THE LOVES OF A POET

Nathaniel  LaNasa and Xiaoming Tian at Elabash Recital Hall

What does it take to hold an audience spellbound for a half hour?  You could easily answer that question if you attended the recital yesterday of baritone Xiaoming Tian working in harmonious collaboration with pianist Nathaniel LaNasa.  Not only were we held spellbound but we scarcely breathed. Mr. Tian, presently finishing up his Ph.D. and Doctorate of Music at The Graduate Center of City University of New York, took us on a journey involving the present moment colored by memories of lost love.  There was a lot of catharsis going on!

It is important for a recitalist to choose good material, songs that he can inhabit or wear (like the stylish suit he chose). Perhaps it was just great acting, but it seemed as if Mr. Tian was living through the panoply of emotions contained in Robert Schumann's Dichterliebe, Op. 48. Composed in 1840, the cycle comprises a selection of text from Heinrich Heine's 1823 Lyrisches Intermezzo, reordered to suit the composer's vision.

So, the raw materials are all there, with Schumann's memorably melodic vocal lines, his intuitive connection with the text, and Heine's remarkable poetry. (If only we had such poetry today to inspire contemporary composers!) The piano writing expands upon the mood of the text, comments upon it, and occasionally expresses what the poet cannot say in words.

Given these ingredients, it takes a consummate artist to let the text and music speak/sing for themselves. Mr. Tian is such an artist. He is free of excess and does not bombard the audience with special effects.  Rather, he creates a mood that draws the audience in.

We are never able to select our favorite song from among the sixteen but there is one that we always pay attention to because the singer can perform it any number of ways.  That song is "Ich grolle nicht" in which the poet begins by denying his anger at the woman who abandoned him.  By the end of the song his fury emerges. Many singers begin with irony but Mr. Tian began quietly and let the rage build up to a terrifying explosion. We were enthralled.

The slow tempo of "Am leuchtenden Sommermorgen" provided expansive room for an emotional introspection.  Mr. LaNasa made sure we could hear the murmuring of the consoling flowers.

"Ein Jüngling liebt ein Mädchen" was notable for Mr. Tian's storytelling gifts. In this case, he was more generous with his gestures to illustrate the confusing nature of the text.

Leaving aside Mr. Tian's interpretive gifts, we cannot end without commenting on the velvety tone of his instrument, the richness of the timbre, the musicality of his phrasing, and the accuracy of his German. Diphthongs were perfect and consonants were crisp.

We first heard this fine artist in 2014 at a Classic Lyric Arts Gala and have heard his magnificent Masters of Music recital at Manhattan School of Music, and another recital at The Graduate Center of City University of New York. He has never disappointed us.  He is a young artist to watch!

We hope the artists will forgive us for departing after the Schumann.  We were rather emotional and wanted to preserve the melancholy mood and to process our memories.  That's just how powerful the experience was!

(c) meche kroop

TRIPLE THREAT

Scott Rednour and Xiaoming Tian at Elabash Recital Hall

It's been over two years since we reviewed Xiaoming Tian's Masters Degree Recital at Manhattan School of Music when we made some puns about the English meaning of his name.  We wound up inventing our own name for him...Triply Talented Tian. The reason was that he ended the recital singing a highly heartfelt song whilst accompanying himself on the piano. It was a colleague of his who told us that Mr. Tian composed the song himself!

Now that Mr. Tian is enrolled in the Ph.D./D.M.A. Program at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, perhaps he is no longer so gripped with modesty because he announced himself as the composer when he performed the same incredible feat last night as an encore to his excellent recital. Although the words were not printed in the program,  the artist supplied us with the text, 

It is a lovely text, filled with nostalgia and references to elements of nature. The sounds of sung Mandarin rose and fell with the music in perfect partnership and delighted the ear. Mandarin is a musical language to start with and lovely to listen to.The song "Don't Cast Away" began with delicacy but became vigorous at the climax. His piano writing is melodic and included some wonderful arpeggi.

One of the things we most admire about Mr. Tian (aside from his compositional and pianistic skills) is his musicality. The phrasing is always apt and his control of dynamics excellent. Added to this is a facility with languages.

It seems as if singers, for whom English is a second language, have better English diction than native English speakers. Since the Masters recital, Mr. Tian's English diction has improved to the point that every word of the Barber songs was clearly enunciated. English will never be our favorite language for singing but it was a pleasure to hear it so well sung.

