NEW CAMERATA OPERA GALA

 Erik Bagger, Eva Parr, Jaclyn Randazzo, Barbara Porto, Kristin Renée Young, Victor Khodadad, Stan Lacy, and Scott Lindroth

We first encountered New Camerata Opera at its inception in 2016 and have never been disappointed in their work. That's quite a claim! We have followed small companies with their ups and downs and have also watched some that have ignited and then died out due to poor management and/or poor artistic decisions.  But NCO seems to do everything right and always leaves us with a smile on our face.

Last night we attended their annual gala at a sky high tower in mid-Manhattan. Even that glorious view did not distract us from the excellent entertainment, nor did the bountiful food and drinks and stylish enthusiastic crowd. After a warm welcome and the introduction of the engaging Phillip Bettencourt, the new Board Chairman, we were treated to a generous program of our favorites from the opera canon, sung by long-standing company members, soprano Barbara Porto, mezzo-soprano Eva Parr, tenors Erik Bagger and Victor Khodadad, baritones Stan Lacy and Scott Lindroth, as well as two most welcome newcomers-- sopranos Jaclyn Randazzo and Kristin Renée Young. 

What joy to see the company growing and taking on ambitious new projects. Guests received advance notice of a production for next autumn of Puccini's Il Tabarro and Gianni Schicchi. How ironic that we just reviewed Juilliard Opera's production of two parts of the same trilogy.

With our preference for opera of the 18th and 19th c. we were delighted to enjoy a program comprised most of our favorites from Mozart to Mascagni. It is difficult to choose our favorites; we went from one high to another. 

Let us begin with what impressed us about the newcomers. Ms. Randazzo made an impressive Fiordiligi, tackling "Come scoglio" from Mozart's Cosi fan tutte (and winning the game) with brilliant high notes and the well executed leaps for which the aria is notorious. Ms. Young gave Norina's "Quel guardo, il cavaliere" from Donizetti's Don Pasquale an exemplary interpretation, filled with fine fioritura. The runs were cleanly delivered and the trills were thrilling.

The final tragic duet from Bizet's Carmen was performed in the middle of the scattered audience making everyone feel like attendees at the bullfight shuddering at the spectacle of a woman being done in just like the bull. Ms. Parr and Mr. Bagger left us shaken, in contrast with the production we saw last August in Santa Fe that left us shrugging with indifference. The curious part is that we didn't have a couple hours to build up feelings for the characters. Now how amazing is that!

We haven't seen much of Korngold's Die tote Stadt but we have heard "Pierrot's Tanzlied" many times in concert and we have never enjoyed it as much as we did last night, as performed by Mr. Lacy with persuasive intensity and appropriate gesture, not to mention excellent German diction.

Ms. Porto performed "Oh mio babbino caro" with such involvement and lovely fine vibrato that it was as if heard for the first time, although we just reviewed Puccini's Gianni Schicchi two nights earlier.

Mr. Khodadad and Mr. Lindroth succeeded in limning the characters of Rodolfo and Marcello as they struggle with their ambivalence toward their respective lovers in Puccini's La Bohême. And they did so in perfect harmony.

There was much more to enjoy and we particularly enjoyed the closing. number in which the entire ensemble joined for "Make Our Garden Grow" from Bernstein's Candide. Accompanist for the evening was the excellent Paiwen Chen.

What a rewarding evening! We cannot wait to see what the company does in the fall, especially after hearing how well suited to Puccini they are.

(c) meche kroop

ALL THERE IN BLACK AND WHITE

Victor Khodadad and Barbara Porto

What a completely wonderful evening we had last night at New Camerata Opera's Black and White Gala! Aside from the free flowing bubbly and the interesting food (each dish cleverly named for a New York neighborhood) there was the spacious Open Jar Studio filled with interesting people, all there to support the diverse activities of this growing company.

Not only do they produce operas but they bring the art form into the public schools. In between sets of entertainment, we watched a video of an opera put on for children, something about Peter Rabbit, set to music from Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore. We all hope that exposing children to opera when they are young will create some adults who will "get" it.

The live entertainment emphasized the truth of one of our beliefs--that American musical theater, performed by good unamplified voices, can stand up successfully to opera. After all, in the 19th c. opera was a popular art form--entertainment, if you will. People went to the opera for the melodies and to see their favorite performers! We are waiting for contemporary composers to create works with melodies, works that we will want to see again and again.

