ON THE ROPES or KO

Sofia Gotch, Ya Gao, Yining Liu, Irene Hyun Young Shin, and Skyler La Nier

Händel's Rinaldo premiered in 1711 in London. In spite of its being a pastiche of melodies from other operas, it achieved immediate success, then lay dormant for centuries, until Baroque opera became popular once again in the 20th c. Perhaps its popularity rests on the fact that Händel used all his best melodies! 

Loosely based on Tasso's epic poem Gerusalemme Liberata, the work explores the themes of love, war, and redemption and is set during the time of the First Crusade, at the turn of the 12th century. The work provided materials for a number of operas and perhaps the subject is now a touchy one because of the battle between Christianity and the Muslim faith depicted onstage.

In a radical and radically truncated version produced by The Manhattan School of Music Graduate Opera Theater, Director George R. Miller chose to set the work as a presumably televised wrestling match in contemporary times. As is our wont, we never read the Director's Notes until after the opera in order to allow the work to speak for itself. Miller's work didn't speak, it screamed--at least as it opened with loud music (rap?  hiphop?) and an array of spectators at what we thought was a boxing ring, cheering and booing, carrying signs. We were rolling our disbelieving eyes

However, as the performance wore on, we were captivated by the musical values and, ultimately, came to appreciate, or at least to understand, what Mr. Miller was going for. Having eliminated all of the magic of the original to focus on both the battle between good and evil and the battle between the sexes, the playing area, which we thought was meant to be a boxing ring, began to make more sense. Except we began to suspect that it was a wrestling match with "anything goes" and a lot of performative fighting which was nonetheless convincing and wince-inducing.

The wacky costuming by Chloe Levy began to make more sense. The lovely heroine Almirena was played by the even lovelier Sofia Gotch who was dressed all in white with sparkly hair and delivered a "Lascia ch'io pianga" as fine as we've ever heard. Moreover, her acting as she manipulated her captor, the Muslim warrior Argante, was hilarious. At times, she posed like what we took to be a star of reality TV.

Argante was brilliantly portrayed by the burly voiced Skyler La Nier who was convincingly warrior-like in his all black Hell's Angel get up.  The eponymous Rinaldo was beautifully sung by Ya Gao whose "Cara sposa, amante cara" went right to the heart by dint of depth of feeling and varied dynamics.  A delicate body build was not the most convincing as a fighter, in spite of fatigue pants and wife-beater top.

The sorceress Armida was given a strong interpretation by Irene Hyun Young Shin, appearing very "goth" in studded black leather.  Her singing was marked by great facility with ornamentation of the vocal line. We particularly enjoyed her  "Ah! crudel, Il pianto mio" especially in the rapid-fire B section. Her performance as "the bad girl" was replete with snarling and quite effective. 

Duets between lovers were deftly handled with voices well matched and expressive.

As Almirena's father Gioffredo, Yining Liu added to the fine performances, although the costume puzzled us. Was the character supposed to be Rinaldo's trainer? And if so, why was Gioffredo joining the fighting? And wearing a suit with a red baseball cap? Perhaps we are just ignorant of wrestling matches.

There were umpires wearing black and white stripes and a couple sitting at a desk off to the side. Were they television commentators as they have at ice skating competitions? In any event, they provided excellent percussion accompaniment to the superb piano of Jeremy Chan and the equally superb harpsichord of Jocelyn Stewart, the two being Co-Music Directors. To say that the pair produced the colors of an orchestra would not be excessive praise. As a matter of fact, the reduction of the score gave us an opportunity to appreciate it in a new way.

As we left the theater, our thoughts wandered into the territory of the terrors of love, which Mozart had such fun with in Cosi fan tutte. In Rinaldo, the sorceress/biker-chick Armida loves Argante the Saracen/biker but tries to seduce Rinaldo. And Rinaldo's intended Almirena behaves very seductively toward Argante whilst being held prisoner. Jordan Jones in drag as a siren was hilarious in his attempt  to seduce Rinaldo. By the end of the opera we began to appreciate what Mr. Miller was going for--the battle between the sexes. No wonder the young cast and young audience enjoyed it so much!

© meche kroop

A NEW CARMEN FOR THE AGES

 Micaela Aldridge with cast of Carmen

(Photo by Joan Greenberg)

Opera Theater Rutgers: Carmen

A New Carmen for the ages…

(Guest Review byJoan Greenberg)

The  promo reads…….:

“Carmen by Georges Bizet, scandalized audiences when it premiered in 1875 at Paris’ Opera Comique. Critics and opera-goers alike were taken aback by the opera’s unconventional heroine, who defied societal norms, with her independence, sensuality, and disregard for authority.

Presented by Rutgers Opera and performed by the Rutgers Symphony Orchestra, this new production, conducted by Kynan Johns and directed by Colm Summers, “aims to find fresh relevance in Bizet’s critique of patriarchy.”

 

Dear Reader, having attended last evening’s performance, this writer is here to say, they succeeded….