His French is also excellent and we were very glad to hear his Ravel once more. We just wrote about Don Quichotte a Dulcinee a few days ago but last night's performance took us back to the earlier graduation recital and gave us an opportunity to measure his artistic growth. We would call this cycle his "signature".

He invested "Chanson romanesque" with sweetness, "Chanson epique" with devotional piety, and "Chanson a boire" (our favorite) with flights of extravagant melismatic singing.

He has equal skills with German, evincing a fine vibrato in the vowels with no cheating of the consonants. We were happy to hear our favorites--"Die Nacht", "Allerseelen", and "Zueignung" from Op. 10 of 1885 composed when Strauss was only 20 years old! (What's YOUR 20-year-old doing with his time?) From the 1894 Op. 27 we enjoyed "Morgen!" with it's lovely piano interlude and "Heimliche Aufforderung". These are Strauss' most romantic and passionate songs, of which we never tire.

Fortunately, Mr. Tian chose some of Rachmaninov's best songs, of which we prefer "Do Not Sing To Me My Beauty" because of its melancholy text and haunting vocal line.  "In the Silence of the Secret Night" is another winner and "Christ is Risen" recalled the despairing condition of the world today. Mr. Tian has a flair for Russian, as we recall when we heard him sing Eugene Onegin,

Rounding out the program were two lovely songs in Mandarin by Qing Zhu about the Yangtze River, one a personal revelation of longing and the other about an historical event. We suspect that the extensive program notes were a product of Mr. Tian's scholarship.

Mr. Tian studies with Robert White who was in the audience and whose pleasure seemed on par with our own.  Accompanist for the recital was Scott Rednour.

(c) meche kroop

DELVING INTO ONEGIN

Vira Slywotzky, Eric Sedgwick, Xiaoming Tian, Bray Wilkins, and Jane Marsh

Master classes are generally fun (at least for the audience) and always instructive. Yesterday's master class, held by the Metropolitan Opera Guild, was led by Jane Marsh, who made it fun and instructive for everyone. The three participants were known to us and their talents duly noted on this blog on numerous occasions. But this was a special occasion.

There were many things that made it special. It was the first time we attended a class given by Jane Marsh, who has had an illustrious career and had so much to share with the three students, most of it gleaned from her vast experience with the Russian language and with Eugene Onegin in particular.

It was the first time we've witnessed a master class devoted to one opera and Tchaikovsky's masterpiece was the perfect choice. Obviously, the three participants all knew their arias well and most likely had sung the roles to great acclaim. So the class felt like witnessing the polishing of gems that had already been expertly cut. Polishing just brings out the luster--subtleties that we will know to look for the next time we attend this operatic treasure.

Ms. Marsh pointed out that the libretto is not truly a libretto, but rather a lengthy poem written by Pushkin in 1833 and set by Tchaikovsky in 1879; every Russian person can recite this poem since it is taught in their excellent educational system. It is such fine poetry and such fine composing that the musical stresses and the textual ones match up perfectly.

In general, a good strong middle voice is necessary because of the dark sound of the Russian language. This is not Italian and sentimentality is to be avoided.

Soprano Vira Slywotzky is most known to us from the world of art song (Mirror Visions Ensemble) and operetta (Victor Herbert Renaissance Project Live!). Numerous reviews of her delightful singing are archived right here. Although we suspected there was a lot more to her talent, we had not had the opportunity to hear it until yesterday. Her Tatyana was a revelation!

Ms. Slywotzky's native tongue is Ukrainian and her ease with Russian allowed her to focus on the creation of a character; she totally convinced us in the "letter scene" that she was a love-sick seventeen-year-old experiencing infatuation and romantic longing for the first time in her life. Ms. Marsh's coaching concentrated on dynamics and pacing and body language.

She asked for some urgency in the first few couplets as this involuntary passion has produced a sense of resolve which grows. Ms. Marsh had abridged this lengthy scene without negative effect, the better to have time to work on key phrases. She pointed out that Tatyana's upbringing was conservative and her body language must be restrained. No grandstanding on the high note! No arm waving!

After she writes some of the letter, the next part should be slow and piano as she reflects on her doubts and her feelings of being misunderstood. The suggestions took Ms. S. to a new level. We were glad that she remained onstage to be coached in the confrontation scene with Onegin.

