst Johann and Esther are driving in the rain, the illusion of being in a truck or auto was created with the projection of the shadow of a windshield wiper. Other special effects lent a sense of reality. When Esther runs out into the rain with an umbrella, water fell from above in torrents--in the same spot that was previously used to create the illusion of a pond where the children frolicked.

The performing area was wide, as were the two rows of seating. Therefore, one's point of view varied with one's location. The fortunate few sitting in the center of two long rows got an excellent view, but the rest of us, sitting to the sides, had our view blocked by the members of the chorus who were sitting directly in front. Such are the discomforts of an awkward playing space, as is the problem of the placement of the musicians. In this case, the conductor Maestro Christopher Rountree was only a couple feet away and the musicians--heavy on the brass with trumpet and trombone, as well as a cello and violin and a percussionist, playing behind what appeared to be a plastic screen.

The Foley effects (by Nathan Repasz) like chirping crickets and a loudly ticking clock were intense. Amanda Gladu was responsible for the costuming--overalls for the men and shapeless drab dresses for the women.

We always try to bring someone new to the opera, hoping to make converts. Alas, the visual artist who accompanied us may never be willing to set foot in an opera house. What a gap there is between traditional opera and what is currently being called opera!

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YALE OPERA MEETS GERDA LISSNER

Gerald Martin Moore, Jillian Tate, Leah Hawkins, Rosario Armas and Ryan Capozzo

(photo by Rezi Aliaj)

One didn't need to be outdoors last night to watch the stars. They were all inside at WQXR's Greene Space, introduced by the lovely Midge Woolsey. This dazzling array of opera stars all had connections to Yale Opera, past or present, and the concert was generously sponsored by The Gerda Lissner Foundation. Both institutions can be honored for supporting the careers of young singers. The evidence of effective training was readily available to the thirsty ears of the attendees.

Let us begin with the prodigious achievements of mezzo-soprano Rosario Armas whose total investment in her artistry is immediately evident. Zarzuela is such an immediate art form that goes from ear to heart and when Ms. Armas sang "Al Pensar" from Ruperto Chapi's La hijas del Zebedeo, the emotions of a woman crazy about her man came through loud and clear, (her man being the one on the front row, the gifted accompanist Ahmed Alom Vega). This was IRL, not acting! This challenging aria has rapid fire vocal effects that were brilliantly executed but our attention was riveted by Ms. Armas' total emotional immersion.

This quality was also noted in her duet with Ryan Capozzo, a very engaging young tenor who was new to us, but one we cannot wait to hear again. The pair performed the scene from Act II of Bizet's Carmen that takes place in Lillas Pastia's taverna (hopefully not in a gas station as The Metropolitan Opera would have it!). We treasure the moments when singers show us something new about the characters and that can only happen when the vocal technique is so exemplary and so revealing of character that we can forget about the technique and focus on the interpretation.

We came to realize, as Ms. Armas' Carmen went from seductiveness to disbelief, to rage, to vindictiveness, that the volatile Carmen lives from moment to moment, responding with immediacy and emotional honesty. Mr. Capozzo drew a portrait of Don Jose who was on a more steady arc, one of obsession. His hamartia is that he is unable to shift emotional gears. One could actually believe that Carmen has cast a spell on him. The scene was nothing short of riveting.

Mr. Capozzo distinguished himself elsewhere in the program. His warm tone and ardent expressiveness were evident in the Prince's aria "Vidino divna přesladká" from Dvořak's Russalka. We cannot comment on his facility with the Czech language but we can say that he gave the vowels full measure so that it sounded as beautiful as Italian.

We do speak German so are in a position to comment favorably on his diction in "Dein ist mein Ganzes Herz" from Lehár's Das Land des Lächelns. A new tenor on the horizon who is both talented and handsome is always welcome.

Famous soprano Leah Hawkins made a stunning appearance and gifted the audience with the lighthearted "Nobody's Business", a traditional song arranged by Peter Ashbourne. She also lent her powerful instrument to a pair of French mélodies--Lili Boulanger's "Nous nous aimerons" evincing a subtle vibrato and a pianissimo note that seemed to hang in the air, and Poulenc's "Les chemins de l'amour" to which she added far more dramatic intensity than cabaret singers we have heard. Once again we were taken with a  pianissimo spun out of silver. 

