BORGIA NON BORING

 

(at left)  Toni Marie Palmertree

(Photo by meche kroop)

(at right)  Eric Botto and Madison Marie McIntosh

(photo by meche kroop)

Gaetano Donizetti's 1833 opera Lucrezia Borgia was given an impressive concert performance last night at The Center at West Park. With musical values this strong, it should have been staged at The Metropolitan Opera. Why is this bel canto masterpiece so rarely staged? Was Victor Hugo's play (on which Felice Romani based his libretto) too shocking by its incestuous hints? Are the lead roles too difficult to cast?

We do believe we saw it at Caramoor about 10 years ago with Angela Meade in the challenging title role. We don't recall sets so perhaps it was also in concert version. The opera has everything one would wish for in a bel canto opera--a melodramatic plot (very loosely based on history), engaging melodic aspects, interesting orchestration, and opportunities for superstar singers. Last night's performance met all those requirements from the opening percussive rumbles and horn declarations to the final tragic finale.

Maestro Keith Chambers elicited a superlative performance from his orchestra and the roles were sung as grandly as one would wish for. As the titular anti-heroine, Toni Marie Palmertree dazzled with fioritura fireworks and sensitively colored her voice to suit the various circumstances--from tenderness toward her son to firmness toward her husband. The vocal lines flowed like warm honey. The vibrato filled the sanctuary with overtones.One could not have wished for a better performance in this treacherous role.

As Gennaro, her illegitimate son who had been raised apart from his ill-reputed mother, we heard tenor Eric Botto who filled out his role nicely. Unaware of  Lucrezia's identity and having been warned of her dangerous nature, his approach to her was wary.  But when singing with his friend Maffio Orsini. his voice wa colored with warmth. When there are no sets and costumes to help the story along, and when audience members do not wish to distract themselves from the singing to look at titles on their cell phones, these vocal colorations assume an outsize importance. We particularly enjoyed his duets with Orsini.

Which brings us to the remarkable performance of mezzo-soprano Madison Marie McIntosh as Maffio Orsini. She excelled at creating a character, an important character by virtue of his closeness to Gennaro. The vocal colors that we so appreciated were augmented by meaningful facial expressions and gestures that defied the limiting aspects of the concert style production and the presence of the music stand. We couldn't help wanting to know more about Orsini's friendship with Gennaro. But that could be another opera! This artist has an enormous range and can dazzle with her upper extension and then wow us with husky low notes. We loved the accuracy of the embellishments and skips.

As the jealous husband, Don Alfonso, Duca di Ferrara, bass Eric Lindsey made a fine showing with growling low notes and an effective pianissimo As his confidant Rustighella, tenor James Danner made the most of a small but vital role.

The group of hotheaded young nobles who set the story in motion (by deleting the letter "B" in the Borgia family crest) was played by  four fine singers who held their own individually as well as in the ensembles. Tenors Scott Rubén La Marca and Pedro Barrera took the roles of Jeppo Liverotto and Oloferno Vitellozzo, respectively. Baritone Wilbert Kellerman sang the role of Ascanio Petrucci and bass-baritone Nate Mattingly took the role of Don Apostolo Gazella. Although it may not have been appropriate in this concert version, we longed for some differentiation of character. Nonetheless, the harmonies were deftly handled.

We enjoyed the lively chorus as well as they contributed to the musical texture. The score and orchestral parts were supplied by Maestro Eve Queler who must have conducted the work with her Opera Orchestra of New York at Carnegie Hall but that was probably before our time. It is indeed a pity that this opera has been so overlooked. The music is melodic and memorable.  And yet, the only piece that we heard before was the Brindisi "Il segreto per esser felice" and it is this piece that is running through our head!

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COMFORT YE!

 Elizabeth Blancke-Biggs, Limmie Pulliam, Michael Recchiuti, Madison Marie McIntosh, Kamal Khan, Lauren Flanigan, John Musto, Amy Burton, and Philip Cokorinos

For a couple of decades or more, star soprano Lauren Flanigan has brought Comfort Ye to opera loving New Yorkers. We are happy to help support Ms. Flanigans's worthy initiative of helping the underserved members of our community with food, clothing, diapers, toys, and other essentials. The recipients of the donated  goods and money may change from year to year but one always knows the donations will go to a good place. In return, audience members get to hear some stunning arias sung by world class singers. One might call this annual event "Lauren and Friends". It is an event we look forward to every December and greatly missed during Covid.

The evening always begins with the selection "Comfort ye...Ev'ry valley" from Händel's Messiah. This year it was sung by the tenoriffic Won Whi Choi whose voice we have been enjoying for several years. It was thrilling to hear his voice open up for "La donna é mobile" from Verdi's Rigoletto. We love versatility and hearing an artist alter the color of his voice to suit the character. Mr. Choi is such a gentle fellow that his creation of the character of the licentious Duke was impressive.

Another favorite singer of ours, rising star mezzo-soprano Madison Marie McIntosh, swept us away with a most romantic performance of "O mio Fernando" from Donizetti's La Favorita. The fioritura was consistently on point and the cabaletta appropriately exciting. We liked the way she made use of the entire playing area and employed generous gestures to create the character of  Leonora.

Ms. Flanigan herself gave a powerhouse performance of "Do not utter a word, Anatol" from Barber's Vanessa. The richness of her voice is matched by the intensity of her characterization; we have never heard her give a performance that was less than riveting.

Chilling is the word that comes to mind when describing soprano Meigui Zhang's creation of the character of Lucia in the Donizetti opera Lucia de Lammermoor. In Act I, the soprano has to reveal the unbalanced nature of Lucia's character in order to account for the bloody act at the end of the opera. Donizetti has given the soprano plenty to work with and Ms. Zhang's facility with fioritura made the most of it. We loved the fact that the vocal line of every verse was differentially embellished. There was no problem understanding that Lucia was hallucinating even if you didn't understand Italian. We were made to see through her eyes!

Speaking of character creation, could one imagine a slimier Don Basilio than the one created by bass Philip Cokorinos? We cannot!  "La calunnia" is a standout character aria in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia and demands a singer who can act.  Mr. Cokorinos milked every single word of the clever lyrics with varying coloration accompanied by facial expression and gesture.

Another artist  that took our breath away was baritone Sidney Outlaw. His artistic toolbox is complete. It wasn't until he sang "Sweet Little Jesus Boy" a capella that we realized (or maybe imagined) that his singing career began with gospel singing. We heard subtle things that one cannot quite hear with accompaniment. Surely those subtleties affected his performance of "Mein Sehnen, mein Wähnen" from Korngold's Die Tote Stadt. There was a delicately drawn out "n" at the end of "sehnen"  that emphasized the longing of the character. Then, there was that final spun out "züruck" that went right to the heart. These are the subtleties that elevate a great performance into a sensational one that lingers in the memory.

