MASTER(FUL) VOICES

Soprano Mikaela Bennett, Maestro Ted Sperling, and Baritone Justin Austin

The MasterVoices Chorus and the Orchestra of Saint Luke's

(Photo by Erin Baiano)

It was an unusual evening and one that was very well received by a huge crowd of fans filling up Alice Tully Hall.  Recent renovations put a pipe organ on display with Orchestra of St. Luke's organist Matthew Lewis having the time of his life.  Other members of OSL included a sole violin among a generous string section, and winds comprising a pair of bassoons, a pair of horns, a pair of percussionists and (our favorite) an angelic harp.

Our overall impression of Fauré's Requiem in D Minor is that it is a kinder gentler work than other requiems we have heard. The "wrath of God" and dire warnings are absent and it seems more a lullaby sending the departed off to a restful repose. It was indeed performed at Fauré's death and we hope he is enjoying a richly deserved peaceful sleep!

The composer began work on the piece in 1888 and revised it several times until 1900. We lack the knowledge to identify which version we heard but it was a satisfying one with the massive voices of MasterVoices singing the seven movements, ending with Fauré's unique "In Paradisum" sending the departed one off to paradise. The orchestration gave lots of attention to the horns which blared in as stentorian fashion as trumpets. However, we were most taken with the harp, played by the appropriately named Grace Paradise!

Strangely, Fauré gave the vocal soloists little to do and, since we are great fans of soprano Mikaela Bennett and baritone Justin Austin, we felt a bit disappointed to see them sitting there for a half hour with only small parts.

The second piece on the program made up for that, giving the two artists some interesting and challenging texts which were unfortunately amplified to the point of muddying the clever words. Far be it from us to sit and read from the program during a performance; we wished that titles had been projected. Upon returning home we read the libretto and realized what we had missed.

Maestro Ted Sperling came up with the incredibly clever idea for Seven: a Cycle of Sins,  putting the seven deadly sins up for grabs, so to speak, allowing a herd of contemporary composers to "choose their own sin". Each one contributed something in his own voice. Most notable (if only because we were very recently introduced to his music) was the "Envy" of Jason Robert Brown. Voices overlapped in a manner reminiscent of Stephen Sondheim. Mr. Brown's comments pointedly referred to his failure to achieve entrance into Juilliard and he did so in the wittiest fashion.

On the other hand Ted Hearne's gloss on "Greed" employed a boring political text relating to the Occupy Movement. This reminded us of the contemporary operas we dismiss as polemic.

Michael Abels illustrated "Lust" with a brief recreation of lovemaking sounds culminating in orgasm. This was so direct that it may well have achieved the status of audience favorite. "Love to Love You Baby", recorded by Donna Summer and released in 1975, accomplished great popularity but was banned by several radio stations. Apparently "classical music" performed in a concert hall can get away with things that popular recordings cannot.

The superb composer Gregory Spears took the easy way out and illustrated the sin of "Vanity" with a lengthy quote from Ecclesiastes. Heather Christian's take on "Wrath" used similarly wordy text.

Composer/lyricist team of William C. Banfield and Michael R. Jackson got philosophical about politics in "Sloth", perhaps a too heavy a burden with its wordy unsingable argument. The team of Will Aronson and Dolan Morgan undertook to illustrate "Gluttony" by an argument between "Everything in the World" and "People", another wordy discussion.

There is an eighth deadly sin folks, and no one ever speaks about it. That is the sin of "Acedia"--apathy and despondency--whih seems to be afflicting our culture today. Who wants to write a song about it?

You may have gathered by now, Dear Reader, that we vote for "Lust". It was short, sweet, and direct. Lyrics that are wordy and deep, in our opinion, belong on the printed page. 

That being said, Sterling's idea was an interesting one; giving composers carte blanche led to some curious offerings. When someone brings up The Seven Deadly Sins, we will no longer be thinking of the Kurt Weill opera/ballet but we will be thinking of Sterling's commission. Will it be performed again? Will it become part of the vocal canon? What do you think Dear Reader?

© meche kroop

 

NAUBURG HONORS ERIN WAGNER AND VICE-VERSA

Maureen Zoltek and Erin Wagner

Having won the Naumburg Vocal Award in 2021, the impressive mezzo-soprano Erin Wagner presented a stunning recital at Manhattan School of Music, from which she received her BM in 2019. She was accompanied by the equally impressive collaborative pianist Maureen Zoltek who received her DMA from the same institution in 2013. The two artists did credit to their alma mater and to the Naumburg Foundation.

