DANTE'S GIFT

Cast of Prelude to Performance's production of Gianni Schicchi

We have already written extensively about Martina Arroyo's Prelude to Performance and we have just reviewed the first half of an evening of Puccini which we thoroughly enjoyed. The second half comprised a superb production of Gianni Schicchi, based on a minor character in Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy.  Giovacchino Forzano created a compelling comic libretto and Giacomo Puccini created some sparkling music that tickles the ear.

The success of this masterpiece requires ensemble work of the highest order and that is just what we got last night at the Kaye Playhouse.  You can get it too if you move quickly, as there is a final performance Sunday afternoon and you may never again have the opportunity to see the tale this well told.

This is a story requiring authenticity of time and place in order for us to relate to its generality and its marvelous message.  We all love to see the greedy and grasping get what they deserve. We can recall so many plays based on squabbling families fighting over their inheritance.

In this case, la famiglia Donati is noisily and disingenuously grieving their newly deceased patriarch. All sorrow is gone when they learn that old Buoso (Steven Mo Hanan) has left all his money and property to the monks.

Young Rinuccio (tenor Spencer Hamlin) is in love with Lauretta (soprano Anna Adrian Whiteway) who is the daughter of the wily peasant Gianni Schicchi (baritone Joshua DeVane). Rinuccio's snooty aunt Zita (marvelous mezzo-soprano Leah Marie de Gruyl) forbids his marriage to a girl without a dowry.

When you hear Ms. Whiteway sing "O mio babbino caro" you just know that her father will relent and agree to help the family that disparages him, and help himself in the process. And when Rinuccio sings the praises of Firenze we know he deserves the girl! The duet of the two lovebirds was beautifully sung.

The opera revolves around Schicchi's elaborate and risky plot to create a new will through the offices of the notary (Ben Reisinger, who also played Dottore Spinelloccio ) and his assistant Pinellino (Charles Carter).

The squabbling relatives included Melanie Ashkar as La Ciesca, Nicholas LaGesse as Marco, Vincent Grana as Simone,  Nicole Rowe as Nella, Hao Hu as Gherardo, Frida Werner as Gerardino, and Karl Buttermann as Betto, the poor relation.

The entire cast played off each other with great humor and laughter rang through the theater on numerous occasions. That the singing was superb throughout could almost be taken for granted. Ian Campbell's direction kept things moving at a fast pace and provided many small touches that distinguished the characters from one another. The bit about forgetting the manner of crossing oneself was just one of many. Snuffing out the candles that were initially lit to honor the deceased--(post revelation of Buoso's will) was another funny moment.

Joshua Rose's set was far more elaborate than that for Suor Angelica and is exactly what we would imagine for Renaissance Italy. Costuming by Charles R. Caine was even more elaborate with each character dressed according to their age and station. The beard and makeup for Simone was notably convincing and accomplished by Steven Horak.

Maestro Willie Anthony Waters brought out all the humor in Puccini's score. There is a repeated motif of a downward inflected pair of notes, a whole tone apart, and all one has to do to burst out laughing is to hear that motif.

Don't miss this outstanding production.  You are not likely to see such a fine production again!

(c) meche kroop

HOW SWEET IT IS!

Lynnesha Crump, Sharon Sweet, Woo Young Yoon, Molly Burke, Spencer Hamlin, and Zaikuan Song

We almost always enjoy master classes. It is exciting to learn things we might not pick up on our own. We can feel personally satisfied with a singer's performance of an aria but when the master teacher makes some changes we hear the aria again and recognize what we may have missed the first time.

We are planning to attend as many Prelude to Performance master classes as possible this month to prepare ourself for the upcoming season at Hunter College--7/6-7/9. We love getting to know the singers better, to hear what they are capable of, and in what way they can improve their performance.

Legendary soprano Martina Arroyo knows how to select the very best master teachers. It was truly a coup to enlist another legendary soprano Sharon Sweet to teach these five impressive artists who are now headed for major careers--at least, that is our opinion! Some master teachers make nice and fall all over themselves complimenting the students and just tentatively offering some little change "to see if it works" for them.

