A BARGAIN WITH THE DEVIL

 Maria Brea as Marguerite in Village Opera's production of Gounod's Faust

We have given this a lot of thought lately. When we began writing about small opera companies and young opera singers about a dozen years ago, Manhattan was home to a dozen small opera companies that provided performance opportunities for these young opera singers. They operated on a shoe string, transforming church basements and black box theaters into makeshift playing areas. Costuming was equally improvisational but storytelling was generally excellent and imaginative, ticket prices were affordable, audiences had a great time, and a considerable number of people were introduced to the art form.

So, what happened? Part of the answer can be found in the Covid epidemic which kept people at home and then forced them to wear uncomfortable masks in public places. Other companies dropped out for other reasons, often financial. Sometimes it was just the inability to break even or gross financial mismanagement;  in one case, a too rapid New York Times induced fame led to premature arrogance and self-satisfaction. Other times, a successful production team disintegrated when one partner jumped ship or moved away.

What is left, other than the successful long-established Regina Opera Company in far flung Brooklyn, and the equally distant Bronx Opera Company and The Lighthouse Opera, both of which attract sizable audiences. Here in Manhattan we have Heartbeat Opera which can be wonderful but often goes off the rails, and the struggling Amore Opera which badly needs a better venue.

We do get annual two-day visits from the superb Teatro Nuovo, which presents marvelous bel canto discoveries performed by young singers for a packed house; and we had a one day major success from Classic Lyric Arts Vocal Academy who gave us a vocally superb and dramatically powerful production of Puccini's Il Tabarro. What we need is a small company to perform the classics on a regular basis, giving performing opportunities to young singers.

But never fear, Dear Reader, if anyone can accomplish this, we place our bets on Felix Jarrar, well known as a composer, conductor, and pianist. Although the early efforts of his Village Opera just came to our attention, we found his concert version of Gounod's Faust to be promising. There was much to enjoy that Sunday afternoon and enjoy we did.

The lion's share of our pleasure can be attributed to the stunning performance of soprano Maria Brea in the role of Marguerite. We have been following Ms. Brea since her performance as Marie in the much missed Prelude to Performance's production of Donizetti's Fille du Regiment. Her performance was not only vocally admirable but she did not let the music stand of this concert version prevent her from relating to her fellow cast mates.

This feature was also notable in a vocally powerful and dramatically connected performance of William Clay Thompson in the role of Mephistopheles. He also reached beyond the limitations of the concert production style and gave us a snarly and scary character.

Maestro Jarrar performed a piano reduction of the score that captured all the colors of an orchestra and gave necessary support to the singers, which included tenor Eric Botto as Faust, Joseph Canuto Leon as Valentin, Christina Marie Esser as a believable Siebel, Evan Fleming as Wagner, and Brooke Larimer as Marthe. There was good support from the chorus which comprised the cover cast.

It was a very short while ago that we attended a rather overproduced and concept driven production of this same opera, a production that distracted us from Gounod's gorgeous melodies. The Village Opera production, minus titles, allowed us to focus on the music and singing.

It would be our dearest wish if Mo. Jarrar could work his way toward  traditionally staged productions of other masterpieces of the operatic canon, giving young singers an opportunity to learn a new role and giving Manhattan residents an authentic operatic experience. We could do without elaborate sets and a minimum of costuming would suffice. What we really need are sound musical values and some good storytelling . Where there's a will there's a way!

© meche kroop

AROUND THE WORLD IN SONG

Aza Sydykov, Alvar Mayilyan, Kofi Hayford, César Parreño, Maria Brea,
Pablo Zinger, Pallavi Seth, Claire de Monteil, and Dashuai Chen
(photo credit: Bruce-Michael Gelbert)

by Guest Reviewer Eli Jacobson

Meche Kroop introduced this recital program by saying that she started this series of recitals spotlighting young classical singers from around the world performing their native music in response to the xenophobia, prejudice and fear of the “other” being promoted by governments around the world including our own.  Meche feels that music is a healing and uniting force that counteracts hatred and prejudice.  The recital (which was performed on February 28th at St. John’s Church in the Village) had each singer performing the native music of their homeland.  Aza Sydykov was the musical director and pianist.

The recital began with soprano Maria Brea from Caracas, Venezuela singing six songs from her native country.  Brea’s soprano is luscious, rich in overtones with a shimmering fast vibrato.  The songs ranged widely in style from a simple folk lullaby sung a capella (“Duérmete mi niño”) to Latin American pop (“Arrunango”), zarzuela (“Alma llanera”), flamenco (“Quiero sembra”) and jazz cabaret (“La Negra Attilia”) styles.  

I heard music that reminded me of Antônio Jobim, Astor Piazzolla and Heitor Villa-Lobos.  Each song was strongly contrasted from the others.   Brea wasn’t afraid to dig into chest voice or darken or lower her voice to create a different sound.  Throughout this varied program, Brea displayed a distinctive beauty of timbre and projected her music with poise and command.  

The bolero torch song “Desesperanza” by 20th century female Venezuelan composer Maria Luisa Escobar is the favorite song of both Maria’s father and her sister who sings it herself but in a different, more pop-inflected style.  Maria brought a more classical timbre and a thrilling high note at the end that were very much her own.  Hispanic music expert and musicologist Pablo Zinger accompanied Maria on the piano with great insight and stylistic command.  

Delhi-born, New York trained mezzo-soprano Pallavi Seth sang two classical Indian songs – one semi-classical “Huri” and one classical bandish from “Raag Khamaj” both self-accompanied on Tanpura.  Seth began singing classical Indian religious songs under the guidance of her guru and later studied as a Hindustani classical vocalist under the legendary Benares gharana singer Girija Devi.  Vacations in the U.S. led to an interest in European classical music and study at Westminster Choir College and Mannes School of Music.  

