GO FOR BAROQUE

Terpsichore: A Baroque Dance Mix....Juilliard415 and baroque dancers

A number of prior experiences contributed to our enjoyment of last night's program at Alice Tully Hall in which Juilliard415 was joined by a quartet of authentic period baroque dancers and some students from Juilliard Dance.

A number of Salon/Sanctuary Concerts introduced us to the many pleasures of 17th and 18th c. music and enabled us to appreciate the lovely soft sounds of period instruments. Moreover, we had learned quite a bit about the origins of dance from fencing moves at one of their more original presentations. So it was with great delight that we observed the fleet footwork of the dancers whose radiant expressions were nearly outshown by their lavish costumes.

When the program opened with Henry Purcell's 1691 Dances from King Arthur we immediately recalled the splendid presentation a couple weeks ago by William Remmer's Utopia Opera. The familiar melodies sounded superb played by Juilliar415, the school's principal period-instrument performance group led by the renowned Robert Mealy as concertmaster.

For this part of the program, the dancing was performed by the musicians themselves who seemed to rock in their chairs in choreographed unison. They were feelin' it and we were feelin' it!  The galloping rhythm of "Merlin's descent" and the "Hornpipe" were particularly memorable.

The second set comprised Jean-Baptiste Lully's Dances from Thesée in which one of the theorbists switched to guitar. We especially enjoyed the  lovely "Saraband" and the featured wind instruments in the graceful "Menuet": a pair of transverse flutes, a pair of hautbois, and a bassoon.

We were glad we attended so carefully to the Purcell and the Lully because once the dancers joined the group our focus shifted. The period costumes (designed by Anna Watkins and provided by the Boston Early Music Festival) added a great deal to the illusion that we were at a French court in the latter part of the 17th c. The graceful hands and delicate footwork of Caroline Copeland and Carlos Fittante captivated us as they performed the stringently documented and recreacted choreography by Guillaume Louis Pécour and Anthony L'Abbe.

Most of the dances were by Lully but in the short piece by André Campra from his 1697 L'Europe galante, Mr. Fittante made good use of castanets!

After the intermission, the two exquisite dancers were joined by another pair--Alexis Silver and Andrew Trego. The music was Handel's 1734 Dances from Terpsichore, and we noticed some interesting evolutions both in the costuming (more luxurious and elaborate with wider paniers) and in the dancing which was more athletic and freer. For this set, Ms. Copeland and Mr. Fittante produced the choreography themselves.

The final set comprised Dances from Pigmalion, Jean-Philippe Rameau's 1748 work. We experienced a radical shift for which we were unprepared. Choreography by Peter Farrow was of the modern dance style and performed by Alysia Johnson, Eoin Robinson, and My'kal Stromile--all four of them members of Juilliard Dance.

Dancers wore street clothes and danced in bare feet. Choreographing modern dance to baroque music is not revolutionary; Paul Taylor has quite a reputation for it. The dancers did a fine job with it and the audience loved it; we ourselves did not relate.

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WAGNER AND VERISMO

Brian Holman, Ruth Ann Cunningham, Emanuel Mora, and Anita Lyons

An opportunity to hear our two favorite scenes from Richard Wagner's Ring Cycle seemed like just the right thing to do on a Sunday evening. The two scenes are incredibly moving when performed the way Wagner intended, as a gesamtkunstwerk.  So, how would a piano reduction work, we wondered, with the scenes extracted from their respective operas and sung without costumes and sets?

In the hands of Brian Holman the piano part worked very well indeed.  His artistry brought out each leitmotif with clarity and fluency. We could not feel the same enthusiasm for the singing, largely due to the use of music stands; this condition impaired the singers' ability to connect with each other and thereby to draw the audience in.

When Sieglinde and Siegmund recognize one another as long lost twins, we want to feel that special shiver, just as we do when Siegfried awakens Brünnhilde with a kiss. We confess to being a romantic!
These two duets are quite difficult ones and we admire the artists for tackling them with such gusto, but it doesn't make the grade when we are distracted by singers glancing down and turning pages.

Soprano Anita Lyons did the best at acting the part of the newly aroused warrior maiden and sang as best she could under the circumstances. Everyone did the best they could but it wasn't good enough. Tenor Emanuel Mora's German was marred by his "icky" pronunciation of the final "ich".

The second half of the concert came across better as the three singers took on Pietro Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana. There appeared to be less reliance on the scores placed on music stands. Ms. Lyons made a fine impassioned Santuzza, singing "Voi lo sapete, o Mamma", establishing sympathy for her "wronged woman". She evinced fine phrasing.