So, going back to the 20th c. we had some great works by Rodgers and Hammerstein, and by Lerner and Loewe--works that still enchant us today. Speaking of enchantment, we loved the warm tone of baritone Stan Lacy singing "Some Enchanted Evening" from Rodgers and Hammersteins' perennial hit South Pacific.

Tenor Victor Khodadad and soprano Barbara Porto enchanted us equally in "People Will Say We're in Love" from the same team's other hit Oklahoma. Ms. Porto has a particular gift for American Musical Theater as evidenced by her winning performance of "I Could Have Danced All Night" from Lerner and Loewe's My Fair Lady. She joined again with Mr. Khodadad for "Tonight" from Bernstein's West Side Story.

We have no intention of giving opera short shrift here; it's just that we wanted to make a point. The NCO singers switched back and forth, further emphasizing the similarities.

Everyone loves the quartet from the final act of Verdi's Rigoletto and we never tire of hearing it. Last night the role of the eponymous court jester was performed by baritone Scott Lindroth, comforting his daughter Gilda (sung by Ms. Porto) whilst the licentious Duke (sung by Mr. Khodadad) was busy seducing the half resistant/half seducible Maddalena (performed by mezzo-soprano Julia Tang).

Tenor Erik Bagger exhibited a fine command of Russian in his performance of Lensky's famous aria "Kuda, kuda vi udalilis" reminding us of how thoroughly we enjoy Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin and how deeply felt this aria is.

From Pietro Mascagni's realismo opera Cavalleria Rusticana, the chilling aria "Ah! Lo vedi!", in which Santuzza confronts Turridu, was given a passionate performance by Mr. Bagger and soprano Eva Parr.

Taking us into the early 20th c. with "Pierrot's Tanzlied" from Erich Wolfgang Korngold's Die tote Stadt was Mr.Lacy who ended the aria with the most exquisite diminuendo. This is an opera we have yet to see but it is high on our wish list.

Speaking of our wish list, NCO will be presenting a zarzuela next month! As our readers may recall, this is a musical form that is dear to our heart and we are totally twitterpated about it. El Barbero de Sevilla, by Giménez and Nieto with libretto by Palacios and Perrín, will be performed with dialogue in English and songs sung in Spanish. Pablo Zinger, Mr. Zarzuela himself, has reduced the score for chamber orchestra.

The superb accompanist last night was Eric Sedgwick whose 10 fingers on the piano made almost as much music as an orchestra.

We would like to end by relating how the two young women at our table, opera newbies both, had as much fun as we did. It's exciting young companies like NCO that will draw young people into the world of opera.

© meche kroop

MORE #METOO

Scott Lindroth, Amelia Hensley, Helena Brown, Andrew Dwan, Allison Gish, Victor Khodadad,
Julia Tang, and Barbara Porto

Social movements generally take a while to get off the ground and then, it seems, they reach critical mass and dominate the conversation. In the past ten days we have reviewed a half-dozen operas with the theme of women suffering from egregious male misbehavior-- being intimidated by male power and made to feel guilty for male lust. We will indeed be overjoyed when this situation is eliminated. New Camerata Opera has joined the movement with an excellent realization of The Rape of Lucretia.

The Rape of Lucretia was composed by Britten as one of a group of chamber operas written in the impoverished post-World War II period when faith and funds were in equally short supply in Great Britain. The libretto by Ronald Duncan is prosy, declamatory, filled with special pleadings for Christianity, and marked by poetic metaphors--some of which were lovely, i.e. "Thirsty evening has drunk the wine of light". Others were more obscure. There wasn't much in the way of vocal line to appreciate.

Serving as narrators of the story were Victor Khodadad and the powerful soprano Helena Brown. In a masterstroke by Stage Director Bea Goodwin, a "silent" narrator, in the person of actor Amelia Hensley, "doubled" the role of Lucretia; she enacted the words in American Sign Language, thus driving home the point of women being silenced. We wondered how the expressive Ms. Hensley co-ordinated her signing with the dialogue and learned that there were titles projected toward the stage as well as toward the audience.

We might mention right now that the English was so clearly enunciated that titles were uncharacteristically redundant. We would also like to mention that the female members of the cast learned enough ASL to incorporate some signing as gestures whilst singing. We have only a slight familiarity with ASL but enough to recognize a few of their signs and to know of their legitimacy. We found this to be extraordinarily powerful and quite compelling, adding to their expressivity.

