WHAT LIES BENEATH

 

AS THE SCREW TURNS

Ashley Emerson and Jennifer Check

We have just had an experience that compares with most operagoing experiences as a dinner at La Grenouille would compare with a fine dinner at home. It was way more than delicious and nourishing; it was one of those evenings that will be indelibly etched in our memory. It was Britten's Turn of the Screw performed on the beautiful estate Wave Hill.

Eric Einhorn's concept for On Site Opera is to produce just such experiences that add up to more than the sum of their parts. There is always a location that amounts to way more than seats in an audience facing a stage with sets. There is always an intimacy with the story and the singers. It must be quite a challenge to find just the right location for any given story but it always works.

There was not enough space for more than a fortunate few and we count ourself among them. Because you, dear reader, probably did not make the cut (the show having sold out within minutes of its announcement), we would like to cut right to the chase and describe the experience. Trust our judgment on the point that the parts were superbly cast and magnificently acted and sung and that Geoffrey McDonald's conducting of his chamber orchestra made the most of Britten's score, adding layer upon layer of anxiety and suspence. 

A team of guides handed each one of us a lantern and guided us through the pathways until we reached a gothic looking building with a balcony from which a narrator introduced us to the story. The opera is based upon a gothic ghost story--a novella by Henry James. Myfanwy Piper wrote the concise and effective libretto.

Next we met The Governess in the person of soprano Jennifer Check, in perfect period costume, who led us to the front door of the country house where she was to take care of two orphaned children, without ever bothering their uncle who had hired her. She shared her excitement and anxiety with us and even asked someone to hold her suitcase whilst she opened the front door.

From then on we felt like a fly on the wall, observing her meeting the housekeeper Mrs. Grose (mezzo-soprano Margaret Lattimore) and then her two charges who stood holding photographs of the former governess Miss Jessell and the valet Peter Quint, both of whom had died recently. 

The children had been instructed by Mrs. Grose to bow and curtsy but we knew instantly that something was wrong. One couldn't have seen the subtle facial expressions underlying their politesse at the Met but it was obvious from a few yards away.

It seemed clear to us that The Governess is not going mad when she sees the ghosts of Mr. Quint and Miss Jessell. (We have seen a film in which she is portrayed as hysterical and the children as needing to be rescued from her care.)

As Mr. Einhorn has so astutely directed the action, moving the audience from one room of the large mansion to another, the illusion of knowing the characters took hold and gripped us by the throat. We lost the concept of ambiguity from James' novella and identified strongly with the terrified Governess as she faced the two ghosts.

Dominic Armstrong was completely riveting as Peter Quint; the way Mr. Einhorn directed his scenes with Miles (counter-tenor Jordan Rutter) we were convinced that Quint had seduced the boy whilst he yet lived and was trying to snatch his soul now that he had died. We rarely see such a portrayal of evil onstage with Mr. Armstrong coloring his voice to match the text.

Adriana Zabala made a rather more sympathetic Miss Jessell. In a directorial coup,  there was a parallel scene with the current Governess and Miss Jessell walking the same pathway in tandem. This added to the gothic element of the storytelling and gave us the shivers. We wondered whether the poor (unnamed) Governess would also die. It is a mark of great storytelling and great acting that we were so caught up that we wanted to know what happened to her! Ms. Check made us feel on her side from the start.

As Flora, Ashley Emerson acted the part of a young girl with considerable success. As Miles, Mr. Rutter was totally convincing. He is small and slender of stature and his treble voice lent considerable verisimilitude. Both "children" gave evidence of secrets and secret lives.

Even Mrs. Grose, portrayed by mezzo-soprano Margaret Lattimore, seemed to have secrets, only some of which were shared with The Governess. At one point we saw her drop something in a cup of tea but were not sure for whom it was meant or whether it were poison or sedative. Ambiguity was everywhere and we believe James wanted us to be puzzled by unanswered questions.

The chamber orchestra was as Britten intended, comprising a string quartet plus a bass and one each of the necessary winds. The versatile instrumentalists seemed adept with the flutist handling piccolo and two registers of flutes; the oboist doubled on English Horn and the clarinetist switched to the Bass Clarinet, one of our favorite sounds in the orchestra. There was also a French Horn, a Bassoon, and a marvelous harpist who created quite an atmosphere. 

The pianist and the percussionist added to the texture; there were chimes, some soft Kettle Drumming, and what might have been a celesta. We meant to inspect the percussion section after the curtain call but we were still in some kind of state that lasted until we got home. The atmosphere of the performance was so intense that at one point we accepted what occurred onstage as reality and felt as if we were a ghost.

The costuming by Amanda Seymour was perfect and completed the illusion that we were back in the 19th c.  What a completely strange experience! Talk about total immersion!!!

On Site Opera's contribution to the New York opera scene is valuable and unique. Our only regret is that his productions cannot accommodate more people.

© meche kroop

SPANNING SIX CENTURIES

Neil Beckmann, Amber Evans, and Francesca Ferrara

Most vocal recitals we've reviewed include works of the 19th c.--our favorite. Last night we attended a very special recital that jumped from the Baroque period to what we would call Post-Modern, skipping over the 19th c. What made the recital special was not only the unique aspect of the choices but the excellence and commitment of the performers. These were works that the artists enjoyed performing; one could tell by their enthusiasm.

Soprano Amber Evans has an engaging stage presence and an impressive instrument, the texture of which worked extremely well with the acoustics of the beautiful sanctuary of St. John's in the Village, the Rector of which, Graeme Napier, is a real music lover. One would be hard-pressed to find a night there without a recital!

Ms. Evans' musical partner was Neil Beckmann who seemed as comfortable with the exotic theorbo as he was with guitars (both acoustic and electric), and the lute. The pair was joined by flutist Francesca Ferrara for the final selection on the program which we will get to later.

Of the Baroque portion of the program, we were captivated by Barbara Strozzi's "L'Eraclito Amorosa", a rather typical lament of someone with an unfaithful lover. It was expressed in Strozzi's unique and heart-rending style which was well matched by Ms. Evans' passionate delivery in the manner favored by singer/scholar Jessica Gould of Salon/Sanctuary Concerts. The Italian was perfumed with garlic, as it should be. We loved the melodic line which was enhanced by dynamic variety. The extended melismatic passages served as a vocalise, showcasing Ms. Evans' gifts. Mr. Beckmann's theorbo provided worthy accompaniment.

