TO THE SEA

 Nathan Romporti, Shiyu Zhuo, Anna Maria Vacca, Will Kim, and Luis Villarreal

We always look forward to the novel evenings of art song curated by Artistic Director of New York Festival of Song Steven Blier, who shares pianistic duties with Bénédicte Jourdois and Luis Villareal. Last night's theme was songs of the sea. We mention the pianists first because for the first half of last night's program at Merkin Hall, our attention was focused mainly on the accompaniment. This left us wondering. Did the Scandinavian composers write better for the piano than they did for the voice? Were the Scandinavian and Russian languages a bit of a stretch for the four singers?

In Rachmaninoff's "The Storm" we were captivated by Ms. Jourdois' passionate evocation of the turbulent storm, and in Tchaikovsky's "In the Garden" we were introduced to the fine musicianship of Mr. Villarreal who painted the verses in many colors.

Among the selection of songs in German, we greatly preferred the Brahms--"Die Meere", the melody and harmonies of which reminded us of Liebeslieder Walzer. Tenor Nathan Romporti and baritone Will Kim harmonized beautifully whilst Mr. Blier accompanied. Schubert has written so many songs about the sea and arguably "Auf dem See" may not be the best of them, but Mr. Blier is fond of introducing his audience to lesser known works.

Moving on to the Spanish language, Mr. Blier accompanied mezzo-soprano Anna Maria Vacca in the lovely "Mañanita de San Juan"  (from Jesus Guridi's Seis canciones castellanas)  with gentle dreamy figures in the piano. 

Mr. Romporti's tenor was particularly well suited to Reynaldo Hahn's "La barcheta" with its lovely melody and lulling barcarolle rhythm. And at this point in the concert, we realized what had been missing. We had been missing dramatic interpretation! Storytelling! Stock gestures bore us silly but when the body language interprets the text we feel involved. This Hahn song is very romantic and we felt it.

Pauline Viardot's "Havanaise" was given a winning performance by soprano Shiyu Zhuo, accompanied by Mr. Blier. This is a spirited strophic piece with increasing variety from one rendition of the simple folksy text to the next. The embellishments put Viardot firmly in the bel canto camp and Ms.Zuo rose to the occasion with stunning technique.

Adding to our delight was a performance of a duet from Pablo Sorozábal's zarzuela "La tabernera del Puerto"  by Ms. Zhuo and Mr. Romporti. The duet told a charming story of an importunate suitor and a rejecting woman. The two artists did a fine job of bringing the scene to life.

Three late-life songs by Rossini brought the evening to a delightful close.  We felt a bit disoriented listening to "La regatta veneziana", a duet charmingly sung by Ms. Zuo and Ms. Vacca. We are familiar with a three-song cycle by Rossini with the same title but the melody was different and the gondolier being cheered on was not Momolo but Tonio!  And it was sung in Italian, not Venetian dialect. It took some investigation but we got ourself straightened out. 

This song was a setting of text by Conte Carlo Pepoli and used a more bel canto style than the later folksy tripartite cycle. Conte Pepoli was a Bolognese aristocrat and poet who wrote the libretto for Bellini's I puritani. (If you have seen that opera, you may have decided that he was a better poet than librettist.) Like Verdi, Pepoli was active in the Italian nationalist movement. Rossini's cycle in Venetian dialect came later. We consider ourself enlightened and have decided that there is room in our heart for both!

As usual, the audience demanded an encore and our four excellent singers delivered with a fine arrangement of "Moon River", written in 1962 by Henry Mancini with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. Audrey Hepburn sang it in the film Breakfast at Tiffany's. Here's a fun fact Dear Reader. The studio wanted to cut the song but Ms. Hepburn fought to have it left in.  For complete transparency, although we write every phrase by ourself, we are not above consulting AI for fun facts like the aforementioned!

