RENÉE FLEMING MASTER CLASS

Renée Fleming and Lindsay Mecher

The Song Continues 2018

Renée Fleming Master Class

The Marilyn Horne Legacy at Carnegie Hall

(All photos by Richard Termine)

The Song Continues will continue with Renée Fleming at the helm.

Boya Wei and Ms. Fleming

 What we observed at her master class last week reassured us that the program is in excellent hands.

Ms. Fleming's master class was fascinating for the audience and participants alike.  The audience got to see how much hard work goes into taking a song from an "8" to a "9".

Cameron Richardson Eames and Brea Marshal

Each participant received a highly personalized set of tools with which to work, some of which will improve their singing in general and others which were specific to a particular song.

We liked the way she asked each young singer to introduce herself and to tell why she chose a particular song. In nearly every case, the choice had particular value for the singer and informed her performance.

So many of the practice techniques could be picked up and used by the numerous singers who were in the audience. We personally had never heard of vocalizing through a drinking straw but were impressed about how successful it was in achieving a pianissimo in the upper register.

Another tip was to vocalize with a pencil between the upper and lower teeth. One singer, bothered by tightness in the tongue was helped by vocalizing with her tongue stretched way out.

A good way to convey the meaning of a song was to recite the text in colloquial English and then to sing it.

Students who ignored the composers markings gained a great deal by exaggerating the markings. Often, when they thought they were exaggerating, it sounded just right to our ears!

Young singers tend to put too much effort into their singing and they were shown how to lighten up.  Not every word is important and the singer should not give it all up at the beginning but rather must save something for the important word in a phrase.

A lieder is like a 3-minute opera and the singer must tell a story.

Soprano Brea Marshall opened the program, accompanied by Cameron Richardson-Eames. Ms. Fleming worked with her on bringing out the nostalgia and eroticism of Joseph Marx' "Selige nacht". We have always wondered why Marx' lovely songs are not heard on more recital programs!

In Ricky Ian Gordon's setting of Emily Dickinson's "Will there really be a morning", some playfulness is called for and each questioning phrase needed a different value.

Soprano Boya Wei was accompanied by Christina Giuca and performed the lovely "Apparition" by Debussy.  She was encouraged to "taste" the French. This reminded us of performances we have thrilled to in which the singer did seem to savor the flavor of the language being sung.

Ms. Fleming urged her to take the risk of floating the high note. Here's where the drinking straw technique came in handy as a means of practicing.

Mezzo-soprano Lindsay Mecher followed with Richard Strauss' "Befreit" in which pianist Richard Jeric produced some wonderful arpeggi. Ms. Mecher was urged to say something instead of trying to create a sound. In facing a challenging vowel, the tongue exercise was used to get the muscle tension out of the way.

This is an incredibly difficult song and the singer must listen for the harmonic changes and establish a feeling of intimacy.  Breath control is very important here and it is helpful to substitute resonance and color for over-breathing.

Soprano Isabella Moore, accompanied by Andrew King, worked on Richard Strauss' "Ruhe, meine Seele".  The portentous piano seemed to create the storms  of the soul and the singer can paint a picture of the calming elements of nature.

It seems to us that with master teachers like Ms. Fleming and with talented and hard working young singers, the future of art song is promising.

As we mentioned in our last review, Marilyn Horne has devoted a lifetime to championing the art of the song. Ms. Fleming seems to be the perfect choice to carry the mission forward.

(c) meche kroop

MOUNTING A BUTTERFLY

Brandie Sutton and Hyona Kim (photo by Jen Joyce Davis)

In Puccini's hit opera Madama Butterfly, the eponymous tragic heroine expresses her fears to the American naval lieutenant that in the USA, butterflies are caught and pinned.  Lieutenant Pinkerton assures her that is to prevent them from flying away. He doesn't tell her that they die.