The story is reported rather differently in various historical sources but is thought to take place around 500 B.C.E. A group of soldiers, fueled by resentment, alcohol and testosterone, rail against the unfaithfulness of women. Their wives have cuckolded them in their absence; the air is thick with shame.  Only the wife of Collatinus (bass Andrew Dwan) has remained chaste and the others are jealous. The evil Etruscan Prince Tarquinius (baritone Stan Lacy) has no wife, just a bunch of whores.

Egged on by Junius (baritone Scott Lindroth), Tarquinius decides to make a wild late-night ride to Rome to prove Lucretia false. There was an interesting but subtle directorial move here; the urging of conscience takes place in one ear and the urging of lust in the other.

This ride was a highlight of the evening for several reasons. One is the creative use of the cast members to create the image of this mad ride with a violently whipped and furiously galloping horse; the other was the driven music (under the baton of Maestro Justin Bischof) which did not quite equal Richard Wagner's "Ride of the Walkyries" but was exciting in its own right.

When Tarquinius arrives at Collatinus' home, the faithful Lucretia (superb mezzo-soprano Allison Gish) feels intimidated and obliged to offer him hospitality. During the night, he enters her room. Whilst asleep she responds briefly to the rapist, thinking it to be her husband. When she awakes she fights back to no avail. The next morning, mad with shame and guilt, she sends for her husband. He understands and absolves her but she stabs herself.

Adding greatly to the story, by showing the contrast between the men's world of violence and the women's world of peaceful spinning and cultivating flowers, are Lucretia's two companions, her motherly nurse Bianca (mezzo-soprano Julia Tang) and the younger flirtatious Lucia (soprano Barbara Porto). In their spinning scene, the visuals were creative and the melismatic singing gave us an opportunity to appreciate the lovely tonal quality of their instruments.

Like most post-Puccini operas, this one struck us as a "play with music". For our personal taste, the best part of the score was the gentle music played whilst Lucretia slept, emphasizing the harp. Otherwise, the score is dissonant and complex as befits the story. Maestro Bischof conducted the strings of the chamber orchestra on stage right with the winds occupying stage left. Percussion was placed behind the performers.

Luther Frank's set was minimalistic as were Sarah Dixey's costumes. We were far more interested in Ms. Goodwin's effective storytelling and visual imagery, as well as the excellent singing. Photos of the production can be seen on our Facebook page--Voce di Meche.

After three experiences with this opera we acknowledge its powerful message and its relevancy but it will never be in our "Top 100". And yet, we recommend it highly for the originality of this production and its successful execution.

(c) meche kroop

NEW CAMERATA OPERA'S DOUBLE HEADER

Cupid and His Playmates

New Camerata Opera put another feather in their cap with an interesting double bill at the Flea Theater downtown, a comfortable venue just right for the adventuresome program attended by an equally adventuresome audience.

There was an interesting resonance between the two operas--John Blow's 1683 Venus and Adonis and Gustav Holst's 1916 Savitri--that of a woman grieving for the death of her beloved. Strangely enough, the joyful Venus and Adonis ends in tragedy and the somber Savitri has a happy ending.

Blow's opera is considered the earliest English opera and was commissioned for the court of Charles II. The libretto was definitely written by a woman and current thought is that it was the work of Anne Kingsmill Finch.

The joyful aspect was largely created by Director Jennifer Williams' favoring of frolic and fun; Costume Designer Asa Benally's punk/Baroque costumes were filled with whimsy and sparkle. We had a wide smile throughout the entire one-act opera and were hit by a wave of sadness at the tragic ending.

Cupid has accidentally wounded his mother Venus with one of his darts; she promptly falls in love with the handsome youth Adonis. He declines to hunt because he has "already caught the noblest prey". Unlike the myth, in the opera Venus urges him to go on the hunt and he gets gored by a wild boar and dies in her arms.

This simple story has been decked out with very amusing scenes, the best of which involves Cupid giving lessons on love to his students in a classroom setting. We don't always enjoy the current trend for gilding Baroque operas with such fancies but in this case it worked extraordinarily well and we now consider ourself a fan of Ms. Williams and Ms. Benally.

All of this delightful folderol was accompanied by superb musical values.  Conducting from the harpsichord was Music Director Stephan Fillare; the chamber orchestra comprised a string quartet augmented by a pair of flutes who added a great deal to the hunt scene.