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LAS MALDICIONES

 Soprano Sasha Gutiérrez, Maestro Jorge Parodi, members of the Arya String Quartet, and Rodolfo Zanetti

National Sawdust seemed just the right venue for the premiere of Rodolfo Zanetti's song cycle. The stage is shallow and wide and the seating arrangement permits everyone to have clear visual access to the performers. One would not want to have missed the intense expressiveness of soprano Sasha Gutiérrez, nor the interesting fingering of Mr. Zanetti's bandoneon. The four lovely ladies of the Arya String Quartet provided visual interest and we enjoyed being able to distinguish who was doing the bowing and who was doing the plucking in Mr. Zanetti's interesting score. Furthermore, Maestro Jorge Parodi eschewed the baton in favor of eloquent hands, each finger expressing a mood or color or emphasis. We thought of these fingers as a corps de ballet, sometimes performing in unison and at other times, with one standing out as soloist. What an interesting performance!

Produced by Opera Hispanica, in collaboration with New York City Opera, Las Maldiciones comprises fifteen sections. With only a couple sections as solely instrumental, the voice of Ms. Gutiérrez carried the evening. And what a voice that is! We have enjoyed her performances for several years and can only say that her artistry has grown with time.

Addressing the work as a whole, we were reminded of Schubert's Winterreise in that the theme is a monochromatic one. Winterreise is all about grief whereas  Las Maldiciones is about rage. Both are about suffering. In the Schubert, the suffering is turned inward. In the Zanetti, the suffering is turned against the cause of the suffering, presumably a man who has disappointed the singer romantically. 

However there is a major difference that has resulted in the enduring popularity of the Schubert. Schubert told a story in which the words paint a picture that we can create in our mind's eye. Every song is different. Each of his twenty-four songs has a memorable melody and a varied piano part. Two centuries later, a male singer of reputation will consider the work a challenging summit to be climbed, a capstone to a career, an attempt to create 24 shades of grief. Schubert accomplished this through two artists, a singer and a piano.

By contrast, in the Zanetti cycle, our ears did not pick up 24 shades of rage not even 15 in spite of the fact that the four members of the string quartet gave full expression to the written parts and that the composer's bandoneon produced some fascinating sounds. The members of the Arya String Quartet (violinists Melisa Atoyan and Rebecca Racusin, violist Laura Sahin, and cellist Molly Von Gutzeit) alternated in legato and staccato parts, lending aural interest alongside Mr. Zanetti's bandoneon.

However the text was devoid of variety and it was only through the artistry of Ms. Gutiérrez, both her facial expression and vocal coloration, that we perceived enough variety to hold our interest.  We couldn't help wondering what Mr. Zanetti had in mind when he wrote the text. In the 12th section, "Maldición Cuarta", we were enchanted by the musicality of the Spanish text and musical phrasing that put it way above the other sections. We found ourselves waiting for some transformation of the heroine. She found peace through rage? Perhaps there is something within Latin American culture that we missed but we didn't feel any growth or transformation.

That being said, we were glad we experienced it due to the excellent performances. However we are still waiting for a contemporary work that will take our breath away, one that tells a story by means of melody and linguistic beauty. We have a feeling that it will probably be in the Spanish language.

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AN AUTHENTIC SUOR ANGELICA

 Vita Koreneva and Rachel Hippert

Perhaps the most accurate phrase to express our opinion of Regina Opera's production of Puccini's Suor Angelica would be "well worth the trip". Admittedly it is a long way from Manhattan but where else can a hard core opera lover go to see a production that makes sense by virtue of faithfulness to time and place. We are sick and tired of productions that are shoehorned into some narcissistic director's "concept"!

Suor Angelica is imbued with the values of late 19th - early 20th century Italy. Girls who got pregnant were considered a shame upon their families' reputation and were consigned to the convent as punishment for their sins. Nowadays in the United States, single women who want a child barely think twice about deliberately achieving the state of motherhood. The opera does not translate well. 