For us, this story of a 15-year-old geisha, high born but fallen on hard times, is a story of rampant colonialism and child abuse.  It is a love story only in the eyes of "povera Butterfly" who is deluded by wishful thinking; she believes that Pinkerton really loves her when he has only purchased her services along with the house in Nagasaki, an arrangement that favors only him and perhaps Goro, the marriage broker who is nothing more than a pimp.

We have no quarrel with those who see it in a different light but we stand by our opinion. Indeed, Puccini himself was obliged to modify the original 1904 La Scala version which, we believe, having seen it many years ago, was too strong for the public to accept. Conventional wisdom suggests that the first version was unpopular because of inadequate rehearsal but we are left wondering. Puccini wrote four more versions until he was satisfied. Or until the public was satisfied.

Last night, we heard a performance of the opera by a superb cast of young artists--the culmination of six weeks of intense study in Prelude to Performance, Martina Arroyo's decade-long program devoted to developing the talents of those fortunate enough to be accepted. Master classes and coaching are provided in all areas of performance from movement to language to character creation.

We believe it is Ms. Arroyo's emphasis on the latter which enabled us to see artists in non-traditional casting and to forget the inconsistencies. Try to imagine an American naval officer of the early 20th c. and the American consul both portrayed by Asians! Imagine a Caucasian Prince Yamadori!  An Afro-American Butterfly! (Of course, Ms. Arroyo accomplished that feat years ago.)

The entire affair somehow worked, thanks not only to the conviction of the cast members but to the superb direction of Gina Lapinski who provided concrete motivation for each action of each character. Stereotypes were avoided--i.e. Prince Yamadori was anything but the clown he is usually portrayed as. There were no inebriated relatives celebrating the wedding but a chorus of beautiful maidens in kimonos the colors of flowers, raising their voices in delicious harmony, directed by the excellent Noby Ushida. The chorus was heard again in the "humming chorus" at the end of Act II and we have never heard it performed better.

Typical of Prelude to Performance productions, the set was simple but effective--shoji screens suggesting the hilltop house, some flowers, and some panels suspended from on high. Meganne George's set design was significantly enhanced by the evocative lighting by Joshua Rose. In the final scene of hara-kiri, the colors disappear into chiaroscuro with the desperate act taking place behind the screen in silhouette--surprisingly more chilling than the usual "out there" bloody deed.

The singing was excellent for the most part.  Not only did Brandie Sutton grow in stature as the story progressed but her voice bloomed into great beauty. In Act II, her"Un bel di" left the audience astonished with a chorus of "bravas" that might have been heard from Lexington Ave. to Park Ave.

One could not have imagined a better Suzuki than Hyona Kim whose rich mezzo has impressed us on several prior occasions. Every movement, every reaction, every gesture and facial expression revealed depths of character in a fresh manner.

Baritone Young Kwang Yoo made an effective U.S. Consul Sharpless whose thankless duty as the voice of reason goes unheard. But his own voice was very much heard and a pleasure to hear.

Yet another baritone left us wanting a second hearing. Alexander Boyd was regal as Prince Yamadori, the much married aristocrat who would like to add Cio-Cio San to his list. We enjoyed his regal bearing and fine voice, relieved that we were not subject to so-called comic relief.

In the role of Goro, tenor Alexander Lee created a character not a caricature. It was clear that he was an opportunist who lost no opportunity to ingratiate himself. He has a fine instrument and a lovely legato, filling each vowel to its proper metric value.

As The Bonze, Hangzhi Yao, a bass-baritone, impressed us with his onstage authority and deep rich voice. Lindsay Mecher in the small role of Kate Pinkerton appeared suitably uncomfortable. We hoped that she would make a good mother to little Dolore (the adorable Akari Wientzen) and spitefully wanted her to make her husband miserable for the rest of his life!