Baritone Scott Lindroth made a heroic Adonis with just the right texture to his voice and elegant phrasing; he was particularly effective in his death scene. Lovely soprano Barbara Porto made a perfect Venus, expressing her love through Blow's turns and trills. As Cupid, Julia Cavallaro excelled by means of humor and superb diction. As a Shepherdess, Emily Hughes contributed a sparkly onstage presence and some lovely singing. Biraj Barkakaty  performed the role of the Huntsman.

The superb chorus comprised Brian Alvarado, Angky Budiardjono, Ryan Chavis, Heather Jones, and Mithuna Sivaraman. We loved the way they became a wild boar with a few simple props.

Our quibbles are few. The titles could not be seen due to the lighting and the projections were just distracting and added nothing.  The simple staging utilized three ascending and staggered platforms. School desks were brought on for the lesson scene. All the props were clever and colorful.

Although the audience applauded wildly for Savitri, we found it of less interest.  Holst's instrumental music was evocative and beautifully played by the chamber orchestra with some excellent lines given to the English Horn.

But his awkward libretto amounted to Hindu theological rhetoric (derived from an episode in The Mahabharata) and failed to produce a vocal line of any interest. The awkwardness came from trying to shoehorn the text into the vocal line. This seemed strange since Holst himself wrote the libretto.

Nonetheless, Samina Aslam as the loving wife sang with deep feeling and commitment as she argued with Death (an excellent Angky Budiardjono) for the life of her husband Satyavān (Daniel Ambe).

The vocal lines were declamatory but an evocative atmosphere was created by the orchestra and chorus of death spirits, clad in black (Julia Cavallaro, Emily Hughes, Heather Jones, and Mithuna Sivaraman) creating interesting and lovely harmonies. 

Again, the only quibbles were the illegible titles and the distracting projections.

There are repeat performances Saturday night at 7:30 and Sunday at 2:00. We highly recommend this opportunity to hear two rarely produced works.

(c) meche kroop

IT'S ALL BLACK AND WHITE

A very gala Black and White Gala presented by New Camerata Opera

Song, food, and drink in abundance made for a delightful evening in which we celebrated the many fine activities of New Camerata Opera. Survival of small opera companies is a challenge and throwing a party is an effective means of raising funds to support an upcoming season.

Attendees were wined and dined and royally entertained in a well chosen program. What a perfect opening number was sung by mezzo-soprano Julia Tang--"Ah! quel diner!", a spirited song sung by the eponymous La Périchole from Jacques Offenbach's opera bouffe. The closing number was "Intanto Amici, Qua...Viva Il Vino Spumeggiante" from the scene in Mamma Lucia's wine shop--a lively celebration preceding the tragic ending. The entire cast joined voices in song.

In between the beginning and ending, we had ample exposure to the talents of this adventuresome company, just beginning their third season. The program was interrupted by two intermissions so that audience members could feast and socialize--a very agreeable way to spend an evening.

Soprano Barbara Porto was joined by tenor Erik Bagger for "Parigi, o cara" from the final act of Verdi's La Traviata in which Violetta and Alfredo give way to false hopes before her tragic demise. Lily Arbisser then did justice to the role of Mimi in Puccini's La Bohême with tenor Victor Khodadad as her Rodolfo in "Dunque: è proprio finite!", another sad scene in which the two Bohemians plan their breakup.  Meanwhile Musetta (the versatile Ms. Porto) is having a knock down drag out fight with Marcello (Scott Lindroth).

We were more than ready for something lighthearted at that point and enjoyed two baritones singing "Largo al factotum" from Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Stan Lacy and Mr. Lindroth performed this tag team delight, mingling with the audience and even setting up one of the guests for a shave! We are sure that Rossini would have loved it too!

Mr. Khodadad performed "Ella mi fu rapita!...Parmi veder le lagrime" from Verdi's Rigoletto, the aria in which the degenerate Duke laments the kidnapping of his latest conquest, the innocent Gilda, not knowing that he will shortly have access to her.

Again, the intensity was relieved by some humor.  Mr. Khodadad availed himself of music from Mozart's Cosi fan tutte and created an opera for children based on the fairy tale Rumpelstiltskin. He was bound together with Mr. Lacy in another dual performance, with Nicole Leone taking the role of the Princess. It is notable that New Camerata Opera distinguishes itself from the many small opera companies in New York by bringing opera for children into schools and libraries, thus fostering the development of new audiences of the future.

