COSÌ COSÌ

Nathan Hull, Deborah Surdi, Conrad Bullitt, Iris Karlin, Maestro José Alejandro Guzmán, Perri Sussman, and Drew Watson

We have long asserted that singers make good directors; we have always admired Nathan Hull's direction at Amore Opera but we have yearned to hear his resonant baritone and last night we did--in the role of Don Alfonso in Mozart's Così fan tutte. His performance as the cynical and experienced older friend of Fernando and Guglielmo was spot on--effective without overplaying or grandstanding. He knows how to create a believable character and his diction was crisp. Every word was clear.

Another notable feature of this performance was the vastly improved performance of the orchestra under the baton of Maestro José Alejandro Guzmán. We have grumbled in the past about out-of-tune strings but last night the orchestra was in tune and together. The overture fairly sparkled! Of course, there were some recalcitrant French horns but that's par for the course. The program notes did not identify the player of the (electronic) harpsichord continuo.

The stage direction by Mr. Hull was unobtrusive and served to highlight the singers, rather than calling attention to some irrelevant "concept". There were, as usual, some very clever touches.  For example, when Despina, dressed as a quack doctor, pulls out a giant magnet, she points it at the potted plants which are made to shake and quiver, just like Ferrando and Guglielmo portraying the rejected Albanian suitors who have just taken "poison".

The sets are probably inherited from Amato Opera and were effectively lit by Duane Pagano. Costumes were designed by superb soprano Iris Karlin who created a strong-willed Fiordiligi. In harmony with her was marvelous mezzo Perri Sussman who was equally believable as Dorabella. Every scene between these two lovely ladies resonated with truth. They were supportive and competitive in turn, just like real sisters.

As their suitors, baritone Conrad Bullitt sang with fine tone and we enjoyed his smug glee when he succeeded in winning the all-too-willing Dorabella, his friend's fiancée. The role of Ferrando was sung by tenor Drew Watson who evinced a fine decrescendo. The role of Despina was sung by Deborah Surdi who was not always audible.

The packed house was unusually appreciative of all the humorous touches, most of them intentional, but a few which weren't. There were false mustaches coming loose and wigs worn on top of other wigs and hats falling off. It was all in good fun and just what we want in a comedy.

What we don't want in a comedy (or in a tragedy either for that matter) is an English translation! There was absolutely no justification for presenting this 1790 Italian language treasure in English. Mozart and da Ponte carefully married the vocal phrases to the text and it seemed criminal to come between them the way Don Alfonso broke up his friends' relationships.  

The uncredited translation might have been clever had we been able to understand the words! But Mr. Hull was the only one onstage who was consistently understandable and there were no titles. Fortunately, we know the story very well and there was a clear synopsis in the program for those who did not. Still, it is frustrating to try to understand what singers are singing when you can only catch a word or a phrase here and there. It might as well have been sung in Czech! After awhile we gave up trying and focused on the sound of the voice and the orchestra.

This led to the observation that English may be the worst language in which to evaluate the quality of a singer's voice. Just say aloud "Un aura amorosa" and feel how it rolls off the tongue. Now try "My love is like a flower" and you will see what we mean. Every gorgeous aria Mozart wrote seemed diminished.

Now Arthur Sullivan's music was made to suit the English language and we recall last December when Mr. Hull's libretto for Scrooge (review archived) danced into our ears. This did not happen last night.

We have reviewed Ms. Karlin and Ms. Sussman on many prior occasions and enjoyed their voices; but what if this had been their first time? We would have little idea of their artistry.

If the goal of presenting an opera in translation is to further our understanding, then each singer must have exemplary diction. Strangely, it is mainly foreign born singers who enunciate clearly.

Opera lovers in St. Louis have no choice. The Opera Theater of St. Louis only presents operas in English translation. But here in New York City, we have a choice and we choose opera in its original language.

Amore Opera presents forgotten masterpieces as well as old favorites and we are excited about hearing Meyerbeer's Dinorah next week, sung in its original French (YAY!). This unfairly forgotten masterpiece has not been heard in the USA in a century. Do get tickets before they sell out!

(c) meche kroop

AMORE OPERA'S TURN TO SIT IN THE BARBER CHAIR

Mary Gwynne Langston, Laura Virella, Gennadiy Vysotskiy, Jay Gould, David Tillistrand, and Drew Watson

Rossini's comic masterpiece Il barbiere di Siviglia is an opera one can enjoy many many times over.  And so we have. It is the champagne of the opera oeuvre--light, flavorful, and effervescent. Thankfully, no one recently has tried to update it; it belongs firmly in the early 19th c. and still delights us two centuries later. It's characters seem derived from commedia dell'arte but have become more three-dimensional.