Everyone seemed more comfortable in the Italian and the catfight between Lola and Santuzza was more convincing. As the seductive Lola, soprano Ruth Ann Cunningham set up a character that we could dislike. As the faithless and duplicitous Turridu, Mr. Mora showed the anguish of being caught in the middle between the pregnant Santuzza and the married Lola. One couldn't help thinking that this snake deserves what he gets at the end of the opera!

This was the inaugural concert of the New York Verismo/Wagner Opera Guild. There are not many performance opportunities for this challenging repertoire. We wish them well, but we hold to our position that if you want to attract an audience you have to put the work in to commit to memory that which you are presenting.  Otherwise the audience feels as if they are at a sight-reading.

The concert was dedicated to the memory of Patricia Sage, the coach and music director of the Wagner Theater Program in which Ms. Cunningham and Mr. Mora participated.

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A ROYAL CELEBRATION

Curtain Call at the George London Foundation Celebration Concert

The 45-year-old George London Foundation has partnered with The Morgan Library and Museum for the past 20 years and has succeeded in three important areas: they have supported no less than 400 singers at the early stages of their careers; they have built a devoted audience of opera lovers; and they have honored the legacy of bass-baritone George London.  

All of this has been accomplished under the stewardship of Nora London who was honored last night by a gala recital, performed by opera royalty, some of the brightest stars of the operatic firmament. It is a wonderful tribute that recipients of the foundation's awards returned to honor Mrs. London with performances that left us dazzled by their brilliance.

The evening was hosted by the retired Canadian tenor Ben Heppner who also ended the evening by treating the audience to Weatherly and Woods' 1916 song "Roses in Picardy", sung with touching depth of feeling and dynamic variety. It was a great treat to hear him sing again.

We tried to define what made this concert stand out above all the superb concerts we have seen this year.  What did all these luminaries have in common? Other than their artistry, dedication, and commitment, we sensed a joy in singing. Most likely they chose material that they loved to sing; they appeared to be having a wonderful time. 

Christine Brewer has a huge soprano which she scaled to the size of the hall and the tenderness of the songs selected from Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder. We have heard her "huge" and we have heard her "funny", but we have never before heard her "tender". Collaborative pianist Craig Rutenberg, by all accounts an engaging presence, matched her delicacy perfectly in "Der Engel" and "Träume".

Later, she sang the stirring "My Long Life" from Virgil Thomson's The Mother of Us All, paying tribute to Susan B. Anthony by making every word and phrase count in what could be taken as a lesson in English diction for young singers. She closed the program with a tribute to Mrs. London--"If I Could Tell You" by Firestone.

Soprano Sondra Radvanovsky gave a riveting account of "Song to the Moon" from Dvorak's Russalka. Her enormous voice was just bursting with overtones and her intense involvement with the emotional content shook us to the core. 

Later in the program, with mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer, she performed "Mira, o Norma" from Bellini's opera of the same name. There was maximum sympathetic impact from these two incredible voices harmonizing in sound and spirit. Actually, we perceived the performance as a trio with Mr. Rutenberg's piano weaving in, around, and under the vocal lines.  It was thrilling.

Ms. Mentzer delighted the audience with "Sein wir wieder gut" from Richard Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos--a real tribute to music as a "heilige kunst".

When soprano Ailyn Pérez took the stage, the electricity in the room was palpable. With consummate Latin fire, she performed a quartet of songs by the 20th c. Spanish composer Fernando Obradors.

"La mi sola, Laureola" began with an a capella passage for the soprano and then the gentle filigree of the piano entered. We became entranced. By the time the pair got to "Del cabello mas sutil" we were melting into the seat. "El vito" is a folk song which Obradors set in wild rhythm and it was performed with incredible vitality.  Even the gifted but unassuming collaborative pianist Ken Noda caught fire!  

This Latin charmer showed another side of her artistry with the verismo aria "Ebben! Ne Andrò Lontana" from Catalani's La Wally.

The three male singers were all bass-baritones, as was George London!  It is one thing to hear established stars up close and personal for the first time. One doesn't know what they sounded like when they were young and promising, although we are sure there were at least a few people in the room who heard James Morris and Eric Owens when they were starting out.

 It is quite another thing to hear someone young enough that we have been able to observe the growth of their artistry.  Such is the case with Brandon Cedel who just keeps getting better and better. Even at the very lowest part of his range, his voice is exciting. But there is no sacrifice of flexibility as he demonstrated in Count Rodolfo's aria "Vi ravviso, o luoghi ameni" from Bellini's La sonnambula.

Later, he performed the folksong "Boatmen's Dance", set by Aaron Copland; the performance was marked by lively personality, good variety of dynamics, and such fine English diction that not a single word was lost.  It was fun!  And just looking at Mr. Noda's face told us that he was sharing the fun and showing it through his nimble fingers.

