ART SONG WANTED! DEAD OR ALIVE?

Nils Neubert and Robert Brandt

 Art Song recitals are a tough sell these days and one wonders why this perfect marriage of poetry, piano, and voice has fallen out of favor with the musical audiences of today. It seems as if a celebrity singer can fill up Carnegie Hall; but the true artistry of this genre is best enjoyed in an intimate venue.

Frank Daykin and Thomas

New York City has a number of organizations devoted to the survival of the art song and chief among them is The Art Song Preservation Society which is in the middle of its annual festival.  We love their motto--"Where Music Speaks & Words Sing". Headed by singer/pianist/educator/arts administrator Blair Boone-Migura, ASPS provides opportunities for education and performance for both emerging and established composers, singers, and accompanists. They are also involved in community outreach, mentoring, and an internet-radio podcast.

This week there will be daily master classes at 2:00 PM held at Manhattan School of Music; the master teachers are some of the best in the field.  Although not available in the daytime, we are mostly excited about the Friday evening recital of Latin American Art Song.  And anyone free next Saturday at 1:00 can enjoy the finals of the Mary Trueman Art Song Vocal Competition; an added bonus is the opportunity to vote for your favorite competitor.

We have just returned from a delightful recital in which two seasoned recitalists presented both solos and duets of this genre, accompanied by two veteran and legendary collaborative pianists who are both "poets of the piano". This complement allowed for the hearing of rarely heard duets and four-handed piano pieces.

The program opened with tenor Nils Neubert joining forces with baritone Robert Brandt for three duets by Brahms, none of which we have heard before. The sound fell sweetly on the ear with great attention paid to crisp consonants, lovely phrasing, and a perfect balance between the two voices. We do love German lieder with the same affection which Italian holds for us in the area of opera. Furthermore, the composers of 19th c. Germany astutely chose fine poetry to set.

We are pleased to share with our readers that the early 20th c. English songs held no terrors for our 19th c. ears. We heard a selection of songs by Gerald Finzi, Herbert Howells, and John Ireland, all distinguished by their wise choices of text and their astute use of our mother tongue to amplify this text.  Of course, one can never go wrong with Shakespeare, whose iambic pentameter lends itself to musical setting. We wish contemporary composers would choose better text to set!

These songs were given a fine performance by the mellow voiced Mr. Brandt, accompanied by Frank Daykin, who brought out the subtleties of the piano score, especially the sound of the nightingale in Howells' "King David". In Finzi's flirtatious "O Mistress mine", we enjoyed Mr. Brandt's lovely pianissimo in the last verse.  The philosophical "Fear no more the heat o' the sun" from the Bard's Cymbeline, and Ireland's nostalgic "The Salley Gardens" were followed by the frisky "It was a lover and his lass" from As You Like It. Mr. Brandt colored each song according to its text and his English diction was particularly well defined.  Not a word was lost.

Mr. Neubert also had his turn as a soloist and we enjoyed his performance of Quatre Melodies de Claude Debussy, settings of text by Paul Verlaine. Thomas Grubb's piano was the ideal partner; Mr. Grubb is renowned for writing the popular Singing in French, a manual of French Diction and French Vocal Repertoire. "C'est l'extase langoureuse" was given an appropriately languid reading. In "Il pleure dans mon coeur", we enjoyed the rippling piano, quite different from the rolling waves of "La mer est plus belle".

The two singers joined forces for two duets by Gabriel Fauré that were new to us. The lovely French lines involved the two voices echoing one another, not only in the textual lines but on the pleasing sound of "ah". The audience favorite seems to have been the jolly "Tarantelle". Mr. Grubb was truly in his element.

Besides this banquet of vocal music, we were treated to some four-handed piano.  We heard a sonata for four hands by Francis Poulenc--lively and somewhat dissonant. The program closed with Ravel's Ma Mère l'Oye, written in 1908-1910. Mr. Daykin, known for his widely used Encyclopedia of French Art Song: Fauré, Debussy, Ravel, Poulenc, gave a droll introduction to this work by Ravel, here at his picturesque best in programmatic music written for the children of his friends, who were unable to learn the piece!

We particularly enjoyed "Les entretiens de la Belle et de la Bête" in which Mr. Daykin expressed Belle's beauty in the lyrical part played in the upper register, whilst the rumbling of the Beast was taken by Mr. Grubb at the lower end of the register. Both themes were transmogrified over the course of the movement.

The audience clamored for an encore but there was none.  Still, we left feeling completely fulfilled.

(c) meche kroop

VIVA LA FRANCE

Michael Brofman, Kristina Bachrach, Miori Sugiyama, Steven LaBrie, Brent Funderburk, Chris Gross, Jill Sokol, Samantha Malk, and Jesse Blumberg

For their eighth season, Brooklyn Art Song Society is presenting La France, a series of recitals of French art song, a thorough exploration of France's contribution to this compelling art form--a happy marriage of text and music--a condition in which the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Last night's well chosen program focused on the music of two titans of this art form, Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. The latter was born in 1875, fifteen years after the former and thus his music belongs squarely in the 20th c.

Founder and Artistic Director Michael Brofman not only performs on the piano but wrote the extensive and informative program notes which taught us things we didn't know.  For example, we have heard Ravel's cycle Don Quichotte a Dulcinee many times and Jacques Ibert's cycle Chansons de Don Quichotte only twice without knowing the full story. 

Here it is, courtesy of Mr. Brofman. Film director G.W. Pabst commissioned the cycle for a film he was directing and Ravel's ailing health prevented him from completing the commission; it was then given to Ibert. The three songs Ravel finished were published as a cycle. We are glad to have both!

He also explained why both Debussy and Ravel decried the use of the term Impressionism to describe their music. Their precise compositional style is anything but vague and perceptual but rather deep and descriptive. Beware the tendency to categorize!

For last night's exploration of Ravel and Debussy, Mr. Brofman assembled a stellar group of singers, all of whom are familiar to us and cherished for their contributions to vocal performance. The French was impeccable all around and the Gallic style was consistently captured.