Also from the 17th c. was Michel Lambert's "Vos Méspris" which delighted our ears. The text is another cri de coeur from a scorned lover. Apparently that was a favorite topic in that epoch, one which inspired so much gorgeous music. Again we loved the way the theorbo sounded with the voice.

From the 16th c. we heard several songs by John Dowland, our favorite of which was "In Darkness Let Me Dwell" because of the way Dowland married music to the text. The texture of Ms. Evans' voice and Mr. Beckmann's lute produced overtones which bounced around the room, creating an arresting effect.

From an even earlier period (15th c.) was Guillaume Dufay's "Mon chier amy". On the page, the consoling words are spelled differently from the more familiar spelling of the 17th c. French but we had no trouble understanding Ms. Evans' excellent diction, which impressed our native born Francophone friend.

We confess we have struggled with words to describe the Post-Modern works on the program. We always feel a bit lost when there is no melody but we can't say we were bored or alienated. Let's just say we found them curious and interesting. There was a haunting flavor to Marcos Balter's "Pos que nada que dure ou que durando". The Portuguese offered no challenge to our linguistically gifted soprano, nor did the scoring for cowbells and triangle. There were keening sounds and a very delicate decrescendo at the end. Mr. Beckmann accompanied with acoustic guitar and whistles (!). Yes, whistles.

Madeleine Isaksson's "Därimellian" requires the singer to make up syllables. The two artists created some unique overtones as Mr. Beckmann did some strange moves on an electric guitar--portamenti and vibrato (to use vocal terms with which we are familiar). There was nothing to hold onto except for a 3-note motif.

Anna Korsun's "Tollers Zelle" showed off Ms. Evans' facility with some strange bird cries and with the spoken German text at the end of the piece. Mr. Beckmann played electric guitar with more strange techniques and both took turns with what appeared to be a child's toy, a kind of music box played with a rotating handle. We certainly didn't know what to make of it or how it related to the text.

Kaija Saariaho's "Adjö" was visually interesting with some vigorous beating of chimes and tambourine. Flutist Francesca Ferrara produced some strange overtones juxtaposed with acoustic guitar. The vocal line was nothing if not spiky. The text was Swedish.

On more familiar territory we heard Benjamin Britten's Six Folk Songs for Soprano and Guitar. We particularly enjoyed "I Will Give My Love an Apple" and "Sailor Boy". Folk songs endure because they have melody!

As encore we heard an old German Christmas carol "Maria durch ein Dornwald ging" which dates arguably from the 16th c. and is undeniably lovely even in the modern arrangement we heard on the theorbo.

We thought long and hard about the music we heard last night. The oldest endured for six centuries.  How long will the music composed in the 21st c. endure?  Just sayin'!

(c) meche kroop

MORE #METOO

Scott Lindroth, Amelia Hensley, Helena Brown, Andrew Dwan, Allison Gish, Victor Khodadad,
Julia Tang, and Barbara Porto

Social movements generally take a while to get off the ground and then, it seems, they reach critical mass and dominate the conversation. In the past ten days we have reviewed a half-dozen operas with the theme of women suffering from egregious male misbehavior-- being intimidated by male power and made to feel guilty for male lust. We will indeed be overjoyed when this situation is eliminated. New Camerata Opera has joined the movement with an excellent realization of The Rape of Lucretia.

The Rape of Lucretia was composed by Britten as one of a group of chamber operas written in the impoverished post-World War II period when faith and funds were in equally short supply in Great Britain. The libretto by Ronald Duncan is prosy, declamatory, filled with special pleadings for Christianity, and marked by poetic metaphors--some of which were lovely, i.e. "Thirsty evening has drunk the wine of light". Others were more obscure. There wasn't much in the way of vocal line to appreciate.

Serving as narrators of the story were Victor Khodadad and the powerful soprano Helena Brown. In a masterstroke by Stage Director Bea Goodwin, a "silent" narrator, in the person of actor Amelia Hensley, "doubled" the role of Lucretia; she enacted the words in American Sign Language, thus driving home the point of women being silenced. We wondered how the expressive Ms. Hensley co-ordinated her signing with the dialogue and learned that there were titles projected toward the stage as well as toward the audience.

We might mention right now that the English was so clearly enunciated that titles were uncharacteristically redundant. We would also like to mention that the female members of the cast learned enough ASL to incorporate some signing as gestures whilst singing. We have only a slight familiarity with ASL but enough to recognize a few of their signs and to know of their legitimacy. We found this to be extraordinarily powerful and quite compelling, adding to their expressivity.

The story is reported rather differently in various historical sources but is thought to take place around 500 B.C.E. A group of soldiers, fueled by resentment, alcohol and testosterone, rail against the unfaithfulness of women. Their wives have cuckolded them in their absence; the air is thick with shame.  Only the wife of Collatinus (bass Andrew Dwan) has remained chaste and the others are jealous. The evil Etruscan Prince Tarquinius (baritone Stan Lacy) has no wife, just a bunch of whores.

Egged on by Junius (baritone Scott Lindroth), Tarquinius decides to make a wild late-night ride to Rome to prove Lucretia false. There was an interesting but subtle directorial move here; the urging of conscience takes place in one ear and the urging of lust in the other.

This ride was a highlight of the evening for several reasons. One is the creative use of the cast members to create the image of this mad ride with a violently whipped and furiously galloping horse; the other was the driven music (under the baton of Maestro Justin Bischof) which did not quite equal Richard Wagner's "Ride of the Walkyries" but was exciting in its own right.

When Tarquinius arrives at Collatinus' home, the faithful Lucretia (superb mezzo-soprano Allison Gish) feels intimidated and obliged to offer him hospitality. During the night, he enters her room. Whilst asleep she responds briefly to the rapist, thinking it to be her husband. When she awakes she fights back to no avail. The next morning, mad with shame and guilt, she sends for her husband. He understands and absolves her but she stabs herself.