Also deeply touching was soprano Mikayla Sager's delivery of Desdemona's final prayer from Verdi's Otello. Ms. Sager has a sizable soprano but can color the words to show her character's desperation, also making use of dynamic variation. It was touching and gripping at the same time.

Verdi was so adept at limning female characters and soprano Elizabeth Blancke-Biggs, accompanied by Michael Recchiuti, created a chilling Lady McBeth in "La luce langue". She was so convincing in her nastiness, conniving,  and manipulativeness that we couldn't believe her pleasant demeanor when the performance ended. We actually felt afraid of her!  Now that's another fine example of using technique to create character!

"Doppo notte" from Händel's Ariodante offers plenty of opportunity for fioritura and we enjoyed the performance of Sarah Nelson Craft as the jubilant title character celebrates some good news. There was some cross-over as well; she sang "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" as an art song, with liquid tone, variety from one verse to the next, and delightful personality.

That wasn't the only cross-over on the program.  Accompanied by John Musto, soprano Amy Burton delighted the audience with Irving Berlin's "Let's Face the Music and Dance" and "Our Love is Here to Stay" by George Gershwin.

There were two artists on the program who were new to us. The very charming mezzo-soprano Sihpokazi Molteno gave a lovely performance of Charlotte's "Va!...laissez couler mes larmes" from Massenet's Werther. This is a rich and potent voice that she colored with grief. The big surprise, however, was an aria from a Zulu opera called Princess Magogo by M. Khumalo. We didn't know that Africa had an operatic tradition so this was a real eye-opener. The language is, of course, quite foreign to our ears and makes use of an unusual sound that Ms. Molteno told me is called a. "q" and which we have been trying to recreate for the past 24 hours without success! Nonetheless, it was lovely.

The other artist new to us is tenor Limmie Pulliam who had just gone on as Radames at the Metropolitan Opera. This artist has a set of pipes and the unmistakeable sound of a great Verdi tenor. We are not going to make comparisons or tell you whose voice came to mind but once heard, it will be remembered. It is a rich and sweet instrument with a very round sound and admirable phrasing. We'd like to see him without the loathed music stand that stood in the way of communicating with the audience but one could admire the voice with eyes closed.

Ms. Flanigan closed the evening with Ned Rorem's "See How They Love Me" and Ricky Ian Gordon's tango inflected  "I Understand You Coyotes", the text of which was delivered as only Ms. Flanigan can do.

Before ending we would like to give a shot to the admirable accompanist who brought everything together, matching each singer color for color. With the exception of Ms. Blanke-Biggs and Ms. Burton he gave splendid support to all the singers.  And he did something else. He called attention to the fact that so many of Verdi's operas deal with life's injustices and addresses the victims of oppression. We love when someone gives us something to chew on! We have always loved Verdi's music but never gave a thought to the stories he chose to tell. Thank you Kamal Khan!

© meche kroop

CENTURY OPERA COMPETITION

 

Manli Deng, Yohji Daquio, Hyunju Ha, Allison Deady, Madison Marie McIntosh, Elizveta Ulakhovich, Jingjing Qi, Caroline Corrales, Rose Kearin, and Samuel White

It's always an exciting event when the finals of a competition are open. We were delighted to have been invited to The Century Opera Voice Competition to hear ten fine young singers. The singers each led off with an aria of their own choosing; then the judges requested another aria from their lists of prepared arias, presumably to learn something new about the singer, perhaps facility in a different style or different language. We enjoyed this rounding out of the picture. 

We do not envy the judges since each young singer offered something valuable. And so, we will not tell you, dear Reader, who won the prizes because they were, in our eyes (and ears) all winners! We will tell about the young artists in the order in which they appeared. 

First on the program was soprano Rose Kearin who did justice to "Ach, ich liebte" from Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail, sung in good crisp German.  We regretted missing Adelaide's Aria from Jonathan Dove's The Enchanted Pig, since we had never heard it before and might never have another opportunity.

Also superb in German was mezzo-soprano Allison Deady who gave a passionate delivery of Octavian's post-coital aria "Wie du warst!" from Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier. Equally fine in Italian, she sang "All'afflitto è dolce il pianto" from Donizetti's Roberto Devereux, meeting the fioritura challenge with grace.

We hadn't heard enough of soprano Caroline Corrales at the Santa Fe Opera when she sang Donna Elvira (in a nun's habit) so we were especially delighted to get a better "listen". Her sizable sound was perfect for Verdi and "Ernani, Ernani involami" was thrilling. Ms. Corrales is an emotional singer and Jenufa's prayer from the Janáček opera of the same name was stirring. We cannot comment on the language because we are completely ignorant of Czech.

"Stridono lassù" from Leoncavallo's  Pagliacci is one of our favorite verismo arias and soprano Manli Deng created a lovely sound world including a delicate trilll. Massenet's Le Cid, however, is not well known by us, but Ms. Deng evinced some fine sounding French in "Pleurez, mes yeux". Her use of dynamics were effective in eliciting emotion.

"Chi il bel sogno di Doretta" from Puccini's La Rondine was a much better choice for soprano Jingjing Qi than "Sleeping Beauty" from Menotti's The Hero. It is difficult enough for native English speakers to sing musically in English! However, there was a heart-stopping decrescendo that tickled the ear.

Soprano Hyunju Ha invested "Ah, non credea mirarti" from Bellini's La Sonnambula with dynamic variety, fine fioritura, and an affecting vibrato. In the exposed passage without piano accompaniment we could appreciate the musicality of her phrasing. Although her second selection was not listed on the program, the choice of Sophie's "Rose Aria" from Der Rosenkavalier came as a delightful surprise, sung with wide-eyed innocence in fine German. They were good choices because they demonstrated her versatility.

Tenor Samuel White was the lone male on the program and he showed his stuff in the "Flower Aria" from Bizet's Carmen and an intense delivery of "Una parola sola..Or son sei mesi",  Ramerrez' aria from Act II of Puccini's Fanciulla del West. Mr. White has a powerful voice and we longed to hear some tenderness in places.

We would like to hear soprano Elizveta Ulakhovich on another occasion. There is a lot o beauty of tone there but her choices did not seem suitable to us. Micaela's "Je dis que rien ne m'épouvant" from Bizet's Carmen requires a singer who can sound like an innocent country girl pushed to the limits of her fearfulness, a sense of "whistling in the dark". It wasn't there. Ms. Ulakhovich projects an air of confident glamor and we could think of far better material for her to sing.

Mezzo-soprano Madison Marie McIntosh, on the other hand, knows exactly where her strengths lay and how to play to them. She has a voice of unusual and exciting timbre with great flexibility in fioritura. "O mio Fernando" from Donizetti's La favorita is the perfect vehicle to show off her finely honed bel canto technique. The judges requested "Un'altra volta ancor" from Händel's Partenope which was just as splendidly performed; however, we would have much preferred to hear Waltraute's aria "Höre mir Sinn was ich dir sage" from Wagner's Götterdammerung. We hope we will have another opportunity.