Seth performed the two songs seated on the stage with great spiritual insight and self-communion.  The songs began with keening wordless vocalise and then the Hindi text was chanted.  Both songs involved melismatic writing and keening high notes where Seth’s opera background became evident – there was a flexibility of tone and purity of attack that showed her operatic training.  Seth believes in blending cultures and also performs songs by Adele and Amy Winehouse, sings with a progressive jazz rock band, has done American musical theater and loves Bollywood music.  At age 26, Pallavi Seth is open to the entire world of music and eager to explore everything.


Paris-born French soprano Claire de Monteil has studied at AVA where she performed operatic roles like Leonora in Il Trovatore and the title role in Ariadne auf Naxos.  This is a large, forward placed and deeply resonant soprano with a wide range of dynamics.  Monteil did not program French opera which I would like to hear her in (the great falcon roles are something she would excel in).  Nor did she explore the classical French song repertoire of Poulenc, Chausson or Massenet.  

Instead for this recital, de Monteil turned to the French cabaret songs of German-born Kurt Weill and Hungarian-born Joseph Kosma.  Operatically trained sopranos like Teresa Stratas have sung Weill’s German and French ballads with success as has rock singer Marianne Faithfull and the Italian pop singer Milva.  All these singers are very different from Lotte Lenya, Weill’s wife and muse and all have made this music their own.  

Her first song “Youkali” is a song about hope and a mythical place where all your dreams come true: “pays de nos désirs”.  The text was projected with both clarity and specificity and the melody was shaped persuasively.  The brilliant final climax was operatic.  Weill’s “Je ne t’aime pas” is a tormented ballad about a conflicted lover who, as much as they are trying to convince themselves that they don’t want or love the object of their affections – repeating the title phrase over and over – cannot emotionally tear themselves away from this person.  Monteil sang each repeat with a different expression and inflection as the protagonist wrestled with their feelings.  It had the rawness of Piaf with the grandeur of Crespin!  

The last song was the pop favorite “Les feuilles mortes” or “Autumn Leaves” by Kosma.  Here I felt that de Monteil’s vocal scale and brilliance detracted a bit from the sense of intimacy and nostalgic reflection in the song – a softer grain to the tone and a darker color would have brought out the melancholy in the piece.

The first half ended with two short pieces by the Ghana West Africa-born bass Kofi Hayford.   The two pieces were national anthems: the first the official one in English “God Bless Our Homeland Ghana” by Victor Gbeho and the second the unofficial folk anthem “Yen Ara Asaase Ni” by Ephraim Amu in the Akwapim Twi language (only one of eleven languages in Ghana!).  It turns out that Victor Gbeho was Kofi’s great uncle!  

The first was a grand scaled oration which got a new English sung text in the 1970’s.  The second folk anthem which translates as “This is our native land” is a declamatory warning instructing the Ghana people not to lose their native values in emulation of European wealth and power but to respect their own heritage and customs.  Hayford’s focused and resonant bass gave it the declamatory force of an operatic high priest or ruler!  I have admired Hayford’s silken black bass in several performances by local opera groups.  

The second half brought more Latin American music courtesy of Guayaquil, Ecuador-born tenor César Parreño who was also accompanied by Maestro Pablo Zinger (who Parreño confessed he had only met 30 minutes prior to performing! One never would have known!).  Parreño, a Juilliard student, sang five Ecuadorian pasillos which are folk ballads usually sung to guitar accompaniment at parties or fiestas.  The pieces had great variety ranging from “Despedida” a song of farewell by Gerardo Guevara (who studied in Paris with Nadia Boulanger) and the dashing “El Aguacate” a love ballad sung beneath the avocado tree of the title composed by César Guerro Tamayo.  Parreño has a plangent, sweet lyric tenor with a bright timbre that bears a distinct resemblance to the lovely voices of Mexican tenors Javier Camarena and Ramon Vargas.

Armenian mezzo-soprano Alvard Mayilyan performed four songs in colorful native costume.  Three of these songs were songs of love: “To Him” by Perperian – a passionate woman awaits her lover willing to give all of herself; “Hoy Nazan” by Komitas has two lovers meeting joyously and finally “Lullaby” by Kanachyan which is the love of mother and child where the two are one and the rest of the world does not exist.  (Mayilyan is the mother of two and sings this to her own children).  

The last song was the dance-like “Drinking Song” by the very famous composer Aram Khachaturian (best known for the ballet “Spartacus”).  Khachaturian also wrote many songs and this was a catchy and colorful piece.  Mayilyan’s voice has a warm vibrant color typical of Armenian voices resembling a rich sparkling red wine.  Occasionally around register breaks the tone would go out of focus briefly – with each song this became less evident.  Each song was vividly characterized and sung with passion.

Our final performer was tenor Dashuai Chen, a native of Shanghai China, with three Chinese songs in Mandarin.  Chen was a 2019 winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.  I was surprised how lyrical and non-Eastern sounding these three songs were – they sounded more Western in style and weren’t reminiscent of Chinese opera or folk music.  “The Three Wishes of the Rose” by Zi Huang sounded more like a European art song in Mandarin.  “Teach me how to forget him” by Yuanren Zhao was lyrical and full of melancholy longing and regret.  The final piece “Love for the sea” by Guangnan Shi started as a reverie to nature but seemed to turn inward with sadness and then outward with an outpouring of passionate melody as if the protagonist’s love of the sea turned to thoughts of their beloved.  

Chen possesses a major instrument: the first two songs were written low in the middle voice which misled me into thinking that Chen was a lyric baritone.  However, the overwhelming climax of the third song had Chen pouring out high tessitura and a climactic high note that firmly announced his tenor status.  Chen seems to have lots of voice everywhere.  Initially in the first song, Chen seemed a little stiff and preoccupied but with each song he loosened up and revealed more of himself culminating in the overwhelming vocal and emotional outpouring of the final song.  The final phrases of “Love for the Sea” could have come from the passionate final scene of an Italian verismo opera sung in Chinese translation! 