The first half of the program was devoted to the melodies of Debussy. His cycle Chansons de Bilitis belongs to our all time favorites and was finely realized by mezzo-soprano Samantha Malk, whose consummate artistry made the subtleties of interpretation seem natural. 

We remember well the first time we realized that the three songs represent stages of a woman's life and that the singer must evolve from the innocence of girlhood through the sensual passion of young adulthood and on to the disillusionment that comes through the destruction of a shared dream.

This was achieved by Ms. Malk in a way that seemed effortless, with shifts from delicacy to the expansion of tone during the heights of passion. Miori Suiyama's pianism shifted right along with her in perfect partnership. Did we mention that Ms. Malk has a gorgeous instrument with which to accomplish this?

Accompanied by the wonderful Brent Funderburk on the piano, baritone Steven LaBrie entertained us next with the cycle Fetes galantes. The program notes list Mr. LaBrie as a lyric baritone but we heard a lot more going on in terms of texture and resonance. Undoubtedly his voice has grown since we first heard him several years ago and our companion thought he was headed toward bass-baritone. Whatever you call it, we found it mature and rich.

We particularly enjoyed the skillful variety of dynamics in "Clair de lune" in which Mr. Funderburk's piano limned moonlight, splashing fountains, and birdsong. In the first melodie "En sourdine", there was an unmistakeable nightingale in the postlude.

To soprano Kristina Bachrach fell the responsibility of bringing out all the melancholy of the cycle Ariettes oubliees, featuring the poetry of Paul Verlaine (also featured in Fetes galantes). These are mood pieces with "C'est l'extase langoureuse" evoking feelings of sensuality and languor.  Gallic melancolie permeated "L'ombre des arbres" and "Spleen" evoked desperation and vaguely unsettled feelings.

It takes a true artist like Ms. Bachrach to do justice to this cycle with its many shades of grey. Only the central song "Chevaux de bois" is filled with energy. The gayness is deceptive and seems to be masking deep seated feelings of the futility of life. Mr. Brofman's piano was particularly evocative there as the wooden horses turned round and round and, in "Il pleure dans mon coeur", as his fingers made the drops of rain fall.

The second half of the program was devoted to the works of Ravel and we were completely thrilled by baritone Jesse Blumberg's storytelling in the cycle Histoires naturelles, settings of text by Jules Renard. In this cycle, creatures are anthropomorphized for our delight and amusement. The texts are perceptive and indicates the poet's response to each critter.

Along with a true lyric baritone that falls beautifully on the ear, Mr. Blumberg is the possessor of considerable dramatic skills, preening like the peacock of "Le paon", gliding smoothly over the surface of the water like "Le cygne", and tormenting other fowl with defensive intent in "La pintade". 

Who has not had a special feeling of privilege when a wild creature comes close! The fisherman in "Le martin-pecheur" has just had that special moment and Mr. Blumberg and Mr. Brofman at the piano shared that moment with the audience.

Ms. Malk returned for the cycle Chansons madecasses which is rarely performed because of the unusual instrumentation necessary to create the exotic environment of Madagascar. Jill Sokol contributed to the multiple sonorities with flute and piccolo with Chris Gross' cello filling in with its own sensuality. Ms. Sugiyama has the softest hands and plays with delightful delicacy.

The multiple sonorities blended into a sea of sensuality in "Nahandove". "Aoua" is a painful anti-colonial rant and "Il est doux" describes a man lying about wanting entertainment and food from the women.  The melody was haunting.

The final cycle was the aforementioned Don Quichotte a Dulcinee performed by Mr. LaBrie and Mr. Funderburk. The range was a perfect fit for Mr. LaBrie's voice and he sang with deep commitment to the music and the text. "Chanson romanesque" is romantically worshipful whilst "Chanson epique" is spiritually devotional.

The final song "Chanson a boire'" is usually performed by the baritone pretending to be inebriated and staggering around the stage. Mr. LaBrie's take on it was more a celebration of joy and we liked that spin a great deal.

There will be four more concerts this season at the welcoming Brooklyn Historical Society which is easily reached by multiple subway lines. There will also be a bonus concert on December 1st at the Old Stone House, a charming venue.

B.A.S.S. keeps ticket prices low so that everyone can enjoy these recitals, which are always well planned and equally well executed. Those who come at 7:00 can avail themselves of lectures by experts in the field. One always sees a packed house!

(c) meche kroop

WINTER RECITAL OF SONGS AND ROMANCES

Martin Neron, Chad Kranak, Jose Pietri-Coimbre, Abigail Wright, Elizabeth Smith, and Nicholas Hay

Last night at the National Opera Center we attended a Winter Recital of Songs and Romances with a friend new to art song.  However, he is an expert on languages and phonology. We withheld our opinion on the recital to hear his opinions and was surprised to learn that they matched the notes with which we filled our program. We will get to that further on in our review.

We enjoyed hearing a couple singers we have enjoyed and reviewed before and we enjoyed hearing some new ones. Familiar to us is mezzo-soprano Abigail Wright who adds luster to whatever she sings. Her full rich instrument is beautifully employed in both French and in German. We understood every word.

We never realized the irony in Brahms' "Wie Melodien zieht es mir" which describes the way a melody can lose its spirit when attached to lyrics. Significantly, Brahms' melody lost nothing! We have been hearing it in our head all night, including the lovely lyrics. Also in German we heard Schonberg's "Galathea", an unusual song which we have come to appreciate more and more.

In fine French, Ms. Wright performed Debussy's "Beau Soir" and "Romance" and the satisfying "Je te veux" with its sweet straightforward sentiment, in waltz time no less.  Delicieux!

Baritone Jose Pietri-Coimbre is also known to us from some fine operatic performances. This is the first time we have heard him sing art songs and have a rather strong opinion. My guest thought his
performance of Schubert's "Ganymed" was the finest performance of the evening; we asked what impressed him and it was the same feature that impressed us. The singer immersed himself in the song and took us on an uplifting journey through the delights of nature.