Here we have Director Helen Van Tine not only giving us the real McCoy but also appending an original moment that touched us deeply, even though we are of a pagan nature. We hesitate to tell you about it because we would like you, Dear Reader, to attend one of the several upcoming performances and experience the moment for yourself. It must be said that singers make the best directors and in a perfect world we would banish all the self-important directors and send them back to Europe or Hollywood or wherever they came from.

So now that you know how highly we regard Regina Opera, let us tell you some specifics. The opera has been cast with a rotating cast of talented young singers, all of whom threw themselves into their roles with enthusiastic intent. The cast we saw at the dress rehearsal included soprano Rachel Hippert as the eponymous Suor Angelica and mezzo-soprano Vita Koreneva as La Principessa. The latter was of particular interest because, by subtle gestures, she permitted us to see a more well rounded character than we have previously seen.

We have been primed by prior productions to hate this woman who has banished her niece to a convent and only visited her after years of neglect. But what Ms. Koroneva showed us was a woman who was obliged to hide her sorrow out of duty to her aristocratic family and society. As she leaves the convent with the legal papers she brought for Angelica's signature, you could see her ambivalence in her glance and posture. We felt sorry for the character who must ensure the successful marriage of her other niece. This evoked the same feelings in us as when Germont Père in Verdi's La Traviata is well portrayed so that we can experience his softer side.  Now that's artistry!

Ms. Hippert also demonstrated the anguish of her character in "Senza Mamma" --the conflict between wanting to join her son in heaven and the guilt experienced by wanting to take her own life. We were allowed to experience her ambivalence without judging. This made the ending very satisfying. We confess that we were so taken with the storytelling aspect that we focused less on the voices, only remembering that all of the voices were better than adequate for their roles. This is an ensemble opera with a large cast all of whom were fine.. Due to the costuming it was difficult to tell the roles apart except for Sister Genovieffa who sang of missing the lambs that she used to tend; Margaux Frohlich made an impression with a very sweetly colored soprano.

There wasn't much opportunity for originality in the costuming but Marcia C. Kresge did well by La Principessa, giving the character a very believable regal Italianate appearance.

An English language translation of Giovacchino Forzano's libretto was projected very legibly and without glitch so we would like to commend Linda Cantoni.

Maestro Scott Jackson Wiley conducted his fine orchestra with sensitivity and subtlety, never overpowering the voices. In an unusual move, instead of filling out the evening with one or both of the other operas in Puccini's Il Trittico, Mo. Wiley programmed two concerti, each featuring a member of the orchestra. We enjoyed Nathan McKinstry's trumpet in a Haydn Concerto and. Anna Lien in a Harp concerto by Händel.  This programming decision allowed the full impact of the opera to sink in without the distraction of the violent Il Tabarro or the humorous Gianni Schicchi.

Before ending, we would like to share a bit of information that we never knew until we researched it. One of the earliest performances of Suor Angelica took place in the Tuscan convent to which Puccini's sister belonged. He played the score on the piano and sang all the roles himself; it was reported that all the nuns wept. Perhaps you will weep too when you see it...and we truly hope that you do. All subsequent performances will take place at 3:00PM this weekend and next.  Don't miss it!

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LONDON COMPETITION FINALS

Korin Thomas-Smith, Nicholas Newton, Trevor Haumschilt-Rocha, John Arida, John H. Hauser, Tiffany  Choe, Adia Evans, and Anna Thompson

The George and Nora London Foundation Competition is one we look forward to every year. We get to see a group of talented young singers, many of whom are new to us.  We may become fans of theirs and follow their careers with great pleasure. We still remember the year that Nadine Sierra won; we recall having a delightful conversation with her whilst waiting for the judges to do their thing. We called her "the diva next door" in our review. Her star has risen!