Finally, soprano Yohji Daquio did get the opportunity to show off her versatility by performing two very different characters, the sprightly Marie from Donizetti's La fille du regiment showing her patriotism in "Salut a la France" with all its fabulous fioritura--and then meeting head on "I am the Wife of Mao Tse-Tung" from Adams' Nixon in China. This aria involves a lot of rage and repetition and it takes a gifted singer to make it interesting. She succeeded. We were floored.

© meche kroop

FOR HAITI CHILDREN

Madison Marie McIntosh, Kofi Hayford, Damian Wayne Faul, Susie Scott Krabacher, Wil Kellerman, Reyna Carguill
Kelly Griffin, Amanda Tarver, Steven LaBrie, Raymon Geis, and Maestro Keith Chambers

The beautiful Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church played host for yesterday's benefit performance, organized by composer Theodore Christman who is writing a music theater piece (a word less "scary" than opera to those who think they are two different forms of entertainment) based on the inspiring career of Susie Scott Krabacher.

Ms. Krabacher has written a book describing her 25 years spent facing the many challenges of helping the children of Haiti. She has taken unwanted children from orphanages, many of whom are handicapped, and provided food, shelter, education, and medical care. She hopes to educate future leaders for this unfortunate island nation, people who will pull Haiti out of its present hopeless-appearing situation. She is one of those people who create hope.

This does not sound, at first hearing, like material for "musical theater". However we got a preview of three songs from the work and were delighted by the clever and punchy lyrics of Donna Gay Anderson which matched perfectly with Mr. Christman's tuneful music. You heard right, dear reader! Mr. Christman's music is melodic, as we have written on several prior occasions. It was just waiting for the right story and the right librettist. We do believe he's got it and are looking forward to Unfolded, as it is called.

In "Babies for Sale", Amanda Tarver played Madam Marcellus, an unscrupulous woman trying to wrest money from a young couple. In "Wash the Dirt", mezzo-soprano Madison Marie McIntosh, portraying Ms. Krabacher, was given a strong melody to sing as she confronts her younger self, portrayed by soprano Michelle Guillot. "The Standoff" portrays a fictionalized version of Ms. Krabacher meeting her husband (baritone Wil Kellerman) for the first time. The acting and singing were similarly on point. Truth to tell, we hope Ms. McIntosh will be chosen to play the role.

The rest of the program comprised opera standards, ones we always love hearing. Ms. McIntosh is a young singer we have been writing about for several years. Possessor of a creamy mezzo with a dazzling upper extension, she is particularly perfect as a Rossini heroine. The flexibility of her instrument makes all kinds of embellishments seem natural and organic with respect to the character's feelings.

She opened the program with a tender performance of Mr. Christman's setting of "Ave Maria". There was a delicate diminuendo requiring exquisite breath control that had us holding our breath. His skill with writing melody made this a valuable entry among the many settings of this prayer. 

Her aforementioned artistry with Rossini could be appreciated in "Una voce poco fa" from Il barbiere di Siviglia. She evinced Rosina's spunky personality with a precision of fioritura and tickled us with a rolled "r" in "trappole"; it's the tiny details that set a singer apart from the others.

She also "plays well with others" as we observed in the famous duet "Mira, o Norma" from the Bellini opera in which her Aldagisa was matched with the Norma of Reyna Carguill who was previously unknown to us. Her sizable soprano was heard later in "Ebben? Ne andrò  lontana" from Catalani's La Wally. She impressed us with her breadth and depth of tone, just right for verismo roles.

Kelly Griffin is another soprano with a sizable instrument, making her perfect for dramatic Verdi heroines. We have heard her sing "Pace, pace" from La forza del destino more than once and might have been disappointed not to find it on yesterday's program; however, she was equally effective in "Tacea la notte placida" from Il trovatore.

Her duet from Verdi's Un ballo in maschera--"Teco io sto" was sung with tenor Raymon Geis as Riccardo. Both singers did justice to Verdi's magnificent melodies.

Mr. Geis had a fine solo in "Dein ist mein ganzes Herz" from Franz Lehár's Das Land des Lächelns. He paid exquisite attention to the meaning of the text and carressed each word in the pianissimo sections, then drew the piece to a thrilling climax.

His duet from Bizet's Les pêcheurs de perles-- "Au fond du temple saint", sung with baritone Steven LaBrie, involves two men both bedazzled by the same presumably unavailable temple priestess. We picked up some teetering on the edge between trust and mistrust. 

Mr. LaBrie's solo was María Grever's popular "Júrame" which, in his golden throat, took on the quality of an art song, sung with sincerity of feeling instead of the customary grandstanding. We have been writing about Mr. LaBrie since we began writing and have always found his performances to be artistically and emotionally genuine.

There were a couple selections on the program that are not exactly opera. Amanda Tarver, previously unknown to us, performed a song by Jake Heggie with very funny divinely irreverent lyrics by Gavin Geoffrey Dillard. "In the Beginning" is a spoof of the first verse of the bible and is part of a cycle we've never heard called Of Gods and Cats. If we ever get to hear the entire cycle it just might change our mind about Mr. Heggie. Ms. Tarver's delivery was delicious.

Bass Kofi Hayford has pleased us with his resonant bass on prior occasions. Yesterday he sang "Old Man River" from Kern and Hammerstein's Showboat, which we consider an American opera, especially when sung unamplified by such a well trained voice . The feeling ran deep as the river itself and the low tessitura presented no challenge for Mr. Hayford.

And finally, we heard Damian Wayne Faul perform "If I Loved You" from Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel, another work we consider an American opera. Mr. Faul also eschewed grandstanding for the sake of character, strangely giving  Billy Bigelow an accent that was more Southern than New England. Oh well, as a carnival barker perhaps he was itinerant!

Accompanist for the concert was the always wonderful Maestro Keith Chambers.

It was a fine afternoon of music, not to mention the lovely reception at which we got to speak with Ms. Anderson and Ms. Krabacher who has written an inspiring book about her life and experience in Haiti--ANGELS OF A LOWER FLIGHT: One Woman's Mission To Save A Country One Child At A Time. We hope that Mr. Christman's opera will serve to call attention to her work as founder and president of the Mercy and Sharing Foundation (www.haitichildren.org).

© meche kroop

CHRISTMAN OPERA COMPANY'S DOUBLE HEADER

Rachel Barg, Sooyeon Kang, Theodore Christman, Madison Marie McIntosh, Jennifer Allenby, Alyssa Brode, and Nobuki Momma

Theodore Christman has been on our radar screen for two and a half years,  since Madison Marie McIntosh performed a song cycle he wrote and accompanied at the piano. Mr. Christman writes music that is accessible and tuneful; it is anything but academic. We were very enthusiastic.