The recital was a very personal one. Ms. Wagner has strong tastes about what she wants to present and how she does so. She opened the program with Hugo Wolf's 1888 setting of the Mignon Lieder, taken from Goethe's Wilhelm Meisters Leehrjahre. We are mostly familiar with the setting by Schubert and it was a challenge to wipe those easy Schubertian melodies from our brain and open our ear to the more difficult harmonies of Wolf. Will we ever be able to really hear the settings by Schumann and Tchaikovsky? The text is so compelling that it is a wonder that more composers have not made the attempt but we are glad of it.  In perfect German and with deep emotion, Ms. Wagner brought this sad tale to vivid life.

Next on the program was a contemporary work, a setting of text of Larry Eigner by David Clay Metten. In the program notes, Ms. Wagner described her connection with both poet and composer and the personal involvement was clear. Nonetheless, we found nothing in the text or vocal line to relate to and shifted our attention to the piano. Ms. Zoltek is a remarkable pianist and tackled the challenging and varied piano part with relish. We might add that her erect posture and graceful arms added to our fascination.

The first half of the program jumped from the 19th century to the 21st but the second half brought us to the 20th century with a late life composition by Francis Poulenc, one that we always enjoy hearing--the intensely dramatic "La dame de Monte Carlo" which gave Ms. Wagner an opportunity to let out all the stops dramatically, creating a character and telling her story in as fine a French as one could wish for.

The program concluded with Samuel Barber's Hermit Songs of 1953. This collection of ten songs represents texts casually inscribed by medieval monks. And what a collection it is!  Some of the texts are sacred ("St. Ita's Vision", "The Praises of God", "The Crucifixion") and some are profane ("Promiscuity") and some are just charming and worldly  ("The Monk and His Cat"). It seems likely that the authors of the text were different men with different moods and Ms. Wagner gave each writer his due.

The audience demanded an encore and we got one--"Sure on this Shining Night", a Barber setting of text by James Agee.

We have been writing about Ms. Wagner for at least six years and have witnessed her winning one competition after another. She continues to surprise us and we are willing to follow where she leads. We have said nothing this time about her vocal and linguistic strengths but they are legendary. If you wish to appreciate her growth as an artist, we urge you to enter her name in the search bar so you can catch up.

© meche kroop

A VISIT FROM THE PEABODY INSTITUTE

Holden Turner, Laurie Rogers, Cierra Byrd, Julie Knott, Daniel LaRue, Rira Kim, and Sara Nealley

Perhaps every other opera lover in New York City spent the afternoon at The Metropolitan Opera undergoing the tense atmosphere of the Laffont Competition. Meanwhile we were enjoying a relaxed and rewarding afternoon up close and personal in the WQXR recording studio downtown hearing six superb young singers from the Vocal Studies Department at Peabody Conservatory.

With typical New York City chauvinism, we had hardly realized that a superb vocal training program might exist outside of Gotham until The Gerda Lissner Foundation began sponsoring a series of broadcasts about which we have been writing this year, a series hosted by the well known Midge Woolsey. Introducing and narrating the program was Elizabeth Futral who, incidentally, won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Competition (now called the Laffont Competition) in 1991, went on to enjoy a brilliant career, and now occupies the position of Marc C. Von May Distinguished Chair of Vocal Studies at Peabody Institute.

The six young singers made a fine showing, doing credit to the program. They chose their selections well, each one highlighting his/her own strengths. No criticism could be made of their vocalism and we were able to focus on their dramatic presentations which were consistently special.

Coming to mind first was the Rosina of mezzo-soprano Julie Knott who took us right into the scene in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia in which she plots to outwit her controlling possessive guardian. The lavish embellishments in"Una voce poco fa" served to limn her character and we were delighted by the performance. Ms.Knott is also capable of quietude and underplaying as she demonstrated in the soulful mystic chant of Hildegard von Bingen, performed a cappella. Her dynamic variation kept the simple line interesting. 

Soprano Rira Kim made a marvelous Marguerite, so impressed by the cask of jewels she received from Faust in "Ah, je ris" from Gounod's Faust. We also enjoyed a Korean folk song "Baetoolga" in a contemporary setting by Jean Ahn.

Mezzo-soprano Cierra Byrd is as adept in French as she is in German, giving Fauré's "Après un rěve" a lovely long Gallic line and giving Mahler's chipper folksong "Wer hat dies Liedlein" the requisite humor, even in the vocalise part.

Soprano Sara Nealley tackled some difficult material. If one were unfamiliar with James Joyce's text, one would have a difficult time understanding Barber' setting of "Nuvoletta" and the soprano range doesn't help to elucidate the text. Her other selection was an emotional aria from Janáček's Katya Kabanova, a tragedy about an unhappy wife who drowns herself after an episode of unfaithfulness. We are not familiar with the Czech language but we did pick up on the loneliness.