Another interesting project of NCO is commissioning short works for showing on You Tube, one of which we had the pleasure of seeing last night--"Memories" by Charles Ives, featuring Mr. Lacy.

Mezzo-soprano Eva Parr made a fine Carmen with Mr. Bagger as her Don Jose in the final scene from the Bizet opera. Are my readers noticing a theme  here? So many tragic heroines in one night!

All of the scenes were accompanied by the fine pianist Erik Sedgwick. Everyone sang well and we couldn't help noticing how attentive the audience was, in spite of the free-flowing wine and cocktails. The evening didn't end until the results of the silent auction were announced and everyone left with all their senses satisfied.

The upcoming season will include a double bill of Gustav Holst's Sävitri and Blow's Venus and Adonis, offering opera lovers a rare opportunities to expand their taste. Britten's Rape of Lucretia will be directed by Brittany Goodwin whose work we always admire. And readers with children are urged to look for Rumpelstiltskin, since, as we know, listening to Mozart will make your children more intelligent!  Furthermore, you will find some compelling entries on You Tube, produced by NCO's in-house film studio; watch out for The Prince von Pappenschmear!

© meche kroop

TRISKAIDEKAPHILIA

Erik Bagger, Barbara Porto, Director Desiree Alejandro, Caroline Tye, and Maestro Whitney George

Don't feel bad if you didn't know the meaning of the title of New Camerata Opera's show--Triskaidekaphilia. We had to look it up ourselves; it means "obsession with the number thirteen". This was quite appropriate since the show opened on Friday the 13th. We regret to inform you that if you weren't there this weekend you missed one helluva show.

The stated mission of New Camerata Opera is "to engage, to excite, and educate through immersive performances that break down barriers and inspire the fans of the future". This goal was achieved 101%. The guest we invited was as new to opera as we are experienced and we both appreciated it equally. Just seeing a house packed with millennials brought joy to our heart. 

What we experienced surely represents the future of opera--an immersive experience, up front and personal, intensely involving, and ultimately satisfying. The enthusiasm of the audience gives proof of the accomplishment of the stated mission.

We have seen Gian Carlo Menotti's one-act opera The Medium several times but found enhanced emotional resonance in this staging by Director Desire Alejandro. We may as well have been one of Madame Flora's deluded clients, so involved were we with the onstage action.

Here's the story in case you don't know it. For years Madame Flora has run phony seances and taken money from believers desperate to contact their dearly departed loved ones.  To this purpose she has enlisted the services of her daughter Monica and a mute Hungarian gypsy boy named Toby whom she rescued from the streets.  While "under the influence" she begins to hallucinate the "ghosts" and blames Toby.  She becomes fearful and then hysterical with tragic results.  

We attributed her fear of ghosts to a combination of guilt and alcohol but our guest believed the story to be one of supernatural revenge in the face of her deceit, exploitation, and greed. A brief chat with Ms. Alejandro was valuable.  She pointed out that Madame Flora had probably survived all kinds of evils in her native Hungary, including the Holocaust. This would explain much about her survivor mentality. Leaving the audience in a state of puzzlement is also a feature of Britten's opera The Turn of the Screw.

As interpreted by mezzo-soprano Caroline Tye, she is a compelling figure--controlling, angry, and manipulative; Ms. Tye inhabited the role like a custom made garment. There was no attempt to create a "pretty" sound but rather to use her substantial instrument to illuminate these aspects of Madame Flora's character. It was a totally committed performance, exactly what was called for. When she unravels, her aria "Afraid, am I afraid" cut to the bone.

Her daughter Monica was beautifully embodied by soprano Barbara Porto. Where her mother was vicious and abusive to the mute Toby, Monica was loving and caring, giving voice to his thoughts. Her gleaming instrument and youthful stage presence were just perfect for the role. She had two fine arias--the well known "Monica's Waltz" and "The Black Swan".

At first we thought it was a waste to cast tenor Erik Bagger in a non-singing role but it gave us an opportunity to take measure of his acting skills. His Toby was a sympathetic character whose tragic end gave us herzschmerz. Fortunately, we got to hear him sing later.

Soprano Alexandra Lang was excellent in the role of Mrs. Gobineau, a client of Madame Flora who had suffered the loss of her infant son; she had visited the medium weekly for years just to hear her lost baby laugh, an effect provided by the hidden Monica. Baritone Scott Lindroth finely portrayed her husband. The new client, Mrs. Nolan, was well performed by mezzo-soprano Eva Parr. Her character was there to connect with her departed teenage daughter Doodley. All three singers conveyed the willing gullibility of bereft parents. We felt for them; and that's good acting and good singing.