We also enjoyed him in Reynaldo Hahn's "Fetes galantes" in which he painted an aural portrait reminding us of a Fragonard painting.  So why did "Fumee" by the same Venezuelan composer leave us cold? Perhaps we just don't care for the song. (We just listened to a recording by the fabulous Anna Caterina Antonacci and didn't like it any more.)

However we got the same rather flat feeling when Mr. Pietri-Coimbri sang Gustav Mahler's "Urlicht", a song we adore. Perhaps the singer just wasn't feelin' it! That being said, his German was excellent and he exhibited a lovely pianissimo. As haunting as Mr. Neron's piano sounded, perhaps a full orchestra is necessary for the full emotional effect of this incredible song.

New to us was soprano Elizabeth Smith, of whom we are now a fan. Not only is the voice a lovely affecting one, but her stage presence is way beyond average. To our delight, she introduced each song by reading the text in English, and reading it with a depth of understanding that carried over into her singing. When a singer connects so deeply with the text and conveys it to the members of the audience, we are getting "the full Monty" of a song recital.

She was impressive in three gems by Gabriel Faure--"Clair de lune", the invitational "Mai" and the wistful "Apres un reve". Her French line was long and lovely and even without compromising the emotional content.

We enjoyed her even more in a pair of selections by the Sicilian composer Stefano Donaudy, who, like the Venezuelan Reynaldo Hahn, composed at the turn of the 20th c. She performed his most famous song "Vaghissima sembianza" and "Sento nel cor", filled with justifiable passion. We are pleased to relate that her Italian is luscious.

Also new to us was bass Nicholas Hay who closed the program with a delightful animated performance of Steven Mark Kohn's 2006 "Senator's Stump Speech", a text actually delivered by a former state representative from Tennessee, one Noah "Soggy" Sweat. It is a masterpiece of political double-speak in which the speaker's opinions can be slanted to please different groups. We cannot recall a thing about the melody or the singing, only that it was fun and a great way to end the program. Mr. Hay's adoption of a Southern accent made it even better.

It gave us a different look at Mr. Hay who was pretty inert in Oley Speaks' "Sylvia", another work from the turn of the 20th c. He is a singer who does best with humor.  Of the two Russian songs he performed, he was far better in Modest Moussorgsky's funny song about the flea than he was in a beautiful but serious Tchaikovsky song about nature.

Tenor Chad Kranak chose to sing Winter Words, Benjamin Britten's mid-20th c. setting of poetry by Thomas Hardy. We are great fans of Hardy's novels and we might even like the poetry if someone had read it to us. However, the poetry did not ask to be set and seemed to be tortured into place to fit the music. The vocal line was so boring that we found ourselves focusing on the evocative piano writing, which was so well played by the excellent collaborative pianist Martin Neron.

This is where we bring in the opinion of our philologist friend who spontaneously reported that the music was more or less doing rhythmic battle with the words. This confirms our frequently asserted opinion that English is extremely difficult to set and should be left to people like Stephen Sondheim or Arthur Sullivan or some of America's composers of operetta and Broadway musicals.  Our friend, who is fluent in English but not a native speaker, studies the rhythm and flow of language and was able to pick up the same issue that impairs our ability to enjoy English art song. We no longer feel the need to apologize for our prejudice. Only rarely have we heard a song that transcends the limitations of our native tongue!

As far as Mr. Kranak's performance, he did not strike us as a natural story-teller. Enunciation was rarely clear enough to get the full impact of the descriptive text. The most comprehensible songs were "The little old table" and "At the railway station, Upway" and even they lost a considerable number of words. Although Mr. Kranak is considered to be "an avid performer of Britten", we would like to hear him sing in a different language before commenting on his vocal skills.

(c) meche kroop

MIRROR VISIONS ENSEMBLE--25 YEARS AND GOING STRONG

Alan Darling, Scott Murphree, Justine Aronson, and Jesse Blumberg

What's a writer to do when some of her favorite singers are performing a type of music she does not appreciate? What this writer does is to go, to listen, and to hope to find a composer whose music in the unappreciated genre might strike her fancy, thereby expanding her horizons.  And that was exactly what happened when we heard songs by Alexander Liebermann.

Last night at the Sheen Center, Mirror Visions Ensemble celebrated their 25th Anniversary and their quartet of fine singers, comprising soprano Vira Slywotzky, tenor Scott Murphree, baritone Jesse Blumberg, and baritone Mischa Bouvier, were joined by guest artist Justine Aronson, whom we hardly ever get to hear. With a group of singers like this, we were sure to hear some music we'd like in this mostly modern program.  And we did!

The opening song "Invitation to Love" was  Aaron Grad's highly original setting of a text by Paul Laurence Dunbar, the son of emancipated slaves who was the first Afro-American poet to achieve international recognition and distinction. He wrote over a century ago and lived only 33 years. The text used by Mr. Grad rhymed and scanned, providing fertile material for Mr. Grad's unusual writing in which soprano, tenor, and baritone were given tuneful melodies, interesting harmonies, and overlapping voices. So few composers know how to choose text and how to make good use of the English language. We can honestly say that we were delighted by this work which won MVE's Young Composers Competition.

What MVE is best known for is presenting a text that was set by more than one composer. We can think of so many such works that inspired composers of the 19th c. (our favorite period). We always love Brahm's peaceful "Feldeinsamkeit" and thought Mr. Blumberg captured the tranquil mood of Hermann Allmers' text, especially the melismatic singing on the word "umwoben" (woven). We never knew that Charles Ives set the same text and it was also quite lovely, as sung by Mr. Murphree.

Both Paul Hindemith and Benjamin Britten set Thomas Moore's text  "How Sweet the Answer Echo Makes".  Ms. Slywotzky sang the Britten beautifully and Mr. Bouvier did justice to the Hindemith.

The other mirror image on the program comprised two settings of a Paul Verlaine text--"L'echelonnement des haies". Mr. Bouvier sang the setting by Debussy and Ms. Slywotzky performed the setting by Poldowska, a female composer whose style seemed very much influenced by that of Debussy. Poldowska was the pen name of a musically gifted woman who led an entirely too colorful life to be described here. Margaret Kampmeier's piano and both singers conveyed the gentle lilting music. Clearly, Verlaine's evocative text dictated the music.