I was impressed with how Maestro Aza Sydykov managed to learn all this unfamiliar music of widely disparate national styles and genres adapting so well to each singer’s different needs and methods.  

Meche asked each singer to sing something that meant something to them – music that they had a personal connection with.  Too often in recitals the encores outshine the main program.  Usually (and especially in student recitals), the recitalist performs European classical music from a distant culture and time period that is foreign to their culture that they have been carefully coached in.  So, the recital has the feeling of a lesson well learned and dutifully executed without personal engagement or identification.  

The encores include pieces that the singer chooses themselves, often popular songs in their own language.  Suddenly, the performer’s own personality and temperament shines through and they relax and connect with the piece and through the piece connect with the audience.  That was what we saw with this recital – each singer had probably heard or performed this music as a child or student in their home country.  Perhaps they first sang these songs with their families or at school concerts discovering music and their own joy of singing.  The words are in their language and reflect their sense of self.  Nothing here was dutiful or by rote and each singer projected a very distinctive and highly developed individuality of sound, interpretation and communication.  They connected with the music and through the music connected with us – and we connected to them and to cultures from around the world through a shared love of music.  

Mission accomplished.

©meche kroop\

DRAMATIC VOICES AND OPERA GEMS

Natasha Novitskaia, Joanna Parisi, Maria Brea, Maestro Jason Tramm, Alla Perchikova,
Dongwon Shin, and Kevin Short

Unless you are a regular subscriber at The Metropolitan Opera, opportunities to hear large voices are rare. Since we generally focus on reviewing young artists, we are accustomed to hearing recitals of arias from the Bel Canto period which require light flexible voices. Voices of weight are not unknown to us but are surely not our daily bread and butter.

Last night at Merkin Concert Hall we heard some large voices that cut right through the full sound of The MidAtlantic Philharmonic Orchestra, led with panache by Maestro Jason Tramm. The concert was a joint production of Grandi Voci Concerts, Mathew Laifer Artists Management and MidAtlantic Artistic Productions.

The cast of seasoned performers was joined by Maria Brea, a young soprano whose star is on the rise, one we have been reviewing for the past few years. Regular readers will recall the satisfaction we achieve from witnessing the progress of young artists. 

Not all rising stars make it but Ms. Brea is appearing just about everywhere this year and dazzling us with her poise, enchanting sound, and versatility. We have enjoyed her in opera and in zarzuela (recently with New Camerata Opera); she will appear this Friday with Around the World in Song, singing songs from her native Venezuela.

Last night she performed the melodic and memorable "Depuis le jour" from Charpentier's Louise, sung in fine French. We felt as if we were taken on a romantic journey through this well modulated performance. The resonance was highly pleasing to the ear and was accompanied by some fine playing by the harpist.

The other singers on the program are already well established and treated us to some worthwhile performances which were interspersed with instrumental selections which we will describe later.

Concert performances of operatic arias deprive the singers of costuming, sets, and supporting chorus members. It is entirely on the shoulders of the singer to take us someplace. This is easier for the audience if they are familiar with the aria and its place in the opera.

For us this was easiest when bass Kevin Short sang "Ella giammai m'amo" from Verdi's Don Carlo. We are very familiar with the aria and always marvel at the way Verdi was able to evoke sympathy for a horrible character who steals his son's fiancée and then plots to have him killed!

The solo cello begins the sympathy-evoking process and the orchestra picks up on it. The plaintive violins portray the suffering of a man who never foresaw the unintended consequences of his behavior. Mr. Short's covered sound indicated King Philip's morose reflections in Italianate fashion. There was a fine decrescendo of despair at the end.

In an entirely different mood his reflective vocal coloration was exchanged for an expansive and powerful one in "Le veau d'or" from Gounod's Faust. There was no "sympathy for the devil"!

Soprano Alla Perchikova began "Vieni! t'afretta" from Verdi's Macbeth with some dramatic speaking, leading into an impassioned recitativo. Her urgency was reflected in the orchestra as she uses all her resources to lead her husband down a dangerous path.

Following the gorgeous "Intermezzo Sinfonico" from Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana (Oh, that harp again!) we had mezzo-soprano Natasha Novitskaia taking on the soprano role of Santuzza in "Voi lo sapete" in which Santuzza explains her predicament to her lover's mother. Her upper register handled the tessitura just fine but there was an occasional problem with intonation.

Tenor Dongwon Shin created a portrait of a bitter miserable clown singing about how he hides his pain behind costume and makeup. Of course we are speaking of "Vesti la Giubba" from Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci.

He too had an opportunity to show his versatility in "Di quella pira" from Verdi's Il Trovatore which requires varied dynamics and coloration. The audience loved it although we found the voice a bit pushed as the orchestra grew louder.

As a lead-in to the "Habanera" from Bizet's Carmen, we had the highly accomplished young violinist Hyojin Kim performing Sarasate's Carmen Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra. We thought of the violin as playing a highly embellished vocal line and relished the glissandi and what singers call fioritura. The scene from Lilas Pastia's tavern was spirited, even frenzied and we saw it vividly created in our mind's eye. The seductiveness of the "Habanera" was well realized.

We were puzzled when the aria was performed right afterward by soprano Joanna Parisi and we did not feel the same seductiveness. Our view of her was blocked, which may have been partly responsible, but we think the seductiveness should have come through better in the vocal coloration.

Similarly, Ms. Novitskaia's "Mon coeur s'ouvre à ta voix" from Saint-Saëns' Samson et Dalila did not offer as much seductiveness as we have heard before. But we did love the harp accompaniment. Oh that harp again! Unfortunately, the musicians were not credited in the program.

We enjoyed the duet from Verdi's Aida in which Amneris tricks Aida into revealing her feelings for Radames--"Fu la sorte dell'armi". Cat and mouse; mezzo and soprano! 

