YEE-HAW

Justine Aronson as Gutrune in On Site Opera's Das Barbecü (photo by B A von Sise)

We have seen more than our fair share of Ring Cycles and we have spent quite a bit of time in The Lone Star State; both of these experiences contributed to our enjoyment of On Site Opera's current expression of their mission to present opera in venues relevant to the material.  Only this time it wasn't an opera but a wildly inventive musical called Das Barbecü, starring trained opera singers.

Do you need to have seen Wagner's Ring Cycle to appreciate this original production?  Not really, although a basic familiarity with the story might add to your enjoyment of the parody.  Do you need to have been to Texas to appreciate the Texas tropes? Not really, since you have probably been exposed to Texas stereotypes by film or television. Who wouldn't appreciate the emphasis on barbecue and guacamole, our favorite song being "Makin' Guacamole". And of course, there was a chart in front of the musicians to explain the plot for you.

What we are trying to say is "Go see it!". Your intrepid reviewer was there for opening night and urges you to get tickets to one of the several remaining performances, if there are indeed any left. You will have a swell time and you will enjoy a fine family-style dinner of Texas brisket, barbecued chicken, mashed sweet potatoes, and mac 'n cheese (which Texans consider a vegetable)--all included in the ticket price.

It would be unfair to say that the show condensed 15 hours of Wagner's epic into 2 plus hours; the emphasis is mainly on Götterdammerung and much of the plot from the preceding three operas is revealed in flashbacks. Of course, that is also a feature of Wagner's epic narrative with characters often bringing other characters up to date on what had previously happened.

The show was commissioned in 1991 by General Director of the Seattle Opera Speight Jenkins who offered it as a light-hearted accompaniment to the Seattle Ring Cycle for subscribers to enjoy. The book and lyrics by Jim Luigs are clever and the music by Scott Warrender offers a variety of music from faux Country Western to sincere ballads--all of it tuneful.

We are reluctant to give away too much of the plot or any of the hilarious one-liners. Let us just say that Valhalla is now a ranch with Fricka (Zuri Washington) keeping house and resenting the philandering of her husband Wotan (Robert Wesley Mason). Alberich (David Hughey) is still vying with Wotan for the "Ring of Gold" and the pair reach a surprise reconciliation. Siegfried (also Mr. Hughey) is an earnest but not-too-smart cowpoke who is given a spiked drink at a honky-tonk bar, causing him to forget his bride Brünnhilde (a spunky Jessica Fishenfeld) who gets carried off by the not-too-smart Gunther (Mr. Mason) who arranges for Siegfried to wed his sister Gutrune (Justine Aronson).

One of the best numbers in the score has the two abandoned brides devouring the wedding dinner all by themselves and making friends in the process. 

If all this sounds confusing, rest assured that rapid costume changes and acting skill serve to identify each character. Seeing a cast of five accomplish all this complex storytelling is impressive in and of itself. We haven't even mentioned the hilarious scene with the three Norns and the even funnier scene in which the adorable Ms. Aronson in the role of Freia gets taken by the two giant carpenters and... oh, we will stop here. You will want to see that for yourself!

Direction by Eric Einhorn and Katherine M. Carter kept up a frenetic pace. Whitney Locher's costumes were just right with Brünnhilde's wedding dress taking the cake and evoking one of the bitchiest one-liners in the show.  No, we will not divulge it here!

Music Director Emily Senturia played keyboard with a second keyboard played by Riko Higuma. Liz Faure was swell on guitar and Victoria Paterson fiddled away in true Country and Western style. Clara Warnaar was in charge of the drums. We particularly enjoyed the Texas two-step which they really do dance in Texas!

Looking around at the audience, we have never seen so many grinning faces. We could not tell whether they were simply enjoying the show or were also enjoying witnessing Wagner's complex plot being transmogrified and parodied.

If we were to find one fault with this entertaining evening, it would have to do with the staging and sound. Although it was kind of fun to have the cast moving around the room and between the long picnic tables, it also required quite a bit of rubber-necking. 

Complicating this was the amplification. Fortunately, it was certainly not ear-splitting but it was impossible to tell where the voices were coming from, making the rubbernecking even worse.

We know nothing about sound design so we are unable to say how that problem could be surmounted. Nonetheless, we had a great time and left happy.  And so will you!

