AMORE OPERA CELEBRATES

NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY (Act II) of DIE FLEDERMAUS

Holiday time generally offers two types of music--the religious and the secular.  The religious music is generally serious, like Handel's Messiah. the secular music is particularly frivolous, like "Jingle Bells" (of which we hope to hear no more). But if one is really fortunate, one gets to celebrate the holiday with a big dose of fun--thanks to Amore Opera's effervescent production of Johann Strauss II's  Die Fledermaus, which premiered in 1874 at the Theater an der Wien.

The libretto, by Karl Haffner and Richard Genee, was based on a French vaudeville play by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halevy--a very funny story about one Gabriel Eisenstein who becomes the butt of an elaborate prank instigated by his friend Falke whom he had embarrassed some time earlier with a far simpler prank that would not have satisfied for an evening's entertainment.

In Act I, we are introduced to the characters. Frau Eisenstein, a loving wife, is pestered by pleas from her saucy maid Adele who has received a letter, ostensibly from her sister, inviting her to a fabulous New Year's ball. Two splendid sopranos sang these roles to perfection with effective acting, involving us in their stories from the very beginning. Iris Karlin was totally believable as the much put-upon woman of the house who has heard every excuse in the book from Adele.

Adele was given a perfect portrayal by Haley Marie Vick--a properly over-the-top performance as she cajoled and wheedled and complained of a sick aunt. What persuades Frau Eisenstein to give her the night off?  Well, Alfredo, an Italian tenor from her past, broadly interpreted by Riad Ymeri, comes to pay court. He is in fine voice and tosses off the first few lines of every famous tenor aria. Not only does Mr. Ymeri have a fine ringing tenor, but delightful comedic skills. The loyal wife runs him off.

Herr Eisenstein (mellow baritone Matthew Ciufitelli) receives an invitation to the same ball from his friend Falke; although he is due at the local jail to serve a brief sentence,  he is lured to postpone serving the sentence by the promise of meeting beautiful women at the ball. He is told to assume a faux French identity. 

Alfredo returns and Frau E.'s resistance weakens. When the prison warden Frank (the fine baritone Jay Gould) shows up to cart Herr E. off to jail, he mistakes Alfredo for the prospective prisoner. To spare her reputation he goes along, but not without pressing his advantage and securing several farewell kisses!

Falke lets Frau E. know that her husband will be at the ball and tells her to come and observe, to wear a mask and pretend to be a Hungarian Countess. Company President and Director Nathan Hull made a fine Falke.

Act II is a show-stopper. Prince Orlofsky, a bored Russian aristocrat, has agreed to host the ball to watch the "entertainment" --watching Herr E. posing as a Marquis running into his chambermaid wearing his wife's gown and posing as an actress! Their confrontation gives Ms. Vick an opportunity to deliver the sparkling aria "My dear Marquis".  Even more entertaining is watching Herr E. courting his own wife who is masquerading as a Hungarian Countess.  This gives Ms. Karlin an opportunity to deliver a stunning czardas. She is equally believable in both roles.

And mezzo-soprano Hayden DeWitt, who specializes in trouser roles, gets a chance to deliver the famous "Chac'un a son gout" with great style.  As if this were not sufficiently entertaining, soprano Michelle Pretto was a guest artist who sang "Meine Lippen Sie kussen so heiss" and sang it wonderfully well. (The aria comes from Franz Lehar's Giuditta which wasn't premiered until 1934, but is so beautiful that we may overlook that anachronism.)

What we could not overlook was an interpolated "ballet" that was so badly choreographed and performed that we will decline to mention the guilty parties. It was supposed to be Russian ballet and was neither Russian nor ballet. They have spoiled "The Blue Danube" for us! 

Adele's sister Sally was performed by Sarah Daniels. It was quite a moment when Sally is shocked to see Adele, who learns that Sally did not invite her to Prince Orlofsky's ball.

Eisenstein's blundering lawyer Dr. Blind was portrayed by Jeffrey Kurnit.

Confusion and mistaken identities are all resolved in Act III and everything ends happily. In a non-singing role we had the beloved David Seatter enacting the bibulous jailer Frosch who rivals Frank in his intoxication. There were jokes aplenty and some of them topical. We will not spoil them for you because we hope you will experience this effervescent production for yourselves. It is playing at the Theatre at St. Jean's through January 1st with a special evening on New Year's Eve in which you may hear the same excellent cast that we heard.

The orchestra was conducted by Maestro Douglas Martin. The gorgeous period costumes were designed by Ghislaine Sabiti. The simple sets by Richard Cerullo served the production well and were lit by Lauren Bremen.  

Most impressive was Mr. Hull's direction. Every bit of stage business was motivated and made dramatic sense. Nothing interfered with the sense of fun.

We personally would have preferred to have heard the work in German. The translation was quite good and there were sufficient rhymes to satisfy the ear.  BUT, it is funnier in German and the German language is easier to comprehend. The quality of the articulation was variable and we missed a lot of the funnier lines which lay in the upper register. The chorus sounded even muddier.