 

Full disclosure:

1-   We  have been a longtime fan of the female lead, so there was a concern that we could not be objective. Last evening’s audience put that concern to rest with their resounding applause…. and

 

2-   We are not a fan of the recent “new reimagined” updated and uprooted versions of Carmen such as the one recently performed at the Met.

 

However, while suspension of disbelief may be required …..  (with one exception*) we were not bothered with Rutgers taking Carmen through a Time Machine and changing Bizet’s bullfighter’s vocation from matador to rodeo competitor.

*[the exception being electronic distractions from a television and several overhead projections]

 

Our compliments to the very able (i)  orchestra conducted by Maestro Johns for not (with little exception) drowning out the arias; (ii) the wardrobe designer for creating provocative dress for Carmen, even as a  factory worker and cowgirl; and (iii) the performer and stage directors.

 

Now for the main course…..

One could not take their eyes or ears off the stunning (vocally and visually) Mezzo Micaela Aldridge when she was on stage. While her amazing voice was no surprise to this writer, her acting chops blew us away….. there was not an emotion that was not strikingly conveyed to the audience with her eyes, facial expressions, and body movements. No wonder Don Jose (the accomplished Lyric tenor Jeremy Blossey)  and the other characters (male and female) were captivated by her.

 

We will leave to another time our views about how, ( despite first impressions) Don Jose was no victim of a vixen. His cruelty and lack of morality to the blameless Micaela (beautifully performed by soprano Lu Huang) as well as his lack of concern for his mother or military duties, cannot be lain at the feet of Carmen…

 

There are two sets of leads, who split the four scheduled performances…….and if we could we would see their performances as well.   Hopefully, Rutgers will offer  another opportunity to enjoy them.

© meche kroop

 

 

 

 

 

PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS

Carlos Martinez, Elizabeth Pope, and Saul Ibarra Ramos

Last night's recital was presented at Juilliard as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Music being awarded to Saul Ibarra Ramos for his achievements in the field of collaborative piano. Our experience in the field of collaborative piano is rather limited to the  particular aspect in connection with the voice. German lieder are our bread and butter. It was for this reason that we dropped everything to hear this excellent recital.

Carrying the vocal part was the lovely soprano Elizabeth Pope whom we have enjoyed on prior occasions and who just so happens to be married to the pianist. We admit we are particularly interested in couples in this field with respect to how well they seem to pick up on each other's cues and also because we feel a concern for their future careers which can pull them in two separate directions or to two distant venues. Like everything else in life, there are pluses and minuses, rewards and risks

Let us focus now on the positives. The first half of the program featured Ms. Pope singing a selection of lieder in German, a song cycle in French, and an American song unknown to us.  Of major interest was an 1832 setting by Franz Lachner of a text by Heinrich Heine that we immediately recognized as having been set by Robert Schumann in 1840 as part of his cycle Dichterliebe. 

We are always surprised by the various interpretations different composers can give to the same text. Whereas Schumann's "Mein Traum" is rather engraved in our memory, we found interest in Lachner's setting which was new to us. Mr. Ibarra Ramos lent emphasis to the pulsing piano which made us think of the poet's pounding heart, whilst Ms. Pope affected a pianissimo dream like aspect which gradually built to a climax.

In a similar situation, Charles Ives set Heine's "Ich grolle nicht" while a student at Yale at the end of the 19th century. Lovers of lieder will of course recognize this lied as also belonging to Schumann's Dichterliebe and may recall the poet's rage and irony toward the woman who broke his heart. On the other hand, Ives (who probably never set another German text) portrayed the poet in a more wistful light, so well captured by our pianist and singer. We might add that Ms. Pope's soprano instrument has a bright clear tone and that her stage presence is inviting. In Liszt's "In Liebeslust" we liked the way she decorated the vocal line on the phrase "Ich liebe dich".  (We might hope for a little more consistency in the final "ch" but that is a small matter and easily rectified.)

A cycle of songs by Francis Poulenc entitled Calligrammes carried us in a different direction and revealed more delights in Ms. Pope's vocal technique and the delicate balance between her vocal line and the piano. "L'Espionne" revealed strength in the lower register. "Mutation" revealed the grim colors of despair over WWII. "Vers le sud" had our two artists giving warmth and gentleness to the love song, as we might have expected. "Il pleut" offered some racing figures in the piano. "La grâce exilée" involved a mood of resignation whereas "Aussi bien que les cigales" came across as a firm lecture. The concluding "Voyage" conveyed a suspenseful and wistful mood.

The remainder of the program gives us less to address. Our knowledge of piano music extends to what we have learned to play--Beethoven's "Fur Elise" and some easy pieces by Chopin. The dense texture of Rachmaninoff's Etudes-tableaux, from which Mr. Ibarra Ramos played "Appasionato", rather overwhelmed us as it sounded like an orchestra. We liked the rapid figures in the upper register and the peaceful ending after all that passion!