What we most appreciated about Ms. Perchikova is what amounted to a lesson in legato singing. There was a long line of vowels with consonants seemingly dropped in. It was a masterpiece of Italianate singing. It seemed as if she were caressing each word inside her mouth.

Another feature we noted in her singing was a successful handling of the low tessitura in "Suicidio!" from Ponchielli's La Gioconda.

The entire cast performed the "Libiamo" scene from Verdi's La Traviata as an encore, sending the audience out in a joyful mood.

© meche kroop

IL BARBIERE and EL BARBERO

Victor Khodadad, Costas Tsourakis, Stan Lacy, Caroline Tye, Maria Brea, Jose Maldonado, Anna Tonna,
Jay Lucas Chacon, and Brian J. Alvarado

Regular readers will recall how long we have yearned to see a zarzuela onstage with sets and costumes. For several years we have enjoyed arias and duets extracted from zarzuelas; we have attended seminars about zarzuela; we even tried to figure out how to produce one. Last night at a black box theater on the Lower East Side, our dream was realized. One of our favorite boutique opera companies--New Camerata Opera--joined forces with Latin American Theater Experiment Associates and fulfilled our dream.

The zarzuela they chose, El Barbero de Sevilla, was composed by Gerónimo Giménez and Manuel Nieto with a libretto by Guillermo Perrin and Miguel de Palacios; it premiered in Madrid in 1901 and is best known for the soprano aria "Me llaman la primorosa" which we have heard the marvelous Maria Brea sing in recital. How totally excellent it was to hear her sing the entire role of Elena, a wannabe diva who defies her strict father Nicolás (portrayed by baritone Stan Lacy) to star as Rosina in Rossini's masterpiece Il barbiere di Siviglia in a regional company in Burgos.

This gave Ms. Brea an opportunity not only to sing the afore-mentioned "Polonesa" as an interpolation for the voice lesson scene, but to also let out all the stops for "Una voce poco fa". Of course we have heard sopranos sing this mezzo role before, but we were particularly taken by Ms. Brea's  ability to handle the lower register as well as committing to the firework coloratura of the cabaletta.

Similarly satisfying was the performance of baritone José Luis Maldonado who has made Figaro's "Largo al factotum"  his signature piece; we never tire of hearing (and seeing) his interpretation. The joke, among many other jokes, was that he was secretly an opera singer masquerading as a surveyor--and furthermore, a baritone envious of tenors. But in this zarzuela, the baritone has the romantic lead as Elena's novio.

Two mezzo-sopranos shone in two different roles.  Anna Tonna created the character of Roldán, a diva with whom Nicolás is having a clandestine affair; she exhibited all the hauteur of a diva as well as the requisite spitefulness toward a younger rival.

Caroline Tye gave a fine interpretation of Elena's mother Casimira who supports her daughter's singing career and spirits her away to Burgos in the company of Elena's voice teacher Bataglia, a role given a fine comic turn by Costas Tsourakis who plays Don Basilio in the "opera within the zarzuela", making the most of his very large hat.

There was a very funny bit of hostility between two critics--Brian J. Alvarado's Pérez of the publication Tapas Today and Victor Khodadad's López from the newspaper The Manchego Gazette. It was especially funny because we personally just adore our fellow critics and enjoy sharing ideas with them. Perhaps in early 20th c. Spain there was significant rivalry of which the librettists were poking fun.

Jay Lucas Chacon took the role of Benito, Nicolás' sidekick and we must relate how much fun it was to see all these singers we know stretch themselves in new directions.

As far as the music, zarzuela is delightfully tuneful and this one is no exception. Maestro Pablo Zinger, Mr. Zarzuela himself, performed the reduction of the score and conducted from the keyboard. The chamber orchestra comprised violin, cello, bass, flute, and clarinet. We wondered why the keyboard was chosen when there was a piano onstage. Perhaps conducting from the piano would have suffered from impaired sightlines.

Aside from the solo arias, the most delightful musical moment was the scene backstage  in which all the characters were onstage at once, voices blending in charming cacophony.

As delightful as was the music, the frequent musical references to operas we know and love reminded us of how outstanding was 19th c. Italian opera. An interlude between scenes gave us the melody from Germont Père's Act II aria "Di Provenza il mar il suol", among other tributes to famed operas. The entire zarzuela can be seen as a tribute to Rossini's comedy.

Audience members who didn't know the operatic underpinnings could still enjoy the work for its engaging melodies and farcical story; but those who know and love opera could get an additional layer of pleasure from identifying the musical references.

Speaking of comedy, this piece has all of the farcical moments for which one could hope. There is the secret affair, the deceiving spouse, the lies, the coverups, the running in and out of rooms--here the various dressing rooms of the Burgos opera house--, the strict father (like Dr. Bartolo), the rebellious daughter sneaking around behind his back (like Rosina), and a facilitator (the voice teacher, unlike Don Basilio who was an obstructor to Rosina's romance).

The work was directed by Rod Gomez who chose to set the work in the 1950's, giving it the feel of a mid 20th c. sitcom. Although the Spanish was retained for the singing, dialogue was spoken in English. We got the sense that certain things that were funny in Spanish were not as funny when translated into English. There seems to be no other solution when presenting the work to a mixed audience. Although we personally can converse in Spanish, we would probably not understand rapidly spoken Spanish with wordplay and double entendres.

Aside from the ridiculously funny situations, there was an improvised moment of pure genius provided by Mr. Tsourakis who played his impresario role as Donald Trump. The audience loved it.  As a matter of fact, the audience loved the entire piece and we hope this leads to more zarzuela productions in New York City.

The simple but effective set was designed by Omayra Garriga Casiano and lit by Daniela Fresard Montero. Angela Huff designed the costumes.

Mr. Zinger spoke of his many productions in the 1980's but that was before our time and we regret having missed them. For those readers who have not read our writings about zarzuela, let it be known that the art form began in Madrid in the 1640's as an entertainment for royalty. It had a welcome revival in the mid 19th c., probably as Spain's response to Italy's grand opera. It was carried to the colonies in the New World and was regularly composed and performed for the next century, particularly in Cuba and Puerto Rico. Just as Spain lies between Europe and Africa, so zarzuela lies between opera and musical comedy.