This year, we were again on the outlook for a winning performance and we witnessed a few. First among them was that of soprano Tiffany Choe whose performance of "Senza mamma" from Puccini's Suor Angelica brought tears to our eyes. We don't recall ever being so moved by this aria in spite of at least a dozen hearings. When a performance is this powerful we forget to note the phrasing, the diction, the resonance, or any other technical details. The most important aspect of a vocal performance, in our opinion, is the communication of the intent of the composer and the meaning of the text.

Contrasting with that tragic offering was the comedy of "Come un ape ne giorni d'Aprile" from Rossini's La Cenerentola. In this aria, the Prince and his servant Dandini have exchanged roles and Dandini is very much overplaying the role of a prince and having the time of his life. Baritone Korin Thomas-Smith has great stage presence and was clearly enjoying himself which allows us, as members of the audienc, to enjoy along with him.  His connection with the character was equivalent to that of the lovely Ms. Choe.

In Rachmaninoff's opera Aleko, the eponymous "hero" sings a cavatina in which he engages in a bit of introspection before murdering his unfaithful wife and her lover. Although we have never seen the opera, we have heard one of our favorite young singers perform this aria on a few occasions, giving us the opportunity to appreciate the performance of Nicholas Newton, whose textured bass-baritone and tortured demeanor connected us to the character and held our interest. John Arida's piano introduction established an air of portent.

In Strauss' comedy Ariadne auf Naxos, Ariadne delivers the very serious aria "Es gibt ein Reich" in contrast with some rather comical elements occurring simultaneously. Soprano Adia Evans employed an imposing stage presence and powerful instrument to create a formidable character.

Soprano Anna Thompson created a lovely Thaïs in "Dis-moi que je suis belle" from the Massenet opera but we wanted her to reveal more of the character's vanity and insecurity. The listener should not be reminded of Marguerite in Gounod's Faust who is also looking in the mirror!

Lately we have been hearing a lot of "Mein Sehnen, mein Wähnen" and actually had the opportunity to coach it. We found nothing missing in the vocalism of baritone Trevor Haumschilt-Rocha but we missed the feeling of nostalgic reminiscing which could best be conveyed with the eyes.  We did like the pianissimo ending.

Mezzo Grace Ryan exhibited some lovely colors in the lower register in her performance of "Sgombra è la sacra selva" from Bellini's Norma. However, we longed to hear a bit of Adalgisa's ambivalence and guilt.

Tenor Matthew Sink gave a full-throated and powerful performance of "Mein lieber Schwan" from Wagner's Lohengrin. His delivery would benefit from the replacement of stock gestures with some more specific movement and expression.

Jennifer Robinson has a lovely instrument, well suited to coloratura roles like Amina in La Sonnambula; we found her "Care compagne" appealing. The contrast between Bellini's lengthy legato lines and the vocal fireworks of the cabaletta was well executed.

We are completely unfamiliar with Danielpour's Margaret Garner, so when mezzo-soprano Maiya Williams sang "Margaret's Lullaby" we had nothing to base our opinion on. In spite of some lovely pianissimi and gentle coloring, we were not tempted to hear any more of this opera. We were, however, interested in reading about it and it seems to have a compelling story about the African-American slave experience. But given the choice we would prefer the lullaby "Summertime" from Gershwin's Porgy and Bess. Opera of the 21st century has not delighted our ears.

Much credit for the success of the program must be given to collaborative pianist John Arida whose playing is always in support of the singer.

Before ending we would like to express a few thoughts. Moving the competition from the Morgan Library to Merkin Hall enhanced the intimacy of the event. However, we do not like the idea of giving large awards to half the competitors and small encouragement grants to the rest. It reminds me of the Laffont Competition at The Metropolitan Opera. We would prefer a more traditional approach, one more graduated.

And finally, we will likely expose ourself to criticism on this point but we would like to see female competitors dress down a bit. Bare skin, exposed breasts, long slits in the skirts, spangles, and glitter all distract from the performance. Male competitors don't have to deal with this issue and we find it much easier to focus on the voice. 

