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!

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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!

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PUENTES SI! MUROS NO!

Pablo Zinger, Linda Collazo, Maria Brea, and Shaina Martinez

At a time when our country has become divided over so many issues, it is especially valuable spending time on Planet Opera where the population unites to celebrate beauty, talent, and artistry.

Last night we celebrated Latin American vocal music with Voces Unidas: Por un mundo en armonía, a worthy organization founded by Maria Brea, Linda Collazo, and Cynthia López Pérez, that provides the community with charitable events and includes artists from several different Latin American countries. Voces Unidas donated 75% of the proceeds to Raíces, a non-profit organization that provides legal services for families that are separated.

The superb vocal artistry we heard included songs both serious and "popular" (whatever that means); the program was punctuated by brief examples from the singers outlining how their families came to the United States, often impoverished, and how they thrived here, producing children who have achieved success and recognition in many fields, not just the field of music.

Long before this concert we had felt nothing but anger towards those political forces that would keep refugee families from entering and would separate children from their parents. Singers speculated about what a loss there would have been if those draconian measures had been applied to their own families. Our nation was different then and we hope that we will return to the former welcoming condition as soon as we can effect a political change.

As far as the singers and the songs, we have nothing but a glowing report  to offer.  Every song was so affecting that we are unable to choose our favorites. The one quality that we observed in every singer was an intense dedication to the music, without extraneous or artificial effects. There was a way of honoring the composer and the lyricist that had us feeling the same intensity that the singer appeared to be feeling.

María Brea, who comes  from the slums of Venezuela, used her charming personality to bring to life the lyrics of "Me llaman la primorosa" from the zarzuela El barbero de Sevilla by Gerónimo Jiménez. There was a subtle change of mood in the central section announced by the piano, which was in the good hands (so to speak) of Pablo Zinger. We heard some lovely descending scale passages and a lengthy vocalise when words were insufficient to portray the feelings.

The popular "Bésame mucho" by Consuelo Velázquez required the blending of a bit of chest voice without any loss of classical technique and was given a jazzy piano accompaniment.

Ms. Brea also sang a duet with Ms. Collazo, "Niñas que a vender flores"  that delighted us with its delicious harmonies. The composer, Francisco Asenjo Barbieri, wrote this zarzuela, Los Diamantes de la corona in the 19th c., our favorite period.

We also got to hear Ms. Collazo sing "Nana", the beautiful lullaby written by Manuel de Falla as part of Siete Canciones Populares Españolas, and what a lovely tender reading she gave it!  We experienced a completely different side of her artistry as she performed "Tango de la Menegilda" from Federico Chueca and Joaquín Valverde Senior's La gran via, in which she portrayed a female thief with a winning personality.

We were somewhat less than enthusiastic about the performance of the "Habanera" from Bizet's Carmen. The problem was not with the singing but rather with the piano arrangement provided by Mr. Zinger, "in the style of Astor Piazzola". This would have been very entertaining on its own, as would have been Ms. Collazo's singing; the problem was the disjunction between the piano and the voice; there was no support for the vocal line.  We might call this an interesting experiment that failed.

Shaina Martinez is another singer of great gifts. From a Peruvian background, she offered a song in Quechua, a language spoken by her abuela. Peruvian composer Theodoro Valcárcel wrote "Allqamari kanki" in the early 20th c. and the words and music fell lightly on the ear.

On the more familiar end of the spectrum, she sang Augustín Lara's  "Granada" with arresting expressiveness and a beautifully expanding upper register. She must adore this song because it seemed to come right from the heart.  The same intensity was applied to  "Hija del amor" from the zarzuela Cecilia Valdés, by the 20th c. Cuban composer Gonzalo Roig.

Two excellent singers from the Boston Conservatory did not make the curtain call because they had to get back to Boston. But the two made a fine impression with their performances.   

Cynthia López Pérez performed "Somewhere" from Bernstein's West Side Story.  Informed by the rest of the program, this song acquired a new significance as we  thought about finding a place for refugees.  Significantly, this artist's family comes from  the  Texas/Mexican border.  Down with walls!