Not so Ms. Sweet! With high spirits and great humor, she "calls 'em as she sees 'em". She is direct but never offensive. The best support one can give, after all is said and done, is honest feedback. All five of last night's students profited greatly from the work they did with Ms. Sweet. There was no "boilerplate" that was given to all.  Each singer got something special and unique.

Woo Young Yoon sang first with "La fleur que tu m'avais jetee" from Bizet's Carmen. His sweet ping-y lyric tenor grabbed us from the first note and held us captive 'til the end. But in the process of his highly individual instruction, he and we both learned something new that took the performance to a new level.

We had never heard the phrases "onset" and "offset" but they deal with the initiation of a phrase without "scooping" and the ending of a phrase without trailing off.  Also, there are places in the line where the singer must not take a large inhalation but rather permit a subtle release of the abdominal muscles. When one does take a full inhalation, think about the entire phrase. Ms. Sweet does not speak of "legato" but rather of singing a phrase horizontally, not vertically. We understood exactly what she meant.  Great advice!

Soprano Lynnesha Crump blew us away with "Senza mamma" from Puccini's Suor Angelica, one of the operas to be performed in July. Ms. Sweet asked her to create a backstory for Angelica and to portray the vulnerability of a woman who has just been shocked and grief stricken to learn that her illegitimate son has died, and also disappointed that the visit from La Principessa had a cold, rejecting, and strictly practical object. 

Ms. Crump was urged to get down on the floor and to feel her inner thoughts. We were blown away with twice the force! And there was a technical issue that we would hear again later--using the tongue to articulate, not the jaw.

Just imagine two fine tenors in the same class. Spencer Hamlin, who will be singing Renuccio in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi during the July season, gave us a foretaste with "Avete torto...Firenze e come un albero fiorito". Mr. Hamlin possesses a fine squillo but sounded even better after his work with Ms. Sweet.

He was advised to take his time in the recit whilst scolding his squabbling family. There was a lot of emphasis on rhythm. Dotted 1/8 notes are not to be sung like triplets. Grace notes must be brought out. He was also urged to sing the aria with his hands in his pockets, acting solely with his face and his voice. We heard about the jaw again as well. And we heard some general tips about never clearing the throat or drinking water, both of which are abrasive to the vocal cords..

Zaikuan Song performed Leporello's "Catalogue Aria" from Mozart's Don Giovanni and was admonished to pay more attention to the rhythmic markings, i.e. singing the "ma" off the beat. It is necessary to count the beats carefully in Mozart! Also we heard a suggestion about double consonants which are best sung connected to the subsequent vowel. Mr. Song came prepared with his "catalog" in hand which the audience loved. Ms. Sweet urged him to act less with his body and more with his voice, for example in the repeating phrase "La piccina, la piccina, la piccina". Mr. Song (how well named he is!) has a wonderfully full bass and we are looking forward to hearing his Zuniga in Bizet's Carmen during the July season.

Last on the program was mezzo-soprano Molly Burke who performed "Acerba Volutta" from Francesco Cilea's verismo opera Adriana Lecouvreur. Her voice struck us as a force of nature with a future in Wagner. (Let us hope!) Her performance launched a valuable discussion of using the head voice, and of not being afraid of the passaggi. She was given vocal exercises to deal with the descent from pure head voice and taught how to move the same amount of air faster. The other great tip was to create space for the highest note in a phrase during the inhalation. The singer needs to start with the palate elevated.

There was one exercise that seemed helpful for all the singers--the lip trill. Singers can practice doing a phrase with the lip trill before adding the words.  They can learn thereby when and where they run out of breath.

Accompanist for the evening was Dan K. Kurland who was ready, willing, and very very able.

(c) meche kroop

COMEDY TONIGHT!!!

Prince Orlofsky's ball--Act II of Die Fledermaus (photo by Jen Joyce Davis)

Thursday night at Prelude to Performance's La Bohème we wept and couldn't stop the tears; last night at their performance of Johann Strauss Jr.'s Die Fledermaus, we laughed, we giggled, we guffawed--- along with the rest of the enchanted audience.

