A PREMIERE COMPETITION

 

Eric Margiore and Premiere Opera Foundation Competition Finalists

We just attended the Live Finals of the 8th annual Premiere Opera Foundation International Vocal Competition and the artistry was so evenly divided we can't imagine how the judges managed to make their decision. Fortunately, we are not a judge and had the freedom to choose our own favorites. Generous prizes were awarded but we are not here to discuss money, just to discuss our own impressions. Admittedly, our preferences are often colored by the match between singer and repertoire and our favoring certain periods within the opera canon. Rest assured, Dear Reader, that our opinions and our prose are entirely our own and artificial intelligence has not been consulted!

We heard over a dozen singers within the space of a few hours and then waited patiently for the judges to deliberate, a period during which we attempted to reconcile our memories of each artist's performance in the first half with our memories of their performance in the second half. Occasionally we changed our opinion of the artist due to a more suitable choice of material. Mostly our opinions were consistent and here we will present our memories of what impressed us.

To begin, we rarely get to hear a contralto and the statuesque Canadian Rose Naggar-Tremblay took us right into Wagner's Das Rheingold with "Weiche Wotan, Weiche", in which the prescient Erda foreshadows the unhappy end of the Ring Cycle some 18 hours or so later. This performance gave us chills and, as many such superb performances do, created the scene in our mind's eye--in this case the Schenck version from ?1990 which was unforgettable and never equalled. This riveting artist won the Audience Favorite prize (the only one we will mention) so our admiration was not exclusive.

Standing out in our memory was the coloratura of Kathryn Henry which was amplified by some fine acting in "The Jewel Song" from Gounod's Faust. It was so effective that we could see the jewels with which Marguerite adorned herself. 

Another performance that touched us was that of Eva Rae Martinez whose "Prendi, per me sei libero" from Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore gave us a peak into Adina's realization of her growing affection for Nemorino.

Still another affecting performance was that of South Korean soprano Luna Seongeun Park who perfectly created the character of Sophie, an innocent young woman understandably impressed by the customs of the aristocracy. This performance also brought the scene to mind and our imagination recreated Sophie's lavish nouveau riche home with all its servants bustling about, excited about their upcoming elevation to the nobility.

Let us mention some of the male performances that stick in our mind. South Korean bass-baritone Sunghoon Han brought Leporello to life with an amusing delivery of everyone's favorite, the "Catalogue Aria" from Mozart's Don Giovanni. This is an aria that singers can have a lot of fun with but it is difficult to bring something new to it; it seemed to us that Mr. Han added a few twists, gestures and facial expressions that made it fresh for us.

It was a good night for male voices and Mexican bass Raul Morales Velazco had a great time with "Vous qui faites" from Gounod's Faust which he filled with menace and irony.

South African baritone Thandolwethu Mamba also evinced a flair for comedy as he created the character of Dr. Malatesta, putting one over on the eponymous Don Pasquale in the Donizetti opera. No matter how many times one sees this opera, that scene is always a pure delight.

Darren Drone lent his fine baritone to the introductory"Si puo"  from Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, which ended the program. By this time we didn't think we had any listening energy left-- but he woke us up. This would have been a great aria to have opened the program with.

As usual, the excellent accompaniment was provided by Michael Fennelly

The overall level of artistry was very high and the singers we failed to mention were no less marvelous and at a professional performance level. We are only sharing our "take home" which comprises the results of an imperfect memory. If you want to hear about all the other superb singers you can read about them at www.premiereoperafoundation.org. If you are feeling Christmas-generous,you can also make a donation there.

© meche kroop