ADES COMPETITION

Polixeni Tziouvaras, Sasha Gutiérrez, Hyeree Shin, Kelly Singer, Daniel Rich, Sae Lin Kim, Hannah Friesen,
and Xiaotong Cao

Yesterday eight accomplished singers competed for some mighty generous prize money awarded by the dear Joan Taub Ades, who works tirelessly for Manhattan School of Music and their students, as did her late husband Alan M. Ades who was here honored in the performance space bearing their names.  This was the ninth annual competition and drew a huge crowd of opera lovers.

We heard six of the eight competitors (thanks MTA!) and were rather overwhelmed by the quality of the performances. We tried to imagine a phrase analogous to "rubbing one's eyes in disbelief". Somehow "rubbing one's ears" didn't quite make the journalistic cut; we will just say that so much talent onstage within a couple of hours was most impressive.

It is not our custom to list winners and how much money each one received. In our eyes (ears, once more) they were all winners. All the singers will receive degrees from MSM in May. Nominated by their respective teachers, and selected for the finals by means of audition, yesterday's competition was the last step.

We apologize for missing the performances of soprano Hannah Friesen who was accompanied by Travis Bloom, and that of mezzo-soprano Sae Lin Kim, who was accompanied by Eric Sedgwick. It couldn't be helped. We heard from our seat neighbor that both were excellent. 

The first thing that impressed us was the confidence and clarity with which each singer introduced her/himself. We have been known to complain about singers who mumbled their introductions and the titles of the arias they were about to sing. No such failures here!

The first singer we heard was Colombian soprano Sasha Gutiérrez of whose versatility we got a very clear picture. She performed Dona Elvira's aria "Ah fuggi il traditor" from Mozart's Don Giovanni with suitable angry intensity. The judges requested from her submitted repertory "Il est doux, il est bon" from Jules Massenet's Hérodiade which she sang with a sweet tone and a nicely modulated Gallic line. Mr. Bloom provided excellent support.

Next we heard the aptly named Kelly Singer who used her impressive artistry in two very different arias. She performed "Non, Monsieur mon mari" from Francis Poulenc's satirical operetta Les mamelles de Tirésias. Every gesture and facial expression seemed spontaneous but we are quite sure that she labored mightily to get every one just perfect. It was fine and funny and very French.

The judges asked to hear Händel next. "Piangerò" from Giulio Cesare was a perfect contrast to the Poulenc and gave us an opportunity to appreciate Ms. Singer's coloratura in the vocal fireworks of the middle section.  When the first theme reappeared we enjoyed the lavish embellishments. Cory Battey was her supportive accompanist.

Baritone Daniel Rich, the only male singer in the group, opened with "Avant de quitter ces lieux" from Gounod's Faust, a common choice for baritones in competitions. We enjoyed the depth of protective feeling he expressed for his sister. Gounod's "four-square" writing does not help to elicit a long legato line until the first theme recurs. But Valentin is going off to war so the march-like rhythm works dramatically.

The judges requested "Warm as the autumn light" from Douglas Moore's The Ballad of Baby Doe. The work is far more melodic than most 20th c. operas and Mr. Rich's clear English diction added to our enjoyment. We didn't miss a single word. Mr. Sedgwick accompanied effectively.

Soprano Hyeree Shin dazzled us with her instrument's lovely resonance and abundant overtones. Ophélie's mad scene "A vos jeux mes amis" from Ambroise Thomas' Hamlet is a true showpiece for which Joan Sutherland was famous, and Ms.Shin gave it a superb performance with great clarity in the coloratura and a killer trill. The various shades of madness were well conveyed from one section to another.

We were completely satisfied at that point but the judges requested a hearing of "Take me back up the hill" from Ned Rorem's Our Town, an opera based upon the Thornton Wilder play which, in our opinion, gained nothing by adding music. However, it gave us a chance to hear Ms. Shin's clear English diction. William Woodard accompanied on the piano.

Mezzo-soprano Polixeni Tziouvaras performed "All'afflitto" from Gaetano Donizetti's Roberto Devereux in which Sara, Duchess of Nottingham, reveals her grief. Although Ms. Tsiouvaras has a mezzo instrument of depth, her top notes soar in a lovely upper extension. The vibrato is consistently appealing.

The judges requested "Wie do warst" from Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier and we enjoyed this even more. The delivery was passionate and convincing. Also we became aware of something for the first time--the space between the notes. It is difficult to describe but there was great feeling in the silences. This impressive performance was accompanied by the excellent Jonathan Heaney.