There is the lecherous old man--Don Bartolo (the very funny bass Jay Gould); there is the spunky ingenue Rosina (the winsome mezzo-soprano Laura Virella); the wily servant Figaro (impressive baritone David Tillistrand), and the lovesick youth Count Almaviva (tenor Drew Watson). We have Dr. Bartolo's oily accomplice Don Basilio (bass Gennadiy Vysotskiy) and a pair of servants afflicted by sneezing--Berta (Mary Gwynne Langston)--and yawning--Ambrogio (Ricardo Figueroa).

When we see an opera as oft produced as this one, we always wonder what a director can add to what we already know about the opera.  We do believe that singers make the best directors, and we never enjoy operas in "the big house" directed by people who know nothing about opera. In this production, Artistic Director Nathan Hull directed as astutely as we have come to expect, adding several clever touches. 

The one we liked the best was the trio of dancers who added visual interest to every scene in which they appeared.  At first, they were clients/fans of Figaro and in the instrumental intermezzo storm scene they danced with umbrellas. It was a charming touch. Angel Joy did the choreography. Dancers were Katrina Victoria Asmar, Ashley Carter, and Victoria Manoli.

The invention we liked the least was putting the dialogue and most of the recitativi in English. The translation was awkward and the enunciation imperfect. We found ourself wishing for titles. We do admit that some of the interpolations did a good job of explaining the action and others were witty and timely; the audience certainly enjoyed them. It is just our taste which prefers Italian.

We brought home certain memories that delight us--Ms. Virella's creation of her character as a real live flesh and blood heroine who can toss off scale passages and interesting embellishments with equal aplomb in "Una voce poco fa" ; Mr. Gould's shambling walk and booming bass used in service of the arrogance of his character in "A un dottor della mia sorte"; Mr. Vysotskiy's total mastery of the role of Don Basilio, making the most of "La calunnia".

Berta's aria was given a fine performance by Ms. Lang who had to overcome youth and beauty to convince us that her Berta was scorned in love because of her age! We enjoyed Ms. Virella's duet with Mr. Tillistrand ("Dunque io son") which they invested with good comic chemistry. We liked Fiorello's serenade (Hector Mori).

Mr. Watson's comic acting served him well as the drunken soldier trying to get access to Bartolo's home. Even funnier was his turn as "Don Alfonso" a music teacher irritating Bartolo with his repetitive "Joia, pace, pace, joia". The "Buona sera, mie signore" always delights us. And the ensembles ending each act are always sheer craziness.

Well, we guess we'd have to say there was just one delight following another without a letup. Richard Cerullo was Scenic Designer and provided just what was needed. Lauren Bremen's lighting succeeded in creating the dawn during the serenade scene. Cynthia Psoras' costuming was apt and attractive.

Conductor Scott Jackson Wiley surprised us by playing the guitar during Almaviva's serenade. We consulted the program notes and, yes, he is well known as a guitarist. He did his best to pull together an orchestra that seems to always suffer from intonation problems, including a recalcitrant horn.  Concertmaster Holly Horn kept the melodies coming sweetly and purely. And we heard some nice playing in the bassoon section. The harpsichord continuo was excellently performed on a synthesizer.

There will be several opportunities to catch this delightful production until New Year's Eve, for which there will be a gala with dinner and midnight toast.

(c) meche kroop

CARMEN EXPANDED

Riad Ymeri and Iris Karlin

The success of any production of Georges Bizet's 1875 Carmen rises and falls on the performances of the four main characters, and, by this standard, Amore Opera's production is an unqualified success. The cast we heard last night at The Riverside Theater (yes, Amore Opera appears to have moved uptown)  met the stringent demands both vocally and dramatically. The roles are triple-cast so you may not hear the same cast as we heard, but you are likely to enjoy the performances as much as we did.

This is not at all like the radical condensed version we enjoyed a few nights ago, but rather a complete 3 1/2 hour leisurely telling of the tale, complete with all the subsidiary characters, an excellent chorus, and more than two dozen children. We have just realized the reason for bringing children into the performance. This is a special kind of outreach (or should we call it "in-bringing") a strategy by which children will get to know and appreciate opera. Hello audience of tomorrow!