A young soprano new to us, Jillian Tate, performed a text by Toni Morrison which was so densely set by André Previn that her voice was rather overwhelmed. We liked the text of "Take my Mother Home" from the cycle Honey and Rue but we can't say we were thrilled by Mr. Previn's piano score.

We got a better appreciation of Ms. Tate's vocal skills when she joined Ms. Armas and Ms. Hawkins for the final trio from Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier. She made a very fine Sophie and the balance between the three voices was perfect. Since the singers were "on the book", we took the opportunity of closing our eyes and just listened to the manner in which Strauss wove three very different voices together into a rich tapestry.

The superb accompanist for the evening was the well known and well loved Gerald Martin Moore. It was a thrilling recital, giving us the opportunity to hear two voices we have admired for several years, and to be introduced to two voices we look forward to hearing again.

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A PAIR OF NEW STARS

Pianist Kanae Matsumoto Giampietro, soprano Alexandra Razskazoff, and baritone Yeongtaek Yang

Nothing gives us greater joy than observing the growing accomplishments and concomitant fame of young singers. The recital we heard yesterday at The American Opera Center celebrated the prodigious talents of two winners of awards from Opera Index, a most worthwhile foundation that supports the same young singers whose careers we diligently follow. One could not have imagined a more thrilling afternoon.

The recital went from one high to another; by the time intermission rolled around we were breathless from excitement, hoarse from repeated "bravos", and sore of hands from applauding. We would have been completely satisfied if the recital had ended there but there was another half, leaving us giddy with enthusiasm.

We have written about soprano Alexandra Razskazoff for about nine years, admiring the way she gave consummate vocalism and dramatic artistry to such an amazing variety of roles as a student at Juilliard and as an Apprentice Artist at Santa Fe Opera.   Baritone Yeongtaek Yang did not appear on our horizon until about two years ago as a student at Manhattan School of Music when it was plain to see that he embodied the qualities necessary for operatic success. The mark of James Morris is upon him!

Leaving the past aside (although, Dear Reader,if you wish to know more about the past glories of these two young artists, you may enter their names in the search bar), let us create a snapshot of the present. The recital opened with Mr. Yang delivering the Prologue to Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci. It was the perfect introduction to the concert itself, speaking of what we had to look forward to, with Mr. Yang embodying the persona of Tonio who, in his moment of fame, gets to prepare the audience for the upcoming performance. Audience members did not fail to notice a well-trained voice, skilled at the refinements of singing, and lavish at dramatic intent and focus.

Ms. Razskazoff followed with a group of songs by Puccini, sung with delicacy and charm, saving the ample breadth of her instrument for material later in the program that requires those qualities. We suspect that "Sole e amore" was a study for the role of Mimi in La Bohême. We loved the expressivity of her voice, the delicate diminuendos, and the floated high notes which would be the envy of many a tenor. The sorrowful "Do not Sing to Me" by Rachmaninoff captured the extent of the poet's grief so successfully that we were more than close to tears.

In a set of Duparc songs, performed with excellent Gallic flair, we preferred the existential terror of "La vague et la cloche", the images limned solely by Mr. Yang's vocal coloration. Notes that reached deep into the lower register were delivered in fine pianissimo.

The second act of Verdi's La Traviata presents a challenge for both Violetta and for Germont Père. The latter must shift from an angry father to a position of respect for his "wayward" son's mistress. The former must also make a profound shift from a dignified woman angry at Germont's invasion of her home to a submissive position, willing to accept reality and sacrifice her present happiness. We have previous written our theory about why she does so. For the moment we will not repeat our psychoanalytic musings and just say that the scene worked brilliantly. Ms. Razskazoff clearly showed the exact moment in which Violetta makes the emotional adjustment, demonstrating a clear understanding of her character.