The final work on the program was Violin Sonata No. 1 by  Prokofiev in which our pianist's sensitivity toward the vocal line was directed now toward the excellent violinist Carlos Martinez. Our pianist gave an interesting brief talk about Prokofiev's energetic and unpretentious personality, explaining that this work was composed toward the end of his life when his health was compromised. The four movements alternated Andante with Allegro and it was a wild ride indeed between the two tempi.

Our knowledge of Prokofiev is confined to his programmatic score for the ballet Romeo and Juliet which is so filled with danceable rhythms and memorable melodies that we wind up humming for days afterward. This exposure to another side of the composer was surprising to say the least. It was a tour de force for Mr. Ibarra Ramos and also demonstrated some interesting techniques on the violin. What we heard as a glissando was really some legato bowing of a rapidly fingered scale passage.

An encore piece was played without a break. It was Prokofiev's arrangement of a Bach chorale and left us with a welcome feeling of peace after the tumultuous Sonata. Within our limited knowledge of most of the repertoire It seems to us that  Mr. Ibarra Ramos has a gift for listening to his musical partners and responding. That gift should carry him a long way in his career

© meche kroop

 

LACHEN UND WEINEN

 Yura Jang, Alejandro De Los Santos, and Enes Pektas

The title we chose for this review is not a reference to the Schubert lied of the same name. No indeed. It refers to the powerful range of emotions we experienced listening to an all-too-short recital by baritone Enes Pektas. We review vocal recitals several times a week and we usually find them enjoyable and make note of the things we like about a singer's technique

However, there are times that the technique is so flawless that it recedes into the background and this permits us to focus on artistry. We were initially surprised to learn that singers cannot have the luxury of experiencing the feelings; rather they must act as a conduit or medium, conveying the feelings of the composer and poet to the members of the audience. At this, Mr. Pektas is, at this early stage of his career, already an expert.

The recital program was well designed to show off Mr. Pektas' facility with lieder as well as opera. The opening, not mentioned on the program, was especially effective due to the surprise. With superb Italianate style and appropriate gestures, he inhabited the role of Figaro in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia, delivering the "Largo al Factotum" with engaging personality.

The formal program began with an incredibly powerful performance of Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen. This is in our top three favorite song cycles and woe betide the singer who doesn't capture all the phases of emotion in the text. Coming across as totally immersed in the suffering of lost love, it is difficult to believe how an artist can convey all that without bursting into tears.  

Well, Dear Reader, that is artistry. Our eyes filled with tears at the memory of lost love and we felt the burning knife in our very own breast! We were so lost in the emotion of the performance, that there was only one subtlety that stood out. On the word "leid", stretched out over a descending then ascending three-note scale passage, each syllable was delivered marcato, as if the poet (Mahler himself) were gasping for breath. We couldn't help thinking about how Alma made Gustav suffer. We hope Mr. Pektas never experiences such suffering. For us, a an audience member, it was cathartic.

There were three Russian songs on the program, two by Modest Mussorgsky, one of our favorite Russian composers. So successful was Mr. Pektas' performance that one didn't need to understand Russian. "Where are you, little star?" was filled with depth of feeling achieved by means of vocal coloration. "Song of the Flea", by contrast, was frisky and humorous. The third was a folk song that is filled with Russian passion, given its full measure by the artist.  The translation is "Dark Eyes"; we know it as "Oci Ciornie".  Unfortunately we don't have a Cyrillic keyboard so that is phonetic

As comfortable with opera as with lieder, Mr. Pektas gave us more of Figaro, in this case, the Act I duet "All'idea di quel metalllo" In which the rascal concocts a plan to help Count Almavivo (here played by the fine young tenor Louis Lee) to win the hand of Rosina. Mr. Pektas' eyes lit up greedily as he cajoled money from the Count. His facility with the rapid fire patter served him well.

Following, to close the program (all too soon), we had more bel canto singing. The third act duet from Donizetti's Don Pasquale between Dr. Malatesta (Mr. Pektas) and Don Pasquale (guest artist bass-baritone Alejandro de los Santos) was a fine way to end the program. "Cheti, cheti, immantinente" may not be the most famous baritone-bass baritone duet but it served to show off two fine singers who are also grand comic actors.

To the disappointment of the audience, the loudly demanded encore had not been prepared.  Indeed, Mr. Pektas seemed surprised that we wanted more of him. It was decided among the two singers and the excellent pianist Yura Jung to give us a recap of the Donizetti which seemed to satisfy everyone

It was a rare experience to feel so satisfied by a recital and yet to be wanting even more. We felt guilty like Figaro wanting more from the Count! This recital was given to satisfy the requirements for the degree of Master of Music from Mannes School of Music. How appropriate is that title!  Mr. Pektas is indeed a master of music with a fine career ahead of him. Here's a secret tip. Watch out for an upcoming performance of Puccini's Il Tabarro by Classic Lyric Arts Vocal Academy.