Music Director and Conductor Whitney George distinguished herself on the podium with pianist Nora Bartosik creating an almost orchestral sound on her Kawai keyboard. Adding to the wealth of sound was percussionist Joe Tucker who excelled on the vibraphone. Violinist Adam von Housen bowed his violin with a fine tone that contributed to the whole. It is notable that Maestro George arranged much of the transcriptions and arrangements, and did a splendid job of it.

The same musicians were on board for the second half of the evening--a cabaret comprising a wide variety of works dealing with the macabre. The Medium was so satisfying that we could have left in a state of fulfillment, but then we might have missed some excellent performances.

Fortunately, Mr. Bagger returned for the second half, complete with blood-stained shirt, but this time in full possession of his voice. He delivered a fine version of Kurt Weill's "Youkali" and joined the ensemble for a work by Brahms that was new to us--"Wechsellied zum Tanze". All the singers in the cabaret appeared as ghouls in scary makeup by Shannon Mae Mulligan.

We heard Camille Saint-Saens' "Danse macabre" in two forms. The opening featured Mr. von Housen's violin and the closing was sung rapid-fire by Mr. Lindroth. Ms. Lang performed Poulenc's "Mon cadavre est doux comme un gant" and baritone Stan Lacy performed Debussy's "Beau soir". Both artists employed fine French diction.

Mezzo-soprano Julia Tang did a fine job with Britten's "Funeral Blues" and Ms. Parr came on strong in "Yo soy Maria" from Astor Piazzolla's tango opera Maria de Buenos Aires which we reviewed a few years ago. Tenor Victor Khodadad performed the chilling Schubert song "Die Erlkonig" with a woman in red portraying the fantasy figures in a masterstroke of visual design.

We would be remiss not to mention the visual elements contributed by The House of Yes, a most unusual and funky performance space in Bushwick. We have not seen the like of it in Manhattan. Aerialist Roxie Valdez performed on a trapeze and fabric rope. Singers climbed up the walls. Aisles and balconies were put to use. If we weren't so busy documenting the singing we might have had more to share with you.

(c) meche kroop

PROSIT TO NEW CAMERATA OPERA

A toast to The Count of Luxembourg and Other Tales: a Viennese Pastiche

It is amazing what good entertainment can do for one's spirits. The weather outside was damp and uncomfortable last night but when we exited Shetler Studios after this delightful performance, our spirits were as high as the top of the Empire State Building.

New Camerata Opera is a brand new ensemble company comprising eight marvelously talented young artists.  We enjoyed ourselves so greatly that we urge you to book your tickets for next Thursday or Saturday, which will end this successful run.  The performing space is small and there are only a few tickets left. You are guaranteed a bubbly evening listening to aural champagne and watching some hilarious hijinx that have endured a century.

Soprano Alexandra Lang, herself a superb singing actress, conceived and directed this pastiche, putting together music from operettas by Franz Lehar and Johann Strauss. The major storyline is Franz Lehar's The Count of Luxembourg with interpolated songs from Die Lustige Witwe, Die Fledermaus, and Das Land des Lächelns. The most familiar of these songs--"Trinke, Liebchen, trinke schnell", "Brüderlein", "Dein ist mein ganzes Herz", "Chacun à son gout", and "Lippen schweigen"--seemed right at home within the storyline.

The storyline is one of romantic matches and mismatches.  Of course, all turns out well in the end, with the help of a deus ex machina or two.  Polish Prince Basil Basilowitsch (Scott Lindroth) is in love with singing star Angèle Didier (Alexandra Lang) whom he cannot marry because she is a commoner.

Marital registrar Pélégrin (Victor Khodadad) cooks up a plan for Angèle to marry a wastrel --the eponymous Count of Luxembourg (Stan Lacy)--who accepts a huge fee to participate in this fake marriage to a woman he never gets to see, with the proviso that they never meet and get divorced after 6 months. Then she will be a Countess and Prince Basil can marry her.

In a subplot, the starving young painter Armand Brissard (Erik Bagger) cannot afford to marry his sweetheart Juliette Vermont (Barbara Porto) but the sale of one of his paintings brings in a tidy sum.  He must keep the affair quiet because of the secret marriage and Juliet gets rather upset when she learns that he has the necessary funds and has not yet proposed.

