BACK TO THE GARDEN

ON SITE OPERA CURTAIN CALL

Sitting in the fragrant and manicured West Side Community Garden on W. 89th St. we couldn't help thinking of that classic rock tune by Crosby, Stills, and Nash with the lyrics "And we got to get ourselves back to the garden".

Had On Site Opera's production of Mozart's The Secret Garden not been so compelling the gorgeous colors of the Spring flowers might have upstaged it.  Happily, nothing could have upstaged this production, one that left us with a big smile which should last us at least through the weekend. Looking at the faces of the audience members indicated that our joy was a shared experience

The wildly creative stage director Eric Einhorn has so many tricks up his sleeve that we never know what he will come up with next.  Except we do know and we will tell you a bit at the end of this review. The entire premise of On Site Opera is to match the production to an appropriate setting. Regular readers will know exactly what we refer to but others can enter "On Site Opera" into the search bar to fill in their knowledge, lest we repeat ourselves.

Right now, it is the current production that commands our attention and mobilizes our face into a goofy grin. What an inspiration to present Mozart's La finta giardiniera in a garden! The site was perfect with the audience sitting around the perimeter of a large grassy circle with the action taking place both within the circle and in the aisles around and behind the audience. The cast of seven could remain interacting with each other whilst the principal participants in that scene were "center stage". Occasionally, cast members interacted with members of the audience.

It seemed so organic but probably an incredible amount of labor was necessary to produce that effect of spontaneity. To our surprise the acoustics were excellent. Calzabigi's libretto was translated and obviously adapted by Kelley Rourke, and a very fine translation it was. The scene in which Sandrina and Count Belfiore go insane was wisely cut and the 90 minute production moved along swiftly, relying on spoken dialogue in place of recitativi to move the action forward. Readers may be shocked to learn that we enjoyed the English but there was great skill involved in converting this silly and unwieldy story into an hour and a half of pure delight. Focus was placed squarely on the interactions of the lovers.

The story concerns seven would-be lovers all at odds with one another until they learn certain lessons. The three male suitors must learn how to court the women they desire. Count Belfiore (beautifully sung by tenor Spencer Viator) has anger management issues that drove away his beloved Lady Violet (the marvelous soprano Ashley Kerr) who is hiding out working for the Mayor (performed by terrific tenor Jonathan Blalock), as a gardener named Sandrina,

Superb baritone Jorell Williams (a product of Martina Arroyo's Prelude to Performance some years ago) portrayed Lady Violet's servant who has accompanied her, also disguised; he learns to court the Mayor's servant Serpetta (splendid soprano Alisa Jordheim) in a foreign language which she clearly finds far more romantic than English.

The modest Ramiro (portrayed by marvelous mezzo Kristin Gornstein, well known from Heartbeat Opera) must overcome his diffidence and pursue the Mayor's niece Arminda. Soprano Maeve Hoglund created quite a character--what the French would call exigent. She only accepts Ramiro when he gets forceful. Faint heart never won fair lady, as they say.

We find mating behavior fascinating--pursuit, rejection, betrayal, reconciliation--far more than stories about terrorism, politics, and inventions. We wish more contemporary composers would write about romance. Don't we all love to see our foibles onstage?

There were plenty of sight gags to add to the fun. Props like rakes, spades, and garden hoses were put to good use which you will want to see for yourself.

So the story was engaging, the singers splendiferous, the setting delightful, the English diction perfect. Even the lighting (designed by Shawn K. Kaufman) was inventive with strings of white lights encircling the garden, changing to blue when the Count was desperate and to red when things heated up. Costume design by Beth Goldenberg was right on point with Arminda appearing quite glamorous in her Schiaparelli pink costume and hat. Even the shoes were perfect with Sandrina (Lady Violet) wearing yellow Wellies and the Count wearing violet patent leather.

But this is opera and we have yet to say a word about Mozart's music.  He was but 18 years old when he composed the work (and what's YOUR 18-year-old doing?). The melodies that tumbled out one after another from his teen-aged pen were brilliantly conducted by Maestro Geoffrey McDonald with his customary stylish verve. The reduced orchestration was accomplished by horn player Yoni Kahn and Thomas Carroll. Orchestration was effectively distributed among a pair of oboes, a pair of period clarinets, a pair of bassoons, a pair of horns, and a double bass. The group calls itself Grand Harmonie and lives up to its name. The vocal lines are all melodious and the ensembles filled with pleasing harmonies.

The fact that On Site Opera presented this gift to our community (a new initiative of theirs) is astonishing and surely merits one's consideration of a generous donation.

This is a co-production with The Atlanta Opera and will be presented at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens next weekend. So, unless you want to travel south, we strongly urge you to show up tonight and to show up early. The production begins at 7 so don't say we didn't warn you. Saturday night is the final performance. The address is 123 W. 89th St. in Manhattan.