© meche kroop

BRING ON THE SPRING

Gerald Martin Moore and Erin Morley

We entered the Park Avenue Armory windblown and rain soaked, but, like one of the many flowers celebrated in the program, we blossomed by means of the warmth and sunshine projected by superstar soprano Erin Morley and her collaborative pianist Gerald Martin Moore. We rarely review the very famous, and Ms. Morley is deservedly world famous; however, when we have written about singers at the beginning of their careers and followed those careers along, we take great pleasure in bearing witness to their artistic growth. We first wrote about Ms. Morley over a dozen years ago, and we wrote very enthusiastically. She has retained that youthful ingenue glow and now seems even more refined in technique.

At this point one can leave behind observations about the glimmering tonal quality, the ease with fioritura, and the highly engaging audience presence. One can focus on the building of a recital with a valid theme and the choice of material to support it. Given the intimacy of the Board of Officers Room at the Park Avenue Armory we were up close and personal with two luminaries of the opera world. We have special names for special stars. For example, Nadine Sierra will always be, for us, The Diva Next Door. Ms. Morley's tag became Le Rossignol after we heard her at The Santa Fe Opera in 2014 as Le Rossignol in the eponymous Stravinsky opera. If you would like to read many more reviews, Dear Reader, you can enter her name in the search bar on the right.

The theme of last night's  program focused on the beauties of nature, predominantly flowers, birds, butterflies, and such. There were songs in German, Russian, French, and English, mainly from the 19th century with a commissioned piece by Ricky Ian Gordon representing the 21st century. It was truly a garden of riches.

Every concert, well almost every concert, has one piece that leaves us speechless and in this case it was Camille Saint-Saëns' "Le rossignol et la rose", which was new to us. It amounts to a vocalise in which the singer must represent an earnest nightingale courting a somewhat indifferent rose--at least that was our interpretation. Ms. Morley 's ardent nightingale performed every vocal trick in the bird book, importuning the rose to open, reflecting back to a Bizet song on the program "Ouvre ton coeur" which could be seen as a human counterpart to the vocalise. That just happened to be our second favorite piece on the program. We loved it for its powerful rhythm and melodic strength.

We loved the youthful passion with which Ms. Morley invested Brahms' "Meine Liebe ist grun" and the sweet gentleness of Schumann's "Der Nussbaum". Alexander von Zemlinsky's "Voglein Schwermut" brought in a note of haunting melancholy by means of vocal color and some Oriental arpeggios in the piano. Alban Berg's "Die Nachtigal" always fills us with a sense of mysterious anticipation and is the only Berg song we have ever liked.

There were some lovely songs in Russian as well. Rachmaninoff's "Lilacs" was performed with appropriate delicacy and Rimsky-Korsakov's "The Rose Enslaves the Nightingale" is a sad lament of heartbreak with an interesting Oriental flavor. Now, Dear Reader, if you are thinking that this work influenced our interpretation of the Saint-Saëns vocalise, you are probably right! Since the latter was written about 35 years before the former, it is possible that Rimsky-Korsakov was also influenced by the Saint-Saëns piece.

The evening opened with a few selections from a Ricky Ian Gordon cycle Huit Chansons de Fleurs , a commissioned work that Ms. Morley premiered last year at the Kennedy Center and subsequently recorded. The interesting background of its commissioning, if told before its performance, might have made us appreciate it more. 

The second encore of the evening was Olympia's song from Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffman which can be considered Ms. Morley's signature piece. We never tire of her performance with its stunning fioritura and convincing bodily gestures. No one can equal her facility with coloratura; it is indeed one of the Seven Wonders of the Operatic World.

We might add that Gerald Martin Moore's sensitive partnership added greatly to the success of the evening as did Ms. Morley's warm engaging spirit. We walked out into the same wind and rain but it felt like sunshine.

© meche kroop

 

OTHER WORLDS: SONGS OF FANTASY

 Peter Dugan, Kara Dugan, John Brancy, Mark Dover, and Steven Blier at the Piano

Hunan nature being what it is, we tend to take for granted some of the most wonderful aspects of our lives. New York Festival of Song might fall into that category except for the fact that every iteration has a different theme and a different cast. One can always count on what amounts to a bride's costume--"Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue".

Wednesday night at Merkin Hall (NYFOS' customary venue) a full house of NYFOS fans had the privilege of hearing two superb singers, a talented clarinetist, and two prodigious pianists. Steven Blier was joined by Peter Dugan, renowned for his hosting of NPR's "From the Top", playing two pianos face en face. The other half of the music power couple is marvelous mezzo-soprano Kara Dugan who impressed us with the effective and graceful use of her body in telling us a story. And this program involved a great deal of storytelling. Making up the quintet of artistry was the brilliant baritone John Brancy.

The theme of the evening was devoted to fantasy and magic and comprised a generous selection of German lieder (our favorite part), Scandinavian art song, British songs, and some American cabaret. The four artists seemed so comfortable together that we were left with the impression that the program was a collaborative effort. Both Mrs. Dugan and Mr. Brancy have impressive careers in vocal repertoire of all periods and every type.

