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
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