Adding greatly to the story, by showing the contrast between the men's world of violence and the women's world of peaceful spinning and cultivating flowers, are Lucretia's two companions, her motherly nurse Bianca (mezzo-soprano Julia Tang) and the younger flirtatious Lucia (soprano Barbara Porto). In their spinning scene, the visuals were creative and the melismatic singing gave us an opportunity to appreciate the lovely tonal quality of their instruments.

Like most post-Puccini operas, this one struck us as a "play with music". For our personal taste, the best part of the score was the gentle music played whilst Lucretia slept, emphasizing the harp. Otherwise, the score is dissonant and complex as befits the story. Maestro Bischof conducted the strings of the chamber orchestra on stage right with the winds occupying stage left. Percussion was placed behind the performers.

Luther Frank's set was minimalistic as were Sarah Dixey's costumes. We were far more interested in Ms. Goodwin's effective storytelling and visual imagery, as well as the excellent singing. Photos of the production can be seen on our Facebook page--Voce di Meche.

After three experiences with this opera we acknowledge its powerful message and its relevancy but it will never be in our "Top 100". And yet, we recommend it highly for the originality of this production and its successful execution.

(c) meche kroop

ALBERT HERRING/ ALBERT HERRING

Sung Shin, Gabriella Chea, Joseph Tancredi, Riley Bragg, Adam Goldstein, Erin Wagner, Edward Lim, Yvette Keong,
Christina Parsons, and Sam Krivda

By a strange quirk of scheduling, we found ourself at two different productions of Britten's Albert Herring two nights in a row. We could never consider ourself a big fan of Britten but we recalled a delightful production of the comedy seen in 2010 at the Santa Fe Opera and decided to explore the opera further. 

The work premiered in 1947 at Glyndebourne, using the same chamber orchestra used for Britten's 1946 tragedy The Rape of Lucretia. The work is perfect for presentation by a conservatory, offering juicy roles for 13 singers and not requiring massive orchestral forces.

For anyone who does not know the story, it is about a bumbling but virtuous (inhibited) youth who rebels against his mother's domination with the subversive help of a pair of friends. Because the selection committee is unable to find a sufficiently virtuous young woman to serve as Queen of the May, Albert is chosen to be King. His friends surreptitiously get him drunk and he goes out on a bender, driving his entire village into a state of anxiety and then mourning when they believe him to be dead. When he turns up alive and disheveled their grief turns to anger. But he has cut the apron strings!

At Manhattan School of Music Friday night, the MSM Senior Opera Theater brought the work to comic life with Dona D. Vaughn's detailed direction, offering many sly comic touches which, along with Britten's writing, gave each character his/her own particular character. Maestro Jorge Parodi's crisp conducting brought out the nuances of the score, particularly in the fugal sextet which closed the first scene. Act II brought a gorgeous duet in which an alto flute (Michelle Pokley) joined harmonics with a bassoon (Morgan Davison). We also enjoyed Sonia Bize's harp.

The singers were uniformly sensational and one could scarcely believe that they are all undergraduates! In the title role we had the sweet-voiced tenor Joseph Tancredi whose growth we have been watching for a couple of years. As agile of acting as he is of singing, we enjoyed watching his resentment grow until he liberated himself and got out from under his mother's thumb. His discomfort about being manipulated into his role as King of the May was a joy to observe.

As his naughty friends, Sam Krivda made a superb Sid, a young man with a carefree and wild side; as his sweetheart Nancy, Christina Parsons was especially likable when she sang of her remorse over tricking Albert with spiked lemonade.

The imperious and judgmental Lady Billows was given a fine realization by Riley Bragg; Gabriella Chea, as her equally judgmental housekeeper Florence Pike, sang well and also had the best and plummiest accent in the cast.

The selection committee comprised Vicar Gedge, whose arias were beautifully realized by Sung Shin; schoolteacher Miss Wordsworth, gorgeously sung and enacted by Yvette Keong; Mayor Upfold, finely etched by Adam Goldstein; and Superintendent Budd, sung by Edward Lim, whose rich bass could only have been tutored by James Morris. Their scene in Lady Billows' drawing room was filled with Britten's sendup of self importance.

Erin Wagner cut a fine figure as Albert's strict and controlling mother. Three children of the town were believably portrayed by Melissa Lubars, Hyejin Yoon, and Yunchan Zhou. They comprised a sort of Greek chorus, commenting on the action. The scene in which Miss Wordsworth tries to get them to sing for the May Festival was absolutely adorable.

Maureen Freedman's sets and costumes were just about perfect. In the opening scene, everyone was in grey monotones. In the Festival scene, ridiculous flowered hats added to the fun. The embarrassed Albert was made to wear a white suit with a crown of blossoms. Poor Albert!

The effective set for Mrs. Herring's greengrocer shop included a pot bellied stove, burlap sacks of potatoes and turnips, trays of herbs, bins of produce, and flowers. It was all deliciously realistic.

We have but minor quibbles. One is that the stage was elevated about three feet off the ground with seating on three sides, causing the audience to be always looking up and also obscuring the titles. It might have been better to have raised the audience!

The presence of titles was rendered almost unnecessary by the clarity of enunciation, thanks to Kathryn LaBouff. Perhaps this is too much to expect of undergraduates but we would have liked to hear different accents from the working class than we heard from the professional class. That's just how it is in England!

In spite of the charm of the "book" we found Eric Crozier's libretto to be somewhat leaden. Setting English is so challenging. W.S. Gilbert was long dead by then and Sondheim not yet born. It was obvious that Crozier could at times rhyme and scan but those moments were few and far between. As is usual in 20th c. opera, the interesting music is in the orchestra with not much melody going on in the vocal lines. It is to the credit of these young singers that their phrasing and tonal quality made music. We could scarcely believe that they are Seniors (and one Junior). What a wealth of talent!

HEROINES OF OPERA--NEW CAMERATA OPERA GALA

Allison Gish

Eva Parr and Erik Bagger

We had a grand time last night at The Flea in Tribeca, where New Camerata Opera presented a very fun very gala evening of food, drink, entertainment, and a foretaste of some upcoming events.

