CLASSIC LYRIC ARTS GALA

Classsic Lyric Arts Gala at The Kosciuszko Foundation

We believe in evidence.  Last night's recital at the Kosciuszko Foundation featured an incredibly talented and beautiful group of young artists who attended L'Art du Chant Francais and/or La Lingua della Lirica last summer in France and Italy respectively. The evidence for the success of the programs can be found in the superlative performances we witnessed. Every single artist revealed splendid diction and a feeling for the style inherent in the language.

This is not magic but the result of hard work under the tutelage of masters and total immersion in the culture and its traditions. The French program accepts ten singers each year and provides tutelage under principal coach Michele Sénéchal who emphasizes the music inherent in the text.

The Italian program accept twice as many students and instructs them in the bel canto tradition. The principal coach in Italy is Ubaldo Fabbri. We are not mentioning any names but we recently heard a rather well known singer perform in Italian with final vowels that were just wrong.  "A"s become "o"s and vice versa.  No graduate of La Lingua della Lirica would make that mistake!

The nurturing environment permits these young artists to take risks and try new roles.  And that is how an artist can make a major leap forward and gain confidence.

Every singer was excellent and the choices on the program were a mixture of the usual and the unusual.  Many of the selections featured large ensembles, the success of which was probably related to the group having spent so much time together--studying, eating,  playing, and performing for the appreciative locals.

After a warm welcome from Glenn Morton, President and Artistic Director, the program opened with a scene from Rossini's La Cenerentola sung in perfect Italian and accompanied by Mina Kim. Closing the program was the final scene from Verdi's Falstaff, a ten-part fugue skillfully conducted by Ms. Kim with Sophia Zhou at the piano.

Another fine ensemble piece was the sextet "Chi mi frena in tal momento" from Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, for which Cherie Roe provided the piano accompaniment.

Special guest star was baritone Jared Bybee about whom we have been writing since we began writing. We love watching young artists grow and, no doubt, Mr. Bybee's earlier participation in CLA has added to his lustre. We enjoyed him as an Apprentice Singer in Santa Fe and witnessed his performances in award recitals from all the major foundations.  Last night he performed "Largo al factotum" from Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia. He sang with full rich Italianate tone and gave Figaro a lively winning personality. Hsini Huang was his accompanist.

We will not be able to give all the singers the credit they deserve but would like to point out a few performances that stood out.  Tenor Zachary Goldman and baritone Fernando Cisneros harmonized beautifully in "O Mimi tu piu non torni" from Puccini's La Boheme. Mr. Goldman is notable for a lovely unforced sound and Mr. Cisneros seemed to appear in many scenes, singing with full round tone,  a winning stage presence and the ability to inhabit a role, even a Falstaff.

Soprano Yvette Keong and tenor Ryan Hurley put a lot of tenderness into their performance of "Tornami a dir che m'ami" from Donizetti's Don Pasquale.

Moving on to the French part of the program, we were delighted to hear "Va, je t'ai pardoné" from Gounod's Roméo et Juliette sung by the stunning soprano Larisa Martinez, about whom we have often written, and tenor Vincent Festa who sang Romeo with his ringing tenor and ardent involvement. We have heard him several times over the past 3 years and always enjoy his performances. Ms. Martinez made a winsome Juliet and both employed fine French diction. The air was literally ringing with overtones.

We didn't know that Reynaldo Hahn wrote an operetta and were tickled to hear "Nous avons fait un beau voyage" from Ciboulette which was based on the same Murger stories which inspired La Bohème. William Guanbo Su, who impressed us at his graduation recital and several performances which maximized the lower end of his register, surprised us with his facility at the upper end of his register; soprano Ashley Lea made a splendid partner in this cream puff of a duet.

Another operetta unknown to us was Ganne's Les Saltimbanques.  "C'est l'amour" featured Angela Candela and Mitchell Kasprzyk with Fabio Bezuti at the piano. Ms. Candela gave us yet another opportunity to appreciate her fine French in "Nocturne à deux voix" from Chabrier's Le roi malgré lui, performed in happy harmony with Amanda Nelson.