We have since heard a couple of short operas he composed which he customarily pairs with a well known opera by a "dead white male". Yesterday, at the National Opera Center, we heard two of his one-act operas--a reiteration of Adriana McMannes and a new opera entitled A Metamorphosis.

The first is is an Upstairs/Downstairs tale in which a widower falls in love with his daughter's governess. The obstacle to their marriage is the widower's mother-in-law who spreads ugly gossip about the governess' mental stability. Fortunately she is made to retract her words and the tale has a happy conclusion.

A new director, Mark Watson, has changed the tone of the work and pushed it in the direction of over-the-top comedic melodrama, with exaggerated gestures. Marvelous mezzo-soprano Madison Marie McIntosh gamely gave the director what he asked for with no sacrifice of her prodigious vocal skills. She was particularly excellent with the coloratura work in the second act, in which she batted her eyelashes in time with the trill. Her love duets with the miscast tenor Kevin Courtemanche produced some lovely harmonies.

Reprising her role as Mrs. Fowler was Sarah Knott, a very different sort of mezzo-soprano who relished her role as the mother-in-law from hell. Soprano Eugenia Forteza made a fine showing as the disagreeable Mrs. Tonti who employed Adriana.

The flaw in the work was Anna  Winslow's libretto. The story seems to belong to a different epoch, one in which the rumor of mental illness might lead to ostracism and when a woman making an overture toward a man would be shocking. We couldn't help thinking of Britten's comedy Albert Herring, the libretto of which is also "old fashioned" but consistent, whereas this libretto is uneven in tone. Furthermore, many of the words seemed tortured into submission in order to fit the vocal line, especially in the recitativi.  Mr. Christman's music deserves better!

The second work on the program, A Metamorphosis, also seemed burdened by an anachronistic and awkward libretto. A woman named Arinyae (mezzo-soprano Rachel Barg) runs a theater named Shadowland as a sort of commune, providing food and shelter to homeless teens, in exchange for their services as actors and artists. 

The framing device was a lonely old woman named Juniper who is reflecting back on her youth as a part of this group. In this role, Ms. McIntosh used bodily gesture as well as vocal color to portray both the elderly woman and the teenager she recalls. Her singing was exceptional.

But the story is muddled with an unnecessary sub-plot about the members of the group dealing drugs by delivering paintings to Buzzman, the owner of a lamp store played by Mr. Courtemanche, who was more believable in this role than he was as a romantically inclined widower.

One of the members of the group named Peter (sung by the fine baritone Nobuki Momma) falls in love with the daughter of an insect-obsessed drug addict client (bass baritone Sean Kroll); her name is Clover (bright voiced soprano Alyssa Brode) and she joins the theater commune as well, to the dismay of Juniper who also loves Peter.  

There is also an overdose by Soka (soprano Jennifer Allenby) and Ariyae's death with the theme of soul possession. Does this sound like too many threads for a one-act opera?  It did to us! A retrospective view of the 60's is a great idea but this tale did not succeed.

The piano score was played to perfection by Music Director Marijo Newman. We do not know whether Mr. Christman has orchestrated the works but that would surely be something to look forward to. We would like to see his music get the libretto it deserves. 

We acknowledge that the libretti we heard yesterday did rhyme and scan, which is admirable, but they were clunky and often unsingable. We think a one-act opera should focus on a simple story and be told clearly. English is spoken in short phrases that are "punchy"; it is difficult to be lyrical in English. Broadway lyricists seem to have mastered the art. So should opera lyricists!

(c) meche kroop

NIBBLE NIBBLE MOUSEKIN

Cast of Opera Theater of Montclair's  Hansel and Gretel

In 1890, Adelheid Wette, the sister of composer Engelbert Humperdinck, asked him to compose 4 songs for a puppet show for her nieces based on the Grimm Brothers fairytale, Hansel and Gretel. Later she wrote the libretto for an opera based on the fairytale. Over the next three years Humperdinck completed composition of the opera using his sister’s libretto. It premiered on December 23, 1893 and was an immediate success. It remains one of the most popular operas throughout the world and is often performed during the Christmas season. The opera is not just for children; its endless melody makes it enjoyable for adults as well.

Mia-Riker-Norrie, General Director of the Opera Theatre of Montclair, made a wise choice in selecting this delightful opera as its fifth full main stage production. Two performances took place this Saturday and Sunday and two more performances will take place next weekend. All performances begin at 4:00 to so that children can enjoy this opera along with their family. Many young children were in the audience Saturday with their parents, grand parents, or other friends and family.

Engelbert Humperdinck, a great admirer of the composer Richard Wagner, was invited by Wagner to work with him for two years. Humperdinck’s elaborate scores reflect Wagner’s influence, but Humperdinck found his own unique style. He was known for his tuneful music and brilliant orchestrations. There are at least a dozen familiar tunes in the opera. 

The overture, conducted by Maestro Elizabeth Hastings, begins softly with the horns playing the “evening prayer” heard later in the opera. She quietly built up the crescendos as called for and brought out exciting and beautiful playing from the orchestra.  

The opera opens with Hansel, (mezzo-soprano Madison Marie Mcintosh), and Gretel, (soprano Laura Kosar), singing a folk song, “Susie little Susie.” They are poor and hungry. Hansel is supposed to be making brooms and Gretel is knitting but they would much rather play. Madison and Laura were entirely convincing as young children; Madison with her shorts and Bavarian suspenders, and Laura with her dirndl.  Madison’s Hansel is a typical young boy… playful, who avoids work and teases his sister by sticking out his tongue. Laura was also very playful although a bit more serious. Madison has a beautiful mezzo voice which, every time I hear her, seems to grow bigger and more beautiful. Laura’s lyric soprano is lovely and blooms on the high notes. Their voices were perfectly matched as they sang and danced  the well known duet “Brother won’t you dance with me.”

Their mother returns home and is furious with them for shirking their chores.  Soprano Luisa Fernanda Munster sang the role of the mother, Gertrude.  She has a big attractive dramatic voice and uses it well.

Gertrude sends the children off to the woods to pick strawberries.  The father Peter is heard offstage singing a happy song.  He is delighted that he was able to sell many brooms at the fair.  Peter was sung by bass-baritone Nathan Bahny.  His big booming voice has a beautiful gentle quality and he was entirely convincing as the concerned father.

The Second act starts with another orchestral prelude which is known as “The witches ride.” Again, Maestro Hastings’ conducting was just right…bringing out the drama and excitement of the music.

Hansel and Gretel are lost in the woods which they find very scary.  The Sandman, sung very sensitively by soprano Christine Rauschenbach-Nevill, sprinkles sand over the children to make them sleepy. Before falling asleep, Hansel and Gretel sing their evening prayer, again in complete harmony with each other, and then they fall asleep.

Fourteen angels gather to protect the sleeping children. The costume designer, Julia Sharp, created beautiful flowing white capes for the angels…4 of them were on either side of the choir loft and the other 14 were divided between the two aisles of the church  With choreography by Conny Andres, they danced as they came down the aisles and onto the stage. This was a very lovely scene, staged by the director of the production, Stacey Canterbury. Maestro Hastings' sensitive conducting of this delicate music supported the dancing. The dancers were all young and lovely.