It is the field of German lied that resonates with us the most and we have been humming the melodies constantly since the concert. They represent the perfect marriage of text and tune, making them so memorable. The texts comprise poetry by Heinrich Heine, Joseph von Eichendorff, and Ludwig Christoph Heinrich Hölty; they seems to hold hands with the music, so to speak, and rest in our brain.

Mrs. Dugan did an admirable job of telling stories in Mendelssohn's ambiguous "Neue Liebe" and the somewhat friskier "Hexenlied", giving it a light touch. What a contrast she gave to Robert Schumann's lighthearted and rhythmic "Aus alten Märchen" versus Clara Schumann's suspenseful "Waldesgespräch" sung as a duet with Mr. Brancy. We don't think we have ever heard it done that way and we loved the heightened drama between the cocky hunter and the tempting witch who trapped him in her forrest.

Mr. Brancy carried Schuman's rhythmic "Aus alten Märchen winkt es" with a great deal of charm and his "Auf Eine Burg" with contrasting solemnity. Interspersed between the songs, we had the opportunity to hear the almost human voice of Mark Dover's clarinet in Schumann's' "Fantasiestücke #1 and #3", accompanied by Mr. Dugan's piano. Let us not fail to mention that the program was introduced by Mr. Blier and Mr. Dugan performing Mendelssohn's "Elfen-Marsch" which would be recognized by anyone from Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream for which the composer wrote the incidental music, which is anything but incidental to our ears!

Nothing that followed would be as rewarding to that part of the brain until Mr. Brancy performed Wolseley Charles' early 20th century. comedic song "The Green-eyed Dragon" which shared the same text-to-tune partnership that we love. The composer used Greatrex Newman's text  to excellent advantage with rhythmic short punchy phrases, reminding us of Stephen Sondheim.

There were other interesting parts of the program, interesting but nothing that stuck in our brain as deeply.  We never heard Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Vocalise" before and the texture of three voices (one of them the clarinet) was haunting.

Rebecca Clarke's "The Seal Man' is a spooky tale well told by Mrs. Dugan matched by some very unusual figures in Mr. Dugan's piano. Similarly, Jean Sibelius' "Under Strandens Granar" allowed him to invest the piano part with a great deal of color whilst Mr. Brancy told the equally spooky tale with great variety of tempo and dynamics.

Sorry to say but when the microphones came out, our ears seemed to close and some jazzy songs did not do much for us, although the rest of the audience seemed thrilled. We never knew a clarinet could shreak so painfully but, well, that's how we heard it.

What especially delighted us about the evening was seeing the Dugans and Mr. Brancy "up close and personal". It seems both very near and also very distant, that time when they began their illustrious careers and we began writing about them. Regular readers remember what pleasure it is for us to witness the success of young artists. And these three are having remarkable careers.

We wish we had been there at the beginning of NYFOS which is now celebrating their 37th year!

© meche kroop

BACK INTO THE WOODS

Curtain Call at Manhattan School of Music's production of Into the Woods

Broadway shows are not our fach, so to speak, but to be so impressed by a production of Into the Woods that we saw it twice, it would seem thoughtless to not write about it. We give credit to the Manhattan School of Music's Musical Theatre Department for outperforming any show we have seen on The Great White Way. That is indeed impressive.

We have nothing against American Musical Theater and we would love to attend, were it not for the amplification. We adore the sound of the human voice and cannot tell anything about vocal quality that has been electronically altered. So, we have nothing to say about the voices of these young artists but we have a lot to say about their performances.  Each and every one in both casts managed to create a unique character by means of gesture and body movement.

We are sure than Evan Pappas' direction was responsible for shaping the work as a whole and shaping each performance as well. Lorna Ventura's choreography served the piece well, as did Debbi Hobson's colorful and apt costuming. James Rotondo created a simple set with movable elements that well served the work. David Loud coaxed a well-shaped performance of Stephen Sondheim's glorious music from the young instrumentalists.

Beyond all those accolades, we would like to make a few observations on the work itself, its source material, and its effect on the audience. The lectures, the polemics, and the dense prose of contemporary opera rarely change one's feelings in a significant way. One might praise the performances (especially if the star is famous) and one might tell one's friends to go see something, but the work rarely stays with you. One is unlikely to return for a second viewing.

However, we have seen Sondheim's Into the Woods at every opportunity and even changed plans to see it twice in one week at Manhattan School of Music. Let's take a look at the reasons. As a psychoanalyst we can point out that the work addresses serious issues in a humorous way, making them more acceptable and accessible. James Lapine's book, weaving together a number of fairy tales, is beyond clever and Sondheim's lyrics rhyme and scan in the quirkiest of ways. The music is tuneful and sticks in the mind. We confess we have been singing and humming all week!