We hope we have tempted you to enjoy this wonderful art form. This weekend will see several more performances and you just may be able to snag a ticket if you move quickly, since last night was a sellout-- in spite of the rain.

(c) meche kroop

JÚRAME...FULFILLING THE PROMISE

Pablo Zinger, Linda Collazo, and Maria Brea

Yesterday we were lured into Brooklyn by the promise of zarzuela; regular readers will recall our fondness for this Hispanic art form. The promise was fulfilled and our highest expectations were met. Moreover we got to learn more from Mr. Zarzuela--Maestro Pablo Zinger who was the collaborative pianist at this fulfilling recital.

Ms. Brea and Ms. Collazo make a dynamite duo and, as much as we loved their solos, our enjoyment was over the top when they harmonized in duets--Maria with her bright expansive soprano and Ms. Collazo with her firmly centered and textured mezzo. We have heard them together before since they co-founded Voces Unidas to raise money for RAICES. Is there a better way to use one's gifts than to help others?

The venue and the sponsoring organization were new to us, largely because we rarely have time to venture across the bridge. Vertical Player Repertory is a pioneer of the alternative opera movement in New York City and was founded by sculptor/singer/impresario Judith Barnes over 20 years ago in a Brooklyn storefront. Many of her performances take place in unconventional venues; an ongoing series entitled "miniatures behind the door" comprises interesting programs beyond vocal recitals but it is the latter which interests us.

The first half of the program consisted of zarzuelas and nothing but zarzuelas; we were in seventh heaven. Maestro Zinger explained how these entertaining pieces of musical theater were birthed in 17th c. Spain by King Philip IV and how they became popular in the mid 19th c. as composers were encouraged to express nationalistic fervor. Although influenced by Italian opera, Spain needed its own art form. Zarzuela achieved a new impact in the New World as Spaniards immigrated to Latin America. A new emphasis was racial and class distinction as we heard later in works from Cuba.

From the fertile period of the mid 19th c. (our favorite musical period) we heard Ms. Brea and Ms. Collazo harmonize beautifully in "Niñas que vais a Granada" from Francisco Asenjo Barbieri's Los diamantes de la corona. The duet speaks to us of the dangers of losing one's heart to a love bandit.

From Federico Chueca's La Gran Via, Ms. Collazo gave a charming interpretation of a loveable maid with unloveable qualities in "Tango de la Menegilda". She created a quite different mood in the rapid fire "Carceleras" from Ruperto Chapí's Las hijas del Zebedeo. This is a passionate tongue twister if ever we heard one! Even more radically different was "Yo soy María" from Astor Piazzolla's tango operita which we just heard and reviewed the day before. Frankly, we liked Ms. Collazo's interpretation better since it was unamplified and we could understand the words.

Ms. Brea achieved the same variety in her selections. We have heard her sing "Me llaman la primorosa" before and it always makes us want to see Miguel Nieto's El barbero de Sevilla in its entirety. The plot involves a company producing the Rossini opera. Ms. Brea's character is very proud of her physical attractions! In "Petenera" from Federico Moreno Torroba's La Marchenera a woman describes her love and, if we are not mistaken, suggests a doble oído. She is waiting for her rose bush to bloom so she can give her beloved the first rose!

From the 1939 zarzuela Cecilia Valdés, composed by the Cuban composer  Gonzalo Roig, she performed "Salida de Cecilia Valdés" with help from a "chorus" comprising Maestro Zinger and Ms. Collazo. The character she plays is completely irrepressible! The rhythms had us swaying in our chair. 

There was one more duet that delighted us--the Habanera: "Canta y no llores", from Don Gil de Alcalá, composed by the Spaniard Manuel Penella and set in a Mexican convent. Here the rhythm was a gentle swaying one.

The second half of the program would have been more familiar to the average lover of art song. Indeed there was nothing we haven't heard many times before but we found much to appreciate in the performances. 

Ms. Brea performed Cuatro madrigales amatorios by the 20th c. Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo. (We are embarrassed to admit that we never connected his name with the Concierto de Aranjuez which we have known and loved for decades!) The songs have different moods and we loved the way Ms. Brea colored her voice differently for sorrow and shame, lust, jealousy and anger, and elation. Maestro Zinger shared what the songs were really about.

She also performed "Allí está riyendo" from Manuel de Falla's 1913 opera La vida breve which put Spain on the musical map. The heroine, a gypsy, is so heartbroken she dies of love. Maestro Zinger gave us some giggles when he pointed out that in Italian opera the heroine must die violently.

Ms. Collazo brought new life to Xavier Montsalvatge's 20th c. song cycle Cinco canciones negras. "Cuba dentro de un piano" has text that is symbolic whereas "Punto de Habanera" is more descriptive. Our favorite has always been "Canción de cuna para dormir a un negrito". The text is heartbreaking to our 21st c. sensibilities but it is so beautiful to hear!

The program closed with some "popular" songs and y'all know how we feel about that distinction. Hearing trained voices without amplification surely blurs the difference between "popular" and "art" songs. Ms. Brea performed one by the Mexican composer Consuelo Velásquez which has achieved worldwide popularity; who doesn't know "Besame mucho"! She invested the song with a lot of variety from one verse to the next and met the challenge of a low tessitura. 

Ms. Collazo's contribution was the melodic "Te quiero dijiste" composed by the Mexican María Grever who studied with Debussy in France. Isn't it interesting that two such gifted women composers came out of Mexico in the early 20th c.? And today we have so many fine young singers coming from our southern neighbor.

So we had two fine female Latin American singers performing songs by two fine female Latin American composers!  The program closed with the two singing Grever's "Júrame" with lovely overlapping phrases. The promise was fulfilled!