Her performance of  "De mi amor" from Felipe Villanueva's  Keofar  revealed  a beautifully free and full upper register.

We were astonished to learn that the terrific tenor on  the  program,  Daniel Lugo, is only 20 years old!    Short of years but tall of talent , he dazzled our ears  with the oft performed "No puede ser"  from Pablo  Sorozábal's La taberna del puerto.  He further delighted us with the popular Mexican song  "Estrellita" by Manuel Ponce.  It is so exciting to hear a singer of such promise at a very early stage of his career.  

All of the singers we heard are under 30!   Very impressive indeed!  The program ended with María  Grever's "Júrame", sung by Ms. Brea, Ms. Collazo, and Ms. Martinez in perfect harmony. And that's what it's all about!

We hope there will be more recitals to come!

© meche kroop

LATIN AMERICAN ART SONG

José Meléndez and Maya Hoover in an ASPS recital at Manhattan School of Music

This has been the week in which Manhattan School of Music hosts The Art Song Preservation Society, a week of master classes and recitals, culminating in The Mary Trueman Vocal Competition Finals taking place today at 1:00.

Regular readers will recall our affection for Spanish music. We are always glad when a recitalist includes a Spanish language set on his or her program, but it is always the same few offerings.  Imagine an entire recital given over to the songs of Latin America! Heretofore, only Steven Blier and his New York Festival of Song has "dared" to make much of Latin American art songs.

Last night, as part of this exciting week of art song, we enjoyed a program comprising art songs from all over Latin America. In case you are wondering what the attraction is for us, it is partly the beauty of the language with its pure vowels, and partly because the composers in Latin America managed to escape from the dictates of 20th c. academia that have crippled North American music with atonality and absence of melody.

We strongly believe that it is melody that involves our hearts. It tickles our ears, enters our brains, makes us want to hum or sing or whistle. That is why Carmen and Barber of Seville are such popular operas.  People take something home with them. From modern music, all we take home is irritability!

Now we will step down from our soapbox and tell you how wonderful it was to hear songs from Argentina, Bolivia, and Cuba (the ABC's of Latin America), not to leave out Mexico and Brazil and Puerto Rico.

Mezzo-soprano Maya Hoover and her collaborative pianist José Meléndez have been performing together for twenty years and have that trust and comfort with one another so necessary for a successful performance. Ms. Hoover has written the book on this art form!  It is called Guide to the Latin American Art Song Repertoire: An Annotated Catalog of Twentieth-Century Art Songs for Voice and Piano. So of course the songs on the program were well curated.

The songs we heard melded influences of European, African, and Indigenous peoples. We believe to truly appreciate this music, one should know about the history of each country. We are just beginners and not yet able to discriminate one nation's style from another. But that didn't prevent us from enjoying the melodic music.

We particularly enjoyed the piano parts, since Mr. Meléndez gave voice to so many colorful elements. In Argentina's Carlos Guastavino's "Cita", we could hear the chirping of crickets! (Europe mas have their nightingales, but Latin America has crickets, LOL).

In Cuba's Gisela Hernández' "Mi corazón lo trajo el mar", we heard the strumming of a guitar. At other times, we heard interesting arpeggi, simple chordal accompaniment, or repeated folk motifs. 

The vocal lines were invariably lovely and Ms. Hoover is a gifted storyteller. Some texts were puzzling or surreal, but for the most part they were direct and accessible. Guastavino's "Balada" was a familiar tale of lost love. 

From Bolivia, we heard "Brisas del lago" by Emilio Guttiérez Illanes, which had the character of a folk dance. The tenderness of Eduardo Caba's "Kapuri"  was followed by "Kori Killa", his frisky paean to a sweetheart. Here, Quechua terms were included and reminded us of a trip to Cuetzalan in Mexico where the priest adopted Nahuatl attire and had a Nahuatl woman leading the Mass in that language.