We have no idea which of the artists conceived the idea of utilizing fairy tales. The first time we read Bruno Bettelheim's 1976 book The Uses of Enchantment we were completely astonished by his theories of how small children process these ancient tales which were recorded by the brothers Grimm. We learned how these tales help the child deal with sibling rivalry, separation anxiety, oedipal conflict, and fears of the unknown. (For our purposes it is not terribly important but Bettelheim's authorship has been questioned; but the man who he purportedly plagiarized had no problem with it. )

So, we wonder whether an adult, seeing these fairytale characters onstage might help said grown person on an unconscious level. The characters in the show undergo sexual maturation (Little Red Riding Hood), fear of barrenness (The Baker's Wife), parental disdain (Jack), parental over possessiveness (Rapunzel), romantic dissatisfaction (the two Princes), and marriage for material reasons (Cinderella). The Baker suffers from his father's misdeeds. Everyone is blinded by their own selfish desires and lack of community. Everyone experiences the ground shaking under their feet. (Hello 2025!) Things go wrong just when you think you have solved your problems. Ultimately, it is community that helps people deal with grief and loss. No wonder we love this show. Art holds a mirror up to us and shows us who we are.

Major props to everyone concerned with this memorable production and a big dose of admiration and career encouragement to the huge cast that brought it to life. Bravissimi tutti!

© meche kroop

 

MMMM

 Francesco Barfoed and Megan Moore

Marvelous Mezzo Megan Moore! What a pleasure it gives us to watch the development of young singers as their fame grows along with their vocal artistry. Thanks to the search bar on our blog, we are able to look back at what we wrote in prior years and, truth be told, to congratulate ourself on appreciating their gifts at an early stage of an artist's career.

It seems as if the first time we wrote about Ms. Moore was in 2018 at The Marcella Sembrich Competition when she impressed us with a song by Moniuszko, introducing us to a composer we have come to love, in spite of not understanding Polish.

Just before the career interruptions brought on by the Covid isolation, we wrote this about her performance at a Juilliard concert...What affected us the most was "Was I not a blade of grass in the field", another strophic song with some stunning melismatic passages and a powerful climax. We have heard Ms. Moore in recital and competitions-- singing an appealing Cenerentola and a resolute Dorabella as well as the Komponist--always admiring her lyricism and dramatic skills. But last night she made us weep in her deeply committed rendering of a young woman's hopeless situation.

(Forgive us, Dear Reader, for quoting ourself but we think it's important to acknowlege a young singer's development and how they grow as they tackle different roles, different periods, and different languages.) 

Entering competitions is just one part of this process. Recognition by Young Concert Artists is another feather in Ms. Moore's cap. Singing with New York Festival of Song is yet another. This year will see her playing major roles in opera companies all over the world.

That's enough about Ms. Moore's prior and future successes; we would like to tell you about her most recent recital yesterday at The Morgan Library, appearing as a first prize winner of the George and Nora London Foundation 2022 Competition. Her brilliant collaborative pianist is the equally talented Francesco Barfoed who often accompanies her. His pianism impresses us as much as her vocalism. They form a perfect partnership.

The program opened with a wide leap into the 17th century lament of Barbara Strozzi,one of our favorite composers of the Baroque period. The anonymous poet sings of her (let us assume it is a woman) luxuriating in the anguish of a lost love affair in "L'Eraclito amoroso". Of course the Ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus was a man, but Ms. Moore made the lament her own and mined the text for depth and complexity of emotional tone.

With a rapid shift of mood and period, the artist sailed into Rossini's exciting song cycle La Regata Veneziana. Since it was her choice to render the Baroque piece with full vocal color (as is our preference, as opposed to the dry sound one hears often at Baroque recitals) it became obvious that the decoration of the vocal line in the 19th century owes a debt to the 17th. Wherever it comes from, we adore fioritura. Even more important than the vocal artistry was the emotional intensity; it was so intense that we wanted to leap from our seat to cheer for her Momolo. The picture she painted of the gondola race became vivid before our eyes and this can only come from her own ability to visualize it and to bring us into her world.

We do not understand Russian so, minus projected titles (more about that later), we found our attention focusing more on Mr. Barfoed's colorful exposition of Prokofiev's Five Poems of Anna Akhmatova, op.27.  What moods the piano created!  Here were racing figures of excitement, there were solemn pleas for tenderness, and melancholy as well. One could hear the colors as well in Ms. Moore's voice, even when not understanding the words.

A pair of Rachmaninoff songs were more familiar to us and we noted some beautiful sounds in Ms. Moore's upper register, whereas the somber Prokofiev songs seemed to feature her sturdy lower register.

And now we come to what was, for us, the best part of the program. We never tire of Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen. What we love is that the singer and pianist both get to show a wide range of emotions. The singer is filled with sorrow and tries to cheer up by mean of nature, then realizes a violent type of pain, and ultimately a return to grief and an awareness of the extent of the loss. Both artists produced an entire palette of colors.