The always adventuresome company not only presents works for us grownups but also brings opera into the public schools with their Camerata Piccolo Program and further has a program called CamerataWorks, creating short video operas for the video generation. One might say they have all the bases covered, if you will permit a metaphor from someone who knows nothing about sports. Let us say they are about to hit a home run with their upcoming performance of Britten's Rape of Lucretia.

Director Bea Goodwin (whose work we love and heartily endorse) gave a brief talk about female vulnerability which was brought to society's awareness by this story over two millenia ago; the situation has not yet been remedied. She spoke about the harsh reality of rape and its dire consequences.  She made a strong plea for defending citizens from tyrants. Can we relate to this when our own president is a "groper"?

Her talk was followed by some gripping performances from the opera which will be presented May 2nd, 4th, and 5th, also at The Flea, a comfortable and convenient venue.

Erik Bagger lent his soulful tenor to "Tarquinius' Ride" and showed admirable flexibility in adorning the vocal line. The excitement built just as Britten intended with the excellent Brian Holman accompanying on the keyboard.

Baritone Stan Lacy illuminated more about Tarquinius' character than we have ever heard in "Within this frail crucible of light" and, surprisingly, we found ourself understanding where this "bad dude" was coming from.

One of Ms. Goodwin's original directorial inventions was to have Amelia Hensley conveying the text of "Give him this orchid" in American Sign Language whilst the powerful mezzo-soprano Allison Gish sang the aria. The signing was so graceful to watch that we had trouble focusing on Ms. Gish's superlative singing.

Fortunately, we had another opportunity later in the program when this marvelous mezzo sang "Mon coeur s'ouvre à ta voix" from Camille Saint-Saëns' Samson et Dalila. Not since we heard Marilyn Horne sing this role have we enjoyed it as much.

Soprano Mithuna Sivaraman used her coloratura instrument effectively in "Da tempeste il legno infranto" from Händel's Giulio Cesare. The clarity of her enbellishments of the vocal line left no doubt about her gift for Baroque opera. We heard her previously in a contemporary piece but readers will have no doubt about our preference. We cannot evaluate a singer's voice until we hear him/her singing something Baroque or Bel Canto!

To end the entertainment portion of the evening, mezzo-soprano Eva Parr transported us to Lillas Pastia's taberna with "Les tringles des sistres tintaient" from Bizet's Carmen. This is not the first time we heard Mr. Bagger play the guitar and his accompaniment here was delightful and very Spanish. Ms. Parr's versatility as an artist made her a fine Carmen.

The third branch of New Camerata Opera is CamerataWorks and we watched a short video of a Charles Ives song "Songs my mother taught me". We confess that we don't "get" video and furthermore, on this topic, we prefer Dvorak! Still, it's a worthwhile project and sure to find an audience.

Aside from the upcoming Britten, on May 3rd there will be a concert of songs by women--Isabella Colbran, Pauline Viardot, and Maria Malibran. So...are the Heroines of Opera the composers, the characters of the operas, or the singers???  Let's find out on May 3rd.

(c) meche kroop

GOTHIC HORROR AT JUILLIARD

Joan Hofmeyr, Britt Hewitt, Charles Sy, and Rebecca Pedersen 

(photo by Rosalie O'Connor)

 Chance Jonas-O’Toole, Anneliese Klenetsky, Charles Sy

(photo by Rosalie O'Connor)

Some riveting performances by students of Juilliard Vocal Arts Department (both graduates and undergraduates) brought to life a strange production of Benjamin Britten's The Turn of the Screw.  Henry James' gothic horror novella of the turn of the 20th c. was adapted by Myfanwy Piper for Britten.

The lack of vowels in her name seems to match the dearth of melody in Britten's music. What happened to melody after Richard Strauss?  What we are left with are plays with music. As such, this one worked out as well as could be expected.  The drama held our attention and kept us guessing. The music had a great deal of color and reminded us of the atmospheric music written for film. As a matter of fact, the entire production had a filmic quality.

We have learned that the longer the Director's Notes, the more obscure the production will be. As is our wont, we don't read them until after seeing the production because we believe a work of art should speak for itself. We were not always sure what was going on in John Giampietro's confusing production and reading his notes afterward succeeded in baffling us still further. There was a great deal of symbolism which we failed to grasp.  Frankly, we prefer realistic storytelling.  We are familiar with Jungian psychology but our familiarity did not help.

Chance Jonas O'Toole colored his tenor suitably for the role of the narrator, not only introducing the action but moving furniture in and out of the unit set, a large empty period room with peeling wallpaper, a broken ceiling, and several secret panels for entrances and exits.

As the innocent (or maybe not so) Governess, soprano Anneliese Klenetsky could not have been better. One could not tell if her ghostly visions were "real" or not but it was obvious that she cared for her juvenile charges. She had the closest thing to an aria in the well sung "How beautiful it is".

As the juveniles, soprano Britt Hewitt in travesti was believable as Miles who was "bad" or else "possessed". As his sister Flora,

soprano Joan Hofmeyr was similarly effective. Their playing together was always a bit unsettling.

The two "ghosts" were remarkably portrayed. Tenor Charles Sy was chilling as Peter Quint, using voice coloration and gesture to portray pure evil.  As the prior governess Miss Jessel, soprano Rebecca Pedersen, made a strong impression. She was strangely swathed in butterflies.

As the housekeeper Mrs. Grose, soprano Katerina Burton was warm and real, the only non-puzzling onstage presence.

If we have said nothing about their voices, it is because this type of work doesn't have the long lyric lines of Italian opera that enable us to appreciate phrasing, timbre, and all that other good stuff.  Suffice it to say that their diction was uniformly superb making the titles rather unnecessary.

Alexis Distler's scenic design matched the spookiness of the story and Kate Ashton's lighting design helped immeasurably to create the mood. Audrey Nauman's costumes were suited to the period.

Maestro Steven Osgood led the chamber orchestra in a finely wrought performance. The musicians were all members of the Juilliard Orchestra. A string quartet was augmented by a double bass, a flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, percussion, harp, and piano.  The winds were particularly effective, as was the harp.  Was that a celesta we heard or chimes in the Churchyard scene? It was very effective, whichever.