Narciso Figueroa of Puerto Rico gave us the romantic "Madrugada" and the mournful "Muerta" and our favorite song of the evening--"Vida criolla", a simple song about a simple life, told with strong rhythmic accents. 

The Brazilian composer Alberto Nepomuceno studied voice to achieve a better understanding of how to write for it. We just wrote two days ago how we wished more composers would do just that! His "Corração triste" showed evidence of this study and was one of our favorites. 

Hernández' "Romancillo", a setting of text by Federico Garcia Lorca was another favorite of ours. The text was simple and to the point and the piano writing was spare and effective.

Mexican composers included in the program were Agustín Lara and the famous María Grever. Lara's song "Arráncame la vida" taught us a new word!  We believe that "arrabal" is equivalent to our "bridge and tunnel people". 

We loved Grever's "Te quiero dijiste", of which the lyricism belies the sadness underneath.

The program ended with "La comparsa" by the famous Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona in which Ms. Hoover accompanied her singing with claves. The rhythmic complexity of the piano was only enhanced!

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OPERA NEW YORK-- WITH HEART

Michael Pilafian, Elena Heimur, Edgar Jaramillo, Judith Fredricks, Veronica Loiacono, and Roberto Borgatti

Judith Fredricks continues to bring Opera New York, her small but very artistic company, to new venues. To the Sacred Heart Church in the heart of Hell's Kitchen, she has brought plenty of heart to a new audience that thronged the church for an evening of Latin American song and French opera.

The capstone of the evening was a performance of all the memorable arias and duets written by Georges Bizet for Carmen, his 1875 masterpiece, which debuted at the Opera Comique.  All the spoken dialogue of the original was omitted and Judith Fredricks herself narrated the story with Spanish translation provided by a charming bilingual young woman -- all for the advantage of the Spanish speaking members of the congregation.

This was a fine idea, keeping the evening to a length and intensity that would draw in people who were unfamiliar with the opera but would have recognized the major numbers. The other fine idea was to have the singers costume themselves in a fashion that was suggestive of the time and place and to act out their roles.  "Park and bark" never won any converts!

Ms. Fredricks has assembled a core group of singers that have dramatic chops as well as vocal artistry. Soprano Veronica Loiacono has all the right stuff for Carmen and showed the gypsy's seductive, manipulative, and defiantly headstrong character.  This wouldn't be the first time we heard a soprano tackle this role, usually consigned to a mezzo-soprano. She was missing nothing in the "Habanera" and the "Seguidilla". She was able to show different aspects of her personality when she beguiled Don Jose and when she related to Escamillo.

As Micaela, the gentle country girl Don Jose is supposed to marry, soprano Elena Heimur left nothing to be desired. Her duet with Don Jose was tender and moving. The way she steeled her character in the mountain scene "Je dis que rien ne m'epouvante" was impressive.

We loved seeing how tenor Edgar Jaramillo has expanded his emotional range beyond Mr.Nice Guy and he handled Don Jose's outburst of rage toward Escamillo in a violent confrontation that had us holding our breath. Similarly we felt right along with him as he pleaded with Carmen in the final scene and then stabbed her, cradling her body and showing his remorse. His vocal colors have expanded in tandem with his emotional range. He demonstrated just how besotted he'd become toward Carmen in the aria "La fleur que tu m'avais jetee".

As Escamillo, baritone Roberto Borgatti has also shown a great deal of vocal growth and did justice to the "Toreador Song" which had the audience enthralled. It must be difficult for such a modest artist to don the mantle (in this case, a cape) of arrogance but that's what good acting is all about.

We suspect that Ms. Fredricks herself was responsible for directing and staging, although there was no printed program. Michael Pilafian accompanied on the piano and played the score brilliantly and powerfully.

As an added bonus there was a seasoned flamenco dancer twirling his cape and performing the vibrant footwork that let us know that we were indeed in Seville.

There was also a lovely parade of songs in Spanish which seemed just right for Cinco de Mayo and the mostly Latin American audience. Mr. Borgatti gave a full throated rendition of "Amapola", a popular song from a century ago. He also joined Ms. Loiacono for an Argentine tango--Carlos Gardel's "El dia que me quieras". 