And that is what we find unenjoyable about contemporary setting of English poetry.  The poetry sounds more like prose! We miss the lilt.  We miss the melody.

The second half of the program was devoted entirely to a commission given to Tom Cipullo entitled A Visit with Emily. This was an elaborate work in many parts, mostly consisting of settings of Emily Dickinson's letters to T. W. Higginson and his letters about Ms. Dickinson to his wife. No doubt this is an "important" work but our pleasure came more from the singers than the songs. 

Ms. Aronson has the most exciting timbre in her voice and a vibrato that strikes our ears just right. The opening song quotes Ms. Dickinson's description of her definition of poetry as that which makes her whole body cold and makes her feel as if the top of her head were taken off.  We cannot say that we have ever felt that way from poetry! But music we like will give us goosebumps!

One of the more interesting parts of this cycle was Mr. Blumberg, Mr. Murphree, and Ms. Aronson singing three different poems about fame simultaneously in "Quodlibet I". Another part that we liked had the three of them singing a "Catch" which was brief and pithy--"Women talk: men are silent: that is why I dread women." The humor came from the fact that the men had all the lines with Ms. Aronson making wry faces. The English language lends itself well to humor!

"Passacaglia" was a pithy duet with elaborate variations poking fun at the hypocrisy of people saying they will come again some time.  (Kind of like "Why don't we have lunch some time?" in modern parlance.)

We also found something to appreciate in #17 and #18 when Mr. Blumberg and Mr. Murphree sang simultaneous arias about Wonder, Suspense, and Forgetting.

(c) meche kroop

GERMAN FORUM SCORES A BIG WIN

Mariella Haubs, Babette Hierholzer, Gerard Schneider, and Jardena Fluckiger

Evenings of classical music offer many delights but transcendent moments happen but occasionally and produce feelings of incomparable bliss. We experienced just such a moment last night at the German Forum concert at the intimate Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center.

The special moment occurred when tenor Gerard Schneider was singing Richard Strauss' "Allerseelen". The poet tells of the sole day of the year when one gets to reunite with loved ones who are no longer on this earth. Mr. Schneider sang it with a depth of feeling that leapt right from his heart to ours. It was the the kind of connection we dream about and what every singer longs to achieve. Our eyes brimmed with tears.

By contrast, he sang Strauss' "Zueignung" with a blend of tenderness and passion that was thrilling to hear. Here is a tenor well on his way to superstardom who knows exactly how to use his gorgeous instrument. He also sang selections from Schumann's Dichterliebe with great control of dynamics and color, soothing the sore ears we got from enduring a recent awful performance, one we declined to write about.

And if one wanted something lighter, he gave us "Dein ist mein ganzes Herz", the well known aria from Franz Lehar's Land des Lachelns; he sang it ardently and we were completely enraptured. "Ach, so fromm" from Friedrich von Flotow's Martha was sung with the tender tones of love.

Soprano Jardena Fluckiger has a lovely pure tone and entertained us with some of our favorite songs by Hugo Wolf, selected from his Italienisches Liederbuch. She has an expressive face that complements her voice, and when she employs bodily gesture it adds a fine dimension to her performance. We always love the racy "Ich hab in Penna einen Liebsten wohnen" and, after the punchline, Babette Hierholzer's piano contributed the most delightful postlude.

Ms. Fluckiger gave us some impressive coloratura singing in "Quel guardo" from Gaetano Donizetti's Don Pasquale. The embellishments were well handled and there was a particularly fine trill.

Compared with the bel canto fireworks, the two songs by Claude Debussy from Quatre chansons de jeunesse seemed a bit pallid and wanted more color.

Rounding out this superb program was music for violin and piano, performed by Ms. Hierholzer and concertmistress of the Juilliard Orchestra Mariella Haubs, who deserves all the accolades she receives. She was playing a Peter Guarneri violin from 1721, loaned by The Juilliard School, and what a sound came from this instrument!

Ms. Haubs is beautiful and glamorous but if you close your eyes you would believe it was someone very very famous and of more advanced years. The star number was the first movement of Beethoven's Kreutzer sonata, the presto section of which is forceful and technically demanding of both pianist and violinist. The two artists rose to the occasion to such an extent that we wanted desperately to hear the rest of the sonata but, alas, it was not on the program.

Instead we heard "Winter" from Antonio Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, a seasonal selection in which we could hear the snowflakes falling. Also on the program was Mozart's Sonata in F Major with its rapid fire triplets.

The evening ended with two selections from Lehar's Die Lustige Witwe.  First, Mr. Schneider sang the role of Camille, Count de Rosillon, inviting Valencienne (Ms. Fluckiger) to a romantic rendezvous in a pavilion. Then we heard "Lippen schweigen", the Act 3 duet between Hanna and Count Danilo, accompanied by violin and piano.

The German Forum, helmed by President Henry Meyer-Oertel, provides performance opportunities for artists from German speaking countries and has a loyal and devoted following. Many of the members share a passion for German composers and, naturlich, the singers sing German the way it should be sung. Their events are always major treats! Those who read our opinions know how highly we esteem the versatile collaborative pianist Ms. Hierholzer. Watch out for the next event!

(c) meche kroop

PLUPERFECT

Peter Dugan and John Brancy

"If the recital were repeated today we would be there. They left us satisfied but somehow wanting more."  This is a quote from a review we wrote exactly three months ago (archived on this website) entitled "Painting the Picture and Telling the Tale". Well, we had to wait three months but last night's recital at The National Opera Center fulfilled our desire. 

Three months ago it was John Brancy and Peter Dugan at Carnegie Hall  and last night's recital was at the National Opera Center, as part of Opera America's Emerging Artist Recital Series. This brilliant artist appeared as winner of the 2015 Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition. The Jensen Foundation established their first competition in 2000 with 91 competitors.  My, how they've grown!  In 2015, 270 singers competed for 125 audition slots. We have nothing but admiration for any and all institutions that give aid and attention to young artists.

Mr. Brancy has won many other competitions and has been singing around the world; the performance we would have most wanted to see was his Dr. Malatesta at Glyndebourne. Let's just say that his dance card is filled.