Given the choice of seeing this work again or reading the novella, we would probably opt for reading. There were others in the sold out house whose enthusiasm exceeded ours. The great thing about opera is that there is something for every taste. Mid 20th c. opera in English just isn't ours.

(c) meche kroop

HOW YA' LIKE THEM APPLES?

Natalia Katyukova and Paul Appleby at Zankel Hall

Tenor Paul Appleby is another artist who began his career about the same time as we began writing about the vocal arts, a simultaneity that leads to our deep investment and joy in his success.  Instead of writing yet another encomium, we invite you, dear reader, to use the search function to read dozens of reviews of this outstanding artist. We would prefer to get right into last night's program which was so carefully designed by Mr. Appleby, with intentions described in detail in the program notes.

We will skip right to the Schubert which is where the pathway from our ears to our heart was direct. Every recital we attend leaves us with an "ear worm" and we cannot silence Mr. Appleby's tender tenor timbre ringing in our ears as he performed "Ständchen". It took us back about five years when he performed an entire program of serenades in Santa Fe. Mr. Appelby can serenade us any time at all!  What a treat!

For reasons elucidated in the program notes, our terrific tenor reordered the seven Rellstab songs to fit in with the theme of the program. We had no objections to the reordering although we did not quite grasp the storyline he devised. No composer has equalled the lied output of Franz Schubert; his major-minor shifts and modulations of key seem to wrench our heart in a most satisfying way.

Both Mr. Appleby and the superb collaborative pianist Natalia Katyukova brought out the emotions of the songs. The natural elements like babbling brooks and rustling tree tops were finely limned on the piano. The mood of anxiety in "Aufenthalt" was countered by the lively and cheerful "Abschied". The grim "Kriegers Ahnung" has a low tessitura that did not daunt Mr. Appleby.

We loved the way he asked the questions "Hinab?", "Warum?" and "Und Du?" in "Frühlingssehnsucht" which ended with a powerful and passionate "Nur Du!" The set ended with a Seidl song "Die Taubenpost", notable for its rollicking rhythm and charming text. We always have a quibble and here it is. The consonants were not crisp throughout the entire Schubert cycle. 

By contrast, the diction for the songs in English was perfect and every word was clear. Songs of Imagined Love by contemporary composer Hannah Lash were based on four of the Schubert songs which would be heard later in the program. This was a world premiere and was commissioned by Mr. Appleby who sang them off book.

We daresay that Ms. Lash's songs will be performed long after Schubert's are forgotten--and not a moment before! They are not bad; they were just not interesting to us. When there is no melody in the vocal line our attention focuses on the piano and we enjoyed some pleasing tinkling sounds.

We did not enjoy the unpleasant sounds of George Crumb's "The Sleeper" in which the piano was violated.  The music desk was removed and the pianist stuck her hand inside and groped. We call this a case of "piano abuse".  If a composer wants plucking he can call upon the all-too-willing harp who flaunts her strings! The piano likes her strings tapped gently, if you please.

This was the first time we heard Benjamin Britten's Winter Words: Lyrics and Ballads of Thomas Hardy. We are a huge fan of Hardy's novels and have always thought that the stories would make great operas. But his poetry left us cold, as did Britten's setting. Clearly Mr. Appleby loves this cycle and poured his heart and soul into the performance.  It just is not our taste.

We did enjoy Mr. Appleby's melismatic singing, especially on the word "journeying" in "Midnight on the Great Western" in which Ms. Kotyukova produced the clacking of a railway train. We also admired the way Mr. Appleby colored his voice differently for the narrator, the child, and the convict in "At the Railway Station, Upway".

Also on the program was a short setting of a John Milton text by Handel--"Thus when the sun from's wat'ry bed" from Samson. The text rhymed and scanned and the melody was memorable with a fine opportunity for Mr. Appleby's melismatic singing.

We hoped for an encore from Candide but instead we got two pleasing songs--"Believe Me if All Those Endearing Young Charms" by Thomas Moore, and Frank Bridge's charming "Love Went a-Riding".

(c) meche kroop

THE SINGER'S SINGER

Donald Sulzen and Anna Caterina Antonacci (photo by Sarah Shatz)

Zankel Hall made a fine home for an unusual recital by "the singer's singer" Anna Caterina Antonacci and the collaborative pianist who partners her well, measure by measure, phrase by phrase. The recital was presented by New York City Opera and the excitement began at the end when impressario and General Director Michael Capasso got down on his knee (we kid you not) to present flowers to Ms. Antonacci.  Now that is something we have never seen before, but exactly right when one encounters royalty!

There were so many opera lovers wanting to hear Ms. Antonacci that we had to wait for the second night to get tickets. The recital was eagerly awaited; we don't believe Ms. Antonacci has performed in New York City since 2013 when she gave an outstanding performance of baroque music for Lincoln Center's White Light Festival. That was quite a show involving unusual staging, scenery, and costuming (review archived and available through the search bar).  Last night's recital was also unusual, but unusual in a different way.

We begin by saying that our taste in music was best met by the encores. The brief piece by Girolamo Frescobaldi entitled   "Se l'aura spira" thrilled us to the bone and lingers in our ears like the early 17th c. jewel that it is.

The second encore astonished us by making the familiar fresh. Ms. Antonacci sang the "Habanera" from Carmen as an intimate chanson rather than an operatic aria. One must recognize Ms. Antonacci as an idiosyncratic artist who will put her individual stamp on things!

The program itself held surprises for us. Most impressive was Francis Poulenc's major concert aria "La Dame de Monte Carlo" which is almost an entire opera in and of itself, or at the very least, a character study of a depressed widow, addicted to gambling. and down on her luck. No longer young and loved, she plans on drowning herself in the Mediterranean. Ms. Antonacci brought out every nuance of despair and bitterness.

There were further contributions from Poulenc on the program--Le Travail du Peintre is a cycle of songs, settings of text by Paul Éluard who created verbal descriptions of the famous painters of the early 20th c.  Poulenc created the musical portraits and Ms. Antonacci gave us an aural tour which reminded us conceptually, but not musically, of Moussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. Perhaps it is only coincidence that we favored the magic realism of Marc Chagall as we visualized the huge murals at the entrance to The Metropolitan Opera!