Ms. Loiacono hails from Argentina herself; she was just as fine in her duet with Mr. Jaramillo--"El Gato Montes" from the 1916 zarzuela by Manuel Moreno Penella.  The work achieved great popularity in Spain and also in el Nuevo Mundo. The harmonies were lovely and there was passion to spare.

She also had a lovely solo in Maria Grever's "Jurame".  So many lovely songs have come from Mexico!

Ms. Heimur offered the lovely "Estrellita" which was written by Manuel Ponce a century ago; it is often considered a folk song perhaps because Mr. Ponce failed to copyright it. In any case, this lovelorn lady wishing upon a star is charming in both text and melody.

We particularly enjoyed "La rosa y el sauce", the sad tale of a willow who loved a rose which was picked by a girl, leaving the willow to weep. The song was written by Argentinian composer Carlos Guastavino and beautifully sung by Ms. Heimur.

The final song in this group was the bitter "No puede ser" from Pablo Sorozabal's wonderful 1936 zarzuela La Taberna del Puerto. Mr. Jaramillo once again expanded his vocal artistry and dramatic reach.

It was wonderful to witness a new audience come to a church on a Friday night and have such a fine time. The response was enthusiastic.  This is not the only company to do outreach in neighborhoods but we always appreciate the creation of new audiences. The Sacred Heart Church provides a fine home for Opera New York with its beautiful cavernous space and lively acoustics. We suspect this audience will return for more.

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THE LADIES OF LATIN AMERICA AND THEIR MUSIC

Compositora: Songs by Latin American Women

We love the sound of Spanish with its pure vowels and were glad to hear that Maestro Steven Blier was programming a New York Festival of Song evening of songs by Latin American women. All the music was fine but we never got to hear a single canción from a zarzuela, the Latin American equivalent of operetta. It suddenly dawned on us that perhaps there are no zarzuelas written by women. Let's put that on our wish list, if we are not a century too late!

We did get to hear some fine artists including two excellent singers recently graduated from the San Francisco Opera Adler Fellowship program, a world class guitarist, a guitarist making his New York recital debut, as well as two excellent percussionists. We even witnessed pianist Michael Barrett playing a gourd shaped Latin American percussion instrument that we cannot name. 

These women composers led interesting lives, overcoming barriers both political and social to achieve fame. They were born all over Central and South America but many of them received their musical education in diverse countries. The program notes were fascinating.  

Some of the music was of a serious nature, utilizing the poetry of Garcia Lorca, for example. But the music we most enjoyed comprised settings of simple romantic poetry that rhymed and scanned. We loved the tuneful "La Casita" by Dolores Castegnaro, who wrote both words and music; soprano Maria Valdés turned the simple ditty into an operatic aria. Ms. Valdés has a fine instrument and a most expressive way of telling a story.

Baritone Efrain Solis used his mellow voice and impassioned delivery in Maria Grever's "Júrame", one of the few songs that we have heard before. Ms. Grever also wrote both lyrics and music.  Similarly, Ernestina Lecuona (sister of the famous Ernesto Lecuona) wrote both lyrics and music to the wonderful "Sólo a ti te quiero"; for this piece, Mr. Solis was accompanied by the renowned Pancho Navarro, whose guitar playing showed evidence of serious study of many genres.

We always enjoy duets and particularly enjoyed the harmonies of "Como la cigarra" in which the composer Maria Elena Walsh, also writing both text and music, describes the life of a survivor. We are noticing a pattern here of favoring composers who wrote their own lyrics. Hmmm.

Percussion for the evening was provided by Leonardo Granados and Jeremy Smith. Guitarist Brendan Cowan made a most auspicious debut on the stage of Merkin Hall, accompanying Mr. Solis'performance of the beautiful song "Enquanto a noite durar"

by Brazilian composer Clarice Assad who was present for the performance.

We were delighted with the encore--Maria Grever's "Tipitipitin".

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