Can it be just three years since we reviewed his graduation recital at Juilliard? Mr. Dugan, a fellow Juilliard graduate, has been his regular collaborative pianist and the two artists match each other breath for breath, mood for mood.

We consider it a privilege to witness the growth of a young artist. We have a special affection for Mr. Brancy, having recognized his potential from the start. His years at Juilliard refined and developed his innate artistry that, we believe, emerges from a very special inner worth. 

The effect on the listener is one of joining something larger--a sphere shared by the composer, the poet or librettist, the singer, and the piano--a communal experience. This artistry goes way beyond technique. 

Of course, the possession of a fine instrument is a starting point and we have heard this instrument become darker and more polished over the years, like oil paint on the canvas of an old master. 

So...getting to last night's program, a recapitulation of many songs from the Carnegie Hall recital was a welcome choice. Our only tiny cavil from that recital was the need for a lighter color for the voice of the child in Schubert's "Erlkönig" and for the voice of Die Lorelei in Schumann's "Waldesgespräch". Last night's "voices" were much improved. 

As a matter of fact, we love it when Mr. Brancy interposes a lighter tender timbre where appropriate. For example: in the middle of Schumann's lively enthusiastic "Aus alten Märchen"; when he sang about the weeping bride at the end of "Auf einer Burg"; the knight's serenade in "Des Fräuleins Liebeslauschen"; and Fauré's "Dan la Nymphée", which had an ethereal quality.

The consummate storytelling skills, which we thought were perfect 3 months ago, are even better now. Many of the tales just gripped us by the throat. There was a lot of horror in Schumann's "Balsatzar", Schubert's "Der Zwerg", and of course in the aforementioned "Erlkönig".

We also heard songs by Sibelius in both Finnish and in Swedish, as well as Frank Bridge's "Love Went A-Riding" and the marvelously funny and marvelously performed song "The Green-Eyed Dragon" by Wolseley Charles in which Mr. Brancy perfectly voiced and enacted the greedy dragon and also his spooky ghost.

A highlight of the evening was Mr. Dugan's wild arrangement of Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King", reprised from the February recital. His fingers flew over the keys but the melody never got lost.

There was no chance that the audience would let the pair off the stage without an encore--(a "Swann song" if you will pardon the pun)--"Bilbo's Last Song" with music by Donald Swann and lyrics by J.R.R. Tolkien.  A suitable choice for an evening of fantasy ranging from macabre to ethereal!

(c) meche kroop

NEW YORK THEATER BALLET

Amanda Treiber and Steven Melendez (Photo by Yi Chun-Wu)

We are suckers for beauty whether it be aural or visual.  We always go for the "up close and personal" approach, as opposed to sitting in a huge theater far away from the action. Intimacy is what appeals to us.  And so it was that we found many delights in last night's performance by the estimable and long-enduring New York Theatre Ballet, founded by Artistic Director Diana Byer. They performed for the second year at New York Live Arts, a marvelous performing space in Chelsea. Seating is comfortable and sightlines are unobstructed. All the music was live!

The first half of the program thrilled us.  The curtain raiser Chemical Bond, choreographed by Milissa Payne Bradley of San Francisco, was set to music by Gabriel Fauré (Sérénade op. 98, Après un Rêve) performed beautifully by Michael Scales on piano and Amy Kang on cello. Ballerinas Amanda Treiber and Mayu Oguri were partnered by Joshua Andino-Nieto.

It is amazing how the limited vocabulary of positions and steps of classical ballet can be combined in countless ways. There was nothing radical in Ms. Bradley's choreography but it struck us as beautiful and satisfying. That we didn't want the piece to end testifies to its worth.

Ms. Treiber and Ms. Oguri projected an air of delicate femininity while Mr. Andino-Nieto danced and partnered with sureness and strength. Costume design by Sylvia Taalson Nolan was superb. The women's costumes were pale and short, the better to allow full appreciation of their extensions. Floaty patches fluttered as they moved and delighted the eye. Pointe work was lovely.

The second work, Such Longing was choreographed by Richard Alston and restaged by Martin Lawrence. One could not choose a better composer for ballet than Frédéric Chopin and Mr. Scales played the Mazurkas, Etudes and lone Nocturne  with style and variety. The choreography reflected so much about Chopin's nationalistic pride, touched by modesty and sorrowful moments.

The four dancers--Steven Melendez, Amanda Treiber, Michael Wells, and Elena Zahlmann--danced in various combinations, portraying Chopin's many moods just as Mr. Scales colored his piano playing. The lifts were particularly lovely. The costumes were in somber hue and the women's dresses longer than we would have wished. We like legs!

Jerome Robbins' Antique Epigraphs, as staged by Kyra Nichols, was set to two lovely Debussy pieces: Mira Magrill's flute gave voice to Syrinx at the beginning and the end while Michael Scales and Zheng Ma performed the four-handed Six Epigraphes Antiques.  Now how lovely was that!

The piece has achieved legendary status but appeared rather dated with Florence Klotz' floor-length costumes a bit shopworn and ill-fitting but in lovely muted hues. We could not keep from thinking about "Ode to a Grecian Urn", and there was one group scene that made us think of Ravels "Song of the Mastic Gatherers" from his Five Popular Greek Melodies.

The second half of the program left us in the dust. We have been avoiding modern dance for some time now because of the herky-jerky movements that we find just plain ugly. We don't like to see dancers in street clothes rolling around on the floor or running around the stage making meaningless gestures.  We are reminded of exercise classes at health clubs.

To see classically trained dancers in such a work displeases us.  We cannot say that Song Before Spring is bad, only that it is not at all our taste.  Zhong-Jing Fang and Steven Melendez choreographed the work which was set to music by Philip Glass and performed by NY STEEL-- a dozen enthusiastic percussionists playing steel drums, led by Josh Quillen. 

We did not grasp what the choreography was aiming for nor did we understand the interactions between the cast members. Occasionally there was a tender gesture but for the most part we saw a lot of meaningless gestures.