The program ended with a commissioned work that requires explanation. We can never think of the late Nora London without a wave of positive feelings. She always struck us as a most gracious lady of the "old school", going out of her way to thank us for our writing about the vocal competition and recitals. She served as a model for us; we aim to be as mobile and gracious and generous as she was.

So, the discovery of her teenage diaries from a period when she was fleeing the Nazis, traveling from France to Portugal and then to New York, filled us with anticipation. Her family wavered over the decision; should they even read them, share them, or keep them private. Jake Heggie was commissioned to set them to music and Gene Scheer was assigned the task of adapting the diary entries.

Now we realize that Mr. Heggie is honored as a major 21st century composer and that Ms. Moore is very fond of his works. We wanted very much to love this tribute to our dear Nora London. Well, we cannot say that in all truth. What we can say is that Mr. Heggie wrote some stunning music for piano that we would be happy to hear again. However, we would have preferred to hear a narrator reading the actual words of the teenage Nora over the music. The vocal line just was not interesting and that is a problem we have with most contemporary music. There, we said it and we won't retract.  There were many in the audience who did appreciate the work and we are glad of it.

Not having read the diary ourself, we have no idea whether the musings of an unfortunately dislocated 15 year old. would be worth reading. If they revealed something about the grand lady that this child would become, they would have more value to us. Still, it is a tribute and we are grateful for any honor bestowed upon people we admire.

And now it is time for "the quibble" The auditorium at the Morgan Library really needs to be outfitted with titles.  We looked around the space and observed nearly every member of the audience reading the libretto instead of allowing the artist to connect with them. We think that is sad. If it is impossible to have projected titles, it is a better plan to have the artist give a brief synopsis of the song before it is sung. We are not limiting these alternatives to works in foreign languages. Even works in English become difficult to understand unless it is a low voice with impeccable enunciation.

© meche kroop

A MEMORABLE IOLANTHE

David Wannen, Angela Christine Smith, Claire Leyden, and David Macaluso

Although not as frequently produced as The Mikado and Pirates of Penzance, lovers of Gilbert and Sullivan's works must count Iolanthe as one of their masterpieces. It was a fine selection to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players. Although we were not here 50 Years ago, throughout  our theater going days we have watched this venerable company increase in artistry and prestige until last night when we watched enthusiastic fans filling the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College, a sizable and comfortable venue with (thankfully below ground level) orchestra pit, well filled by Maestro Albert Bergeret and his superb orchestra. 

As a matter of fact the first thing we noticed was the sparkling overture. Once the action started one's attention became riveted upon W.S. Gilbert's lyrics which are so clever that they take one's full attention; one might miss just how skillfully the music establishes both situation and character. Focusing on the overture with its alternation between the lyrical and the pompous, the romantic and the official, informs us of Sullivan's mastery of tunefulness and orchestral colors.

The plot has something for everyone. The story, like most of those by G&S, focuses on satire of British institutions, in this case the British Parliament and its  self serving custom of the Lords marrying off their wards to the highest political bidder, so to speak. If the theme of political corruption and the emotional tendency for self-justification are insufficient to entertain you, there is always a love story between a beautiful soprano (in this case, the wildly talented and operatically trained Claire Leyden) and a tenor who must overcome obstacles to win her love--in this case the tenorrific David Macaluso.

Opera lovers may catch bits and pieces the Savoyards borrowed from the world of opera and ballet, bits both musical and physical.  For example, during the patter song "When you're lying awake" (sung by the marvelous James Mills as The Lord Chancellor), Maestro Bergeret, who also directed, kept bidding the increasingly exhausted Mr. Mills for encore verses until the poor singer was on the verge of collapse, only to be wound up again just like Olympia, the mechanical doll in Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffman. Ballet lovers may have noticed reflections of the "Dance of the Cygnets" in Swan Lake as the fairies danced in Act I.

The story is a charming one in which the fairy Iolanthe (portrayed by Amy Maude Helfer)  had escaped the death sentence reserved for fairies who marry mortals by the leniency of the Fairy Queen (played by contralto Angela Christine Smith, so amply of body and voice). She had born a son Strephon (Mr. Macaluso) in her forbidden marriage with the Lord Chancellor (Mr. Mills).

Strephon has become a shepherd and has fallen in love with a charming girl who is a ward in Chancery of The Lord Chancellor who does not accept his suit. Strephon is overheard speaking affectionately with his mother who, as a fairy, has not aged and appears to be romantically involved with Strephon, sending poor Phyllis into a fit of anger and determination to marry one of the Lords, never mind which. Both The Earl of Mountararat (marvelous Matthew Wages, with resonant low tones and exquisite comic timing) and The Earl of Tolloller (tenor Daniel Greenwood, with similar comic talent) vie for her hand in a delightful duet. 

Let us not forget the similarly superb comic chops of David Wannen whose huge bass tones were just perfect for Private Willis of The Grenadier Guards whose "When all night long a chap remains" struck us as perfect political commentary.