From Massenet's Cendrillon, we heard soprano Blair Cagney and mezzo-soprano Daniela Magura as the happily reunited couple in "Vous êtes mon prince charmant". Ms. Magura also had another opportunity to show off her fine French in "Nuit paisible et sereine" from Berlioz' Béatrice et Bénédicte. In our opinion, this gorgeous duet rivals "The Flower Duet" from Delibes' Lakmé and we hope to hear it again soon. 

So many fine singers have come out of this excellent program! We predict glorious futures for these young artists if they take what they've learned and use it well.  Great teachers present students with opportunities. Great students take what they need and incorporate it.

(c) meche kroop

IT'S CLASSIC, IT'S LYRIC, IT'S ARTISTIC--IT'S CLASSIC LYRIC ARTS!

Artistic Director of Classic Lyric Arts Glenn Morton and his talented group of young artists

A gala is defined as a social occasion with special entertainments or performances, a festive celebration-- and that is exactly what transpired last night when Classic Lyric Arts celebrated its young artists and entertained those denizens of Planet Opera fortunate enough to be at the annual Fall Benefit Gala.

For those of you who don't already know, CLA runs two highly esteemed programs which aim to advance the careers of young singers by on-site immersion in the cultures of France (L'Art du Chant Français) and Italy (La Lingua della Lirica). Everything is covered--diction, style, repertoire, stagecraft, and career development. The students are also given international performing opportunities.

Filmmaker August Ventura has documented these programs for anyone to witness the magic that takes place, and we have attended some of the master classes taught by some truly brilliant teachers who brought out the best in their students.

We will come to the entertainment part of the evening shortly but first we wanted to comment on the tribute given to the program by former student Dorothy Gal who shared with the audience some charming stories about the training she received. She was not the only alumna present. These young artists develop a strong loyalty to the programs and a deep attachment to Artistic Director Glenn Morton.

As far as the singing goes, we were royally entertained as the students showed off their newly acquired artistry.  Beautiful soprano Mikaela Bennett, fresh out of the Italian program, provided a splendid performance of "O, mio babbino caro" from Puccini's Gianni Schicchi.

There was a sparkle in her top notes and plenty of pleading, enough to convince her poppa to give her anything she wanted. We just recently heard her for the first time with Steven Blier's "Sing for your Supper", singing cabaret in English. It was quite a treat to learn of her skills in Italian.

We adored mezzo-soprano Kady Evanyshyn's lovely performance of "Connais-tu le pays" from Ambroise Thomas' Mignon  for its long lyrical phrases and fine French style. This gave firm evidence of her hard work in both programs.

Does anyone not love "Ah! mes amis" from Donizetti's La fille du régiment? One tends to hold one's breath waiting for the tenor to nail those high C's and Vincent Festa tossed them off without a sign of strain. High notes aside, the aria was delivered with beautiful tone and apt sincerity.

We always love a good duet and the lovely Larisa Martinez paired with baritone Suchan Kim for "Tutte le feste al tempio" from Verdi's Rigoletto. The pair sounded excellent together and succeeded in conveying all the pathos required. Ms. Martinez' voice opens up beautifully on top and Mr. Kim has a full tone with a great deal of depth.

Vera Kremers sang "Youkali" by Kurt Weill and made every word count.  Even at the top of her register, we understood every word. This was perhaps the best French diction we have ever heard from someone not born in France. Her bright voice was firmly grounded. We would have liked a bit more emphasis of the tango rhythm but we got plenty of that from Laetitia Ruccolo's piano.

The quartet from Puccini's La Bohème is a wonderful showpiece. Rodolfo and Mimi have a tender moment while Marcello and Musetta are having a knock-down drag-out fight. Soprano Nadia Petrella gave us a tender well-modulated Mimi with tenor Matt Greenblatt a fine Rodolfo. Ms. Bennett returned as Musetta with baritone Bret Thom as Marcello. These four graduates of the Italian program perfumed the air with virtual garlic. Michael Sheetz was the excellent accompanist.

Händel's opera Serse is one of the composer's best. In "Va godendo/Io le dirò", the role of Serse, usually sung by a mezzo-soprano, was sung by Gon Halevi while Jordan Rutter sang the part of Arsemene, which is also generally sung by a mezzo-soprano. In a kind of reverse gender-bending, these two countertenors made a special kind of music. It's a fach of which we are very fond and we enjoyed the change.