(c) meche kroop

HERstory by CITY LYRIC OPERA

Kanae Matsumoto, Cristina Maria Castro, and Kathleen Spencer

We have come to count on City Lyric Opera to sate our voracious artistic appetite. Co-founders and Artistic Directors Kathleen Spencer and Megan Gillis have managed to create a viable artist-centered company that not only serves the artists and entertains the audience but also provides some very appealing opportunities for supporters and donors. What a thrill it can be to sponsor a singer or the orchestra, the venue or the artistic staff. Here, one can truly feel a part of the production. Opera is expensive but these two lovely ladies appear to have a great business sense and have attracted a loyal following in just three years. Viva les femmes!

Last night's salon evening was held in a glamorous apartment overlooking Lincoln Center and was generously hosted by a charming couple newly making their home in the Big Apple. A crowd of beautiful people gathered to make new friends, partake of a particularly generous buffet accompanied by fine wines, and--most importantly--to welcome several young singers who gave their all to the music.

Regular readers will recall how disdainful we are of contemporary American song that utilizes boring text and cannot seem to come up with a pleasing melody. We were delighted to have our prejudice exploded, at least for one contemporary American composer by the name of Lori Laitman who was present at the salon and received all the accolades that her work merits.

With scintillating soprano Cristina Maria Castro taking the soprano part and the vivacious Ms. Spencer herself taking the mezzo-soprano part, we thoroughly enjoyed "I am in need of music" with text by Elizabeth Bishop from the poem "Sonnet" written in 1929. The text flowed and so did the music. The two voices intertwined in gorgeous overlapping phrases; we were enthralled.

We wish we could say the same about the two Sheila Silver songs which were settings of text by Edna St. Vincent Millay from "Beauty intolerable". We thought that soprano Rachael Braunstein gave them a lovely performance but that the poems did not seem to need music and the music they were given was rather jazzy and overwhelmed the vocal line.

On the other hand, Heinrich Heine's "Die Lorelei" seemed made to be sung and apparently, several composers agreed with me including the underrated Clara Schumann. Soprano Alaysha Fox, a young lady full of personality and warmth, gave an impressive performance of this story-telling song. Ms. Fox is a Metropolitan Opera National Council finalist and we simply cannot wait to hear her on March 31st.

We also enjoyed her performance of Amy Beach's "Ah, love, but a day" with text by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. The piano writing is quite lovely and never overshadowed the vocal line, although we think it would be difficult for anything to overshadow Ms. Fox! She invested this lovely song with varying vocal colors and brought it to a powerful climax.

Ms. Castro was particularly elegant with her French in three songs by Lili Boulanger who died tragically at the age of 24. (Lili was the younger sister of the famous composer and teacher Nadia Boulanger.) Not only did Ms. Castro honor the long Gallic vocal line but exhibited beautiful overtones. The three songs, as she explained, addressed three stages of romance, reminding us a bit of the three different moods of Debussy's Songs of Bilitis with their three different colors.

The superb soprano Maria Brea performed two songs from Ms. Laitman's Five Lovers, settings of autobiographical poems by Jäma Jandroković. The text referred to various lovers the poet enjoyed after her divorce.  Judging by the text, she did enjoy them! "On meeting again" was delicate and wistful, whereas "Lovely in his bones" was lively and enjoyed a feeling akin to Jobim's "The girl from Ipanema".

Ms. Brea's generous soprano brought the evening to a brilliant close with Maria Grever's romantic "Te quiero, dijiste", the words of which will make any woman weak in the knees. The song was delivered with full-throated passion but ended on an exquisitely floated final note.

It was a perfect way to end a female-centric program. Among the female singers, composers, and poets, only Heinrich Heine stood out as the lone male. But his poem was about a woman so we will admit him to the sisterhood!

(c) meche kroop

REFLECTIONS ON CLASSIC STORIES--THROUGH A MODERN LENS

Cristina Maria Castro, Isabelle Freeman, Andy Dwan, David M. Sanchez, Carolyn Ramseur, Maria Brea, and Grant Braider

In an impressively short period of time, City Lyric Opera (née A.R.E. Opera) has made a large splash in the pool of boutique opera companies. Led by lovely ladies (Kathleen Spencer and Megan Gillis as Co-Founders and Co-Artistic Directors, with Grace Lazos as Artistic Coordinator), one of the most important part of their mission statement is to put the artist first. When we inquired about how they acquired such an excellent roster of artists, the answer was short--"We pay our singers". Great idea! They deserve it.

Ms. Spencer and Ms. Gillis will be giving a joint recital next month which we will announce on our Facebook Page (Voce di Meche), but tonight they served as narrators for the program. It was a lovely touch but rather unnecessary since the program spoke for itself. The participants, most of whom we have heard before, are as gifted dramatically as they are vocally. The scenes were directed with a sure hand by Mikhaela Mahony, Alexandra Clint, and Helen Heuttner--a gynocentric team for sure!

One aspect of the program which we particularly enjoyed (we do love having our opinions confirmed!) was that opera and musical theater pieces were presented with the same respect. Stephen Sondheim may deny this all he likes, but he has written operas far worthier than some of the pretentious and tuneless trash that some critics fawn over, but which opera lovers may see once but never twice.

"Tonight" from Bernstein's West Side Story opened the program with a bang. We were very taken with Cristina Maria Castro's bright clear soprano when we heard her recently at the City Lyric Opera gala. Tenor David Sanchez is new to us and made a fine impression as Tony falling in love with her Maria. The two artists convincingly portrayed the dawning of love in clearly sung English; they touched our heart.

The lucky Mr. Sanchez got to make love to two women in one evening.  His scene partner in "O soave fanciulla" from Puccini's La Bohême was the marvelous Maria Brea, a soprano we have long admired ever since Martina Arroyo's Prelude to Performance. We would not want to be asked to prefer one love scene over the other. There was not a "false note" in either portrayal of new love. We wished they had been performed consecutively because the first scene put us in a "new love" mood.