Act Three opens this time with a happy sounding prelude, although there are hints of the evil witch with the “Nibble nibble mousekin” theme. The Dew fairy, who comes to awaken the children, was gently sung by the lyric soprano Barbara Monk. Upon waking up, Hansel and Gretel come across the gingerbread house.  Madison and Laura again displayed their ability to portray the children. Their astonishment upon finding the gingerbread house was well acted. Stacey Canterbury Climie, who directed this production of Hansel and Gretel, sings the role of the witch.  She has a big warm voice and uses it well.  I did feel that she was a bit nicer than I imagine a witch to be but it was an interesting interpretation.

Hansel and Gretel free the children who are no longer gingerbread people and  the opera ends with a joyful children’s chorus.

When the opera ended it was met with great applause by both children and adults.  Congratulations to Mia, the General Director of the Opera Theatre of Montclair, for bringing together such a great team of people to put on this beautiful production. And congratulations to David Gilliam the set and production designer.  He designed three folding backdrops; the first a painted kitchen scene with pots, pans, and a stove; the second a forest scene, and the third the gingerbread house and gingerbread characters. 

For those of you who were not at the performances this weekend, do come to see this delightful well performed opera next weekend and bring your friends, children and grandchildren. You’ll be in for a treat.

© Ellen Godfrey, Guest Reviewer

CANTAMI D'AMORE

Resident Artists of Teatro Nuovo in recital at Purchase College

There are so many superb events taking place at Purchase College this week that we cannot stay away. We loved the Tancredi (scroll down for review) and we are looking forward to this weekend's Medea.  But we also love vocal recitals and always welcome the opportunity to hear singers who are new to us. 

Three of the singers, however, were well known to us.  Mezzo-soprano Madison Marie McIntosh has never disappointed us over a period of about five years and we have been watching her star on the rise with great pleasure; we aver that her success is partly due to consistent devotion to her art and partly due to a mature sense of self and the determination to map and pursue her own course.

Last night, in a program comprising only Italian canzone, she performed a trio of excellent Donaudy songs, two of which we know well ("O del mio amato ben" and "Spirate pur, spirate") and another-- "Tregua non ho"-- which was new to us. They were sung with perfect Italianate phrasing and that rich mezzo we love hearing. The longing for lost love was beautifully conveyed.

Soprano Mary-Hollis Hundley has been on our radar screen for almost as long. Two years ago at the Santa Fe Opera Apprentices Recital, we thrilled to her dignified Countess in Mozart's Nozze di Figaro; we heard her Russian in "Iolanta's Arioso" from the Tchaikovsky opera at the George London Awards Recital; he have seen her perform with Utopia Opera a couple of times.

Last night we enjoyed her duet with the fine tenor Christopher Bozeka in Ciro Pinsuti's "Sovvenir", involving some lovely harmonies. We were not so thrilled with a pair of beloved Tosti songs because she made use of the loathed music stand and failed to connect. 

She was not alone in this detested usage. Several singers created the irritating image of trying to act whilst looking back at the score.  This is just wrong for a song recital and we cannot be persuaded otherwise. Singers! If you want to connect with your audience, take the trouble to learn the score and ditch the music stand. If you don't you run the risk of boring us!

Tenor Mingjie Lei is also known to us for the past five years, first as a student at Manhattan School of Music and then from award recitals of the Licia Albanese Foundation, the Giulio Gari Foundation, and the Gerda Lissner Foundation. One night, his Nemorino was so moving that we ourself suffered from una furtiva lagrima. Last night we only heard one song--"Torna piccina mia"-- by Cesare Andrea Bixio and admired the phrasing and expressive use of dynamics. 

Mezzo-soprano Elena Snow impressed us only when she ditched the music stand for Trindelli's "L'ombra di Carmen" in which the Gypsy Carmen explains herself to Don Jose. What an interesting concept! 

Mr. Bozeka was as fine in his solo--Donaudy's "Vaghissima sembianza"--as in the aforementioned duet. Just imagine the 14-year-old composer creating such compositional beauty! Mr. Bozeka also closed the program with the famous Bixio song which lent its name to the program--"Parlami d'amore, Mariú". The sound is a sweet one! 

An audience favorite was the jazzy Bixio song "Vivere" sung by tenor Derrek Stark whom we heard once with the Palm Beach Opera Young Artists Program.  In the group of Tosti songs, he sang our favorite "L'alba separa dalla luce l'ombra", whilst baritone Junhan Choi won our admiration with "Aprile". Mr. Choi was even better in Mascagni's "Serenata".

William Lee Bryan lent his mellow baritone to Luigi Denza's "Occhi di fata".

It was a great opportunity to hear some little known songs by the 20th c. composer Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari whose Italienisches Liederbuch is very different from that of Hugo Wolf. Five selections were performed by soprano Celeste Godin who imbued these popular Tuscan songs with personality and wry humor.

The accompanist and engaging host for the evening was Timothy Cheung, whom we also remember from our evening with the Palm Beach Opera Young Artists Program.

It was quite a treat to be acquainted with Italian songs performed by young artists! I would call the program "Cantami d'amore".

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BEL CANTO BANQUET IN A PALAZZO

Areti Giovanou, Madison Marie McIntosh, Claire Stadtmueller, and Paolo Buffagni

All the way up in Washington Heights, near the George Washington Bridge, is a magnificent venue called United Palace. Resplendent in gold leaf and carvings with impressive chandeliers, the building appears to have originated in the 19th c. but was, in fact, built in 1930 as a house for film and vaudeville. It comprises a 3400 seat theater that made us wish that the audience for opera would grow to fill it. But it also has an intimate foyer that seats about a hundred people, just right for an intimate recital.

Sitting there and listening to arias and duets by Bellini and Rossini, we felt as if we were back in the 19th c.  There is even a grand staircase down which our starring soprano descended in a flowing gown and cape, with golden ornaments suggestive of Druid priestesshood (if that's even a word).

It's been some time since we've seen a full production of Norma and we hope we won't have to wait too long for another one. Meanwhile we are content with hearing the important arias and duets performed by a cast who could take on the difficulties. For Bellini, one needs powerful voices that retain the subtleties required to weave the composer's long legato lines, yet have the flexibility for his elaborate embellishments.

In the role of the Roman Pollione, we heard tenor Paolo Buffagni whose performance as Mario Cavaradossi impressed us so much in an Opera Ithaca production of Puccini's Tosca a couple months ago. We believe he comes from Pavarotti's birthplace (Modena) where there must be something special in the food or the wine. His expository "Meco all'altar di Venere", which opened the program, was marked by dynamic subtleties and the phrasing of a true Italian.