W promised to tell you a bit about what On Site Opera has coming up.  The United States premiere of Darius Milhaud's The Guilty Mother will be presented at The Garage, 611 W. 50th St. on June 20, 22, 23 and 24. If you've ever wondered what happened to the folks DaPonte wrote about, this will be your chance.

Finally, we would like to mention that we have a lot more to say about this opera which we reviewed two years ago at the Santa Fe Opera. If you enter "Crazy in Love" into the search bar above, you will be directed to a funny psychological analysis which we wrote about their very fine traditional production.

(c) meche kroop

EVE QUELER AND FRIENDS

Eve Queler and Friends

Eve Queler's claim to fame is not just her astute conducting of rarely heard operas at Carnegie Hall but, among other talents, her discovery and nurture of young artists and putting them before the public. It was a very special treat to return last night to the acoustically amazing Church of the Blessed Sacrament to enjoy what felt like a party for performers and their fans.

The Maestra herself performed most of the piano accompaniment and a superb chamber orchestra was on hand to add to the texture of the music. Several familiar faces were there and some new ones as well, singing highlights from past performances.

We were delighted to have the opportunity to hear soprano Jessica Rose Cambio who performed "Non so le tetre immagini" from Verdi's Il Corsaro which she sang with great depth of feeling. Her voice opens up at the top like an umbrella and she trills like a canary. She also sang "Tu del mio Carlo al seno" from Verdi's I Masnadieri, accompanied this time by the fine pianist Douglas Martin. The work has lovely arpeggios and a joyful staccato cabaletta.

Soprano Marsha Thompson  performed "Robert, toi que j'aime" from Meyerbeer's Robert le Diable.  (And just last night we heard Michael Fennelly play "The Nun's Dance" from the same opera!) There are some lovely descending scale passages and the accompaniment was largely in the hands of oboist Melanie Feld. Mr. Martin was her piano accompanist for "Col sorriso d'innocenza" from Bellini's Il Pirata in which Ms. Thompson showed herself to be a fine bel canto artist with some lovely embellishments and a very fiery cabaletta.

Bass Sava Vemić was a revelation  in "Si la rigeur" from Halévy's La Juive. He employed his deep earthy resonance to portray Cardinal Brogni commuting the sentence on Eléazar and his daughter. He exhibited plenty of depth at the bottom of his register and was convincingly forgiving. In "O tu Palermo" from Verdi's I Vespri Siciliani he delivered Procida's powerful paean to his homeland, accompanied by an appealing theme on the cello played by Eugene Moya.

Tenor Jonathan Blalock employed a pleasing tone in "Vainement, ma bien-aimée" from Lalo's Le Roi d'Ys.  This Aubade has the quality of a serenade and was beautifully accompanied by Elizabeth Mann's flute and Steven Hartman's clarinet. We further enjoyed Mr. Blalock's artistry in "Viens gentile dame" from Boieldieu's La Dame Blanche, filled with romantic eagerness.

There was no shortage of terrific tenors.  William Davenport used his sweet voice with its ringing top in "O paradis!" from Meyerbeer's L'Africaine accompanied by Erica Kiesewetter's violin. He invested "E la solita storia" from Cilea's L'Arlesiana with a great deal of pathos, accompanied by flute and violin.

Baritone Joshua Benaim performed "Vision fugitive!" from Massenet's Hérodiade with ample passion and good command of tone. We liked his "Vien, Leonore" from Donizetti's La Favorita even more with its typical bel canto arpeggios.

Benjamin Herman handled the percussion for the evening and Veronica Salas was the violist. What a pleasure to reconnect with operas heard only once and heard long ago! It was a time to meet old friends!

(c) meche kroop

THE CASE FOR PAUL'S CASE

Michael Slattery, Erin Sanzero, Melissa Wimbish, James Shaffran, Amanda Crider, Keith Phare and Jonathan Blalock lying on the floor. (Photo by C. Stanley Photography)

Here in New York City in 2014, we love our misfits.  But in 1906 Pittsburgh, they did not.  Willa Cather's short story "Paul's Case" is an incisive study of a high school student who is just such an outlier.  Prototype has presented an opera with the same title that musically and visually illuminates this character study.  Composer Gregory Spears has written music that reflects both the claustrophobic external environment and the inner world of Paul's yearning imagination; unlike much contemporary music, it avoids tedium and holds the ear from the portentous opening chords until the shattering finale.

The libretto by Mr. Spears and Kathryn Walat tells the story in an expressionistic way with much repetition which is a good thing because the English was not always intelligible.  Titles would have been welcome.