Mr. Yang gave a thrilling rendition of Gérard's aria "Nemico della patria" from Giordano's Andrea Chenier. This is a cynical moment in the opera when Gérard realizes that, in spite of The Revolution, he is still a servant, just of another master. Mr. Yang captured it all with strong singing in realismo fashion.

Ms. Razskazoff astonished us with the aforementioned breadth of tone in the cavatina "Tacea la notte placida" from Verdi's Il Trovatore in which Leonora sings of her love for Manrico. The cabaletta was exquisitely rendered.

To add some humor to the evening, Mr. Yang offered "The Green Eyed Dragon" by Wolseley, showing off some impressive skills with comedic storytelling. If you never heard this song, Dear Reader, you owe it to yourself to look up the lyrics. It is in such comic works with short phrases that the English language sings best.

Proving our point that the operatic tradition is well represented by 20th c. American musical theater, Ms. Razskazoff offered "Somewhere" from Bernstein's West Side Story and "I Could Have Danced All Night" from Loewe's My Fair Lady. While well done, we prefer a more British style but the artist made it her own by Americanizing the accent and the acting.

The evening ended with a charming duet from Mozart's Die Zauberflôte in which Pamina and Papageno get acquainted--"Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen".

As encore the pair gave us an English translation of the waltz from Lehar's Die Lustige Witwe. We cannot write a review without finding some small quibble and that was it. Although well sung, it missed the particular marriage of text and music that makes the duet so charming. Well, maybe next time they will sing it in German!

The excellent piano accompaniment was provided by Kanae Matsumoto Giampietro who has an admirably delicate touch.

To those of you who are not aware of the great and generous support given young artists by Opera Index we urge you to find out. There will be more recitals like this one with exposure to young singers on the brink of world stardom. Indeed these singers have had multiple awards showered upon them by various foundations who believe in their respective futures as much as we do. Note that Sir Bryn Terfel will be honored by Opera Index on January 19th at The Metropolitan Club, a yearly event that draws the luminaries of Planet Opera, many of whom were in attendance at yesterday's recital.

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A THING OF BEAUTY AND A JOY FOREVER

Brian Holman and Julio Mascaro

A tenor voice can be "a thing of beauty and a joy forever", to borrow a phrase from Keats. The fact that it is often not is a pain in the throat, at least to our throat which closes up every time a tenor presses for volume and emits a harsh sound. The voice of tenor Julio Mascaro is of the first type, a voice one could listen to forever, a voice that lingers in the ear long after the concert ends. The total silence during the performance can be taken as evidence that we were not alone in our rapturous attention.

At Friday night's recital at Opera America, Mr. Mascaro's interpretations were so well calibrated to the emotional content of his selections, one might have gotten lost in the effect. It took a great deal of effort to note the fine technical points that underlay the vocal performance. We were impressed by the stunning messa di voce, the delicately floated high notes, and some final decrescendos that trailed off into fine filaments of sound hanging in the air. Climaxes were achieved without bombastic shouting. German and French were as successfully pronounced as Mr. Mascaro's native Spanish.

And now, let us say more about the well-curated program, the first half of which was sung in Spanish. Could one have chosen two better Mexican songs than Manuel Ponce's "Estrellita" and Maria Grever's "Te quiero, dijiste"?  Let us mention that a wonderful way to connect with the audience is to tell them something interesting about a song. Some people in the audience might have been surprised to know the true and sad story of the Grever song which we would be happy to share with you someday.

From the cycle Cinco canciones populares Argentinas by Manuel Ponce, we heard the lament  "Triste", followed by a more modern work by Jaime León Fierro entitled "Letra para cantar al son del arpa"  which provided a grand opportunity for collaborative pianist Brian Holman to show his stuff. As we have written before, Hispanic composers never fell for serialism and atonality. There is always a lovely melody to enchant the ear. 

To close the set, we heard a passionate rendition of "No puede ser" from the zarzuela -La tabernera del puerto by Spaniard Pablo Sorozabal. This is arguably one of the top ten zarzuela arias and a most affecting cry of a hopeful lover. We were inspired to read the very complex plot of the zarzuela and are happy to share with you the fact that the singer of the aria, young Leandro, does get the girl.