The final duet "In mia man" required a different more emotional approach as Pollione tries to reason with Norma, performed by the powerhouse soprano Claire Stadtmueller. Ms. Stadtmueller has a powerful instrument with an interesting vibrato that lends emotional import to her singing. Her portrayal of a scorned woman, whose fury has not been equalled in Hell, was arresting.

In "Casta diva" we particularly enjoyed the vocalise part and Bellini's lovely arpeggi in the piano, so well played by Areti Giovanou. In "Ah, bello a me ritorna" we admired the clarity in her upward leaps and the fireworks of fioritura. "Dormo entrambi", with its lovely piano introduction, was so well acted that we could actually see the sleeping children through her eyes and felt our heart pounding when she drew a dagger from her belt.

Perhaps, however, our favorite moment was when she joined voices in perfect harmony with the impressive young mezzo-soprano Madison Marie McIntosh, whose growth we have been following for a few years now. The two women go through a panoply of emotions until accord is reached, and Ms. McIntosh negotiated Adalgisa's embellishments in the upper register with accuracy and aplomb.

The dessert of this bel canto banquet was Ms. McIntosh's performance of "Una voce poco fa" from Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia. We have heard her sing Rosina's aria many times and it just keeps getting better and better. The spunkiness of the character was expressed through some rather original decorations of the vocal line. The upward skips were smoothly negotiated. The strength in her lower register, combined with the agility in the upper register, makes her a unique talent.

The evening was part of the Lobby Series, events showcasing local artists for the community of Washington Heights. The United Palace of Cultural Arts, under the direction of Mike Fitelson, is performing a highly worthwhile service to the community. Admission is free; donations are encouraged. Although 175th and Broadway sounds very far away, it was easily accessible on the A train, and only a half block walk from the subway station. We were delighted by this discovery as well as by the artistry of the program.

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VPNYC FILLS THE BARBER CHAIR

Patricia Mullenaux, Charles Gray, Madison Marie McIntosh, Yun-Kwan Yiu, Sam Varhan, and Don Raymond in Vocal Productions NYC's Barber of Seville at the Rose Nagelberg Theater

Rossini's opera buffa, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, has been delighting audiences for two centuries with its ear tickling melodies tumbling out from capo to fine and it's charming age-old story about rebellious young lovers triumphing over possessive parent figures. Indeed, we never tire of Cesare Sterbini's witty libretto adapted from Pierre Beaumarchais' comedy. The situations are hilarious and it is impossible not to fall in love with the spunky Rosina, the wily Figaro, and the clueless Count.

In the role of Rosina, we heard the marvelous mezzo-soprano Madison Marie McIntosh who always astonishes us with her lavish ornamentation and seamless races through the vocal register. She had just the right mix of rebellious girlish glee and womanly resolve,  and sang "Una voce poco fa" with pinpoint accuracy in the ornamentation, much of which was original. She is definitely superstar material.

Before we move on, she is also cast for Saturday night, and the famous bass Valentin Peytchinov, who is the founder and Artistic Director of VPNYC, will himself sing the role of Don Basilio on that same date. Most of the roles are double and triple cast and we recognize the names of so many of the singers we enjoyed at the VPNYC benefit on Giving Tuesday which we reviewed earlier. So you can't go wrong no matter which date you choose. But the run ends Sunday so don't miss out!

As most of you know, Rosina is the ward of the grumpy Dr. Bartolo who would like to get his hands on her dowry and probably her person as well. She has been secretly wooed by one "Lindoro" who is actually the Count Almaviva in disguise. Tenor Sam Varhan has a distinctive comic flair and was hilarious in his disguises as a drunken soldier and as a music teacher.

In a wig itself worthy of giggles, Charles Gray performed the role of Dr. Bartolo and impressed us with his acting and singing. "A un dottor della mia sorte" was sung with pomposity and fine phrasing. He deals graciously with his ultimate defeat and we admire him for good sportsmanship.

Aiding and abetting the romance between Rosina and the Count is the wily Figaro who seems to come up with clever ideas in proportion to the amount of baksheesh he gets. Baritone Yun-Kwan Yiu gave an engaging performance. It seemed to be a running joke that he kept appearing in different wigs. 

We loved his duet with Rosina in Act I -- "Dunque io son...tu non m'inganni?" He also had a fine duet with the Count "All'idea di quel metallo".

The slimy music teacher Don Basilio was performed by the bass Gennadiy Vysotsky who carried off the aria "La calunnia è un venticello" along with some fine help from the percussionist. 

Berta is one of Dr. Bartolo's much put upon servants and we always enjoy the aria in which she laments her loneliness. This was finely performed last night by Patricia Mullenaux who doddered around the stage in humorous fashion. Dr. Bartolo's other servant Ambrogio was performed with much comic stage business by Don Raymond, who also performed the role of Fiorello, leading his ragtag group of musicians in the Count's opening serenade. It was interesting to see women in this group of musicians! Bill Atkinson was Chorus Director.

Jane Leathers did a fine job of directing, keeping things moving briskly and giving each performer stage business that helped to create his/her own character.

Kent Gasser designed an effective set which included Rosina's balcony above. This set element revolved so that we could see her bedroom on the other side of the doors. Dr. Bartolo's home was furnished with the necessary harpsichord, table and chairs, and a chaise longue. Figaro had a portable salon on wheels with all the accoutrements of a barber and hair stylist.

The lighting by Michael Celentano and Eowyn Joy was particularly effective during the storm scene, assisted by some stormy sounds coming from the orchestra which played well for Maestro Francisco Miranda.

Costuming by Hannah Conradt was colorful and period appropriate. Ms. McIntosh looked adorable, the military looked official, and the music teachers looked scholarly.

Finally, we would like to mention how excellently the cast sang the Italian. There was a wonderful ensemble feel which made the septet at the conclusion of Act I an absolute delight. Not only was the Italian diction excellent but the voices were well balanced as well. One of the major advantages to opera in a smaller theater is the opportunity to hear the different vocal lines instead of a wash of sound.

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A DAY OF GIVING

Emerging artists of Vocal Productions New York City

A benefit to celebrate Giving Tuesday was held last night at the Church of the Holy Apostles where renowned Bulgarian bass Valentin Peytchinov assembled a group of talented up-and-comers to provide an evening of favorite arias. Some of these emerging artists are well-known to us and some were new discoveries whose careers we plan to follow.

It is no secret that VPNYC is presenting Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Baruch Performing Arts Center from December 12th through the 17th, with Mr. Peytchinov himself singing the role of Don Basilio on the 16th. It was fitting that members of the cast presented excerpts from Rossini's comic masterpiece and we heard just enough to know that it is a "must-see".

Mezzo-soprano Madison Marie McIntosh has been on our radar for a few years and we have witnessed her transition from soprano to mezzo; we are delighted to report that every time we hear her we hear more expansion at the bottom of the register, with absolutely no loss of ping in the upper extension.  She has also contributed some really interesting ornamentation to Rosina's famous "Una voce poco fa" (with some help from Will Crutchfield) that served to maintain interest in this oft heard aria. There is nothing like an original cadenza to grab our attention.