We close with fond memories of Nora London whose gracious and welcoming manner cannot be duplicated. That being said we are grateful to John H. Hauser, President and Executive Director of the Foundation, for keeping the torch lit and fulfilling the mission of supporting young opera singers in their uphill climb to success.

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CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH WITH JOSEPH PARRISH

 Joseph Parrish, Baritone

Neither snow nor frigid temperatures could dissuade us from attending a brilliant recital at Baruch Performing Art Center, featuring the notable artist Joseph Parrish who, on this occasion, was accompanied by the fine collaborative pianist Amir Farid. Apparently there were a lot of people who felt the same way. We couldn't help wondering how many knew of his artistry from the many competitions he has won, how many from the various recitals he has given around town, how many from his year with Young Concert Artists (not known for honoring singers),  how many from his regular appearances with Festival of Song, or from his appearances with orchestras.

Although Mr. Parrish's star has been on the rise for the past four years, we remember him from his time at Juilliard Vocal Arts Department. There are just a few singers whose innate gifts appear very early in their careers and mark them for stardom. Some of those will develop those gifts and achieve fame, like Mr. Parrish. Others catch fire and burn out for diverse reasons and are forgotten. If you, Dear Reader, are curious about how his artistry struck us over the past few years, we invite you to enter his name in the search bar which will lead you to at least a dozen reviews.

This gifted young man could captivate us singing the proverbial phone book, if one could still find that relic of years gone by. He has introduced us to music we didn't expect to like and to composers we had not heard of before.  He leads. We follow. Even Russian arias have been relieved of their ponderous aspect by means of his prodigious artistry.

The concert he just gave at Baruch PAC was as enlightening as it was entertaining. The program was performed in sections with the songs in each segment belonging to certain categories:  setting of work songs of the period of enslavement, love songs, art songs, spirituals, and songs of hope.

What always strikes us about Mr. Parrish's performance is his ability to engage the audience. We are not the only one who willingly follows where he leads. One experiences the drama of the poet's text and the emotions of the composer's music with Mr. Parrish serving as a self-effacing channel. The engaging personality he shows when addressing the audience takes a back seat as soon as the music begins and the storytelling takes over. Gestures are economical, motivated, and meaningful. Vocal coloration lends meaning to every word. It all seems organic but is probably the consequence of diligent preparation.

As much as we enjoyed the art songs of the early 20th century and those of the Harlem Renaissance, what we particularly enjoyed was the set of work songs that opened the program. Mr. Parrish created art out of these songs by means of dynamic variation and word coloration; another "technique" he employed was emphasis on the consonants. Somehow, this delivery went straight to the gut, especially in the opening song "Water Boy" which was set by Avery Robinson. Hall Johnson's setting of Langston Hughes text "Dusty Road" was marked by a chord sequence in the piano that reminded us of gospel music (about which we will have more to say later). "A Corn Song", Harry T. Burleigh's setting of text by Paul Laurence Dunbar, ended with a finely spun out pianissimo.

Personally we prefer music that touches the heart to songs that are text based. We heard some songs with a political message and some with jazz-inflected piano accompaniment. We heard some romantic songs by Burleigh that we have heard Mr. Parrish sing on prior occasions; the texts by James Weldon Johnson. were replete with turn of the 20th century tenderness toward women. (Just contrasting that with the aggressive hostility of today's rap music causes us pain and produces nostalgia for times gone by.)

Although we have no interest in religion, we were deeply touched by the set of spirituals. We attribute this to the artist's deeply felt religious conviction, having come from a line of pastors. Moses Hogan's setting of "Were You There" gave Mr. Parrish the opportunity to color the word "tremble" in multiple ways that filled us with awe. We were similarly affected by Hall Johnson's "City Called Heaven" when Mr. Parrish sang "I am a pilgrim of sorrow". Even now, a day after the concert, we are feeling pangs in our chest. We were grateful for the rhythmic relief of a foot-stomping rendition of "You Can Tell the World" by Margaret Bonds which ended with a full-throated powerful note.