Soprano Tamara Rusque gave a moving performance of Cio-Cio San's big aria of self-delusion--"Un bel di vedremo" from Puccini's Madama Butterfly. Her big rich sound has an impressive resonance and her acting skills were convincing.

Dongling Gao left the European world behind and graced us with a lovely Mandarin love song accompanied by Jia-Jun Hong. And finally, three handsome dudes performed the trio from On the Town by Leonard Bernstein.  Michael Stewart accompanied while Mr. Greenblatt, Mr. Thom, and Jon Thierer had a marvelous time with it; the joy was reflected on the faces of the audience.

We want to give three cheers to the programs, the artists, and to Glenn Morton.  So....hip, hip, hooray.  Or as we say nowadays, WOOT!

(c) meche kroop

SYNERGY

Students at Classic Lyric Arts

We have spilled plenty of (electronic) ink touting the glories of the total immersion summer programs of Classic Lyric Arts.  Ten lucky emerging artists get the chance to study in a small town in France for nearly a month under the tutelage of master teacher Michel Sénéchal.  They are immersed in the language and culture and return home transformed by the experience, having reached a new level of proficiency. They are not just singing in French; they are making the French language sing.

Twenty equally fortunate young artists receive similar training in Italy in the Emilia-Romagna region, imbibing pasta and wine along with the grand historical tradition conveyed by master teacher Ubaldo Fabbri.

We have heard and thrilled to the results but never had a clear picture of what this intense training looked and sounded like.  Last night's program at Opera America remedied that lack.  The result of an inspired collaboration between Artistic Director Glenn Morton and film maker August Ventura (two endlessly positive and creative men whom we are privileged to call friends) we were finally able to appreciate not just the outcome but the process of learning.

Mr. Ventura gave an inspired talk about Mr. Morton's vision, comparing it to that of the Roman god Janus in that he is able to relate to opera's glorious past and also to project into the future what is necessary to protect that patrimony.  He showed the three short films he created in which the audience could glimpse snatches of lessons from the great masters and coaches.  Mr. Ventura's point about the importance of preservation of a nation's past from apathy and from the danger of destruction by outside forces was very well taken.

But the proof of the pudding, so to speak, is in the singing and several former and present students delighted the audience by demonstrating the facility they gained during their residencies abroad.

Accompanied by the lyrical arpeggios of alumna Laetitia Ruccolo, soprano Dorothy Gal sang Antonia's aria "Elle a fui, la tourterelle" from Offenbach's Contes d'Hoffman in fine French style with the long lyric lines that we so love.  Yes indeed, she "made the French sing" with some lovely word coloring.

Soprano Nadia Petrella knocked our proverbial socks off with the eerie first act aria "Regnava nel silenzio" from Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.  The feelings seemed to come from deep within and anticipated Lucia's instability of character. She fearlessly  attacked the high notes. This was exactly the way we want this aria to be sung. Michael Stewart was her able accompanist and they worked beautifully together.

Jia-Jun Hong gave a passionate and spot-on performance of the Marcello song "Il mio bel foco", accompanied by Fabio Bezuti. Mr. Hong was seen in the film as one of a group of Chinese singers who attended the Italian program.  How pleased we were to learn that Italian opera is held in high regard in China!  The students were incredibly enthusiastic about the training they received.

The fine tenor Vincent Festa delivered "É serbato a questo acciaro" from Bellini's I Capuleti ei Montecchi.  The performance was filled with "garlic" and we loved the way he handled the upward skips.  The cantabile and the cabaletta were equally impressive, as was Ms. Ruccolo's piano.

From Verdi's Ernani, baritone Baejoon Lee sang "Oh de' verd'anni miei", accompanied by Mr. Bezuti.  It is a fine sturdy sound and we will look forward to hearing more of Mr. Lee after his summer in Italy. A good Verdi baritone is always welcome.

As a special treat, Mr. Morton took to the piano bench to accompany two international stars, romantic tenor Leonardo Caimi and soprano Donata D'Annunzio Lombardi, on the CLA staff in a coaching capacity.

Mr. Caimi employed his marvelous sound with its generous amplitude and passionate spirit for Cardillo's "Core 'ngrato".  His style and fine legato phrasing made us feel as if we were Italian for those few minutes.