The final performance was by soprano Xiaotong Cao whose performance of "Stridono Lassù", from Ruggiero Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, brought to life the songs of the birds that she so envied; the trills received plenty of assistance from pianist Chun-Wei Kang whose delicate hands performed a ballet on the keys of the piano. The tempo seemed a bit accelerated compared to that which we usually hear in this realismo aria. The pair brought the aria to a stunning conclusion.

The judges requested "Come scoglio" from Mozart's Così fan tutte, Fiordiligi's killer aria of determined resistance. Ms. Cao negotiated the wide skips with excellence as well as effectively handling the lower register. The fioritura tickled the ear.

After all that aural pleasure, some gustatory pleasure awaited by means of a reception, serving to distract everyone from the anxiety of waiting for the judges' decision. The judges were Diane Zola, Peter Russell, and superstar soprano Denyce Graves.

(c) meche kroop

DOUBLE FEATURE AT MANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC

Joseph Tancredi and Carolina Lopez Moreno
(Photo by Carol Rosegg)

In the best of all possible operatic worlds, one witnesses art and enjoys entertainment simultaneously. This was the case last night at Manhattan School of Music when a group of young singers, comprising mostly graduate students, presented a felicitous choice of two one act operas--one we have often heard and one we had never even heard of.

The first opera was Nino Rota's I due timidi, a work written for radio performance on RAI with libretto written by screenwriter Suso Cecchi D'Amico. The work was broadcast live in 1950 and later adapted for the stage in London and in Bari. This epoch seems as remote from today as the 19th c.

The work is set in a pensione run by the crabby Signora Guidotti (mezzo-soprano Polixeni Tziouvaras, as excellent vocally as she was dramatically) who has her hands full with plumbing problems and irate guests. The superb set by Lee Savage is the courtyard of the pensione which has three cameriere (soprano songbirds Heather O'Donovan, Kaitlin Turner, and Bridget Casey) gossiping whilst doing their chores. Flowers grow in window boxes and laundry hangs in the sun to dry.

Director Dona D. Vaughn (Artistic Director of the MSM Opera Theater) created a sense of time and place that hasn't been equalled since the Metropolitan Opera's late production of Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana.  People shout out of windows and lower baskets for groceries and payment. Very realistic.

The protagonists are the shy pianist Mariuccia (superb soprano Carolina Lopez Moreno, so fine of voice and so successful at creating empathy) and the equally shy suitor Raimondo (the promising tenor Joseph Tancredi who is still an undergraduate, singing with fine tone and phrasing). 

This is a comedy with a bittersweet ending which we will not divulge, but which seemed just right. Through a series of misunderstandings, Il dottore Sinisgalli (terrific tenor Zhiyu Shi) persuades Mariuccia's mother (marvelous mezzo-soprano Erin Reppenhagen) that the daughter needs his love, whilst La signora Guidotti mistakes Raimondo's intentions for love for herself.

In the playing out of this comedy of errors, the principals were each given a lovely aria so we could savor their vocal gifts. Acting as a one-man Greek chorus was the Narrator, bass Yi Yang whose rich voice convinced us that he was a worldly-wise observer.

Rounding out the cast were Laureano Quant as the porter and Sidhant Seth as another resident of the pensione.

Nino Rota would go on to compose film scores and had a particularly fruitful relationship with Federico Fellini.  But we doubt that his music was ever played as well as it was last night when the esteemed Maestro Giovanni Reggioli led the MSM Opera Orchestra in a lively reading of this colorful score.

Although Ms. Lopez Moreno was completely convincing as a pianist, the sound came from the beguiling offstage piano of Anna Smigelskaya.

Tracy Dorman's costumes looked just right for post-war Italy. Tyler Micoleau's lighting created a sunny Italy. Italian diction was excellent, thanks to Glenn Morton's coaching. Steven Jude Tietjen's supertitles were excellent for those who couldn't understand the very clear Italian.

Michelle Blauman and Xiaotong Cao (photo by Carol Rosegg)

Giacomo Puccini's Suor Angelica, celebrating its centennial, has been heard many times, mainly as part of an evening's production of Il Trittico, comprising Il tabarro, Suor Angelica, and Gianni Schicchi. There was something special about seeing this work up close and personal that resulted in our experiencing the work anew and being moved in ways that we had not been before.

Instead of a collection of nuns, we observed each one exhibiting a different personality behind the nearly identical ecclesiastical habits. We consider it a major triumph of director Dona D. Vaughn that we had different feelings for each one!