Another surprise was the nearly perfect English with which Ms. Antonacci sang Benjamin Britten's On this Island. We are not wild about W.H. Auden's text nor Mr. Britten's music but we definitely enjoyed the artist's ironic delivery of "As it is, plenty". This is a difficult text to make sense of, but she succeeded.

"Nocturne" , from the same cycle, began meditatively, grew in emphasis and power, and ended in a quiet postlude.

The program also comprised Debussy's lovely settings of Paul Verlaine's evocative text, of which our favorite was the sensuous "C'est l'extase langoureuse" in which Ms. Antonacci seemed to savor every word.  This made a nice contrast to the opening "Mandoline", a frisky affair.

We have heard a great deal about Nadia Boulanger as a composition teacher to many 20th c. composers, but had never heard her own vocal compositions. "Versailles" struck us as ethereal but we preferred the melody of "Cantique", with text by Maurice Maeterlinck.  "Elle a vendu mon coeur" , text by Camille Mauclair, is an affecting tale of betrayed love and consequent bitterness.

With so much French on the program, we were happy to hear some Italian. Ottorino Respighi's Deità Silvane gave Mr. Sulzen a chance to shine with some rippling figures in "Crepuscolo". However, we found the marriage of text and music most impressive in "Acqua".

We are happy indeed that New York City Opera is bringing us more than opera! We have feasted on music today and are replete.

(c) meche kroop

APPLE OF OUR EYE (and ear)

Ken Noda, Sarah Mesko, and Paul Appleby

What gives us the greatest pleasure in life is witnessing the growth of young artists. We have thrilled to the performances of tenor Paul Appleby since we started writing--no, even before--from Juilliard to leading roles on the stages of the world's greatest opera houses. We have been there when he was showered with awards from all the leading foundations. And yesterday he appeared as the "senior" member of a duo at the George London Foundation recital series, having been awarded a half dozen years ago. His rapid ascent can be attributed to his impressive expressive qualities and commitment to whatever he sings.  Besides all that, he has a tonal quality that goes straight to the heart.

The final piece on yesterday's program at The Morgan Library (a very special series for those of us who adore the human voice) was a duet with the "junior" member of the team mezzo-soprano Sarah Mesko, who was honored by the foundation just two years ago. The duet was the final scene from Georges Bizet's Carmen, a scene which has always seemed to go on a bit too long for our taste causing us to inwardly mutter "Stab her already".  But not yesterday!  The performance was so intense that we had to restrain ourselves from leaping onstage to prevent Don Jose from stabbing Carmen.

This frightening reality was created without set or costumes. We have never seen/heard it performed better. When Don Jose cradled the dying Carmen in his arms we could not hold back the tears. Ms. Mesko has experience with the role and Mr. Appleby absolutely must add this to his already substantial repertoire. Don Jose is a complex character and Mr. Appleby's artistry captured all of it. Interestingly, the two artists appeared together at the Santa Fe Opera a few years back in Offenbach's La Grand Duchesse de Gerolstein, which we reviewed so enthusiastically.

With that bedazzlement out of the way, let us consider the remainder of the program. Ms. Mesko's voice has the quality of liquid caramel and felt so totally perfect for Brahms whose "Die Mainacht" was the standout of her first set. Accompanied by the fine violist Andrew Gonzalez, she also gave a beautiful interpretation of Brahms' Zwei Gesange, op.91. The artist filled "Gestillte Sehnsucht" with restless longing. "Geistliches Wiegenlied" is a lullaby to the Christ child that we have often heard. Mr. Gonzalez' line echoed the vocal line and the repetition of the phrase "stillet die Wipfel" will not quit our ear.

We might add that Ms. Mesko's German diction was superb and she filled Hugo Wolf's "Der Mond hat eine schwere Klag erhoben" with wonder. She also accomplished a rare feat by singing English with superb enunciation. As far as the French, we found Gabriel Faure's "Clair de lune" to be wanting more fluidity of line to bring out the sensuality achieved by Ken Noda's superb accompaniment.  We even had the curious thought that the English song preceding the "Clair de Lune" had set her up for a choppier delivery.

We liked the way Ms. Mesko addressed the audience and told about her choices. She related how Hector Berlioz added something to Virgil's account of Dido's death when he wrote the libretto for Les Troyens. When she sang "Ah! Je vais mourir" we got Dido's anger at the abandoning Aeneas...followed by Berlioz' addition of an adagio section in which she expresses her gratitude for the good things in her life. In this part, we heard the longer legato line that we wanted to hear in the earlier "Clair de lune".

Mr. Appleby, so passionately convincing in opera, revealed a different side of his artistry in a set of songs by Britten. He is a thinking man's artist and can only be admired for choosing material that resonates with him. That it doesn't resonate with us does not take away anything. His attention to text is impressive and he mines every song for meaning. When we read the title of the song cycle On This Island, all we could think about was Mr. Appleby's thrilling performance at the Met in Enchanted Island! But this set of songs, settings of text by W.H.Auden, although they did not enchant us, held our interest.

We enjoyed the embellishments in "Let the florid music praise!" and the Brecht/Weill flavor of "Now the leaves are falling fast". The dirge-like "Nocturne" appealed to us because the text rhymed and scanned. But the most affecting was the sardonic and bitter "As it is, plenty" which Mr. Appleby invested with great dramatic import.

We cannot say that the set of Poulenc songs held our attention. Tel jour, telle nuit was set to text by Paul Eluard which struck us as surreal and not worthy of setting.

We would have been happy to have left the recital all shook up by the Carmen but the generous artists supplied encores. Ms. Mesko gave a delightful delivery of "Everybody Says Don't" from Sondheim's 1864 Broadway show Anyone Can Whistle. The show did not do well but the song is a winner.

Mr. Appleby's encore was Ned Rorem's paean to "The Lordly Hudson". Well performed as one would expect, but we would prefer to see the river through the eyes of a painter of the Hudson River School!

The talented pair closed the program with Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Dirge for Fidele" also known as "Fear no more the heat o' the sun", text from Shakespeare's Cymbeline. The overlapping voices and peaceful harmonies were perfect.