© meche kroop

COME TO THE CABARET....IN BROOKLYN

Spencer Myer, Kristin Gornstein, Justine Aronson, Richard Valitutto, Samantha Malk, and Michael Brofman

Last night at the beautiful Brooklyn Historical Society, the Brooklyn Art Song Society presented their fifth and final entry in a season devoted to Vienna in the first half of the 20th c.  It was a time of decadence, intrigue, and radicalism....and marvelous music. Cabaret was the subject of last night's sold out performance and we enjoyed witnessing three singers we love pushing their boundaries.

Cabaret is a broad term but, in our opinion, it should be naughty and counter-culture. To our ears, it sounds best in German because of the sound and taste of the words as well as the facility with rhyming. Toward this end, soprano Justine Aronson's performance of Arnold Schoenberg's Brettl Lieder more than fulfilled our expectations.  We have heard his "Galathea" performed onstage but we have never heard it the way Ms. Aronson sang it, with devilish glee.

Although she used the loathed music stand, somehow she managed to incorporate ample gesture to accompany her ironic coloration and the song became completely new. We believe she plumbed the depths of meaning and came up with pearls. "Gigerlette" and "Der genugsame Liebhaber" were replete with doppelbedeutung. Richard Valitutto made a fine collaborative pianist.

Her performance of a set of French cabaret songs was a far different affair--not satirical but soulful. We particularly enjoyed Edith Piaf's "La Vie en Rose", Poulenc's "Les chemins de l'amour",  and Erik Satie's "Je te veux" -- but it is Piaf's "Padam padam" that keeps going around in our head.  It's a song that we first heard sung by Kim David Smith who performs a totally different type of cabaret. The piano accompaniment of Artistic Director and Founder Michael Brofman sounded just right.

Mezzo-soprano Kristin Gornstein is well known to us from Heartbeat Opera, so we have never seen her without extravagant makeup design. Last night was the first time we heard her in recital format, although that word fails to describe the intense performance she gave of Kurt Weill's music, for which Berthold Brecht wrote the lyrics. Mr. Valitutto's piano was forceful but never overwhelmed the voice.

We far prefer "Mack the Knife" in German but Marc Blitzstein's translation is quite good and Ms. Gornstein made every word count.  In "The Ballad of Sexual Obsession" there was plenty of ad libbing, about a man with an orange face and stringy yellow hair, that had the audience laughing out loud. This topicality meets a major requirement of cabaret!

Accompanied by Spencer Myer,  mezzo-soprano Samantha Malik performed a set of songs by William Bolcom, making each song into a little opera. The songs are mainly about contemporary society. Ms. Malik's interpretations were all right on point--romantic disappointment, a party turned sour, an overnight date that lasted too long. The most familiar of the set was "Amor" which we have often heard and enjoyed as an encore number. But the hymn-like "Waitin'", short, sweet, perfectly written and sung, seemed out of place with the other songs.

Ms. Malik also performed some songs by Benjamin Britten, settings of texts by W.H. Auden. They were fine songs but did not strike us as cabaret.  Perhaps we need to broaden our definition but we found them lacking in satire and naughtiness.

Although this was the conclusion of the series on Viennese music, B.A.S.S. is not finished with their season. On March 31st there will be a fine program of Debussy, Hahn, Poulenc and Heggie at National Sawdust.

(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

A GIFT FROM BROOKLYN TO MANHATTAN

Michael Brofman, Joseph Gaines, Kelvin Chan, Jocelyn Dueck, Kate Maroney, Miori Sugiyama and Justine Aronson

We have long been fans of Brooklyn Art Song Society (BASS) and have always enjoyed Justine Aronson's scintillating soprano.  We were delighted to learn that they were performing in Manhattan and more than happy to brave the final snow of the season, as was the crowd in the packed house.

Usually, the programs are curated by Artistic Director and pianist par excellence Michael Brofman.  Last night at the Tenri Cultural Institute, the program was given over to venerable composer Daron Hagen. Understandably, his own compositions occupied the major part of the program with the remainder chosen by him.

We listened to Mr. Hagen's instrumental compositions in advance and liked his writing. Although last night we enjoyed some of his vocal writing, much of it was not to our taste.

The program opened with three selections from Schubert's Winterreise, one of our favorite song cycles. They were performed by tenor Joseph Gaines who has a pleasant sound but indulges in some pretty distracting grimacing.  We found his delivery of "Mut!" a bit heavy-handed.  The hero of the cycle is meant to be putting up a cheerful front to hide his underlying grief.  Mr. Gaines' forceful delivery seemed unidimensional and missed the sorrow.

He was far better in "Die Nebensonnen" and evinced a lovely plaintive vibrato.  Miori Sugiyama's collaborative piano was highly sensitive and we particularly enjoyed her work in "Der Leiermann".