Tenor Taehwan Ku  had the thankless role of Pinkerton--the entitled exploiter, the child abuser. At the end of Act III, when he sang "Addio, fiorito asil" we could not bring ourselves to pity him. He's a coward who makes a mess and expects other people to clean up after him and cries crocodile tears. The fact that we took the story so seriously is just further evidence of the artists' skill in portraying John Luther Long's tragic story, so beautifully transformed into the libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa.

Should you be inspired to share our intense involvement in this excellent production, there will be one more performance Saturday night at the Kaye Playhouse of Hunter College.  Should you be inspired to give financial assistance to the Martina Arroyo Foundation and contribute to the development of these young artists, please keep in mind that it is a rare program that not only provides the six-week training gratis, but also provides stipends for the young artists.  Now that's what we call generosity!

(c) meche kroop

TOUGH LOVE

Hyona Kim and Carol Vaness

The Prelude to Performance participants selected for Carol Vaness' master class Monday night had the benefit of some tough love. The highly esteemed soprano has a great deal to offer a young singer; she approached each one with loving support and very intense criticism. She began with the old "I'm just offering some suggestions that may be useful or not"....but her authoritative and persistent approach yielded impressive results in just 30 minutes or so.

Each and every master class seems to have a theme, generally depending upon a special concern of the teacher. Ms. Vaness is a stickler, and rightly so, for accurate Italian diction--singing the correct vowel as well as observing doubled consonants. A deficiency in Italian diction seemed to plague all the students and it is well that they were made aware of this early in the training.  By "showtime", they should all be perfetto. 

Two lovely ladies worked on the Flower Duet "Tutti i fiori" from Puccini's Madama Butterfly which will be performed July 8th and 9th. The voices of soprano Xela Pinkerton (what a coincidence!) and mezzo Marisan Corsino blended beautifully. The astute coaching worked on the dramatic requirements of the scene--the excitement of Pinkerton's arrival--and how to put more energy into the scene with the use of hands and body. Puccinian style was also covered with the desirability of rubato, stretching out certain lines. The two vocal lines must intertwine and each character relate to the other.

Tenor Taehwan Ku profited by some coaching on Lt. Pinkerton's "Addio, fiorito asil", which he will sing in the performance. His character needed to be more self-centered and motivation maintained in between the sung phrases. More color was encouraged as well as a more flexible phrasing with "money notes" extended. More portamenti were called for. Double consonants must be observed.

Continuing with Puccini, baritone Hangzhi Yao (who will be singing Bonzo) offered "Minnie, dalla mia casa son partito" from Fanciulla del West and Mr. Yao was encouraged to consider Sheriff Rance's motivation (more lust than love). He began singing too sweetly but after the coaching sounded more like a horny sheriff. He also learned not to close his eyes lest he lose contact with the audience. There was more work on Italian diction and also on word coloring, all of it helpful.

Mezzo Hyona Kim, who will be singing Suzuki, got some coaching on Verdi. Her electrifying performance of "Condotta ell'era in ceppi" from Il Trovatore did not prevent her from getting some very strict coaching including vowels, maintenance of tone through to the end of the phrase, and awareness of what the orchestra is doing. We liked the stretching out of "figlio mio".

Baritone Young Kwang Yoo, whose role will be Sharpless, sang one of our favorite baritone arias "Io morro, ma lieto in core" from Verdi's Don Carlo.  It was pointed out to him that Rodrigo is dying and the therefore not moving around much. He worked on taking his time and staying "on the voice" even when singing pianissimo.

Finally, Lindsay Mecher, who will be singing Kate Pinkerton, sang "Una voce poco fa" from Rossini's  Il barbiere di Siviglia. She learned to make the rhythm snappier, to correct the vowels, to put energy into the repetitive phrases and, above all, to be playful, using both body and face. 

Each singer brought to the class an excellent voice and a willingness to accept criticism. Each singer worked hard in the class and changed significantly. We are in a state of high anticipation to hear how these gorgeous voices, heard at the beginning of their intense training, will sound by the time of the performance. 

(c) meche kroop