But the most perfect performance of all was that of collaborative pianist Ken Noda who is as supportive of the artist as he is brilliant on the keys.

(c) meche kroop

A GIFT FROM GERMANY

Renate Rohlfing and Samuel Hasselhorn

To the casual audience member, last night's recital at the acoustically excellent and comfortable Merkin Concert Hall must have appeared relaxed and effortless. To those of us who have studied voice, it was obvious that a great deal of labor was performed behind the scenes, and for long years, to have produced such a recital of unsurpassed excellence. There are a few singers who have astonished us upon first hearing (and we do believe our reaction was not kept secret!) and whose careers have taken off like a jumbo jet.  

Of course,  German baritone Samuel Hasselhorn is already well on his way, garnering prizes from several esteemed foundations. This debut tour in the USA was the result of his winning First Prize at the 2015 Young Concert Artists International Auditions and it is to this organization that we owe our thanks for a spellbinding evening. We abstained from reading his bio until after the recital but were not surprised to learn of his awards, his recording, nor of his appearances on the opera stage.

There is very little one can say about a voice that is so well trained and flawless in its diction, phrasing, timbre, and color. But there is a great deal that can be said about an artist that lives every song he sings. We have no doubt that Mr. Hasselhorn designed his program very carefully and included only songs that he truly cared about. There was no filler; there were no attempts to include a dozen languages to show off linguistic ability or a wide range of periods to show off facility with varying styles.

Let us share a very personal reaction we had during the recital. The walls of the hall vanished and we felt as if we were a child being told some bedtime stories by a highly indulgent grandfather who had lived a life in the theater. He told us sad stories and happy ones. He told us scary stories and supernatural ones.  He related tales of love both sanguine and fatal. He told of heroism and patriotism. He told us a tall tale about a gigantic crocodile. "More, Pop-Pop, more", we begged. Grandfather indulged us.

After all those tales, there would be only one more--an encore summing up of the recital--Schubert's magnificent tribute to the art form that means so much to us--"An die Musik", the most sacred of the arts.

Pardon us our flight of fantasy but we found the entire recital to be spell-binding. However, to restore our reviewer's hat to our bewitched head, let us just point out a few notable elements. Mr. Hasselhorn included a set of folk songs by Britten in which the clarity of his enunciation allowed us to comprehend every word; this rarely happens with a native English speaker. The songs themselves are charming and the artist performed them with the warmth and personality such folk songs require. There was no whiff of the "artsy-fartsy".

A set of songs by Francis Poulenc were offered in finely phrased French--anti-war sentiment delivered with style and wit overlaying the pain.

Two intense songs showed Mr. Hasselhorn's dramatic ability. We always love Schubert's "Erlkonig" since it gives the singer an opportunity to color his voice differentially for the narrator, the reassuring father, the frightened child, and the seductive Erl-king. Mr. Hasselhorn made the most of it with well placed pauses providing additional suspense.

Hugo Wolf's setting of Morike's "Der Feuerreiter" also offers ample opportunity for drama and suspense. Mr. Hasselhorn's performance was so powerful that it prompted some online research into the role of the "fire rider".  Apparently, as we learned, the subject of the poem did NOT go around setting fires as we formerly believed. He was a man with a unique ability to anticipate and detect fires and, in this case, he tried to use magic to quell the fire; using magic was a sacrilege so he lost his life in the fire. But, at the conclusion of the poem, his soul is redeemed and put to rest.  This is a brief summary of what we learned but we hope it will suffice.

There was a marvelous set of songs by Robert Schumann of which our favorite was the familiar "Du bist wie eine Blume" which showed off the singer's tender side, as did Franz Schubert's tranquil "Litanei auf das Fest Allerseelen".

In Renate Rohlfing, Mr. Hasselhorn has found a worthy accompanist who matched him mood for mood. Since we always need to find some tiny quibble, let us just say that at the beginning of "Der Feuerreiter", she nearly drowned hm out. If I'd told you, dear reader, that the recital was perfect, you wouldn't have believed me.  Now you do!

If you are as excited to hear Mr. Hasselhorn again as we are, we expect that the German Forum, one of our favorite organizations, will invite him here next year.  We will keep you informed about this exciting young artist.

(c) meche kroop

EXTEMPORE

Michael Gees and Anna Lucia Richter

We heard a very special recital last night at Weill Recital Hall. What made it special was not just the high quality of the performances but the fact that it was largely improvised! Jazz lovers are accustomed to improvisation but we lovers of classical music are not. The very idea of classically trained musicians making things up as they go along is novel. The successful execution of the concept left us stunned in amazement.

The extemporized duets were interlaced with previously composed songs, many of which were happily based on folk music, which always provides a lovely melody. Many of the songs on the program and all of the improvised ones utilized texts by Joseph Eichendorff. There were songs by Britten which we enjoyed more than most of his other vocal music, and several selections from Robert Schumann's Liederkreis, which we always love to hear. A few settings by Brahms also made it onto the program.

What was so amazing was that each half of the program was performed without a pause, one song melting into the next. There were no abrupt transitions to break the mood. The improvised songs were initiated by one member of the duo with the other joining in with relevant musical material. Each musical partner seemed to deeply feel the text and to listen intently to the other and to meld voices. Eichendorff's "Wunschelrute" appeared twice on the program, sounding different! The English translation is worth quoting.

"A song sleeps in all things

That dream on and on

And the world begins to sing

If only you strike upon the magic word."

Soprano Anna Lucia Richter has an unusual soprano--bright and focused, yet delicate. We imagined our ears were being penetrated by a feather. There were high notes, the overtones of which lingered like an echo, a phenomenon we never noticed before. Her immersion in the text was so complete she seemed lost in the music. We have heard teachers of master classes instruct students to never close their eyes; and yet, in this case, it did not seem to shut out the audience.

We have complained bitterly about the use of music stands but opined that it was probably necessary when Ms. Richter was improvising on one of the Eichendorff poems. She was composing in her head as she went along, inspired by Michael Gees' piano which sometimes led and sometimes followed.  It was haunting and evocative music they were creating right in front of us!

