Miloš Repický, J'Nai Bridges, Evan Gray, Katie Trigg, and Sarah Fleiss
A favorable confluence of musical forces delivered an outstanding hour of music yesterday at WQXR's "The Greene Space". Sponsored by The Gerda Lissner Foundation and hosted by WQXR's Midge Woolsey, five fantastic artists from The Curtis Opera Theater succeeded in lifting the spirits of an attentive studio audience and, we hope, listeners at home. In these dark days, musical beauty has become even more valuable in showing why life is worthwhile. And what could be more beautiful than vocal music.
An alumna of Curtis Institute of Music, the prodigiously gifted superstar mezzo-soprano J'Nai Bridges not only sang her heart out, but also, as we understand, spent a week in Philadelphia giving master classes to the three young singers whose artistry touched our heart and gave us hope for the future. Upon hearing young singers, we often enjoy mentally casting them in roles that we think would suit them. Sometimes we guess well and learn that they have actually performed those roles, giving us a somewhat smug sense of satisfaction.
Regular readers know how dearly we love duets and ensembles and we particularly enjoyed the opening duet "Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour" from Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffman performed in delicious harmony by Ms. Bridges and rising star soprano Sarah Fleiss. The two filled The Greene Space with luscious harmony and brought back happy memories of the opera, seen most recently at the Santa Fe Opera.
Ms. Bridges is a gloriously centered and gracious stage presence (as well as a warm and delightful off-stage presence) and we loved the way she got the three young singers to talk about the songs they were about to sing. Since the program was "singer's choice", we got a glimpse of how the singers see themselves by means of their selections.
For example, Ms. Fleiss put so much intention into her performance of two of Samuel Barber's Hermit Songs that we felt an understanding of the appeal of solitude in "The Desire for Hermitage". This was paired with the contrasting companionate pleasure of "The Monk and His Cat". Let it be noted that Ms. Fleiss' diction was so perfect that we understood every word. This cannot be said of most American singers who tend to slur their words when singing English.
New Zealand native Katie Trigg, a mezzo-soprano, introduced us to some Maori songs that, we could tell, meant a great deal to her. We were surprised to learn how singable the language is, with vowels similar to Italian. The sentiments were lovely, the melodies pleasing, and the performance intimate. We enjoyed the way she built the pianissimo beginning of "Whisper of Heaven" to a thrilling climax. There was a very brief song in which a newborn, as yet unnamed, tells his mother (presumably) in reply to her question "What shall I call thee?", "Joy is my name". We wanted Ms. Trigg to give different colors to the mother's voice and the infant's voice.
Swiss bass-baritone Evan Gray delighted us with Schubert's lilting "Die Taubenpost" which suited his voice perfectly, reminding us that no one has ever equalled Schubert in setting poetry for the voice. However we also liked Jonathan Dove's setting of Three Tennyson Songs. The collaborative pianist Miloš Repický--so admirably supportive of the singers throughout--made much of the dissonant intervals of a 2nd in "Dark House" as well as some empty chords which emphasized the feeling of loneliness. In "The Sailor Boy" we wished for more contrast of color between the voice of the narrator, the warning voice of the mermaid, and the response of the reckless sailor boy himself. This dramatic "fine-tuning" will take the performance over the top.
One of the best scenes in Mozart's Cosi fan tutti is the trio in which Don Alfonso, Fiordiligi, and Dorabella watch the young men sail away, or so the young ladies are led to believe. The harmonies are exquisite and the three young singers completely captured the vocal beauty.
Ms. Bridges captivated us with a couple of songs. Florence Price's "Hold Fast to Dreams" with text from a poem by Langston Hughes, carried a message of hope, much needed in today's political climate. But it was the spiritual "Whole World", arranged by Margaret Bonds, that touched us deeply--and for a strange reason. This lovely artist chose to alternate verses with "He/Him" and "She/Her". There are those that might have preferred "They/Them" but not us. We were reminded of our trip to Zimbabwe when we learned about the dual god/goddess of the Zambezi River (Nyami Nyami).
The evening ended on a hopeful note with our four artists joining voices for "You'll Never Walk Alone" from Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel. It was a splendid evening giving us hope for the future! If we lived in Philadelphia, we would be haunting the halls of Curtis Institute instead of those of Juilliard and Manhattan School of Music.
© meche kroop
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