We prefer to forget all about it and joyfully remember the beauty of the first half of the program.  We are just so happy that chamber ballet exists at all!

(c) meche kroop

THE MASTERY OF WILL KELLEY

Will Kelley

It is incredibly rewarding to witness artistic growth and especially so when an artist you have been enjoying for some time is achieving a master's degree. We arrived at Juilliard last night rain-soaked and wind-blown but by the end of the recital our frown had turned upside down, a phenomenon that will be familiar to music lovers.

Mr. Kelley is an outstanding collaborative pianist, as we already knew.  But last night was an opportunity to hear him work with several different singers and a cellist heretofore unknown to us. He subtly adjusted his prodigious technique to suit each and every circumstance.

First on the program, he was joined by countertenor Jakub Jozef Orlinski and tenor Matthew Swensen for Benjamin Britten's Canticle II: "Abraham and Isaac" which we saw performed last year at Chelsea Opera. (Review archived). We are never fond of bible stories but this is one of the most immoral and despicable of all. In our opinion, true morality is doing what is right regardless of what one is told, whereas doing what you are told regardless of what is right is nothing more than obedience.

Personal distaste for the subject matter aside, the three artists performed magnificently with Mr. Swensen as the misguidedly obedient father and Mr. Orlinski portraying the heartbreakingly obedient and trusting child. Even with scores in hand they acted with body as well as voice; Mr. Kelley modulated his playing to fit every mood change. The harmonies of the final duet were strikingly accomplished.

The next work on the program was Francis Poulenc's Sonata for Cello and Piano. Mr. Kelley pointed out that both the Britten and the Poulenc were written contemporaneously in the post WWII period. This was an excellent opportunity to hear Mr. Kelley partner with another instrumentalist, a new experience for us. 

Julian Schwarz' playing was just as fine as Mr. Kelley's; the two seemed to have a superb partnership and both navigated the many moods evinced within the four movements. The first was light-hearted; the second was lyrically somber and marked by gorgeous glissandi and a peaceful conclusion; the third was downright frisky by way of staccati given a Gallic shrug; and the fourth exhibited tension, ponderousness, then a music hall type franticness. Whew!

The second half of the program brought us to more familiar territory. By this time we had decided that Mr. Kelley chose his partners well and mezzo-soprano Caitlin Redding was just the right singer for a quartet of early songs by Arnold Schoenberg and three selections from Cinq poèmes de Baudelaire set by Debussy.  

Among the Schoenberg songs we loved the evocative "Erwartung" and the sensual "Schenk mir deinen goldenen Kamm". It has taken many hearings for us to appreciate Schoenberg but the artistry of Ms. Redding and Mr. Kelley brought us farther along the path.

Among the Debussy selections, our favorite was "Le jet d'eau" in which Mr. Kelley's piano limned all the rippling and splashing of the fountain.  Indeed we decided that Debussy did for fountains what Beethoven did for moonlight.

The final part of the program comprised four selections from Sergei Rachmaninoff's Six Romances, Op. 38 for which soprano Christine Price was an excellent choice.

The more we listen the greater is our admiration for the art of Collaborative Piano. It is not enough to be an excellent pianist; there is so much involved in matching the other artist's tempi, coloring, and dynamics.  We'd say that Mr. Kelley has mastered the art!

(c) meche kroop

PAINTING THE PICTURE AND TELLING THE TALE

John Brancy and Peter Dugan

What does one say when one has run out of superlatives? The recital we heard last night at the Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall set the bar really high for a song recital.  As many superb recitals as we have seen this season, nothing approached the musicianship, artistry, and dramatic intensity of this one. We have followed the careers of baritone John Brancy and pianist Peter Dugan for several years and have seen them fulfill their initial promise.  We can think of no greater thrill.

One of the features that ensured the success of the recital was the flow of collaboration between the two artists. Although we are sure that a lot of hard work went into the planning and execution of the recital, the overall effect was one of naturalness and ease. We don't often get to hear recitals with a compelling theme, so the selection of "Fantasy" as a theme struck us as original and compelling.

There be fairytales, there be dragons, there be princesses in towers, there be elves and dwarves, there be satyrs, nymphs, nixen und hexen. Subjects of the texts meet their ends in horrifying and grisly ways. For two hours we were transported to a strange world that was immortalized by all the great composers. The first half of the program comprised lieder that were totally familiar to any recital goer.

Schumann's "Aus alten Märchen" was the introductory piece and it set the stage perfectly for what was to follow. Texts for the five songs in the Schumann set used texts by the young composer's favorite poets--Heinrich Heine and Joseph von Eichendorff. Of the five songs, our favorite was "Waldesgespräch"in which the courtly speech of the rider is hiding some not-so-courtly intentions; he is quickly dispatched by the Hexe Lorelei.

The set of lieder by Schubert was equally impressive with his debut entry as a teenage lieder komponist--"Erlkönig" with text by Goethe--being our favorite.  In this case, the tragic death belonged to a small child with the perpetrator being the nasty and seductive king of the elves. From both pianistic and vocal standpoints, this was an incomparable performance.

The entire first half of the program was marked by intensely dramatic storytelling. Neither artist has the slightest reservation about using every color on his palette. Both of them seemed completely immersed in the texts, drawing us into their fantasy world.

If we had one tiny suggestion for Mr. Brancy to take his performance from a 99 to 100, it would be to allow a different color in his voice for the Hexe in "Waldesgespräch", perhaps a more feminine tone, and a more feeble color for the sickly child in "Erlkönig".  Clearly his resonant and firmly grounded baritone is more comfortable in the parts of the rider in the first piece and the narrator, father, and Elfking in the second. But we longed for a bit more contrast.

The passionate piano playing could not have been improved and swept us along in a tide of excitement and wonder. In a most welcome addition, Mr. Dugan performed two solos in the second half of the program.

He played Debussy's "Pour invoquer Pan" from Six épigraphes antiques, reduced from the original flutes, harps, and celesta, all of which we could hear in the piano. The notes and their overtones seemed to hang in the air.  But it was his arrangement of Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King" from Peer Gynt that brought down the house. We have never heard the like! The house was electrified. Abrupt changes from major to minor and the rumbling in the lower reaches of the piano were unsettling.