If we have said very little about the voices, it is because amplification never gives us a true picture of the singers' instruments.  However, the only one in the cast whom we have often heard unamplified on the opera stage is Ms. Leyden and to her vocal gifts we can attest.  Everyone else is in the cast sounded just fine but simply not describable. The acting was flawless as was Bergeret's direction.

Gail J. Wofford's costumes were marvelously colorful and period apropos (1885). Jack Garver's set design was simple but effective. David Auxier's choreography was well suited to the fairies and to the Lords who somehow reminded us of the Rockettes.

I was an extraordinarily satisfying lighthearted evening at a time when our own nation is ripe and ready for political satire. Unfortunately, all we get are memes and cartoons on FaceBook and on Instagram. We wish we had a team as clever as Gilbert and Sullivan to write something pertaining to contemporary times.

Since we always have a minor quibble, let us just suggest that titles be provided. We spent some time reading the libretto and marveled at Gilbert's skills with wordplay and rhyming. That much of the words were lost during the performance seemed particularly unfortunate. Naturally, low voices are more easily understood so Mr. Wannen and Ms. Smith were always clearly understood. The female chorus, whilst charming, was the least comprehensible.

© meche kroop

JUST ONE HOUR

 Maestro Will Crutchfield and Mattia Venni

We are amazed, Dear Reader, by how much education and entertainment can be packed into a mere hour.  Entertainment and education are among our most prized values and leaving an event feeling fulfilled on both counts is more than we could hope for. Responsible for the education was Maestro Will Crutchfield whose standing-room-only lectures, preceding the July performances of Teatro Nuovo, have immeasurably added to our appreciation of the beloved Bel Canto repertory; responsible for the entertainment was basso Mattia Venni whose performances of Italian art songs, arias, and 20th century canzone were delivered with all the heart and soul of a native born Italian.

We were first introduced to Mr. Mattia less than two years ago when he starred in a frothy bel canto comedy produced by Teatro Nuovo. Here is what we wrote: "One could not have asked for a better Crispino than bass-baritone Mattia Venni whose comedic chops were matched by some superb singing. Whether legato or staccato, whether solo or in duet or trio, his sturdy but flexible vocal production was a standout. Rapid patter presented no problems. We would welcome the opportunity to hear him again."

And so, Dear Reader, this wish was granted last night at a private recital at the Instituto Italiano Cultura. The recital gave the audience samples of Mr. Mattia's prodigious gifts as he performed a work from the Baroque period, known to every beginning singer but rarely performed by a seasoned artist--Caldara's "Come raggio di sol". It was brought to life by means of a resonant bass instrument with a minimum of gesture.

Not to worry because the expressive gestures that we love were on full display in subsequent arias, bringing each character to vivid life (as we noted in his portrayal of Crispino described above). Dulcamara's sales pitch from Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore was a masterpiece of characterization; this Dulcamara was a hustler but a very likable one and just persuasive enough to hoodwink the uneducated and gullible residents of the towns in his territory. The patter was performed with crispness and clarity.

From Bellini's La Sonnambula, Mr. Mattis switched gears, giving us an elegant Count Rodolfo, reminiscing about his youth in "Vi ravviso, o luoghi ameni". We admired the artist's facility with Bellini's long legato lines, the resonance in his lower register, and the color of nostalgia.

Following that brief sample of bel canto arias, Mr. Mattia treated the audience to a trio of art songs dating to about the turn of the 20th century. The familiar "L'ultima canzone" imbued us with the sensation of heartbreak as the lovelorn poet's words were set by Tosti in alternating verses given different coloration by the artist.

The other two songs were previously unknown to us. Luigi Denza's passionate "Occhi di fata" showed off the artist's beautiful pianissimo in the upper register.   Renato Brogi's "Visione veneziana", a melancholic barcarolle, was notable for its tragic minor mode that tore at the heartstrings.

The program ended with some accessible "popular" song of the same period which seemed to us just as artistic as the "art songs", reminding us of the concerts programmed by Steven Blier for his New York Festival of Song. What makes a song "art" seems largely up to who performs it. We have heard operatic arias sung with amplification by pop stars  and, well, they were not "art", whereas a popular song sung by a great voice is art.

We loved the simplicity of melody and sentiment in Ernesto de Curtis' "Non ti scordar di me" and Bixio's "Mamma".  The encore was another fine choice for this artist. From Rodgers and Hammerstein's mid 20th century Broadway musical South Pacific, we heard the romantic "Some Enchanted Evening" sung by the French expatriate planter Emile de Beque. That it was sung with a charming Italian accent was just fine with us!

As far as the educational aspect of this all-too-brief recital, Maestro Will Crutchfield, whose consummate artistry at the piano added so much to the experience, provided fascinating information about each number and also offered some reflections on his Teatro Nuovo, now celebrating seven years of authentic productions from the Bel Canto period,  intensive vocal training to talented young singers, and audience enlightenment as well. We are always thrilled to find individuals and companies whose goals and performance practices resonate with us.

© meche kroop