The second part of the program revealed Mr. Mascaro's operatic artistry and linguistic skills. We heard  "Vainemant ma bien aimée" from Edouard Lalo's Le Roi d'Ys followed by "Lonely House" from Kurt Weill' Street Scene. Italian passion was brought to the forefront in Tosti's "Vorrei morire".

If we have heard a better Nemorino than the one brought to life by Mr. Mascaro we cannot remember it. "Una furtive lagrima" can be considered a turning point ("the worm turns") in Donizetti's charming L'elisir d'amore. Nemorino is one of our favorite male characters in opera because he achieves emotional growth during the opera and we love cheering him on in his quest to win Adina.

"Ich baue ganz auf deine Stärke" from Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail was sung in perfect German and in true Mozartian style.

The evening ended with a unique and highly personal event which profited from an introduction. Mr. Mascaro's maternal grandfather, José Ernesto Monzón, was a well known artist in Guatemala and our singer brought onstage his late grandfather's guitar before sharing three of his songs with the audience. They say a playwright shouldn't bring a gun onstage unless he plans to have one of his characters shoot another. So, Dear Reader, we were waiting for Mr. Mascaro or Mr. Holman to play said guitar. Sadly, this was not the case.

All is forgiven, however, because the songs are delightful. "Canto a mi Guatemala" was filled with patriotic fervor and was followed by the charming "Muñequito" and the highly rhythmic  "La Sanjuanerita". Dear Reader, do yourself a favor and listen to this on YouTube. You are sure to be as charmed as we were!

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BRUSH UP YOUR SHAKESPEARE

 Kyle Oliver, Stephanie Doche, Alina Tamborini, Robert Kleinertz, and Michael Leyte-Vidal

Actually, Vincenzo Bellini's version of the Romeo and Juliet story is just one of many tellings of the tale of the "star-crossed lovers".  Most people would associate Shakespeare's tragic play with the story.  Ballet fans would think of the ballet created with music by Prokofiev. Film fans might think of the one Zeffirelli directed from 1968 (among others, dependent upon their generation).  Opera lovers would most likely think of the Gounod opera Romeo et Juliette.

As we learned at last night's stimulating evening spent with Teatro Nuovo, some mighty fine music related to the story of Romeo and Juliet was created by Niccolò Antonio Zingarelli in 1796 and by Girolamo Crescentini and Nicola Vaccai (Yes, that Nicola Vaccai, the one all young singers begin with). There is even a lovely duet written by Stephen Foster entitled "Wilt Thou Be Gone, Love?"

The main event however was the stunningly melodic and harmonically original I Capuleti e i Montecchi, not as well known as the Gounod opera but highly worthy of our interest, especially when so well sung as it was at the Rose Theater.

So dramatically compelling it was that we forgot to listen for the distinctive details which set Bellini's music apart from that of other famed composers of the bel canto era. One can never be unaware of Bellini's lengthy legato lines, so challenging to the singer. However, we are ashamed to admit that we got so wrapped up in the performance that we neglected to note the interesting dissonances pointed out so well at Will Crutchfield's compelling lecture which immediately preceded the performance.

Nonetheless, it was interesting to hear the unique dissonances Mr. Crutchfield illustrated at the piano and also interesting to learn how Bellini's harmonic inventiveness influenced Wagner, among others. We had never realized the importance of the semi-tones and appoggiature. Even Berlioz, initially unimpressed by Bellini, was won over by this opera

Well, Dear Reader, you already know that our heart lies with melody and of that we heard many, enough for the next few operas! As the hapless couple, one could not imagine better performers. Alina Tamborini created a moving Giulietta, torn between her love for Romeo and her loyalty to her unloving father, well portrayed by Michael Leyte-Vidal with all the right degree of arrogance and stubbornness coloring his substantial bass-baritone.

Ms. Tamborini's warm soprano was unfazed by Bellini's challenging fioritura and her duets with mezzo-soprano Stephanie Doche were the highlights of a wonderful evening. Were her performance any less impressive, we might have said that Ms. Doche stole the show. She caught every nuance that Bellini threw at her character and was dramatically convincing in the role. We are often disappointed in "pants roles" when the singer just doesn't have the masculine movements down right. There was enough swagger to Ms. Doche's walk that we forgot we were watching a woman.  Now that's art!