The artistic coupling continued to delight and mystify throughout the second half of the program with songs by Debussy, Fauré, Grieg, and Sibelius.  Only "Le tombeau des naïades" from Chansons de Bilitis was familiar, although we have never heard it sung by a man. What a treat to hear a song by Sibelius sung in Finnish, strange and beautiful to the ear. In Grieg's "Prinsessen" we could hear the sweet song of the boy playing the horn.

We even enjoyed the songs in English, due to Mr. Brancy's impeccable diction.  Not a word was lost! We loved David Long's setting of "Misty Mountains" (text by Tolkien) in which the simple melody and strophic organization were given a variety of moods in the artists' own arrangement.

Britten's arrangement of a French folk song "The king is gone a hunting" was delightful.  The English language lends itself so well to short punchy phrases that rhyme and scan.

Wolseley Charles' amusing "The Green Eyed Dragon" allowed Mr. Brancy to give full rein to his storytelling skills and was pure delight.

The welcome encore was "The Impossible Dream" from Man of La Mancha by Joe Darion/Mitch Leigh.  It is obvious that all of Mr. Dugan's and Mr. Brancy's dreams are more than possible! It was the perfect end to a stunning recital. The thunderous applause and the standing ovation were well deserved.

The two artists are far more than collaborators on vocal recitals. They both have impressive international careers in many aspects of their art. Clearly, their experience in the art of opera and cabaret and collaboration with other artists has informed their artistry. Still, if we had no knowledge or experience of their diverse talents, if this recital were all we had to go on, we would still select them as stars of the musical firmament. If the recital were repeated today we would be there. They left us satisfied but somehow wanting more.

(c) meche kroop

BEAUTIFUL AND BIG

Siyi Fang and Jessine Johnson

We hear so many young sopranos with beautiful voices and tons of talent that we wonder whether sufficient roles will be available for them.  But once in awhile we hear one of those big beautiful young women with big beautiful voices, voices that are less common and possibly more in demand.  Such was the case yesterday evening at Juilliard when we heard soprano Jessine Johnson who seems to have the potential for Wagnerian and Verdian roles.

She chose wisely for her opening aria--"Non mi dir" from Mozart's Don Giovanni.  Her sizable voice has a nice gleam to it without a hint of harshness.  She attacked the high notes as fearlessly as the daunting coloratura passages, demonstrating considerable flexibility.  It was all there--the good Italian, the legato phrasing, the variety of dynamics and color, the facility with the flights of embellishments.

We were already wondering what she would do with the Wagner songs which closed the program and we were not at all disappointed.  We greatly enjoyed three selections from Fünf Gedichte von Mathilde Wesendonk.  Both she and her superb collaborative pianist Siyi Fang made the most of the rising four-note scale passage (familiar from Tristan und Isolde) in "Im Treibhaus"; the lower tessitura was well handled. There was sufficient urgency in "Stehe Still" with its glorious piano writing. "Träume" was no less terrific.

Encores are not generally performed in graduation recitals but the thunderous applause generated a thrilling rendition of "Dich Teure Halle" from Tannhäuser, resulting in still more accolades.

What we really appreciated in Ms. Johnson's German was her crisp enunciation of the consonants, accomplished without sacrificing the value of the vowels. Many young singers, even those giving professional recitals, have demonstrated discomfort with the final "ch", a pet peeve of ours.  Not so here!

Let us not neglect what came between the Mozart and the Wagner.  We heard two light-hearted chansons by Debussy from his Quatre Chansons de Jeunesses.  In "Pantomime" the mood was frisky until the final tender verse, given its full emotional value by both Ms. Johnson and Ms. Fang.

We also heard four songs by Robert Schumann, three of them which were full of threat and menace ("Warnung", "Muttertraum", and "Der Soldat") and one in a lighter vein "Mein schöner Stern"--a consoling contrast to the darkness.

As far as the Libby Larsen cycle Try Me, Good King: Last Words of the Wives of Henry VIII, we found the texts sufficiently interesting to read up on Tudor history. But as many times as we have heard the cycle, we have not succeeded in finding the vocal line sufficiently interesting, even though Ms. Johnson sang it well.  The piano score is interesting but neither the piano writing nor the vocal line seemed to illuminate the words, which can easily stand alone as historical documents.  But they are not poetry!  We find no pleasure in musical settings of prose.

This recital was given to fulfill one of the requirements for receiving a Master of Music Degree from Juilliard but it was totally worthwhile as an evening's entertainment.  We foresee a fine future for both artists.

(c) meche kroop

YALE IN NEW YORK

Yevgeny Yontov, Miki Sawada, Evanna Chiew, Nicole Percifield, and Brian Vu

It is always an occasion when artists from the Yale School of Music visit New York City; last night at Weill Recital Hall songs from the collection of Frederick R. Koch were presented by three experienced graduate level singers and two collaborative pianists.

We were delighted to have the opportunity to hear more of expressive baritone Brian Vu whom we have previously heard only briefly and reviewed at various competition award recitals.  His first set comprised songs by Henri Duparc in which he got to show off his impeccable French diction and succeeded in involving us emotionally.  After a somewhat boring set of songs which preceded we were roused by the emotionalism of one of our favorite French songs, the mysterious "Le Manoir de Rosemonde".  The nightmare desperation of "La vague et la cloche" was equally compelling.  Miki Sawada's piano successfully evoked the raging ocean and the dreamer's desperation.

In another set he performed Robert Schumann's "Herbstlied, Op. 89, No. 3" and two songs by Hugo Wolf in perfect German.  As pointed out previously, if you want to write a good song you need good poetry and Heine's "Wie des Mondes Abbild Zittert" and Goethe's "Beherzigung" fall into that category.  Mr. Vu's mellow baritone and emotional involvement served him well and brought the songs to vivid life.  We are of the opinion that a lieder singer must be first and foremost a good storyteller. Mr. Vu definitely measures up to that criterion.  Our only criticism is that Mr. Yontov's piano, so evocative in the quiet passages, became rather heavy handed in the more passionate passages.

