Daniel Jimenez, Diego Fernandez, Amir Farid, Joseph Parrish, and Shelén Hughes Camacho
We cannot recall being as enraptured at a vocal concert as we were last night when artistic "power couple" Shelén Hughes Camacho and Joseph Parrish performed A Love Letter to the Americas at Merkin Hall. We owe thanks to The George and Nora London Foundation for this gift of love. Love was definitely in the air--not just the love of music and love for homeland, but also the very obvious love this couple has for one another. It was so present that it spilled off the stage and encompassed the entire theater.
Assisted by a trio of excellent musicians--pianist Amir Farid, guitarist Diego Fernandez, and percussionist Daniel Jimenez, our lovebirds shared the stage for 90 minutes, sometimes singing a duet or listening intently to each other's solos. The intensity of the energy held us so firmly that we never once looked at the program nor did we take a single note! Diction was always crystal clear and, if the Spanish language was unfamiliar to you, Ms. Camacho's gestures told the story.
Let us see how much we can recall without benefit of notes. The program began with several duets which, presumably, the couple staged themselves in a manner that was not lifted from some production but rather seemed original. Figaro took measurements while Susanna preened and tried to get his attention. This scene segued into Belcore's wooing of Adina, which then continued into Suzel's cherry picking aria, and finally into Don Giovanni's seduction of Zerlina. The last one was particularly well staged as the two began from distant parts of the stage with Zerlina being reeled in like a fish. We are so familiar with the vocal artistry of these two artists that we didn't monitor the embellishments or the phrasing or the vocal quality (all of which were superb) but we allowed ourself to just enjoy the various dramas.
Gershwin's Promenade gave pianist Amir Farid a chance to shine and the remainder of the program comprised art songs, folk songs, and spirituals. We agree with Steven Blier that good songs are just good songs with popular music, Broadway tunes, folk songs, and art songs being programmed side by side.
The program continued with welcome contributions from guitarist Diego Fernandez and percussionist Daniel Jimenez adding a latin flavor.
We particularly enjoyed the spirituals, some of which we have heard before and others which were new to us. Moses Hogan's arrangement of "Were You There" gave Mr. Parrish an opportunity to invest each "tremble" with a different color. Lead Belly's "Sylvie" was new to us but Hall Johnson's "Dusty Road" has been on Mr. Parrish's other programs. Both are now favorites.
Latin American music always falls gently on our ear and especially when given voice by Ms. Camacho. We enjoyed some songs in Portuguese by Villa-Lobos and the romantic "Cuando vuelva a tu lado" by Eydie Gormé.
This concert confirmed our belief in the future success of these two very special artists about whom we have written many time. Their stars are on the rise and the many prizes they have won include The George and Nora London Foundation and Opera Index. Their careers are taking them far and wide and we secretly enjoy congratulating ourself on having predicted their successes from the start. They just keep getting better and better with each inspiring the other, as one could see from the program. They even join in supporting the same charity-- Voices for Bolivia. It is by the generosity of those foundations that support young artists that these emerging talents are able to achieve a wider audience and performance opportunities.
© meche kroop