Baritone Kyle Oliver portrayed the resident physician of the house of the Capulets and created a sympathetic character. As Tebaldo, tenor Robert Kleinertz might have been miscast. As soon as he began to sing, we thought "What a sweet voice, what a great Tamino or Nemorino he might be". But Tebaldo is the villain of the piece and needed more snarl, more angry color. Unfortunately, pressing the voice for more volume is no substitute for coloration.

Although it is not necessary to describe in detail how the story differs from other tellings of the tale, it is necessary to note that the principle of rival factions is as important as the love story. We are moved to learn a bit about the Guelphs and the Ghibellines but it is not a stretch to consider the destructive divisiveness in our own culture at present. We just hope that some arrogant director won't decide to do the opera with such a reference.  Far better it is for the audience to make that connection.

As is usual with Teatro Nuovo, there is virtually no costuming, almost no stage furniture, and no sets. Instead, there are beautiful projections, fortunately not film, rather stills portraying Renaissance Italy, although looking nothing like the Verona of our memory. Whilst not exactly a concert version, there is almost no stage direction (although a stage director was listed in the program)  and the excellent chorus, dressed in suits, just stood around in a group. One got the impression that the singers worked things out for themselves. The tomb scene worked particularly well. 

The Teatro Nuovo Orchestra is always a pleasure to hear and was enthusiastically and stylishly conducted by Primo Violino Jakob Lehmann, who is a lot of fun to watch. Mr. Crutchfield was Maestro all Cembalo.The solos were superb, especially a clarinet solo (Maryse Legault) which reminded us how similar the clarinet is to the human voice, not only in term of sonority but also in terms of musicality.

Let us just make a quick mention of the excellent artists who sang in the pre-opera serenade, accompanied by Timothy Cheung.  We enjoyed soprano Elizabeth Novella and mezzo-sopranos Sedona Libero and Addie Rose Brown.  We loved the Stephen Foster duet performed by Abigail Rayford and Marcella Astore, although the English diction left something to be desired. The best part, however, was the concluding quartet performed by Zoe Rose Pallas, Jeremy Luis Lopez, Markos Simopoulos, and Owen Phillipson. The four voices were woven together in a fashion reminiscent of a string quartet. We couldn't help noticing that all of the exercises in Vaccai's book were utilized! No wonder all singers start with them!

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TRIPLE TREAT

 Markos Simopoulos, Andrew Allan Hiers, Lucas Levy, Santiago Ballerini, Chelsea Lehnea, and Ricardo José Rivera

A newly unearthed bel canto opera would have been sufficient cause for celebration. Preceding such a worthwhile offering with a thrilling recital of art songs by the composer of said opera, and a highly illuminating lecture/demonstration by Will Crutchfield made for a night of entertainment and education that has left us dizzy with excitement.

Let us begin with the final offering, the opera Anna di Resburgo by early 19th c. composer Carolina Uccelli, whose name seems to have been lost to operatic history because of  journalistic errors in the spelling of her name and the date of her premature demise. (We will be extra careful not to make any journalistic errors here.) Although there were women writing art songs at that time, a woman daring to write an opera was unheard of and roundly criticized; its acceptance was largely due to the support she received from Rossini and Mayr.

Her first opera, Saul, has been lost (although, who knows, Crutchfield might someday find it) but her second and last, Anna di Resburgo, premiered in Naples in 1835, unfortunately right on the heels of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, with which it shared a Scottish location and a mystical graveyard scene.

The story, based on clan rivalry, involves the unjust conviction of a nobleman for the death of his beloved father. The actual murderer was a rival nobleman whose son reaped the benefits of said murder and who was obliged to live with the knowledge of his father's crime, revealed at the father's deathbed. This role gives the baritone, Ricardo José Rivera, the role of a lifetime, that of a man who is forced to confront his conscience and alter fate. Mr. Rivera seized the role by the throat (keeping his own throat relaxed and open) and created a character for whom we could feel compassion. That his singing filled the Rose Theater with glorious sound seemed an added bonus.