As the scolding Dr. Bartolo we heard newcomer Keith Milkie who overcame youthful good looks by means of his resonant low voice and fine acting to convince us in the role. We have heard handsome young basses and bass-baritones accomplish this feat with appropriate makeup and costuming completing the illusion. We will be alert to this when we attend the performance!

Another singer we have been following is bass-baritone Lawson Anderson who performed Prince Igor's aria from the Borodin opera of the same name. He performed it with such passionate intensity and such fluent Russian that we were absolutely riveted. The texture of his voice is perfectly suited to this aria and we would very much like to hear him perform the opera someday. We heard it three years ago at the Met with Ildar Abdrazakov in a reconstructed version.

Perhaps it was because we had a moment of silence in memory of our beloved Dmitri Hvorostovsky or maybe Mr. Anderson was just that good --but perhaps he will fill those sadly empty shoes.

Dramatic soprano Anna Viemeister stunned us with "Vieni t'affretta" from Verdi's Macbeth. Not only was her instrument compelling in its intensity but she convinced us of the qualities of the power hungry character--powerful but seductive and manipulative. Her fioritura shone in the cabaletta.

Emma Lavandier is new to us and we heartily enjoyed her performance of Siébel's aria "Faites-lui mes aveux" from Gounod's Faust. She has a bright crystalline sound and an affecting delivery. But most important, she is a Francophone and it was a distinct pleasure to hear the language sung the way it should be sung.

Charlotte's aria "Je vous écris de ma petite chambre", from Massenet's Werther, was given a lovely performance by Viktoriya Koreneva, one which was notable for its excellent French but also for a convincing portrayal of the varying moods of a woman torn between duty and romantic longing she is trying to suppress.

Highlights from Verdi's Il Trovatore ended the program and both singers were superb and new to us. Dramatic Soprano Julianna Milin exhibited a fine rich tone and dramatic import in "Tacea la notte placida" in which she tells her companion how she came to fall in love with Manrico. In the cabaletta we were impressed by the neatness of the skips, runs, and staccati.

Mezzo-soprano Lorna Case grew in power as she delivered "Condotta ell'era in ceppi", the aria in which the gypsy Azucena relates the terrible story of her mother's gruesome death, burning at the stake. The horror of throwing her baby into the fire can be conveyed even though the story defies rationall belief. Ms. Case brought the tale to a dramatic conclusion.

This review is growing longer than the concert but let us mention the ardent performance of the serenade "Ecco ridente in cielo" by tenor Raymond Storms, baritone Yun Kwan Yiu's effective "Largo al factotum", and bass-baritone Claudio Mascharenas' creation of the nasty character of Don Basilio in "La Calunnia". You will be able to catch these performances at the December run described above.

Perhaps a Faust is in the works as well.  We got to hear baritone Jeremy Griffin sing "Avant de quitter ces lieux" and Charles Gray sing the devilish "Vous qui faites l'endormie".

The evening ended with the Act II Finale from Il Barbiere di Siviglia with soprano Sangying Li singing Rosina, Mr. Yiu taking the role of Figaro, and Samuel Varhan singing Count Almaviva. The renowned Francisco Miranda was accompanist for the evening and matched the glorious singing with some impressive piano playing.

We hope that the artistic generosity of the singers will be matched by the financial generosity of the audience. It is organizations like VPNYC that provide opportunities for emerging artists to learn new roles and gain performance experience.

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OPERA LIVES OUTSIDE NYC

Onstage--Alexis Cregger, Nate Mattingly, Maestro Fernando Palomeque, Madison Marie McIntosh, Ivan Ramiro, Brian Alvarado, Andrea Howland, and Mark Watson

A couple years ago we learned that opera lives across the East River, and last night we realized that opera lives across the Hudson as well.  Under the stewardship of General Director/soprano Mia Riker-Norrie, Opera Theatre Montclair has developed quite a loyal following in the community and created a sizable and devoted audience. Rossini's La Cenerentola was the perfect choice for a full-scale production.

We were not the only outsiders lured to New Jersey. Sharing our enthusiasm was retired soprano Elinor Ross, Maestro Keith Chambers of New Amsterdam Opera, and heartthrob tenor Vittorio Grigolo. What drew us was an opportunity to hear one of our favorite young artists perform what must be called her "signature role". Mezzo-soprano Madison Marie McIntosh first came to our attention four years ago when we decided she was someone to watch.

This lovely young woman has it all--talent, looks, and enough intelligence to direct her career, as well as the dedication to make it happen. Having changed her fach from soprano to mezzo-soprano, she has retained the brilliance and flexibility necessary for bel canto singing and seems to be expanding the resonance of her lower register. We have never enjoyed "Non piu mesta" more!

The dramatic skills she evinced in the leading role were matched by the rest of the cast in a theatrically involving production of Rossini's tuneful and touching comedy.  Responsible for the inspired direction was counter-tenor Nicholas Tamagna who framed the opera as a silent movie of the 1920's, with the film-director portrayed by bass-baritone Mark Watson, who also sang the role of Alidoro, Prince Ramiro's tutor. David Gillam's gorgeous costume designs evoked the styles of Poiret.

The singing was excellent all around with Alexis Cregger creating a Clorinda of powerful dramatic import. We have reviewed this superb soprano on multiple occasions and have always admired her gleaming tone and connection with the material. As her equally obnoxious sister Tisbe we enjoyed the on point performance of mezzo-soprano Andrea Howland whom we would be happy to hear again. The two nasty sisters worked well together.

As their father, bass-baritone Nate Mattingly, sporting a delightfully ridiculous hairstyle, won us over with a creamy tone, apt phrasing, and excellent comic timing. This is another young artist to watch and we expect that the future holds more development at the bass end of his range.

Tenor Ivan Rivera exhibited an easy bel canto technique and stood out in his aria "Si, ritrovarla io giuro". As his valet Dandini, baritone Brian Alvarado handled his role well and was the perfect foil as he exchanged roles with the Prince and bamboozled Angelina's family.

For us, the most touching moment of the opera was when Angelina tells Dandini, thinking him to be the Prince, that she couldn't marry him because her heart belonged to someone else--the someone else, of course, being the Prince who was disguised as his own valet. At this point, Ms. McIntosh made Angelina's innocence perfectly clear and perfectly adorable.

Adorable in a different way was the hilarious burlesque spectacle of Ms. Riker-Norrie--alias "Mia Vergogna" who sang and tap-danced her way into our heart during a scene change, a lagniappe to be sure!

The chorus of seven men were well-rehearsed and created Angelina's coach in a stunning and imaginative scene. Donning papier mache horse heads, they pulled an imaginary coach the wheels of which were twirling umbrellas. We always appreciate creativity more than expensive sets.