A duet of a totally different nature overwhelmed us with its clever dialogue which fit the music perfectly.  "Have a Little Priest" from Sondheim's  Sweeney Todd employs satisfying rhymes, witty beyond measure. The song was done justice by soprano Isabelle Freeman, who struck us as a strong spinto, and baritone Andy Dwan who has a mobile face and body, just right for comedy. It would be an understatement to say we enjoyed the duet immensely.

And what about a duet for two men? From Sondheim's Into the Woods we heard "Agony" in which two "princes charming" lament the unavailability of their love object. The very funny Mr. Dwan was joined by another baritone Grant Braider in this stellar performance. We love the way Sondheim marries short punchy phrases to music--the best way to deal with the rhythms of the English language.

Ms. Freeman as Vitellia was joined by mezzo-soprano Carolyn Ramseur as Sesto in the duet "Come ti piace" from Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito. Until Titus pardons them, they get to raise all kinds of hell-- but with voices this melodious, who could dislike them?

Let us move on to some dazzling solo offerings. We have never been a fan of Tom Cipullo, nor had we ever heard of his opera Mayo.  Some online research revealed that Mayo premiered last month at SUNY Potsdam. We don't know how Ms. Castro got her hands on the score but we loved "Valeria's Aria" which was (gasp!) actually melodic. Come to think of it, it was Ms. Castro who introduced us to some wonderful music at the gala last month. We now consider her our "go-to" for something new and special.

Ms. Brea gave a winning performance of "Depuis le jour" from Charpentier's Louise. Her French was finely rendered and the work was beautifully shaped and dynamically varied. The upward skips were smooth and the line was lovely.

Ms. Ramseur made a fine showing in the "Composer's Aria" from Richard Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos. The phrase "Musik ist eine heilige Kunst" could have been the theme for the entire evening. The German was clearly enunciated and the aria was delivered with just the right degree of passion.

Ms. Freeman got to show her stuff in "Tacea la notte placida" from Verdi's Il Trovatore. This is a large voice with interesting overtones and a lot of what financial analysts would call "upside potential". We liked the vibrato, the dynamic variety, and the Italianate legato. We loved the contrasting cabaletta.

Mr. Braider's solo was "Hai gia vinta la causa", Count Almaviva's aria from Mozart's Nozze di Figaro. The vocal qualities were excellent and what we'd like to see, to take the performance to the next level, would be to witness the inner workings of the Count's mind on his face. He's a rather dense character and he's trying to put 2 and 2 together but only comes up with 3 1/2. We in the audience need to be able to laugh at his benightedness.

Mr. Sanchez' solo was "Dein ist mein ganzes Herz" from Franz Lehar's Das Land des Lächelns. He began in good German and switched to English for the final verse, a nice move we thought.

What evening is complete without a little cabaret? Mr. Dwan performed a pair of songs by William Bolcom, putting a very fey and very ironic spin on "Amor", and then told the tale of poor "George".

The famous Act III quartet from La Bohême is often heard on programs whenever you have a tenor, a baritone, and two sopranos.  We almost always enjoy it but last night was one of the best we've heard. The contrast between the reconciling Mimi and Rodolfo and the embattled Musetta and Marcello was not only well-delineated vocally but also dramatically, due to some fine direction.

We also liked the direction for the closing number--the "Habanera" from Bizet's Carmen. Ms. Ramseur changed out of her male "drag" and appeared in a sexy gown, seducing with her voice and body. The rest of the cast was onstage, acting as chorus. It was a swell way to bring the evening to a close.

Music Director Jeremy Chan's contributions to the evening were significant. We particularly noticed his artistry in the Verdi and the Puccini. He found an entire orchestra within the piano!

City Lyric Opera is a company to watch with many interesting activities both educational and entertaining. Do visit their web site for more information--www.citylyricopera.org.

(c) meche kroop

CELEBRATING GIVING TUESDAY WITH CITY LYRIC OPERA

Kathleen Spencer and Megan Gillis of New York Lyric Opera

We celebrated "Giving Tuesday" with the two lovely ladies who founded one of our favorite boutique opera companies--City Lyric Opera.  Executive Directors Megan Gillis and Kathleen Spencer have a highly focused goal and have accomplished a great deal in the two years of their existence.

They began as A.R.E. Opera, making opera Accessible, Relatable, and Enjoyable. Their company is artist-centric; obviously when the artist feels free to express him/herself, the audience will respond in kind.

Let us just say that everything they have initiated in their brief two years has been of the highest quality.  All reviews are archived in case you haven't read them. We particularly enjoyed their Cenerentola and their L'elisir d'amore.  In all of their performances, there seemed to be no distance between artist and audience member.

Last night was a perfect illustration of their ethos. It was a salon held in a glamorous Upper West Side home attended by an elite group of opera lovers who sipped champagne in between sets of performances by four delightful young singers. The accepting environment was one which invited these artists to experiment with new material, as well as to entertain with confidence. Two of them were known to us and greatly admired and two were new to us.

Soprano Maria Brea has been a subject of our writing for quite some time; we love watching young artists grow and mature. We were thrilled to have a second hearing of "Me llaman la primorosa" from the zarzuela El Barbero de Sevilla, composed at the turn of the 20th c. by Gerónimo Giménez and Manuel Nieto. It had its premiere in Madrid.

This comic zarzuela concerns a young Spanish girl who wants an operatic career and in this aria she is auditioning for the role of Rosina and gets to be adorably over the top. Ms. Brea nailed it with her fine technique and expressivity.

Perhaps it was coincidence and perhaps it was planned but the other lovely young soprano performing at the gala, heretofore unknown to us, performed Adele's "Audition Aria" from Johann Straus II's Die Fledermaus. Cristina Maria Castro has a bright coloratura soprano and she clearly enjoyed portraying all the different characters that Adele was putting on display. We prefer this aria performed in German but must admit that the translation was excellent.