Founding Artistic Director Nathan Hull, also responsible for the competent stage direction, has fulfilled yet another mission, aside from bringing opera to New Yorkers at a modest cost and providing onstage experience for lots of young artists. Judging by the thunderous applause at the conclusion and our own satisfaction, he has done well.

We will spare you a recitation of the well-known story but when we see Donizetti's nearly unknown work La Zingara next week, you will definitely hear about the story. This is Amore Opera's "Gypsy Season"!

As the eponymous tragic heroine, soprano Iris Karlin could have easily convinced us that she was a mezzo-soprano. Her dark colored voice is on the large size and quite brilliant at the upper end of the register, but there was no denying the strength she exhibited at the lower end of the register. Her "Habanera" and "Seguidilla" were both excellent.

Her vocal skills were well matched by her dramatic portrayal. Her Carmen was seductive, manipulative, and larger than life. She clearly conveyed the sense of a strong and willful character. We are not sure by what magic Ms. Karlin also allowed us to feel sympathy for her character.

As the unfortunate Don Jose, one of her victims, tenor Riad Ymeri gave a vocally strong performance. He is a rare tenor who can produce volume at the upper end of the register without pushing. (That is the main fault we find with dramatic tenors; we can feel the tightness in our own throat.) His acting conveyed the sense that the character's violence comes from powerlessness. He hasn't the strength of character to make a decision but allows fate to make it for him. He is stuck in life and in his obsession with Carmen and unable to extricate himself.

He was particularly fine in "La fleur que tu m'avais jetee", evoking our sympathy.

Soprano Helaine Liebman made a winsome Micaela who was particularly excellent in her third act aria "Je dis que rien ne m'epouvante". When she sang in her high clear voice, she evinced all the terror of a teenager on a dangerous mission, and all her trust in God. Would that her acting might have carried over into the spoken dialogue! That should be easy to amend.

As Escamillo, baritone Robert Heepyoung Oh sang smoothly with fine phrasing, and conveyed a believable sense of self-confidence without the cliched arrogance we usually see. We like the fact that he was rather bemused by Don Jose in the mountain confrontation and neutralized him with ease. Of course the "Toreador Song" is his hit number but we loved his duet in Act IV "Si tu m'aimes Carmen".

Carmen's friends Frasquita (soprano Stephanie Leotsakos) and Mercedes (mezzo-soprano Elsa Queron) added much to every scene they were in and harmonized beautifully. The two smugglers Dancairo (baritone Spencer Leopold Cohen) and his sidekick Remendado (tenor Drew Watson) added some much-needed comic relief. We loved the quintet in Act II "Nous avons en tete une affaire".

As Zuniga, bass Gennadiy Vysotskiy sang well and portrayed drunkenness most effectively. In the non-singing part of the Innkeeper  Lillas Pastia, Trey Sandusky added more humor as he tried to get his customers to leave. We believe we also saw him as the Constable in Act IV, chasing a mischievous boy.

Susan Morton's chorus sang well and moved about the smallish stage as best they could.

Thanks to French diction coach Danielle Feaster, the French was just about perfect, as agreed upon by our Francophone companion. As was originally written for the Opera-Comique, dialogue was delivered in English and, if we are not mistaken, seems to have been modified into some rather contemporary idiom.  Or perhaps just loosely translated. In any case, we liked it and felt it helped to understand the characters better.

Bizet's lush orchestration gave plenty of content for the Amore Opera Orchestra, under the baton of Richard Cordova. We particularly noted the fine flute solos during the interlude before Act III (Richard Paratley). 

Mr. Hull's direction always brings in a few novelties and we loved Carmen lassoing Don Jose with the rope that had been used to tie her up. Likewise the naughty boy who snitched the toreador's cape and was pursued by the Constable.

Cynthia Psoras' costume design was just wonderful, from the gypsies to the soldiers. Especially dazzling was the gown Carmen  wore to the bullfight in Act IV.

Richard Cerullo's sets were simple but effective. We fault Lauren Bremen's lighting for not having spotlights on the main characters who were often left in the dark. 

The audience probably loved the Spanish dancing choreographed by Jorge Navarro but when we think about a tavern on the outskirts of Seville we imagine something a lot more raw. What we saw last night was as refined as one would see at a tourist show. But we liked the sensuous dance Carmen performed to seduce Don Jose.

Our quibbles are small; our pleasure was great. Do catch one of the performances and, if you like it, consider helping this worthy company to survive and grow. New York needs its small companies!

(c) meche kroop