Tenor Daniel LaRue gave a fine performance of Schubert's masterful lied "Erlkonig", differentiating the voices of the frightened child, the seductive elf king, and the father who tries to reassure the child.

Baritone Holden Turner was convincing as the self important Count Almaviva in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro.  He is completely baffled by the machinations of Figaro, Susanna and the Countess in "Hai già vinta la cause" and plots his revenge.

Accompanist for the recital was Laurie Rogers who admirably kept up with the many changes of style.

Before closing, here's a reminder for you that The Gerda Lissner Foundation is celebrating the winners of their annual competition on April 29th at Zankel Hall. Ticket supply is dwindling and we urge you to move quickly to secure a seat for this consistently thrilling event.

© meche kroop

 

ESTER LIBERATRICE

Salvo Vitale and Jessica Gould

(photo by Harold Levine)

March 8, 2026 by Guest Reviewer Joan Greenberg

Ester Liberatrice Del Popolo Ebreo

An Oratorio composed  by Italian Composer Alessandro Stradella, with a libretto by Lelio Orsini (1673)

Let us not bury the lead.  Salon Sanctuary Concerts delivered!

Founded in 2009, its stated mission is to  “present special projects that view history through the prism of music which endeavor to encourage understanding among people of different faiths through the performance of sacred repertoire in houses of worship open to all.”

The world needs more Esters and more wonderful concerts like the one delivered last Sunday at the Museum at Eldridge Street located on the lower East Side of New York City. The audience included adults and children and the sanctuary level was filled to capacity.

The musicians and singers were all stellar…. Not only the principals, but the chorus as well with strong harmonies and effective presentation. We believed that they were all distraught townspeople terrified of looming genocide.

It was a lovely surprise that Stradella’s  treatment of an oft told Purim story felt new and inviting, even though the composition created and the libretto written in the 17th Century.

Presumably because the venue did not have the ability to project supertitles above or adjacent to the stage [or display  “Met Titles” on the back of audience seats]  English translation sheets of the lyrics were available to audience members who were not fluent in Italian. We indeed found the translations by Martin Morell and Jessica Gould extremely  helpful.

Even the building came through.  The acoustics were  music friendly with not a hint of synthetic reverberation or amplification in the air, and the human and non-human musical instruments blended and enhanced each other.  

It should be noted that the museum is housed in the historic Eldridge Street Synagogue, built circa 1887. The building is one of the oldest (if not the oldest) synagogues in the United States. After twenty years and approximately twenty million dollars, it was beautifully restored, to be a religious sanctuary (as opposed to a theatre or an opera house).   We mention this to point out two unique viewing factors:   (i) the musicians (and their beautiful Baroque instruments) were staged front and center at eye level with the audience and immediately below the pulpit; and (ii) except for the balcony and center aisle seats, there were some viewing challenges.  On the other hand, the limited performance space resulted in some creative staging in that heretofore mentioned center aisle, to which some had much better views than others. So, that could be something to try to improve on in the future.

It was a lovely surprise that Stradella treatment of an oft told Purim story felt new and inviting, even though composition created and the libretto written in the 17^th Century.

Whilst the concert clearly felt collaborative, some performers had more screen time, so to speak, which we would like to highlight.

Jessica Gould’s Ester,  through her intensity of voice and emotional actions, brought us along on Ester’s journey from fear, to responsibility, and most critical to her ultimate actions, bravery.  There was something electric watching and hearing her go from frightened to formidable.

We have been fortunate to have experienced the vocal clarity and range  of Mezzo-Soprano Kinneret Ely before. Consistent with her past performances Ms. Ely’s commitment to  character was front and center.  Therefore, we should not have been surprised  with her ability to make us believe, that she was Mardocheo, a prominent male figure in the biblical Book of Ester and capable of thwarting Haman’s evil plot. The character is pivotal in motivating Ester to take the action that makes the story of Ester inspiring….. and (coincidentally?) appropriate during International Women’s Month.

Sonia Tedla  as Speranza Celeste with her agile soprano did indeed give the townspeople heavenly hope.

Paul Max Tipton  as Haman had a thankless role. From the outset one wants to hate him despite his dignified bass-baritone. 

Salvo Vitale  as Assuero, with his deep bass and general appeal made the relationship with Ester somewhat exciting.

We looked forward to Mathew Curran’s  Testo,  perhaps because his beautiful bass nicely summed up the events which just transpired, particularly in Act I.