Ms. Lombardi achieved the same effect in Tosti's "Amour, amour" but in this case we were seeing France through Italian eyes.  It is easy to see why she is famous as an interpreter of Tosti's songs.  We have also witnessed her coaching at a prior event and her skills are remarkable.

We refer you to www.classiclyricarts.org where you too may see film clips of this outstanding program.

(c) meche kroop

NYOE GETS LUCIA RIGHT

Adam Fieldson, John Viscardi, Sarah Beckham-Turner, Alden Gatt, Joseph Michael Brent and Antoine Hodge

Lucia di Lammermoor is a sensational opera.  Onto Salvadore Cammarano's libretto, Gaetano Donizetti lavished endlessly glorious melodies.  It is so precious to us that we doubly value a company that does it justice and would malign one that trivializes it in any way.  We are delighted to report that New York Opera Exchange has gotten it right and if you are fortunate enough to snag one of the few remaining tickets for today's matinee, you will probably send us flowers or chocolate in gratitude for the tip.

The success of the opera rests heavily on the shoulders of the eponymous tragic heroine whose mad scene is one of the finest in all operadom.  Last night, soprano Sarah Beckham-Turner tore into the demanding coloratura of the scena with wild abandon.  She was completely convincing as a fragile creature completely unhinged by the machinations and manipulations of her politically desperate brother.  Her gown spattered with blood and her hair undone, she immersed herself totally in the role. Every gesture and flight of fioritura was spot on. Who could ask for anything more! This young woman will surely go places in the opera world.

As said conniving brother, baritone John Viscardi was superb. His recent switch of fach from tenor to lyric baritone was a wise one.  His voice sat comfortably in this range, enabling him to focus on a well-rounded interpretation of the role of Enrico, far better than the nasty sneering interpretation we are accustomed to hearing.  He seemed like a fairly decent fellow who was pushed by circumstances into doing bad things.  His remorse in witnessing his sister's downfall seemed authentic and allowed the audience to have some pity for his position.

As Lucia's ill-fated lover Edgardo, tenor Joseph Michael Brent sang well and exhibited all the requisite emotions except for one; we wanted to see some tenderness toward Lucia in their initial scene together to explain why she would have defied her family to pledge her love to him.  He did much better in the scene in which he returns from France to find Lucia married to Arturo and bristled with anger. 

Bass-baritone Antoine Hodge was the voice of normality in this power-crazed family, giving substance to the role of Raimondo, the family's spiritual counselor.  Captain of the Guard Normanno was the character who set the tragedy in motion by spying on Lucia's encounters with Edgardo and then egging on the brother Enrico.  Tenor Adam Fieldson overcame the natural sweetness of his instrument and lent sneering arrogance to the part.

The role of Arturo was finely sung by tenor Vincent Festa and mezzo-soprano Chelsea Laggan did well as Alisa, Lucia's companion who warns her to stay away from Edgardo of Ravenswood, enemy of her clan, the Lammermoors.

Conductor Alden Gatt deftly led the full orchestra through their paces. There was some fine work during the mad scene by flutist Felipe Tristan, and the wind chorales which opened several scenes were powerful.  A keyboard sufficed for the harp.There were a few times when the size of the orchestra overpowered the singers, likely due to their placement on the same level as the audience.

The effective direction was by Christopher Diercksen; the pace was kept up and the story moved along briskly.  There was no set to speak of but it wasn't missed.  Taylor Mills' costuming was minimal.  Street clothes seemed to be the order of the day with motley plaid sashes on some of the cast members. We would have liked to see all the men wearing the same plaid to indicate membership in the same clan, with Edgardo wearing a different plaid.  This would have emphasized the substance of the tragedy--the destructiveness of rivalry with and hatred of "the other", a feature that still exists in many parts of the world.

We wish to counteract the claim that "opera is dying" with the observation that opera is alive and well in the hands of small companies like New York Opera Exchange which rely on talent rather than "big names".  We similarly wish to counteract the claim that "opera is for old folks" with the observation that the packed house at The Church of the Covenant on 42nd St. comprised mostly 20-somethings.

We are already anticipating NY Opera Exchange's production of Carmen in May.

(c) meche kroop