We regret never having seen David Yazbek's 2010 musical Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, adapted from the Almodóvar film of the same name.  Judging by "Model Behavior", sung in the show by Candela, it must have been wildly entertaining. Ms. Castro delivered the frantic monologue in rapid-fire fashion and we are determined to acquire a copy of the score.

We got to see another side of Ms. Brea in Despina's aria from Mozart's Cosi fan tutte--"Una donna a quindici anni". Her worldly wise character gets to instruct her young mistresses on how to deal with men.  Ms. Brea has just the right sound and personality to get the aria across.

Jordan Rutter is a countertenor who seems to be a William Bolcom specialist. His delivery of "George" was wry and heartbreaking. We loved his ironic delivery of "Toothbrush Time" which we'd never heard sung by a man; but it made perfect sense--much more than "Amor" which we think sounds better sung by a female singer.

New to us was baritone Grant Braider who gave an outstanding performance of Hugo Wolf's "Abschied", investing with high drama this tale of dealing justly with a critic. (We hope he won't kick us down the stairs!) From this one short lied, Mr. Braider created an opera scene!

He also sang a song of his own composition called "Who Cooks for You?" which had some finely drawn details of life, and "The Boss Poem" which we might have appreciated more if pianist Kanae Matsumoto had tailored her vigorous playing style to the size of the room.

It was a delightful evening and a lovely opportunity to connect with like-minded folk who appeared to enjoy the performances as much as we did.

We refer you to www.citylyricopera.org to learn more about the company's mission and their exciting season. One event we are sure of is the December 12th evening of opera scenes which we plan to review. We hope we will be hearing some of tonight's artists on that program.

(c) meche kroop

CANTAMOS!

Cantanti Project at United Palace of Cultural Arts

One would think that a rainy Monday evening would be a good time to stay home with a good book or "Netflix and chill". Not in our book!  It was the perfect time to spend a couple hours with Cantanti Project, a group we always enjoy. Last night's recital was just about the best evening this wonderful group of artists has scheduled and a real highlight of the season, one we wouldn't have missed for the world.

The program was entirely in Spanish, a language we love for its singability, which rivals that of Italian, and its emphasis on love in all its varied manifestations. The works we heard--some familiar and some new to us--spanned several centuries (from the 17th c. Baroque to the present time) and several genres (opera, art song, zarzuela, folk songs, popular songs). We agree with Steven Blier of New York Festival of Song that no one genre surpasses another. Good songs stand on equal footing no matter what genre they belong to. The songs on last night's program originated in Spain and in the Nuevo Mundo.

The program was like a string of pearls or precious gems; we will not have time or space to cover them all so, dear reader, allow us to focus on the few that made the most intense impression.

Soprano Maria Brea performed "Me llaman la primarosa" from the zarzuela El barbero de Sevilla, a "meta" work about a company producing the Rossini opera. Her lively personality filled out the song and her bright and sizable instrument soared to the upper reaches of the lavish lobby of the United Palace of Cultural Arts, filling the space with overtones. Her flirtatious character shares some qualities with Musetta but is less arrogant. There were vocal fireworks aplenty with trills, swooping scales and prolonged vocalises. We loved the part in which the piano of Principal Music Advisor William Lewis echoed the motif of the vocal part.

Tenor Mario Arévalo possesses a praiseworthy sound, augmented by fine technique and a warm presence that invites you into his sound-world. Although we enjoyed the forceful popular song from his homeland El Salvador, we were most impressed by his romantic delivery of the art song "A ti" composed by Colombian Jaime León. Although it is a product of the 20th c. there is no shortage of melodic movement and Mr. Arévalo invested it with lots of romantic warmth, fullness of tone, dynamic variety, and depth of feeling.

Mezzo-soprano Linda Collazo showed off her strength in the lower register in "La borrachita de amor" a Baroque song by Spaniard Sebastián Durón and her story-telling skills in the tender Ecuadorian folk song "Yaravi", to which she gave a poignant ending.

Yet another Andean folk song, "Triste", arranged by Argentinean Alberto Ginastera, was beautifully interpreted by soprano Marisa Karchin. This is a lament that begins and ends with a vocalise and Ms. Karchin sang it with a lovely vibrato and spun out the ending to a wispy pianissimo.  Magical!

Lyric coloratura soprano Joyce Yin, Artistic Director of Cantanti Project, used her artistry to interpret "El Viaje Definitivo", a meditation on death by 20th c. Puerto Rican composer Ernesto Cordero. She gave a stunning a cappella introduction and finale, accompanied by guitarist George Benton England.

For a taste of humor we enjoyed mezzo-soprano Heather Jones' lively performance of Joaquin Rodrigo's "En Jerez de la Frontera", the tale of a faithful wife who rejects the advances of an importuning suitor. We never knew that the composer of so many beloved works for symphony and guitar also wrote art songs!

We thought we knew all about Pablo Sorozábal's zarzuela La taberna del puerto but we didn't know the song "Despierta Negro", a warning to the black man to watch out for the white man who would enslave him. Bass-baritone Jonathan Z. Harris sang it with clear intent and round deep tone.

There were some stunning duets, of which our favorite was "Niñas que a vender flores" from Francisco Asenjo Barbieri's zarzuela Los diamantes de la corona. Accompanied by Mr. Lewis, the voices of Ms. Karchin and Ms. Collazo blended in perfect harmony.

There were several baroque selections on the program which were accompanied by Dorian Baroque, comprising a pair of violins, harpsichord, cello, and the always impressive theorbo. Maestro Dylan Sauerwald conducted from the harpsichord.

We could go on and on about the other selections but we hope, dear reader, that we have given you a little taste of everything on this lavish musical buffet which had something for everyone's taste.  We hope we have tempted you to join Cantanti Project for some of their future events. We ourself are looking forward to Händel's Teseo coming up in the Spring.

(c) meche kroop