Let it be known that the very busy Amore Opera is also presenting Hansel and Gretel in English for a few more matinee performances. It is worth knowing that the Theatre at St. Jean's has superb sight lines and your children will not be crawling onto your laps.

(c) meche kroop

THE OTHER CINDERELLA

Zen Wu, Melissa Serlluco, Ryan Slone, Jeff Goble, Caroline Tye, Alison Cheeseman, and Hayden DeWitt

When thinking about operatic versions of Cinderella, most people think of Rossini's La Cenerentola. But Massenet's 1899 opera Cendrillon offers many delights, including a luscious score with many fine arias and ensembles and a libretto (by Henri Caïn) that hews more closely to the original Perrault story which was already two centuries old. It can be taken as a tale of a highly dysfunctional family.

Papa Pandolfe (warmly portrayed by Jeff Goble) has taken as his second wife the harridan Madame de la Haltière (the over-the-top Caroline Tye) who has brought with her two spoiled daughters Noémie (Zen Wu) and Dorothée (Melissa Serluco). Pandolfe's daughter Lucette (Alison Cheeseman) is adored by her father, who feels guilty for neglecting her, and barely tolerated by her step-family.  This feels so relevant today when "blended families" are quite common.

William Remmers' Utopia Opera operates under a rather unique concept. Audience members vote online for the operas they want to hear the following season. We are consistently amazed by how Maestro Remmers rises to every challenge and comes up with a solution to the problem of combining entertainment and professionalism on a miniscule budget.

Although we always enjoy ourselves and admire the creativity, last night we were wildly impressed by the superlative performances of every performer and the innovative direction of Mr. Remmers who truly knows how to tell a story and to tell it well. We were engrossed and enchanted.

Although there is no scenery and barely any props, the story is told and told well. Costumes are of the "let's put on a show" variety. We imagine cast members rummaging through closets and coming up with something to express the characters they are portraying.  Most original of all was the black tie,  top hat , white silk scarf, and cigarette holder of The Fairy Godmother. The description sounds odd but, trust us, it worked incredibly well. Her fairy spirits dressed completely in white.

Lucette appears first in dowdy clothes of nondescript color and later in a shimmery garment with sparkly shoes. The henpecked Pandolfe wears a velvet jacket. Member of Lucette's step-family wear lavish ball gowns.

We first saw Cendrillon at the Santa Fe Opera ten years ago in a beautiful Laurent Pelly production with Joyce Di Donato in the title role-- and again two year ago at Juilliard with Julia Bullock. We were delighted both times but there was something about the intimacy of the Utopia Opera production that will stay in our mind.

There are a number of unforgettable scenes that one is not likely to forget!  You must see for yourself.

Massenet's music is deliciously romantic; Remmers' 19-member orchestra did the score justice once Mr. Remmers' baton brought them all together and achieved balance between the strings and the winds. We were particularly taken by the English horn solos of Zachary Rosalinsky which accompanied the love duets. The love duet between Pandolfe and Lucette was just as fine as that between her and Prince Charming.

Ms. Cheeseman made a winsome Lucette, one we could care about. We could feel compassion for Mr. Goble's Pandolfe who just made a bad marital decision. We could laugh at the domineering step-mother and the ridiculously entitled and sulky step-sisters. But we were most enthralled by the otherwordly magic of Angela Dinkelman's Fairy Godmother whose costume played so strongly against our expectations. Massenet gave her the best music and she didn't let him down!

Even the chorus was well-rehearsed. The fine direction led to camera-perfect stage pictures such that we have spent hours editing down the multiplicity of shots. And we must mention the fine French diction that was totally understandable.  Our companion told us that the titles were down for a period and we never noticed!

If you have been tempted to share our joy by attending, you will find the Lang Recital Hall at Hunter College to have superb sight lines and you will be amazed at the ridiculously low ticket prices. This same cast will perform next Saturday night, with a (likely just as fine) second cast performing tonight and next Friday night. You won't be disappointed!

(c) meche kroop

MORE BEL CANTO PLEASE

The cast of Bel Canto Gems

Scott Foreman-Orr established Clef Note Productions to offer talented singers a chance to be heard in themed concerts which would showcase their voices.  Last night's theme was Bel Canto Gems and we were delighted since that is our very favorite period of opera.  The definition of bel canto was somewhat stretched but there is no denying that we heard some beautiful singing.  The program included something for everyone.

Two singers made a huge impression--one known to us and one new to us, which is usually the case.  Soprano Zhanna Alkhazova is a singer to look up to, literally and figuratively.  Her imposing appearance is matched by a powerful voice giving her a great deal of onstage presence.  She blew us away with her intensity in Elettra's aria from Mozart's Idomeneo in which she handled the ornamentation with style.  Even better was her "Tacea la notte placida" from Verdi's Il Trovatore.  She was one of the few singers who prepared her arias well and sang off the book.

