CHELSEA GIRL

 Chelsea Guo

A fulfilling concert last night at Merkin Hall left us in awe of the multitalented. Chelsea Guo and of the Young Concert Artists sponsorship. It's been but a year since we heard Ms. Guo when we singled out her performance in an event at which YCA partnered with New York Festival of Song. Both institutions have a knack for finding and promoting the very best young artists at the beginning of their careers. Last night was a real event and it prompted our thoughts on the issue of artistry and fame. We hear so many gifted young artists whose careers stagnate. What factors in to the rapidly advancing careers of some of them?

There may be a better term but the one that pops into our mind is a strange one.  It's "show biz". It is some undefinable quality that engages the public on a level deeper than musical artistry and talent.  Perhaps it is personality manifested by a look, a self confidence, body movement, eye contact-- something that draws the audience in and holds their interest. Ms. Guo, like her colleague Joseph Parrish (another YCA sponsored singer), captures the audience and wraps them in her arms and doesn't let go. No wonder she is winning prizes and performing all over the world, and at such an early stage of her career. If we are not mistaken, she just graduated from Juilliard!

This is an artist who knows exactly what she wants to give her audience.  No one at Merkin Hall could fail to be reached by her singing, her piano playing, and most impressively, her ability to do both simultaneously--not casually in the manner of a lounge singer but as an artist accomplished in both fields. We observed this most intensely when she performed Liszt's lavish transcription of Schumann's simple art song "Widmung" (which he renamed "Liebeslied") whilst singing the Rückert text which Schumann had set. We have observed singers before who played art songs and accompanied themselves, but they did not turn and face the audience, enveloping them in the depth of feeling. What a star turn!

The rest of the evening's two hour program was equally impressive with interesting choices including a pair of songs by Fauré in which she accompanied herself on the piano, giving herself complete control of the many factors that compose an art song performance. A "Nocturne in E Major" by Chopin captured the pensive melancholy of the composer that one senses even in his works written in the major mode. We liked the way she emphasized a three note motif that recurred throughout the piece.

Liszt may have elaborated on Schumann's simplicity whilst removing the vocal component, but Pauline Viardot elaborated on Chopin's Mazurkas by adding sung text and we were delighted to be introduced to three selections out of the dozen in the group. Somehow we believe that Ms. Guo chose the three best but we would love to hear the other nine. We were enchanted by the first two which focused on women's feelings about love.

Two "spirituals" were sung to accompaniment by the excellent collaborative pianist Francisco Barfoed whom we remember from his Juilliard days. Furthermore we were privileged to be introduced to a composer and his pianistic interpreter, both of whom we look forward to hearing more of. Composer A Bu contributed two songs to the evening's  program and it awakened our hope that 21st century piano music might just become lyrical with lovely melodic lines. "Lullaby" and "Signature" were given their World Premiere and we found our attention focused on the piano part-- so well performed by Eden Chen. The lyrics did not impress us and we hope that Mr. Bu will find text that will match his lovely melodies.

Kurt Will's "Lost in the Stars" gave Ms. Guo the opportunity to tell a dramatic tale and Sondheim's "Putting it Together" closed the program. We have no idea how it came that Barbra Streisand revised Sondheim's lyrics from the Broadway show Sunday in the Park with George; we'd never heard them before. It occurs to us that the alterations were not so different from what Liszt did to Schumann's work and what Viardot did to Chopin's. We dare to say that Ms. Guo, among some other unique qualities, has an attraction to transformation.

Finally, we would like to call attention to Ms. Guo's excellent posture at the piano. Singers who hunch over the keys give us cervical distress, much in the same way as tenors who tighten up when reaching for the top note give us an ache in our throat. A small point, but a curious one.

© meche kroop