Maestro Fernando Palomeque, whom we heard just this week in a piano recital at the Argentinean Consulate, effectively led the orchestra through Rossini's bubbly score. The orchestra was placed at seating level off to one side so that the opera could be performed both onstage and also below at orchestra level.  This arrangement worked well and the United Way Theatre served well as a home for this production.

Finally, it deserves to be noted that the Italian diction was fine all across the board, but was augmented by projected titles.

This same cast will be performing next Friday night at 8:00 with a partly different cast performing today and next Saturday at 4:00.

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ONCE UPON A TIME

Erin Brittain, Tim Murray, Oliver Sewell, Madison Marie McIntosh, Hidenori Inoue, and Alanna Fraize

Once upon a time our parents read us the softened version of Cinderella, cleaned up so as not to frighten small children; you know, the Disneyfied version.  Since then we have read the original violent and scary versions by Charles Perrault and Wilhelm Grimm.  We do not know which version librettist Jacopo Ferretti adapted but he wrote the libretto in three weeks, replacing the wicked step-mother with an abusive step-father and the fairy godmother with the kindly tutor Alidoro. Similarly, the glass slipper was replaced by a bracelet. It is believed that the circumstances of production in 1817 did not allow for elaborate magical effects.

Nonetheless, there are elaborate magical effects in the music, created by Gioacchino Rossini in barely more than three weeks! That guy could sure work under pressure.  He was but 25 years old and already had Il Barbiere di Siviglia under his belt.

Last night we witnessed some rather magical effects produced by a fledgling opera company whose future success we anticipate with all the enthusiasm engendered by the creativity we observed. General Director Kathleen Spencer and Artistic Director Megan Gillis share a common mission--to make opera intimate and accessible to one and all, so that the audience can feel a part of the opera. Thus they created ARE Opera--for you, for us, for the singers, for everyone.

Readers will recall how greatly we favor experiences that are up close and personal. Gone are the days when we peered through binoculars trying to figure out who was singing that beautiful vocal line in the midst of overwhelming and cinematic sets. We prefer to feel a part of the action, to feel like we know the characters and understand them. This does not require the huge voices that one hears at The Metropolitan Opera but gives young artists an opportunity to learn a role early in their artistic career and to share in the intimacy with the audience. In complementary fashion, we get to share an intimacy with them as well.

The cast we heard last night was exemplary with many of them graduates of Manhattan School of Music and thus well remembered by us from student productions over the past few years. We appreciated their fine performances then and now we can appreciate their artistic growth.

In the lead role, we heard Madison Marie McIntosh, about whom we have written many many times as she has pursued her artistic journey. At first we were not sure that transitioning from the soprano to the mezzo-soprano fach was such a good idea but every time we hear her we realize that she is a singer who knows her own potential and is fulfilling her mission. Rossini wrote this role for a contralto but there is nothing MMM cannot do well. With no loss to her scintillating upper register and flexibility in the coloratura passages, there is a new depth and breadth at the bottom of the register.

Along with this very special combination of skills comes an impressive dramatic ability.  Her Angelina was much put-upon by Clorinda and Tisbe but she showed an inner strength and defiance in "Una volta c'era un re". In spite of the innocence and humility, one realizes that this character, like the singer, will achieve much. When she reprises this aria in the second act, Ms. McIntosh colored it differently--as a happy woman in love.

As her Prince Charming Don Ramiro, Oliver Sewell produced the kind of tenor voice that we love to hear--pure with a lovely vibrato. The tenor aria in Act II "Si, ritrovarla, io juro" is incredibly difficult and Mr. Sewell negotiated it well. His "9" will be a "10" when he learns to float the money note in the cabaletta. (In this production there is no chorus to hide any flaws.) His chemistry with Ms. McIntosh worked well to the advantage of both of them and their duet was sensational.

Baritone Tim Murray made a fine Dandini, the Prince's valet; he enjoyed being Prince for a Day and enjoyed exposing the unpleasant grasping characters of Angelina's step-family.  He sang with a fluent pleasing baritone and his fine acting added a great deal to the performance.

Bass Hidenori Inoue made a magnificent Don Magnifico, the threatening step-father. His deeply resonant instrument filled the room with sound and his acting was flawless. One can hate the character and love the singer! Just watch him abusing Angelina, encouraging his own daughters, ingratiating himself to Dandini (who is disguised as the Prince), showing false humility on his knees, and trying to make it up to his daughter when he realizes she will marry the Prince. In this wide range of emotion and behavior, there was not a false note, not vocally, not dramatically.

Another bass, Brett Vogel, was just fine as the Prince's tutor Alidoro.  He is obliged to approach Don Magnifico's home as a beggar, putting the two step-sisters to the kindness test, which they fail. Later, he casts off his disguise and brings Angelina to the ball. His character always evokes our sympathy.

And now we get to the two step-sisters. Soprano Erin Brittain as Tisbe, and mezzo-soprano Alanna Fraize as Clorinda. Again, we love the singers and laugh at the characters--two silly, vain, and spoiled girls. Both performers have lovely voices but it is the facial expressions and gestures that we remember best; caricatures of disagreeable people can be very funny and provided a fine balance with Angelina's sweetness.

Rossini's music always sparkles and everyone in the cast got a chance to shine--but it is the ensemble writing which never fails to impress us. The arrangement of the playing space allowed physical separation of the singers such that we experienced the ensembles stereophonically. That was a new and exciting experience.

Maestro Jonathan Heaney conducted with verve; he just coached and played for Mr. Inoue's graduation recital at Manhattan School of Music which we so enjoyed. Andrew Sun played the piano score so effectively that we didn't miss the orchestra.

Stage Director Claire Sparks was most effective in telling the story. Although the space had a stage, most of the action took place in the center of the large room with audience members facing each other across the performance area.  This gave the cast plenty of room to move around; it was a highly kinetic performance. Simple props included a table and chairs, a bench, and a large trunk.  Nothing more was necessary.

Costuming was simple, as befits a shoestring company. Vast quantities of tulle were utilized to create costumes both romantic and silly. Even the make-up was on point.

This company will not remain at the shoestring level; we are sure of it. There are exciting plans for the future, including a double bill comprising Puccini's Gianni Schicchi and....a surprise.  This is opera for the entire family--sufficient in musical values to please experienced opera goers and accessible enough for "newbies" and children.

The only improvement we could offer would be to show the titles on the opposing walls. Having them at one end of the room obliged audience members to choose between the action and the titles. Fortunately, even a modest knowledge of Italian would serve because the acting was so illustrative. Italian diction was flawless.

There will be two performances remaining. The cast will remain the same except for Ms. McIntosh who will sing at the late matinee on Sunday.  Since it is Mother's Day, consider treating your mother or surrogate mother to two hours of enlivening entertainment that seems to fly by within an hour.  Just hearing Ms. McIntosh's "Non piu mesta" at the end will melt her heart!

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