Also fulfilling her role as the loyal wife of the fugitive accused murderer, soprano Chelsea Lehnea aroused our sympathy. With a huge and polished instrument, she fought for her husband and for her son, a boy she had left with a landowner (the fine tenor Lucas Levy) and his daughter (excellent soprano Elisse Albian, well remembered from Opera Lafayette). As a clever ruse to remain close to her son, she had herself hired by the landowner as his nursemaid. We might add that the child actor, Olivia Trinchera Citterio, performed excellently and, unlike so many child actors, did nothing to steal the show and everything to portray a good child who loved his caretakers.

In the role of the runaway nobleman we had tenor Santiago Ballerini. whose short physical stature was overcome by his large vocal stature. We particularly enjoyed the pianissimo passages that had us leaning forward in our seat.

Led by Primo Violino Elisa Citterio (Olivia's mother?) and by Maestro al Cembalo Lucy Tucker Yates, The Teatro Nuovo Orchestra was a pleasure to hear, as usual. The Teatro Nuovo Chorus, led by Derrick Goff, served admirably. Stage Direction by Marco Nisticò was basic and rather challenging since Ms. Lehnea is a full head taller than Mr. Ballerini which made for some awkwardness that may have had no creative solution. We realize that one is meant to ignore such issues but we cannot tell a lie. It looked uncomfortable for Ms. Lehnea.

And now let us move onto the first part of the evening, a recital of songs composed by Uccelli, songs of great musicality, charming melody, and textual variety, accompanied and narrated by pianist Timothy Cheung. Singers were all Resident and Studio Artists of Teatro Nuovo.  Soprano Francesca Federico opened with "Non invan su questa sponda" which she sang with clear pure tone and perfect vibrato. 

In "Si tu m'aimais", mezzo-soprano Liz Culpepper handled upward and downward leaps with aplomb and had a killer trill. Tenor Jeremy Brauner created quite a character in "Il menestrello" as a charming wandering minstrel, employing expressive and dynamic variety. In "Frena le belle lacrime" soprano Laura Nielsen was remarkable for some lovely melismatic passages and moved easily from legato scale passages to staccato passages with excellent accompaniment by Mr. Cheung.

In "La preghiera" tenor Juan Hernández evinced a sweet Italianate tone and got our admiration for the tender "money note", avoiding the temptation to force the sound. We do love duets and there was a very cute one for two women admiring a handsome young boatman. It was charmingly performed, and not just sung, by soprano Francesca Lionetta and mezzo-soprano Sedona Libero.

Tenor Ai Chaim Ra has an unusual instrument well suited to the lovelorn poet of "Il rimprovero". and used dynamic variation well. Mr. Cheung's accompaniment augmented the sorrowful mood. Baritone Robert Garner, whom we have long admired, ended the program with a drinking song entitled "Orgia", letting loose with unrestrained expansiveness. 

Following this superb song recital, Mr. Crutchfield enlightened the huge audience with his account of the composer, drawing attention to a number of her unusual musical inventions. We utilized his teachings to listen for the unusual patter song in Act II, and the flute solo accompanying the graveyard scene. We were able to identify the unusual walking bass line in the funeral march, as well as the manner in which the duet utilized the form of a canon to increase anxiety. These are details we might have overlooked since we tend to get wrapped up in the drama. 

The audience was ecstatic, hearing gorgeous and inventive music so well performed and we left wondering why The Metropolitan Opera wastes so much money and risks losing their audience by producing non-musical polemic operas when what people want is "blood and guts". Give us romance, betrayal, loyalty, murder, assassination! And, above all, give us melody!

© meche kroop

THE USES OF ENCHANTMENT

 

Emma Ritto, RJ Flud, Noelle Carlson, Maestro Keith Chambers, Director Sarah Beckham Turner, Morena Galan, Jessica DeGennaro, Brooklynn King, and Elizabeth Barsalou

People go to the opera for all kinds of reasons: some consider it an elegant social event, some go to hear famous stars, some go because they love the music.  Having come to opera from the world of theater, we find ourselves happiest when we see a good story amplified by music and brought to life by skilled artists. We love melody and feel alienated by prosy dialogue and non-melodic music. We find ourself favoring operas from the baroque period through the period of realismo with a special affection for bel canto.