New to us was mezzo-soprano Evanna Chiew who performed three songs by Jean Sibelius with plenty of poise and stage presence.  Her very pleasing mezzo has a fine soprano-y bloom on top while the lower register remains firm and nicely textured. We cannot evaluate her Swedish diction but it sounded quite lovely

In another set of songs by Mahler, we were most impressed by the settings of texts from Des Knaben Wunderhorn.  Given a fine performance, there aren't many songs that delight us as much and Ms. Chiew gave her all in her interpretation of "Ich ging mit Lust durch einen grünen Wald" and the humorous "Selbstgefühl". Her German diction was excellent.  We would welcome the opportunity to hear more of her.

We were somewhat less impressed by soprano Nicole Percifield who sang Debussy's Cinq Poèmes de Baudelaire.  A couple nights earlier we heard these same songs performed at Juilliard in an entire evening devoted to Baudelaire.  Consequently we had a pretty good idea of how intensely moving these songs can be when sung with total involvement.  But last night, unfortunately, they all sounded exactly the same and the blandness failed to engage us.

Ms. Percifield has a bright soprano with perhaps a shade too much vibrato but the fault lay more in a lack of involvement, a lack of gesture and a lack of involvement. Her French diction was excellent and she made use of dynamic variety but there was definitely something missing.  We had hoped to hear more of her later in the program to learn if perhaps that was just the wrong material for her but those five songs were all we got.  Perhaps we will have another opportunity in the future.

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SIMPLY STELLAR

One expects excellence from The Juilliard School but we are never surprised when an event exceeds our high expectations.  Such was the case last night at the Vocal Arts Honors Recital in which two supremely talented sopranos, chosen by competitive audition, presented programs selected by themselves and their collaborative pianists.  Let's take a look at what they chose.

The glamorous Hungarian-American Lilla Heinrich-Szasz, partnered by the competition-winning pianist Lachlan Glen (well known by Voce di Meche readers as the founder and co-artistic director of Schubert & Co.) began their half of the program with four of our favorite Grieg songs.  The performance highlighted the gentle sincerity and delicacy of these gems.  Ms. Heinrich-Szasz delighted the audience with her unfussy and winning delivery; her connection with the material and with the audience was remarkable, especially in the humorous "Lauf der Welt".

Four songs by Debussy revealed the fine vibrato of her upper register; our ears thrilled to the pingy resonance.  Still, our heart was taken most by the Spanish songs of her final set.  We had never before heard José Serrano's "Marinela" from La Canción del Olvido but we hope to hear it many more times in the future.  On the other hand we have heard Fernando Obradors "Del cabello más sutil" more times than we can recall but never with a more haunting feeling of yearning.

Mr. Glen's piano was totally supportive of the delicacy of the songs.  One had a sense of filigree that tickled the ear.  Ms. Heinrich-Szasz performed an encore in Hungarian which was everything an encore should be, showing her skill with yet a fourth language and her willingness to let her hair down and dance; the delighted audience joined her in rhythmic clapping to the spirited "Heia in dem bergen" from Die Csárdásfürstin.

The second half of the program starred the equally glamorous award-winning Julia Bullock and her superb piano partner Daniel Fung.  When we saw the program, we were skeptical about the Messiaen songs from Chants de terre et de ciel but need not have been concerned.  Ms. Bullock and Mr. Fung made music together in spite of the inaccessibility of the music and poetry.

Much more to our taste were Mussorgsky's songs from The Nursery in which Ms. Bullock gave free rein to her considerable dramatic skills; our personal favorite was "With Nanny", heard many times before but never with such charm.  Richard Strauss' Drei Ophelia Lieder followed, songs which sound very different from Strauss' other songs.  It is so interesting that English had been translated into German and the German translated back into English by Ms. Bullock herself for the program.  Indeed, Ms. Bullock also translated the French and the Russian songs!  Without a break, Ms. Bullock seguéd right into Harry T. Burleigh's "Deep River", driving the audience into a frenzy of adulation with her gorgeous lustrous voice and compelling stage presence.  Mr. Fung was with her every step of the way.  These are four compelling artists to watch!

(c) meche kroop

UNDER COVER OF NIGHT

"Under Cover of Night" was the title and theme of last night's Alice Tully Vocal Arts Recital, a theme we can well relate to since, by all accounts, we operate nocturnally.  Soprano Jennifer Zetlan chose this theme in connection with the lost sleep of her pregnancy and motherhood, wondering how the night affects us emotionally and behaviorally.  The night is given over to fantasy, to romance, to fears, melancholies, dreams, nightmares and terrors.  In our case, it is given over to writing.

And what a pleasure it is to write about this lovely, gracious and talented singer whose gifts were evident from the very first "Oh" of Handel's aria from Semele, "Oh, sleep, why dost thou leave me?" which was marked by a beautifully controlled crescendo.  This was only the beginning of a varied program that gave Ms. Zetlan the opportunity to show her skills in German, Russian and Spanish and to connect with her audience as well as her material.  Her piano partner David Shimoni always supported with appropriate technique and never overwhelmed the singer or the song.

The bulk of the program was give over to the late 19th c. which is our personal favorite.  Songs by Grieg, Brahms, Wolf, Debussy, Strauss, Granados and Rimsky-Korsakov were performed with poise and secure technique.  Each song was given its own particular interpretation that sounded nothing like the other songs.  Ms. Zetlan is a remarkable story-teller and we especially enjoyed the mini-operas written into Wolf's songs, both the humorous "Elfenlied" and the horror-filled "Die Geister am Mummelsee".  The melodic "Po nebu polunochi" by Rimsky-Korsakov was filled with spiritual awe.  Strauss' "Die Nacht" expressed the poet's anxiety about losing his loved one.

Ms. Zetlan is a champion of new music and was joined by the Attacca Quartet for Nico Muhly's Far Away Songs in their world premiere.  As encores, she sang Rachmaninoff's "Son" and Irving Berlin's "Yiddishe Nightingale" which left the audience grinning as they exited.  Nighttime never sounded so good!

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