New to us was mezzo Hayden Dewitt who sang everything with grace and subtlety. She too was excellently prepared; singing without a music stand always permits greater connection with the audience.  From Rossini's Otello she sang the Willow Song "Assisa pie d'un salice" filled with distracted grief.  

She also sang in French--the part of Isolier in the trio from Rossini's Le Comte Ory and, more impressively, the part of Mallika to Julia Lima's Lakme from the Delibes opera of the same name. The harmonies were exquisite.  Still better was her ardent Romeo in Bellini's I Capuletti e i Montecchi.  

Her Giulietta for "Si fuggire" was the lovely soprano Sarah Moulton Faux who beautifully handled the trills and scale passages.  The harmony in thirds was glorious to the ear. There is nothing faux about Ms. Faux.  She is the real thing and was just as winning as Amina in "Son geloso" from Bellini's La Sonnambula.  Her Elvino was the tenor Jon Thomas Olson who has a sweet youthful sound. 

We enjoyed hearing soprano Rosa D'Imperio in several selections.  As Mathilde in "Selva Opaca" from Rossini's William Tell, she exhibited a lovely resonance and floated her top notes effortlessly.  Our only quibble was the use of the music stand. She has a real flair for Rossini and sang in the duet "Non arrestare il colpo" from the composer's Otello, although the role was written for a mezzo-soprano. 

We would like to credit soprano Rachel Hippert for her fine handling of the descending scale passages and syncopated rhythms as Isabelle in Meyerbeer's Robert le Diable.  

Julia Lima, so lovely in the Lakme has a lovely vibrato and was perky as Susanna in "Colle dame piu brillanti" from Mercadante's I Due Figaro.  Singing off the book, she connected well with the audience.  Soprano Roza Bulat made a fine Lucrezia in Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia.

Space does not permit discussion of several of the other excellent singers but we are sure to have other opportunities in the future.

Accompanying was deftly handled by Ming Hay Kwong.  It was a long evening although shortened by the illness of some of the singers.  Happily, bel canto always leaves us wanting more.

(c) meche kroop

MONDAY NIGHT DOUBLE HEADER

 
Only in New York could you go out on a Monday night and witness two extraordinary musical events.  In the first, Opera Feroce presented a pasticcio, an operatic model popular in the baroque period when singers often interpolated their favorite arias into operas by other composers.  Since 2012 began we twice saw "The Enchanted Island", another pasticcio,  at the Met and enjoyed ourselves to the limit.  The latter was based on a couple of Shakespeare plays whereas last night's Amor and Psyche was based on the 2nd c. novel Metamorphosis by Apuleius.

The story is that of the beautiful Psyche who is envied by the goddess Venus.  Cupid gets pricked by his own dart and falls in love with her.  Venus torments Psyche with impossible tasks.  With boundless creativity, the members of Opera Feroce have filled in the story with arias by Handel, Dowland, Porpora, Mancini, Lotti, Stradella, Campion, Durante, Coprario, Soresina, Savatelli, and, not to neglect the Germans, Adam  and Johann Philipp Krieger.

This was an original entertainment that delighted the audience, most of whom seemed to be natives of the Upper West Side.  Amor was well sung and charmingly acted by mezzo Hayden DeWitt who was also responsible for the arch program notes.  Soprano Beth Anne Hatton made a charming and equally well sung Psyche.  Their duet "Dormono l'aure estive" was beautifully moving. The other roles were all handled by countertenor Alan Dornak whose extravagant mugging seemed too campy by half.  He sounded best in his more mournful duet with Psyche, Handel's "Son nato a lagrimar".

Kelly Savage at the harpsichord was joined by baroque violinist Vita Wallace and Motomi Igarashi who played the viola da gamba.  The trio played superbly.

Being a group effort, no one person has taken credit for the concept, direction or musical research--all of which deserve credit.  The black baroque costumes were particularly a propos.

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As if any more entertainment were necessary we made it to Steven Blier's event "Sing for Your Supper" at Henry's Restaurant.  The New York Festival of Song never fails to delight but tonight was more delightful than ever as nine of our favorite singers from Juilliard presented "Invitation to the Dance".  As usual, newlywed Steven Blier excelled at his duties as host, arranger and accompanist  Andrew Stenvall played some gentle percussion. Stepping out of their roles as opera and lieder singers, the students easily made the transition to "popular" song, without any of the pretentiousness usually heard when opera stars do crossover material.  Notably, microphones were not necessary and the audience was blissfully quiet and attentive.  Not only was the singing first rate but these guys and gals know how to get a song across.  To ice the cupcake, they danced!  The education at Juilliard never ceases to amaze me.

Heard with great joy were Elizabeth Sutphen, Karen Vuong, Rachael Wilson and Simone Easthope on the distaff side; the men were Kyle Bielfield, Leo Radosavlijevic, Miles Mykkanen, Nathan Haller and Tobias Greenhalgh.  So uplifted were we that we virtually floated home in the faint drizzle.

(c) meche kroop