Last night, thanks to Manhattan Opera Studio, we got to enjoy one of our favorite operas, Hänsel und Gretel composed by Engelbert Humperdinck and premiered in 1893, conducted by none other than Richard Strauss. Aside from a student production at Manhattan School of Music (with piano accompaniment) which we enjoyed and an overblown production at the Metropolitan Opera which we did not enjoy, Manhattan Opera Studio has been the major presenter of this charming and ultimately satisfying opera.

This is their third mounting of the opera and, in our opinion, the most successful.  For once, all the roles were well cast and the astute direction by Sarah Beckham Turner confirmed our opinion that opera singers make the best directors.. As usual, the conducting of the chamber orchestra by Maestro Keith Chambers was right on point and (perhaps because of the necessarily odd arrangement of the orchestra on the side of this long narrow hall at the National Opera Center) seemed to favor the winds.  We have no complaints on that situation. As a matter of fact, our only complaint of the evening was the projection of titles in an awkward rhyming translation that added nothing, since the story is well known and the singers' German was universally quite good.

We admit that our two prior reviews (available by entering Manhattan Opera Studio in the search bar of this website) were rather detailed on the story of this opera's composition and quite eloquent on the subject of fairytales and Bruno Bettelheim's psychological analysis thereof. We eschew self-plagiarizing and hope, Dear Reader, that you will take advantage of the search bar!

Let us instead focus on the very special performances of the young artists, all of whom we heard in recital recently. It was particularly revealing to see how well they handled their characterizations, abetted by costuming, cosmetics, and fine direction. Performing in a theatrical piece draws on many more talents than singing arias and duets in concert.

The lead roles were taken by mezzo-soprano Morena Galan as Hänsel and soprano Jessica DeGennaro as Gretel. Their voices harmonized beautifully and their interaction reflected an abiding affection as well as sibling rivalry and endearing gender based differences. Not every mezzo soprano is as convincing in a pants role as Ms. Galan and we found ourself touched by the brother-sister interaction.

Brooklynn King was equally convincing as their mother Getrud, portrayed as a basically decent person who was so concerned about the lack of food that she took it out on the children as anger at their laziness. Who hasn't seen a mother punishing her children for her own failures and guilt!

RJ Flud's Father Peter did an excellent job portraying a man drunk with success selling brooms-- and also by a  celebratory stop at the local tavern. Gertrud's hostility melts when she realizes that he has fulfilled his role as provider.

The Gingerbread Witch was brought to vividly wicked life by Noelle Carlson whose facial expressions and body movements went almost over the top. Riding a broom (one perhaps made by Peter?) brought to mind the origins of the myth of the broom-riding witches used to burn witches in the darker ages of Europe.

As the Sandman we saw Elizabeth Barsalou disguised beyond recognition with shaggy white beard and hair.  Emma Ritto made a fine Dew Fairy and injected some sly humor as she tried and tried to wake the sleeping children from their forest slumber. 

The chorus of angels dressed in white did double duty as the children who had been baked into gingerbread cookies by the witch. They comprised Abigail Hite, Tang Li, Lauren D'Ottavio, Andrea Sandor, Erin Hinds, and Abbey Engelmann. In a fine directorial touch, their blank stares melted when they received the human touch of Hänsel and Gretel.

Maestro Chamber's conducting elicited every melodic theme of the score and never neglected the Wagnerian harmonic touches.

In place of sets, there were a few storybook projections above the stage that helped to orient the setting without interfering with the action or storytelling.

Bettelheim's thesis in his book The Uses of Enchantment, posited that fairytales help children to work through their psychological struggles and fears.  Here we have a happy ending to the fear of parental abandonment. Perhaps our adult satisfaction with the opera suggests that adults may still be working through the same fear!

© meche kroop