The eponymous Suor Angelica was portrayed by superb soprano Xiaotong Cao. She seemed on a different level from the others.  Apparently she had adjusted to the cloistered life although her admission to the convent had probably been not exactly elective. Culture at that time was not kind to girls who got pregnant out of wedlock, especially if they came from aristocratic families. Hiding the "sinners" away in convents was considered the only solution to deal with the family's shame.

This in itself seems tragic but tearing a mother away from her infant seems even more tragic. Poor Angelica has harbored secret wishes for a visit from her family but when the visit finally comes it is her aunt, La zia principessa who arrives with no love or forgiveness, just disdain and some documents through which Angelica must sign away her inheritance.

The role of the aunt was played by Michelle Bauman with rigid posture, icy demeanor and wonderful mezzo-soprano tone. We tried to figure out why she was costumed in the Italian version of Dior's post-war "New Look" with a silly hat. It was probably done to provide some chronological resonance with the first opera on the program but it served to undercut her critical authoritarian stance and gave the lie to her arrival in a coach with a family crest.  We far prefer the character wearing a long black dress and veil!

Another mezzo, Erin Reppenhagen, shone in the role of the Monitor, doling out corrective punishment to the nuns for their minor infractions. Yet another mezzo, Gabriella Chea, excelled as the Abbess.

Among the nuns, our favorite character was Suor Genovieffa, sung by the sweet voiced soprano Hannah Friesen. When she sung of her longing to hold a lamb, we were quite moved.

But the most moving moment was toward the end when Angelica rips off her wimple and collapses on the floor in tears, lamenting the death of her son. Having poisoned herself she believes herself to be damned and thereby separated eternally from the boy. We confess to a bit of water in the eyes.

We enjoyed the two Lay Sisters played by Michelle Capano and Cambrey Willhelm. The Mistress of the Novices was sung by mezzo Mengran Jia and her charges comprised Amanda Larkin, Lauren Curet, Duqingna, and Nicole Rowe.

Xiao Xiao and Sophie Blatt portrayed the Begging Sisters who brought provisions via bicycle. Corinne DeJong was Suor Osmina and Bridget Casey was Suor Dolcina.

The set was repurposed from the first work, this time with the second story shutters tightly closed and a fountain in the center of the courtyard. Mr. Micoleau's lighting was effective but we would have loved to see the golden light which purportedly illuminates the fountain only three days a year!

This is such a great opera with so many female roles, giving opportunities to so many female singers. Each one was wonderful in her own way.

There are three more opportunities for you, dear reader, to share in this outstanding experience--tonight, Saturday night, and Sunday afternoon. The newly redecorated Neidorff-Karpati Hall has excellent acoustics and is just the right size.  Don't miss out!

(c) meche kroop

MAGICAL MASTER CLASS

Fabio Bezuti, Zachary Goldman, Xiaotong Cao, Glenn Morton, Oleksii Kuznietzov, Donata D'Annunzio Lombardi, Yvette Keong, and Tal Heller

How does it feel when a master teacher comes along and contradicts everything a singer has learned about her voice and vocal production?  We guess it feels pretty good when the results seem magical. We just attended such a class taught by famed Italian soprano Donata D'Annunzio Lombardi. This is our third or fourth opportunity to observe her working with young singers and the results have left a huge impression on us.

Her teachings are based on extensive experience with anatomy, bioenergetics, and osteopathy. She has assembled valuable advice from several famous singers. She can immediately diagnose exactly where tight muscles are blocking sound production and provide strange seeming exercises and postures to ease the blockage. We have heard dramatic changes in the students' voices within minutes!

Her focus is very much on accessing the back of the body and the several diaphragms that are apparently as important as the familiar one. The commonly taught posture and method of breathing into the belly seems to be all wrong.

Students got down on their hands and knees.  They lay on their belly and swam on the floor. They pinched their lips. They showed off their uvulas. They bent over the piano. Wow!

Participating students were sopranos Xiaotong Cao and Yvette Keong, mezzo-soprano Tal Heller, tenors Zachary Goldman and Oleksii Kuznietzov, and baritone Sunyeop Hwang. They all sounded just fine initially but after a half hour work with Ms. Lombardi they each sounded glorious with enhanced resonance. Accompanist was Fabio Bezuti.

We found ourself wishing that we had begun our vocal studies with Ms. Lombardi.  The bad news is that it is too late for us but the good news is that it isn't too late for you. This remarkable teacher, brought to us by Glenn Morton of Classic Lyric Arts, will be returning in October.

If you are a singer you absolutely must attend.  And if you are not, you can come and enjoy witnessing some miracles.

(c) meche kroop