We loved Xiaoming Tian's interpretation of Onegin. We have often said that the guy is not a heel; he is an elegant somewhat reserved aristocrat from the big city and he is letting Tatyana down easily with some good advice. It's a wonderful scene and much of the coaching was devoted to positioning Tatyana's body and how she jumps up when Onegin arrives.

Onegin is meant to be reticent and not demonstrative. Mr. Tian (whose work we know well from his advanced studies and performances at Manhattan School of Music) outdid himself with his gorgeous baritonal sound and it is upon this that the singer of Russian must rely, not upon cheap theatrics. The character he created was a sympathetic one, which is necessary if we are to feel the tragedy at the end. Mr. Tian's word coloration, phrasing, and gestures were impeccable. The two singers worked well together and we'd love to see them in an entire performance.

In the role of Lensky, we heard tenor Bray Wilkins whom we have heard a few times over the past few years. From Ms. Marsh we learned that the character of Lensky was probably rather autobiographical on Pushkin's part; indeed the poet died in a duel after surviving 29 (!) duels based on his romantic jealousy.  Now there's a good topic for a new opera!

"Kuda, kuda" is frequently heard in competitions and is a terrific tenor showpiece. Mr. Wilkins was coached to begin singing facing upstage and to gradually turn to face the audience. Lensky is a poet and he is ruminating about the meaning of life, knowing that he is facing death.

When he thinks about the world forgetting him, he should allow a decrescendo to happen without making it happen. When he cries out to Olga, he must open it up and lean on the phrase with passion. We have heard this before but it is worth repeating Ms. Marsh's instructions to "think up on the low notes and think down on the high notes". We understood exactly what she meant and it did make quite a difference in Mr. Wilkins' performance.

The challenging piano reduction was well-negotiated by Eric Sedgwick who is always an asset.

The afternoon did not end until Ms. Marsh gave each singer an opportunity to express how they felt about singing in Russian and specifically in these roles. We expect to approach this opera, specifically the characters of this opera, with renewed appreciation.

(c) meche kroop

RINGING FLUTE

Wei Quan and Xiaoming Tian

We were curious about the meaning of the name of this impressive young baritone. In our opinion "Flute Ringing" doesn't quite do justice to his rich round tone. With apologies for our arrogance, we think of it rather as "Sonorous Clarinet".

Mr. Tian's graduation recital from Manhattan School of Music drew a large crowd who knew what glories to expect, preferring them to being outside on a glorious New York Sunday. Not only is Mr. Tian the possessor of a vibrant velvety tone but an entire panoply of vocal skills which enable him to connect to the meaning of the text and convey such meaning to the audience. Variations of color and dynamics served to advance the artistry. The texture of his voice in the pianissimo parts is astounding.

Mr. Tian's interpretation of Gustav Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen was marked by great depth of feeling and a mood sustained throughout the four songs. The song deal with the despair of lost love and covers all possible colors, even including the attempt to look at the bright side in nature. We recommend this as an audition piece with the expectation that others might be as deeply moved as we were.

This artist can change tone and mood readily as we observed in Manuel de Falla's Siete Canciones Populares Españolas. "Seguidilla murciana" is a real tongue-twister, "Jota" is frisky, "Nana" is a tender lullaby and "Polo" is as filled with pain as is the Mahler cycle. We particularly enjoyed Wei Quan's collaborative piano which brought out the Iberian nature of the work in the rhythmic "Polo" and the delicate "Asturiana".

We also heard Maurice Ravel's Don Quichotte à Dulcineé, of which our favorite was "Chanson épique" which Mr. Tian sang with deep spiritual devotion. Of the Three Songs Op. 45 of Samuel Barber, our favorite was the surreally funny "A green lowland of pianos". Speaking of pianos, collaborative pianist Wei Quan played with spirit when called for and delicacy where appropriate.

Having heard Mr. Tian in four languages we commend his superlative diction. There were no texts or titles so we had to rely on his accurate pronunciation. We rarely missed a word, except of course in the English, which we never understand as well as other languages.

As an encore, Mr. Tian took over the piano and sang a song of nostalgia for his homeland. We did not understand the words but we understood the feeling. Imagine our surprise when a fellow student revealed that Mr. Tian composed the song as well. This artist then might be called "Triply Talented Tian"! Now how does one say that in Mandarin?

(c) meche kroop