All the performances were splendid but two stood out-Julia Tang did a fine turn as the dissipated Prince Orlofsky who opened the evening's entertainment.  Eva Parr entered toward the end as one of the "deus ex machina"--Prince Basil's aunt, the Countess Stasa Kokozow who exhibited aristocratic arrogance and charm in equal measure.

Musical values were delightful all around.  Michael C. Haigler conducted from the piano--an excellent arrangement for flute (Jason Brook), violin (Monica Martin) and cello (Keiran Campbell). Although there was at least one number in 2/4 time and a frisky polka, most of the numbers were waltzes and we could barely sit still. Choreography was by Bridget Bose.

The dialogue was spoken in English and the songs were sung in the original German, a choice of which we heartily approve. Translation was by Dr. David Wilson. German diction was faultless but there were good subtitles projected off to the side if one needed a peek..

We don't know what New Camerata Opera has in the works but whatever it is, we plan to be there. As stated in the program they plan to offer a wide range of repertoire both live and through digital media channels. There is a mention of more pastiche (we surely hope so!), innovative presentations of classical vocal music, adaptations of rare operatic works, newly commissioned works, and operas adapted for children.  That's quite an undertaking!

(c) meche kroop

NEVER ENOUGH PUCCINI

Jon Thomas Olsen, Jessica Sandidge, Sonja Krenek and Steven Wallace

We can never get enough Puccini!  Hours after Chelsea Opera presented an evening of scenes from Puccini's opera, we are still singing the wonderful melodies.  We think it's likely that many people in the audience are doing the same.  The concert was underwritten by Project 142; Christ and St. Stephen's Church on the Upper West Side was filled to overflowing, with bridge chairs hastily being commandeered in an attempt to accommodate the capacity crowd.

The evening opened with scenes from Turandot, the opera Puccini never finished. Ping, Pang and Pong (sorry but we can never remember which is which) have a wonderful trio and tenors David Kellett and Jon Thomas Olson with baritone Scott Lindroth brought it to vivid life.

Liù's suicide scene was movingly performed by soprano Rosa Betancourt who created a sympathetic character and enlived her with some persuasive acting.  She has a lovely vibrato and we enjoyed her later performance of "O mio babbino caro" from Gianni Schicchi.

From the very early Edgar, composed when the master was only 26 years old, we heard bass-baritone Bryan Glenn Davis sing "Questo amor, vergogna mia". We liked him even better as the evil Scarpia from Tosca when he sang "Tre sbirri...Una Carrozza...Presto!" which suited him well.

From Le Villi we heard soprano Sonja Krenek sing "Se come voi piccina".  She made a fine Mimi in the "breakup" scene from La Bohème with tenor Steven Wallace as Rodolfo.  The heartbreaking scene was given comic relief by the embattled lovers Musetta (soprano Rosa Betancourt) and Marcello (baritone Scott Lindroth) whose music is in counterpoint with Mimi and Rodolfo's.

Our Tosca for the evening was the versatile Megan Nielsen who wowed the audience with her "Vissi d'arte". What a change from the character she portrayed just before--Suor Angelica from the eponymous opera.  Talk about heartbreak!  The poor woman was put away in a convent by her aristocratic family, after bearing an illegitimate child. Her aunt, La Zia Principessa, cold-heartedly tells Angelica that the child has died. Mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Moulton, a lovely jovial person in real life, demonstrated fine acting chops as she assumed her imperious manner. Poor Angelica sings out her grief in "Senza mamma".

Tenor Taras Chmil sang the favorite tenor aria of audiences everywhere--"E lucevan le stelle" from Tosca.   We realized that Puccini wrote his best music for characters who were about to die! Mr. Chmil also sang "Ch'ella mi creda", Dick Johnson's aria from La fanciulla del West.  Fortunately, Dick Johnson does NOT die!

Stacey Canterbury has a sizable soprano and used it well in "Un bel di" from Madama Butterfly, another heartbreaker.

Soprano Julia Rolwing sang Manon's final aria from Manon Lescaut--"Sola, perduta, abbandonata"--another death aria!  David Kellett sang Des Grieux's "Donna non vidi mai".

The delightful closing scene was from La Rondine featuring the quartet from the photo above.  For this scene, Magda was sung by Sonja Krenek with soprano Jessica Sandidge impressing us with her sweet voice and sparkling personality as Lisette. Steven Wallace sang Ruggero and Jon Thomas Olsen sang Prunier.  Happily, the rest of the cast became the onstage partygoers and, as directed by Lynne Hayden-Finley, were completely convincing.