The program ended on an optimistic note with Damien Sneed's setting of Langston Hughes' "I Dream a World".   The program was scarcely more than an hour and we hoped Mr. Parrish would accompany himself on the piano, as he often does, for a final parting song but this was not on the menu. Nonetheless, we left satisfied and inspired to learn about the Harlem Renaissance which was never discussed in our history classes! Apparently, it ended with the Great Depression but paved the way for the Civil Rights Movement. How thrilling that a program of music so artfully delivered would stimulate some learning. Opening doors is what it's all about!

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AN EVENING OF DISCOVERY

 Kaya Gür, Caitlin Marshall, Chaehwan Lee, and Olympia Nelson

We are always delighted to be invited to Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo to learn more about Italian culture, especially when it involves music. The program we recently enjoyed there was entitled "Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, a Portrait in Words and Music". We were immediately intrigued since we haven't heard much about this renowned composer in quite some time. We were then working as a radio announcer for a program called "Voice, Piano, and Strings" and recall consulting the NBC Handbook of Pronunciation because we were unsure how to pronounce his name!

Our evening at Casa Italiana renewed our interest in this composer whose interesting heritage and illustrious career were described by one of his descendants, the lovely Federica Zagatti Wolf-Ferrari who is now a stage director based in Venice. We will focus here on the music but we urge you, Dear Reader, to read the life story of this major figure whose career overlaps that of Giacomo Puccini--late 19th and early 20th century.  Given his mixed parentage, it comes as no surprise that both  influences are reflected in his music, which has a firm Teutonic structure and charming Italianate melodies. 

This rewarding program was brought to us by the Lunigiana international Music Festival which takes place in July; detailed information can be found on their website--www.lunigianamusicfestival.com. They have chosen to honor the composer on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of his birth. 

We enjoyed hearing  the Menuetto from a work he wrote for string quartet and a movement of a piano quintet performed by pianist Jasmine Ogiste and the four string players pictured above, comprising violinists Kaya Gür and Caitlin Marshall, violist Olympia Nelson, and cellist Chaehwan Lee.  One coudn't help but admire the variations of mood, key modulations, and enchanting shifts of string technique. We also heard one of his Three  Impromptus performed by pianist Cameron Pieper.

We felt as if we rushed through a tasting buffet and wanted to return to enjoy a  more leisurely sit down dinner. We wondered why his works have not recently received greater exposure in New York City. We particularly wondered when we heard some of his vocal music, performed by soprano Federica Venturi accompanied by Mr. Pieper. Ms. Venturi was a winner in the voice competition at the Lunigiana Music Festival and has a lovely Italianate style and most expressive face. Sadly, her performance was hampered by the detestable presence of a music stand which hampered her gestures and audience rapport.

Nonetheless, we felt particular interest in the composer's operas and wondered why we have never seen any staged. Among the arias we heard were selections from Le Donne curiose and Il Segretto di Susanna. Although Sig.ra Wolf-Ferrari illustrated her talk with projections, the translation of the libretti of the arias would have been similarly welcomed.

We decided it is high time for a revival of Wolf-Ferrari's music and hope that some New York musical institutions will heed the call!

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MA NON! THE MUSICAL!

Emma Grimsley and Matt Dengler

(Photo by Andrew Boyle)

You are unlikely to see a show this compelling on Broadway, which is where it belongs.  Unfortunately, no composer alive today is writing music that can touch the quality of the late 19th century composer Jules Massenet and it is his music that compelled us to brave the frigid temperatures and slushy icy streets of Brooklyn to see an original reinterpretation of Massenet's Manon, presented by Heartbeat Opera.  And so should you, if you would enjoy an entertaining evening that has one foot in opera and another foot in musical theater.