It is to the credit of tenor Jonathan Blalock that we in the audience come to understand this strange young man who was apparently dropped down the wrong chimney.  Motherless since birth, he is acutely aware of being out-of-place and hides his contempt for his bourgeois surroundings with peculiar behavior that his father and teachers cannot understand.  He wears a red carnation in his lapel, bows, smirks and manages to confound and infuriate people.  He is disinterested in school but enjoys working as an usher in Carnegie Hall (Pittsburgh) where he can enjoy music and theater and art.

Mr. Blalock misses no vocal, facial or gestural note in his portrayal.  We sense his joy as he liberates himself from his drab surroundings and flees to New York where he outfits himself handsomely in fine attire and installs himself at the Waldorf-Astoria where he finally feels as if he belongs.  Mr. Spears' music deftly underscores the expansion of his spirit.  Unfortunately his sudden wealth was ill-gotten and his theft is is discovered.  He comes to a bad end as represented by the final tableau.

His three teachers are well portrayed by sopranos Erin Sanzero and Melissa Wimbish and mezzo Amanda Crider; in the second act, in an especially delightful scene, they enact three maids at the Waldorf who are making up Paul's room.  The two sopranos also portray opera singers onstage at the theater.

Baritone Keith Phares makes a fine father, wanting Paul to succeed on his terms.  Baritone James Shaffran sang the roles of the puzzled principal and a hotel bellboy.  Tenor Michael Slattery sang the role of a Yale freshman who accompanied Paul on his night on the town.

The challenging music was conducted by Robert Wood with Keith Chambers on piano.  The string quartet was enhanced by a bass, two soulful clarinets and a harp--The American Modern Ensemble. 

The fine directorial hand of Kevin Newbury kept the movement right on target and built tension throughout the piece.  Amanda Seymour designed the costumes with fine detail for that period.  Set designer Timothy R. Mackabee kept things simple; the masterstroke was the lowering of the grid of pendulum lamps at the end, leaving the audience with a riveting image.

© meche kroop

APPRENTICES ON PARADE

A supremely talented group of eight apprentices from the Santa Fe Opera presented a parade of popular arias as a summer community concert at First Presbyterian Church. The 43 apprentices were chosen from 450 applicants and one can only conclude that the young singers who made the cut were chosen for their vocal artistry combined with dramatic skills and an ability to communicate with the audience. Heard at the opera house in small roles and in the chorus, these artists are also given a chance to shine at various events, chief among which are the two Sunday Apprentice Recitals. But this afternoon's recital was a special treat, allowing the listener to get up close and personal. The parade of performances was led by soprano Lacy Sauter who sang Mozart's "Alleluia" in a pure bright soprano with excellent mastery of the fioritura. Her upper register manifested a large open feeling and the "B" section an effective change of color and mood. Tenor Jonathan Blalock followed with the serenade "Ecco ridente in cielo" from Rossini's Barber of Seville. His pleasing voice was augmented by a lot of heart and soul which is a basic minimum requirement if you want a lady to descend from her balcony! Mezzo Sarah Mesko sang "Oh, dischiuso e il firmamento!" from Verdi's Nabucco with a rich chocolatey sound. Mezzo Samantha Korbey has a big ringing sound and gave an excellent performance of "Sein wir wieder gut" from Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos, marred only slightly by some very aggressive piano playing by accompanist Kirt Pavitt. Since he supported the singers well in every other case, one can only assume that he was carried away by Strauss' luscious music. Soprano Hailey Clark invested "Che il bel sogno di Doretta" from Puccini's La Rondine with a great deal of charm and employed her big ringing upper register to fine effect. Bringing down the house (the church, actually) was Ricardo Rivera's swaggering Escamillo from Bizet's Carmen. His sizable baritone was used with confidence and authority; his manner was hypnotic and it was easy to understand how he lured Carmen away from Don Jose. Tenor Yoni Rose has a lovely color to his voice and sang "Che gelida manina" from Puccini's La Boheme with fine legato phrasing, closing with a distinctive diminuendo. We particularly enjoyed the duet "Belle nuit, o nuit d'amour" from Offenbach's Tales of Hoffman, sung by Hailey Clark and Sarah Mesko; the voices blended beautifully. Similarly, the quartet from Act III of Verdi's Rigoletto was stirringly sung by Ms. Korbey, Ms. Sauter, Mr. Rose and Mr. Rivera. Flutist Daniel James provided an instrumental interlude with the gently melodic "Pastorale" by Germaine Tailleferre. The program ended with baritone Jared Bybee singing The Lord's Prayer with deeply felt sentiment and gorgeous phrasing. AND--"America" sung by the entire ensemble. One could not have imagined a more fulfilling recital! Bravi tutti!