In place of an orchestra, we had Christopher Cooley, who accompanied beautifully.

The delightful evening served to whet our appetite for the upcoming Tosca which will be performed in St. Peter's Church in Chelsea on 6/4 and 6/6.  It seems pretty far down the road but Chelsea Opera will also present Suor Angelica in a year's time.  We would be happy to hear Megan Nielsen once more in that role.

(c) meche kroop

OH THOSE MERRY WIVES!

Heather Antonissen, David Morrow and Marie Masters (photo by Brian Long)

The film Amadeus would lead one to believe that Salieri killed Mozart.  This is a lie. But it is the truth that we nearly died laughing over his opera Falstaff as presented by Dell'Arte Opera Ensemble.  The libretto by Carlo Prospero Defranceschi departs from Shakespeare's comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor in many ways but it does preserve the theme of some high-spirited women collaborating to puncture the pride of the womanizing fat guy.  Furthermore, the lively and tuneful music serves to advance the plot.

Readers may have observed how contemptuous we are of "concept" and updating the classics; in this case we applauded it.  First of all, this is not a beloved classic that is rooted in time and place; it comes without baggage.  Secondly, it has no references to period and the only reference to place is Windsor.  Surely there are towns in the USA named Windsor.

Stage director Louisa Proske has chosen to set the opera about a half-century ago, which is nearly as remote as the late 18th c. but a lot funnier--a time when husbands were still possessive and when people could still afford servants.  Stewart Kramer's excellent titles were created by Artistic Director Christopher Fecteau, Karen Rich and J. Spence. The translation from the Italian employed modern American slang without trashing the original language.

Maestro Fecteau had his work cut out for him, lacking a decent manuscript, but the end result was some mighty gorgeous music not very different from Mozart's. With only eleven members of the Festival Orchestra occupying stage left and Maestro Fecteau conducting from the harpsichord, nothing seemed missing.  We particularly enjoyed the frothily charming overture and Samuel Marquez' clarinet solo.

Soprano Marie Masters (a winner of the Osgood/Dell'Arte Opera Ensemble Prize) brought a bright resonant sound to the role of Mrs. Ford.  Her intonation was as secure as her acting.  In this opera, Mrs. Ford is a bit naughty, or rather, mischievous.  She is curvy and dresses provocatively; no wonder Mr. Ford (tenor Erik Bagger) is suspicious.  His friends try to talk him out of his jealousy but he is relentless.

As Mrs. Ford's friend, the excellent Heather Antonissen sang in perfect harmony in her duets with Ms. Masters.  Her voice has the sparkle of a soprano and the weight of a mezzo.  Her character, Mrs. Slender, mostly supports Mrs. Ford's plot to trap Falstaff.  She has a very funny moment with a pair of floral shears in her hand.  Use your imagination!  Her husband was portrayed by baritone Scott Lindroth who was one of the finest male voices onstage; he sang with beautiful tone and phrasing.  His second act aria was superb.

Soprano Joanie Brittingham was a sprightly Betty, servant in the Ford household. Her major moments came in the second act when she imitated Falstaff trying to emerge from the ditch into which he was thrown with the laundry.

Bass-baritone Jonathan Dauermann, sporting a hippie wig, created the character of Bardolfo as an overworked and somnolent fellow.  

As the obnoxious, corpulent and bibulous Falstaff, bass David Morrow created a character that was self-important and self-deluding.  He imagines that he is irresistible to women and means to extract money from them.  In the opening ensemble, he has crashed a party and is making a complete pest of himself.

The ladies spend the entire opera making a fool of him.  But Mr. Ford also suffers the indignity of being proven wrong.  It's a rather feminist opera and way ahead of its time.  

Sets were simple and costumes seemed to be appropriate to the mid 20th c.  Which brings us to the dance moves.  There were entirely too many, not only in the party scene with its line dancing, but all through the production.  There was also an excess of mugging. At times it felt like a sit-com on TV.  But these are tiny flaws in a gem of a production.

We cannot close without mentioning the two female members of the ensemble who portrayed laundry boys.  Sara Ann Duffy and Kristin Gornstein assumed a total deadpan look and were all the funnier for it.  Brave to all the fine women onstage.

There will be one more production on Saturday.  LYAO!

(c) meche kroop