Aside from the improvised selections, there were a number of standouts on the program. Schumann's "Waldesgesprach" was given a very personal reading with all the colors of the arrogant suitor and the beautiful but vengeful hexe Loreley.  We also enjoyed Brahms' "Ich weiss mir'n Maidlein hubsch und fein" from Deutsche Volkslieder, No. 40.  The first encore "Och Mod'r, ich well en ding han!" was absolutely delightful and delivered in authentic Koln dialect. (Ms. Richter comes from Koln). A daughter is very irritated with her mother who is unable, at least until the last stanza, to divine just what it is that the girl wants.

Michael Gees is an unusual pianist with abundant subtlety and inventiveness. Just imagine recreating the world of 19th c. German Romantic nationalism in the 21st century without sounding derivative! Being able to utilize the expressive texts of Eichendorff and to convey such feeling was a remarkable achievement. Some improvisations should be committed to paper and published as part of the canon.

We would like to say something about the second encore which was improvised and purported to be from Des Knaben Wunderhorn. We have searched online for  a text about a "verschwunden Sternlein" without success.  If any readers know of it, please provide information in the comments below.

(c) meche kroop

MAD ABOUT THE BOYS

Ben Bliss and Lachlan Glen

What a perfect partnership!  Tenor Ben Bliss and collaborative pianist Lachlan Glen met each other at the Lindemann Program and the rest is history.  Last night at Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall we experienced the final event in their tour but we wouldn't be at all surprised if the first night of the tour was as polished. The pair have an ease of working together and an equivalence of prodigious talent.

We have reviewed their recitals on prior occasions and are always overcome by their level of artistry and professionalism. Mr. Bliss addresses the audience with such ease that one feels as if you are a guest in his home hearing tidbits about the composer and the song. In everything he does, his musicianship stands out. Nothing gets short shrift and so-called "popular music" gets the same attention as cherished classics.

Mr. Glen is nothing if not colorful but musical values are never sacrificed at the altar of showmanship. His support for the singer is constant from moment to moment. Mr. Glen is also a consummate soloist, as evidenced by his recent recording (Embraceable You) which tackles standard piano chestnuts like Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata and Debussy's Clair de Lune; but just listen to his improvisations on Chopsticks!

There was some of this improvisation going on in the final set of the program when we heard Eden Ahbez' "Nature Boy" given such a depth of mystery that we were bowled over.  But we are getting ahead of ourself....

The program seemed to comprise a wide range of styles and each piece seemed to be one that the artists truly enjoyed performing. This was quite different from a recital given over to one composer, or a recital attempting to show off the singer's linguistic skills. This one was just things the artists love.

Fortunately, we loved them too. We can never hear enough Strauss and Mr. Bliss serenaded us with "Ständchen" bringing this tender tune to a passionate climax. Mr. Glen's rippling piano and peaceful postlude were perfect.

In "Barkarole", Mr. Glen really rocked the boat while Mr. Bliss gave us the sweetest "süsser" we have ever heard. His pianissimo was incredibly delicate with no loss of tone. The meditative "Morgen" observed a slow tempo and the final "stummer Schweigen" hung in the air for the lovely postlude.

We were introduced to a composer previously unknown to us and are grateful for the introduction.  Composer Nadia Boulanger had a younger sister named Lili who died tragically at the age of 24, leaving behind some gorgeous songs. At the tender age of 19 she won the Prix de Rome for her compositions, the first woman composer to have achieved this honor. 

We heard selections from Clairières dans le ciel, a fragrant setting of Francis Jammes' text.  Mr. Bliss' performance was marked by finely floated top notes as Mr. Glen's piano rippled underneath. The French seemed flawless.

This delicacy was succeeded by the robust "Marechiare" by Paolo Tosti, sung in Neapolitan dialect and given an expansive and powerful reading by the two artists. Talk about fragrant!  You could smell the garlic!

The recently deceased music critic John Gruen set some playful poetry by e.e.cummings to some equally playful music.  We enjoyed the whimsy of "Spring is like a perhaps hand" and "Lady will you come with me into". The works were unpublished and we hope that situation will change.  More people should hear these delightful ditties but we are not sure another duo could have brought them to such enchanting life.

Our favorite contemporary composer Lowell Liebermann set a text by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow which was entitled "The Arrow and the Song", drawing an analogy between the two. The arrow is found long afterward in an oak tree, while the song lands in the heart of a friend. There was a grandness to this song and it did indeed reach our heart.

Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" was given a lovely setting by Ned Rorem in which the music was quietly pensive as sound can be when muffled by snow.  Theodore Chanler's  "I Rise When You Enter" is a charmingly lighthearted paean to love which Mr. Bliss sang with personality to spare.

There was a set of Benjamin Britten songs as well; we like him best when he embraces humor and Mr. Bliss did complete justice to "The Children and Sir Nameless", an ironic depiction of a pompous lord who gets his comeuppance.  In the melancholy "The Last Rose of Summer", Mr. Glen brought out the troubled chords in the piano and Mr. Bliss made the most of the melismatic passages, as he did in "The Choirmaster's Burial". There was some gorgeously spun out tones in the decrescendo passages.

The final set comprised the aforementioned "Nature Boy" which is still circling our brain and haunting our soul, Harold Arlen's "One for My Baby" and Ray Charles' "Hallelujah I Love Her So". We were inspired to listen to Nat King Cole's recording of the first, Frank Sinatra's rendition of the second, and Ray Charles' performance of the third. We decided that Mr. Bliss' "cover" surpassed the originals of the first two but maybe, just maybe, Mr. Charles had a slight edge on the third!

Two encores were offered. The first was "Una furtiva lagrima" from Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore when Nemorina realizes that he has won Adina's love. The heartfelt aria is perfect for Mr. Bliss' warm and flexible tenor.  The second offering was "Maria" from Bernstein/Sondheim's West Side Story, another joyful celebration of first love.

So! Blissed out are we by this recital! A recording of favorite songs by Mr. Bliss and Mr. Lachlan is available on Mr. Bliss' website. If you missed this landmark recital you can still enjoy some incomparable vocal music by this versatile duo.

(c) meche kroop