Comedy is more difficult than tragedy to perform; the cast must play it straight so we can laugh at their foibles.  They are funny because they take themselves seriously. Nothing is worse than a performer working at being funny. We are happy to report that the totally terrific cast of this Prelude to Performance production got everything right. We can't remember having a better time.

The libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée sparkles with wit and takes delight in poking a finger in the eye of 1874 Vienna with all of its hypocrisy. The entire story is one of deception and pretense. Dr. Falke (portrayed by the excellent baritone Thaddaeus Bourne) has orchestrated an elaborate charade to get revenge on his friend Gabriel von Eisenstein (brilliantly performed by Jonathan Tetelman, whose change of fach from baritone to terrific tenor was a wise choice);  Eisenstein once abandoned his friend drunk and in full chiropterological drag. (Now that morning return home must have been some "walk of shame").

Falk has invited all the characters in his little drama to a ball given by the idiosyncratic Russian aristocrat Prince Orlofsky (in a star turn by mezzo-soprano Hongni Wu, whose voice has a gorgeously unique timbre). Orlofsky is bored by life and only wants to be amused.  Amusement he gets!  In Spades!

Eisenstein has been invited to the ball as a last gasp of wild fun before he serves a brief prison sentence. (Something akin to a bachelor party!) He hopes to flirt with some dancers there but becomes entranced by his own wife Rosalinde.

Rosalinde has been invited, and is bent on getting even with her deceiving husband. She is disguised as a Hungarian countess and if the role could have been better portrayed by anyone but stunning soprano Haley Sicking, we have yet to imagine it. Her comedic skills are prodigious and her lusty soprano shone in the Czardas--an over-the-top Viennese interpretation of Hungarian "soul". The scene of the husband trying to seduce his own wife was one of the many highlights of the evening.

Rosalinde's chambermaid Adele (charmingly sung by the sparkling soprano Shana Grossman) has also been brought to the ball under false pretenses. She thinks the invitation was from her ballerina sister but we learn that it is Falke's doing. She begs Rosalinde for the night off "to visit a sick aunt" and "borrows" a gown from her bosslady. She pretends to be an actress and entrances Frank, the prison warden who is also there under false pretenses.  He is delightfully portrayed by baritone Paul Grosvenor, pretending to be Chevalier Chagrin while Eisenstein is pretending to be the equally Gallic Marquis Renard. Another comedic highlight was witnessing the two faux Frenchmen trying to communicate in pigeon French.

There is a subplot of Rosalinde being caught in an almost compromising position by Frank in Act I when an old lover named Alfred (enacted by Spencer Hamlin whose ringing effortless tenor made him perfect for the part of a singing teacher) is having a nocturnal tête-a-tête with Rosalinde. To spare her being dishonored Alfred pretends to be her husband and goes to jail with Frank.

Another source of humor was the bumbling lawyer Dr. Blind, portrayed by Joseph Sacchi, who was literally chased out of the house by the Eisensteins. So much physical humor!

There is yet another source of hilarity--the bibulous Frosch, portrayed hilariously (and in English spoken dialogue) by Steven Mo Hanan.

With musical and dramatic values at such a high professional level, it would be a pity to miss this witty production, directed with a fine hand by Gina Lapinski.  It will be reprised at Sunday matinée with the same fine cast.

Strauss' tunes have stuck in our mind and we have been humming them all night while we write. From the first theme in the overture the melodies are completely captivating. Maestro Steven M. Crawford kept the energy flowing non-stop with much of the music being in waltz or duple time.  It was difficult to sit still! 

As if that were not sufficient, the gorgeous costumes of Charles R. Caine dazzled the eye and transported us to a glamorous time and place. Abdul Latif's choreography added to the delight. The party scene in Act II gave an opportunity for chorus members to strut their stuff, under the guidance of Chorus Master Noby Ishida.

The set was simple and seems to have served for both this production and La Bohème, neither enhancing nor detracting from the action. 