What followed was Mr. Hagen's cycle After Words (2013).  Speaking from the audience, he told us that this was supposed to be two angels witnessing life on earth and commenting on Winterreise.  Sorry to say, but Schubert's masterwork does not require comment!  And a work of art should not need an explanation.  We failed to see any cohesion that would constitute a cycle.

In the first song, the piano line often echoed Schubert's "Der Leiermann". Further entries in the cycle were settings of texts by Seamus Heaney whose free "verse" did not resonate with us.

We did enjoy the piano writing in "The Rain Stick" and found the vocal line of "Rimas - X" to be quite lovely as Ms. Aronson and Mr. Gaines went back and forth from Spanish to English.  Text was by Rubén Dario.

His Larkin Songs (2001) were purported to be about Larkin's life but we had trouble relating to the cycle.  There was something about the prose that failed to achieve universality.  That being said, we enjoyed the punchy humor of "Interlude #1" expressing irony about the reading public.  And we especially enjoyed Mr. Brofman's piano which reflected the delicacy of the vocal line in "Going".  But for the most part the verbal cadences of the text did not lend themselves to a musical vocal line.

This cycle was performed beautifully by baritone Kelvin Chan who also did a fine job with Hugo Wolf's Michelangelo Lieder, accompanied by Mr. Brofman's powerful performance on the piano.

In the second half of the program, we heard some of Mr. Hagen's cabaret songs, sung with panache by mezzo-soprano Kate Maroney, ably accompanied by Jocelyn Dueck. She has a nice easy dramatic style and in the duets with Mr. Gaines sounded just fine .  Our favorite of Mr. Hagen's works was "You Don't Fall Up You Fall Down" from I Hear America Singing (2014).  We also enjoyed Mr. Gaines' performance of "I Believe in Song" also from the same cycle. What a fine motto for an evening of song!

His "The New Yorkers" (2011) attempted to show an Upper West Side couple's development over four decades from "We can beat New York at its own game" to "We can love New York". We might have enjoyed it if there had been more specificity about the couple's experience.

Songs from Benjamin Britten's Cabaret Songs were also on the program--the oft-performed "Tell Me the Truth About Love" and "Funeral Blues".

This is the third time this week that we have attended song recitals in which so-called "art songs" shared a program with "popular songs". This seems like a trend. For our taste we like our "art songs" most when they have endured from the 19th c.

(c) meche kroop

OVID VIA RAMEAU

Marc Molomot and Emalie Savoy (photo courtesy of On Site Opera)

In its short life On Site Opera has been garnering acclaim for their unusual and unusually creative site-specific productions.  Last night, we were dazzled by Artistic and Stage Director Eric Einhorn's stunning production of Jean-Philippe Rameau's one act Pygmalion. This was the sole performance to take place in Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum amidst her collection of freakily realistic statues of the famous and the notorious.

During Rameau's gorgeous overture, a pantomime was presented in which Pygmalion the sculptor is working on one of Madame Tussaud's statues (or pretending to, in any case).  It reminded us of Mario Cavaradossi in Puccini's Tosca. Another statue, beautiful and glamorously gowned, is wheeled in and unloaded, this one being a real girl--superb soprano Camille Zamora who was obliged to stand stock still for a very long time.

Rameau wisely embroidered Ovid's tale of a sculptor who falls in love with his marble creation; in his version, Pygmalion has a devoted lover named Céphise who is threatened by his obsession with the statue.  Soprano Emalie Savoy was NOT obliged to stand still but was given the opportunity to use her gorgeous instrument and astute phrasing to evoke sympathy from the audience.  Casting aside her native glamor, Ms. Savoy, clad in a simple cotton dress, was totally convincing.

In a mournful aria in minor key, Pygmalion addresses the gods, in despair over his divided love.  Céphise protests.  Pygmalion blames the gods and prays for relief from Venus. Unfortunately, it was a bad night for haut-contre Mark Molomot who failed to convince dramatically and was vocally weak.  We do love counter-tenors but his voice was not pleasing and his phrasing was unmusical.

That naughty boy L'Amour arrives on the scene, wittily portrayed by the scintillating soprano Justine Aronson who was just as wittily costumed (by Candida K. Nichols) in a suit and tie looking every inch the mischievous child--sometimes pouty, sometimes petty, sometimes tyrannical.  He uses his arrow on the bowstring as if he were bowing a violin.  He brings La Statue to bewildered life and Ms. Zamora is most convincing in her "what am I doing here" mode.