We have often written that Broadway is to contemporary audiences what opera was to that of the 19th century. We have enumerated Broadway musicals that we held in the same high esteem as opera--many of which were written by the late great Stephen Sondheim. Just as not all operas of years gone by have survived, so not all musicals of the 20th and 21st century will pass the test of time. Consequently, there need be no explanations, apologies, or categorization. A good show is a good show.

However, the triad of good storytelling, good music, and good voices must be met. The feature that removes Broadway shows from our consideration is the damage that electronics have done to our appreciation of the human voice. Performed in an opera house without amplification, A Little Night Music and Sweeney Todd are both operas, as are several more we could name.

This is the reason that we responded to Heartbeat Opera's hybrid production of Massenet's Manon with less enthusiasm than the rest of the audience. The storytelling was compelling, the drama was intense, the performers were appealing, and the reduction of the score absolutely brilliant. If some of the voices were a shade less than stunning we could not honestly say, such was the electronic sound design. Voices were sometimes a touch too loud or almost inaudible. The subtle changes of color and vibrato were lost. Enunciation was often lazy. We longed for titles.

We wondered why the decision was made to provide an English libretto but no titles. The verses were translated from the original French of Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille into colloquial English with more of an emphasis on rhyming than on poetry. Supplementary dialogue was of a colloquial nature.  We did miss the beautiful marriage of the French language with Massenet's vocal line, as did our guest who is an opera singer and a Francophone. As noted, performing in English does not obviate the need for titles.

The storytelling hews rather closely to that of Meilhac and Gille and tells the story of a young woman who is not satisfied with the limited roles available to women of that epoch. She is high-spirited and rebellious and not quite resigned to conventional marriage or convent life. She is torn between her love for the Chevalier de Grieux and the life of luxury available to courtesans. She exhibits the qualities of a sociopath, manipulating her lover and her "sponsor" Guillot. She comes to a bad end. The women of the audience get to enjoy identifying with her power over men whilst criticizing her immorality. She is indeed a tragic figure but we were unable to shed a tear for her, although we have shed many for Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata.

Emma Grimsley played the role to the hilt and is just young enough and pretty enough to be believable. (We might add that we reviewed Ms. Grimsley a decade ago in the leading role of Jerome Kern's Sally produced by Light Opera of New York. Her voice was scintillating and needed no amplification.) Her foolishly adoring lover was given a fine interpretation by Matt Dengler. Her wealthy "sponsor" was convincingly portrayed by Glenn Seven Allen. The cousin Lescaut who pimps her out was similarly effectively enacted by Jamari Darling.  Justin Lee Miller made a fine Count des Grieux.

For this abridged version of scarcely more than an hour and a half, roles were eliminated and cast members did double duty in minor roles. Not at all minor were a pair of "fallen women" (there were three in the original). Their roles were much expanded and provided lots of comic relief. Pousette was played by Kathryn McCreary and Natalie Walker performed the part of Javotte.

The new English book and lyrics are credited to Jacob Ashworth and Rory Pelsue who also provided the excellent direction. Scenic Designer Alexander Woodward did much with little--Manon's trunks from Act I became a bed and "la petite table" of Act II. Impressive crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling of the spacious playing area of The Space at Irondale. Period appropriate costuming by David Mitsch worked well.

We have saved the best for last. Daniel Schlossberg conducted his own arrangement from the keyboard-- a chamber orchestra comprising violin, cello, bass, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, and harp. The colors were glorious and did justice to Massenet's composition. We have no complaints about the score and don't think Massenet would have objected to the co-opting of his composition.

We cannot say we were thrilled to the core but we are glad that we didn't leave clutching our proverbial pearls and we feel confident in recommending the production for a fine evening's entertainment. We are left wondering whether any audience members will be tempted to see the opera from which this was derived, sung in an opera house with unamplified voices.

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