We will end as we began.   Salon Sanctuary Concerts’ presentation of  Ester Liberatrice Del Popolo Ebreo delivered!

Principals:

*Jessica Gould (Soprano)as Ester [Queen Esther]

Sonia Tedla (Soprano) as Speranza Celeste [Heavenly Hope]

Kinneret Ely (Mezzo-Soprano)as Mardocheo [ Modechai]

Paul Max Tipton (Bass-Baritone)  as Aman [Haman]

Salvo Vitale (Bass) as Assuero   [King Ahasuerus]

Mathew Curran (Bass) as Testo  [Narator]

Chorus:

Elisse Albian

Christina Kay

Dominic Inferrera

Musicians:

Members of the  Camerata Grimani

Ian Jones and Kiyoun Jang on Violin;

Andrea Damiani on Theorbo

Adam Young on Viola da Gamba

Cameron Khan on Harpsichord

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ALMA Y CORAZON

 John Henderson, Roberto Colon, Celeste Morales, Kimberly Sandoval, and Joe Sacchi

(Photo by José Salazar)

If you want to see a smile light up our face, just sing to us in Spanish. And if you want to see us melt into our seat, give it to us sung by Mexican singers. Although we won't complain if the singers hail from Argentina (or anywhere else in Latin America) there is something about the Mexican way of speaking that carries over into the singing--no sé, pero me encanta! A fine Mexican voice goes straight from the ear to the heart.

Yesterday we had the thrill of hearing soprano Celeste Morales and mezzo-soprano Kimberly Sandoval, two lovely ladies with dramatic instincts to match their vocal artistry. All intellectual judgments disappeared as we abandoned ourself to the beauty of the Spanish language which marries so well with the kind of melodic vocal line that soothes our soul. About those dramatic instincts, that total immersion in the passion of the song was exactly what we were missing the other night at an otherwise engaging vocal recital.

These two singers are storytellers; if they rehearsed their gestures we were completely fooled because every facial expression and body movement seemed organic and spontaneous. Technique faded into the background and it seemed to us as if each word begged to be caressed by the mouth.

We always love duets and Ms. Morales and Ms. Sandoval evinced superb rapport in Fernando Maldonado's "Volver, volver".  The poet expresses his yearning for a lost love and one didn't need a translation to feel it. The soprano part has a very low tessitura but that was no stumbling block for Ms. Morales.

This sizable voice lent itself magnificently to "Canción del amor triste" by Ernesto Lecuona, a Cuban composer from the 20th century who wrote with the same passion and Latin color as did Maldonado. Ms. Morales' control of dynamics lent variety to the sad emotional color of the lyrics. This artist is also capable of bringing lightness and humor when called for, as in "Chiquitita la novia" by the Spanish composer Fernando Obradors. 

Ms. Sandoval is no less expressive. Although she manages somehow to connect with the audience and convey the emotional content of the song, we believe she would do well to abandon the music stand which she apparently does not need. Perhaps it is a form of security blanket but it does hamper the connection with the audience. 

Nevertheless, we enjoyed her performance of two songs from Manuel de Falla's Siete canciones populares Españolas. We adore this cycle of folk songs! "Jota" is a rather cheerful song about two secret lovers; it formed a contrast with the despairing lament of an abandoned lover in "Asturiana". It is hard to refrain from weeping along with the simple text, vivid imagery, and poignant music.

It is remarkable that all this melodic music was composed in the 20th century when European music was degenerating into atonalism.

The second half of the program was devoted to American music , the kind of music which we have neglected because it is usually performed with lamentable amplification. Here, we were able to appreciate memorable melodies that responded to the lyrics.  Several songs by Jason Robert Brown  encouraged us to learn more about the shows with which we are unfamiliar--Parade, The Last Five, and Songs of the New World. We also wish to explore  Waitress by Sara Bareilles. For the latter, our two lovely ladies were joined by countertenor Roberto Colon.

Of this group of songs we will first get ourself familiar with Parade because the dramatic scene created by Ms. Morales and tenor Joe Sacchi looked interesting.

The concert ended with an encore that brought us back to familiar territory--two selections from West Side Story written 70 years ago by the two greatest composers of 20th century America, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim. "A Boy Like That" and "Somewhere" drew this marvelous recital to a close. Although it was a generous recital, it left us wanting more--which is a good thing.

Excellent piano accompaniment was performed by John Henderson who opened the program with a Toccatina by Ramon Noble, reminding us that we were in a church, feeling grateful that they provided a venue for young artists to perform.

© meche kroop

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. Zhuo 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.

© meche kroop