A chorus of Graces (Lauren Kelleher, Raymond Storms, Christopher Preston Thompson and Seán Kroll) sing the praises of L'Amour in a thrilling ensemble replete with panegyric harmonies.  Eloise DeLuca and Jordan Isadore dance in a variety of styles to Rameau's varied rhythms.  Choreography was by Jordan Isadore.

A marriage ceremony ensues in which Pygmalion and La Statue both hold onto L'Amour's bow.  In Rameau's 1748 production, L'Amour finds another lover for the discarded Céphise but in Mr. Einhorn's production, the latter leaves a letter for Pygmalion and he returns to her.

Rameau's music was played by the New Vintage Baroque Orchestra, conducted from the harpsichord by Jennifer Peterson, and one could not have wanted anything more. 

The entire experience was pure delight in spite of a few problems inherent to the site.  Singers were obliged to compete with the air-conditioning and the titles, projected onto a patterned surface, were nearly illegible.  Sight lines were poor unless one sat on the front row.

Subsequent performances (June 19, 20 and 21) will be at the Lifestyle-Trimco Showroom amidst a flock of mannequins and, hopefully, these glitches may be resolved.  Note that the 6/19 performance will be Google Glass Enabled (bring your own Google Glasses!) which will be a fine opportunity to learn how new technology can be used to serve a centuries old art form.

The story is, of course, a very old one and has inspired a play by G.B. Shaw, the musical My Fair Lady, much literature and many operas.  We even find contemporary resonance in film (Lars and the Real Girl) and in Japanes anime.  Viva Ovid!

© meche kroop

MORE MÖRIKE

Justine Aronson, Miori Sugiyama, Michael Brofman, Kyle Oliver, Takaoki Onishi

Art Song is alive and well in Brooklyn, thanks to Michael Brofman, founder and artistic director of the Brooklyn Art Song Society, last night winding up its fourth season.  This recital was an installment of The Hugo Wolf Project and comprised a couple dozen of Wolf's Mörike Lieder.  There was something for everyone, ranging from the profound and spiritual to lively paeans to Nature with a few humorous songs thrown in for good measure, the latter being our personal favorites.

Mr. Brofman always manages to attract superb singers that do justice to his programming. Perhaps the most riveting performance was by rising star baritone Takaoki Onishi who is a born storyteller.  Accompanied by the fine pianist Miori Sugiyama, he conveyed all the humor of "Der Tambour" and all the horror of "Der Feuerreiter", arguably two of the finest of the Mörike Lieder.  His technique is flawless and simply dissolved into the drama of the song making everything appear effortless.

Baritone Kyle Oliver has a warm voice with pleasing overtones and a welcoming stage presence.  He carried the lion's share of the program and had gone to the trouble of memorizing the dozen songs and performing them beautifully without a score.

Mr. Brofman worked exceptionally well with him as piano partner, bringing out the nuances of each phrase.    In "Fussreise" we heard the birds singing and in "Auf eine Christblume I" we heard the prancing elf just after a dramatic key change.

We love the way Mr. Oliver sang "Storchenbotschaft" which reminded us of one of Mahler's songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn.  Two storks come to visit a shepherd, the punchline being that his wife has given birth to twins. This lied permitted Mr. Oliver to show his storytelling side and it was most effectively charming.

In "Der Jäger" we appreciated the psychological insight--after a quarrel, a man goes off a-hunting, imagining his woman warm and happy while he is wet and miserable.  Then he imagines the converse.  Finally he decides to go home and reconcile.  That tale has a modern feel to it and we relished the irony.

The soprano on the program, Justine Aronson, we are pleased to say, has a most gorgeous instrument-- bright, resonant and appealing.  We are pleased because we will be reviewing her upcoming performance in Rameau's Pygmalion, presented by On-Site Opera.

Ms. Aronson connected well with each song she sang as well as with Ms. Sugiyama, her piano partner. We particularly enjoyed "Agnes", the mournful tale of an abandoned woman.  Another favorite was the humorous tale she told of an elderly woman advising a young one "Rat einer Alten".  Ms. Sugiyama had some elfin music of her own, giving "Elfenlied" a lovely delicate touch.

Our only disappointment was that Ms. Aronson used a music stand.  We are sure there was a good reason for it but it presented a barrier between her and the audience.  It was impressive how much contact she was able to make in spite of the handicap and cannot wait to hear her unencumbered.

The B.A.S.S. has some exciting plans for the next season. We are only going to give you a hint.  Think Gallic.  Think Six.

© meche kroop