Both singing and spoken dialogue were performed in the original German and performed with clarity. Although Brett Findley's titles were excellent for non-German speakers, we confess to getting a kick out of understanding the well-enunciated German. Credit for German coaching goes to Vera Junkers. 

(c) meche kroop

A NEWBIE CONVERTED

Maria Brea and Jacopo Buora (photo by Jen Joyce Davis)

We find no shortage of Stars of Tomorrow in the opera universe. What we don't find in sufficient number are the audience members of tomorrow who will be there to listen to them. Therefore we make considerable efforts to bring young people to the opera. We love demolishing their prejudices--"Opera is stuffy, boring and irrelevant" is commonly heard. If we choose wisely, it turns out that the newbie is won over.

What better way to introduce someone to opera than at a Prelude to Performance event!  What better opera than Donizetti's comic masterpiece La Fille du Regiment! It doesn't come to mind as a "starter opera" as readily as some others but it seemed to be the perfect choice, what with its young cast, its frothy melodies, and its romantic plot.

Premiered in 1840 by L'Opéra Comique, the work took no time in making its way to New Orleans and then to New York. Although the master at some point created an Italian version with recitativi replacing the spoken dialogue, it is the French version we hear today. We remember with affection Natalie Dessay cartwheeling her limber frame across the stage of The Metropolitan Opera with Juan Diego Florez nailing the nine high C's. And that was in 2007!

Last night at Prelude to Performance we heard a superb cast bring the work to vivid life. As the titular character, Venezuelan coloratura soprano Maria Fernanda Brea created a lovable tomboy (minus the cartwheels) and sang the fioritura with accuracy and style. Her affection for all her "fathers" in the 21st regiment was convincing.

As Sergeant Sulpice, Italian bass-baritone Jacopo Buora created a fine figure of a Frenchman and employed his generous instrument with humor and affection. His duet with Marie in Act I "Mais, qui vient?" was charming.

Soon we were introduced to the local Tyrolean Tonio, portrayed by tenor Spencer Hamlin. Although suspected at first of being an enemy spy, he soon wins acceptance when he establishes himself as the man who rescued Marie from peril. He and Marie also have a lovely duet in which they profess their love. Tonio joins the French (the politics here are rather shaky but irrelevant) and, having been accepted, expresses his joy in the famous aria "Ah, mes amis". Mr. Hamlin attacked the nine high C's with aplomb and not a hint of pushing, bringing down the house, so to speak.

Of course, complications ensue.  Marie is the long-lost illegitimate daughter of the Marquise de Berkenfield. One could not imagine a better performance than that of Karolina Pilou, endowed with a very substantial mezzo and an impeccable sense of comic timing. Her equally amusing steward Hortensius was portrayed as a fussy fop by excellent baritone John Callison, almost unrecognizable in his elaborate get-up.

The veteran soprano Lucine Amara was on hand for the speaking role of La Duchesse de Krakenthorp, on hand to contract marriage for Marie with her nephew. The Marquise has been grooming Marie for an unwanted aristocratic life and the efforts and results are hilarious, giving us a second act filled with great music and dramatic reversals.

Laura Alley's stage direction was just as astute as we have come to expect and Charles R. Caine's costume design left no doubt as to the respective social stations of the locals and the aristocrats. Steven Horak's wigs and makeup made significant contributions. Meganne George's simple sets were lit by Joshua Rose.

In the pit, Maestro Imre Palló took excellent command of the orchestra and brought out the glories of Donizetti's delicious score. Noby Ishida's command of the chorus was equally impressive. The female villagers in Act I, fervently praying for protection from the French, sounded wonderful and the soldier's chorus, even better. French diction coach Dr. Susan Stout deserves props for ensuring that every word of French was understood.

In sum, it was a delightful evening and Newbie went home to listen to several more versions of "Ah, mes amis" on youtube. And as for Voce di Meche, we will not have to wait another eight years to hear this opera again; we will be reviewing it at the Santa Fe Opera next month.

The performance will be repeated Sunday 2:30 at Hunter College and we encourage you to catch it before it's gone.

(c) meche kroop