Another bass-baritone to perform was Eric Owens, who always gives a splendid performance. Don Ruy Gomez de Silva's aria "Infelice! E tuo credevi" from Verdi's Ernani was given an expansive reading with Mr. Owens employing all the depth and breadth of his instrument in a show of intimidating aristocratic force.

His second choice was the "Chanson à Boire" from Ravel's song cycle Don Quichotte à Dulcinée. His bibulous performance began while Mr. Rutenberg was still shuffling the pages of the piano score and the audience loved it.  

A medley of songs from M. Leigh's Man of La Mancha was so magnificently performed by the venerable James Morris that we were finally able to "accept" him as someone other that Wotan. We never had the opportunity to hear him in his youth but we heard him as Wotan so many times that we had trouble imagining him portraying any other character.  But his rich voice and compelling stage presence made him totally convincing as Don Quixote. We loved it!

There was one charming bagatelle that we must mention.-- Mr. Rutenberg on the treble side of the piano and Mr. Noda on the bass side performing Tchaikovsky's own arrangement of "The Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy" from The Nutcracker Suite.

What a celebration! A celebration of George London's legacy, a celebration of a mutually beneficial partnership, a celebration of Nora London's dedication, a celebration of vocal and pianistic merit, a celebration of "heilige kunst".

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NYFOS GALA CELEBRATES GILBERT AND SULLIVAN

Chris Reynolds (piano), David Hyde Pierce, Abigail Levis, Hal Cazalet, Lauren Worsham, and Bryce Pinkham

There was, as usual, lots of dry humor in Steven Blier's account of his childhood fascination with Gilbert and Sullivan.  Last night's New York Festival of Song Spring Gala at the Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall offered patrons the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear Broadway stars joyfully tackle duets and ensembles from several comic operas composed by that incredibly gifted writing team.

Writing during the Victorian period, Gilbert's librettos satirized the political and social constructs of that epoch. The stories treat the most absurd situations as if they were normal, turning the world upside-down--hence the title of that marvelous film Topsy-Turvy. Sullivan wrote the most singable melodies, tunes that get inside the ear and brain and never let go.

When one thinks of marvelous writing teams in America one thinks immediately of Rogers and Hammerstein.  In England, one thinks of Gilbert and Sullivan. We have written often about how difficult it is to set the English language. Serious works often appear deadly and boring, without much vocal line. Comic or ironic works seem to lend themselves better to musical involvement.  Think Cole Porter and Steven Sondheim.

As Maestro Blier so aptly pointed out, most of G&S' comic operas deal with the strange laws and customs that keep lovers apart and the clever ways the characters get around the law.  With his marvelous sense of humor he pointed out that Nanki-Poo in The Mikado would never wind up with Katisha because "tenors don't marry contraltos". It does seem that each and every one of their operas has some peculiarly absurd--but logically absurd--solution to the problem that results in a happy ending and a happy audience.

Last night's happy audience enjoyed selections from The Mikado, H.M.S. Pinafore, Iolanthe, Ruddigore, and Princess Ida. There was no printed program so we will rely on our memory to share a few of the very special moments.

Mezzo-soprano Abigail Levis was hilarious as Mad Margaret in Ruddigore, being brought down from her mania by the safe word "Basingstoke". Mr. Blier's hilarious contribution was the joke that "the portraits of the disapproving ancestors could be removed to the Frick--where no one would ever see them".

The three gentlemen of the cast--David Hyde Pierce, Hal Cazalet, and Bryce Pinkham had a great time with the cross-dressing scene in Princess Ida, which they performed solely with acting and without benefit of costume changes.

Soprano Lauren Worsham was delightful in the trio from H.M.S. Pinafore as she turns Sir Joseph Porter's lesson in class distinction around to suit her own romantic ideals. And when Mr. Pierce sang the famous number about his rise to Admiral of the Queen's Navy, the rest of the ensemble indulged in some hilarious hand-jive in unison.

Accompanying the singers were Maestro Blier himself, assisted by Chris Reynolds, whose playing we enjoyed so much at a prior NYFOS event.

It was an altogether charming evening! Our only reservation was the sporadic use of scores.  One might have hoped that the cast would have memorized the material.

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THE KING SAID SO!

The cast of Léo Delibes' Le roi l'a dit at Manhattan School of Music

We never get to see the Sun King Louis XIV onstage but he is the engine driving the deliriously silly plot of Léo Delibes' 1873 operetta presented for the past four nights at Manhattan School of Music. A golden medallion of his royal visage adorns the reception room in the home of Le Marquis de Moncontour, who has earned an audience with the King by capturing a stray parrot.

The work itself is like a meringue. Beaten just right, you get a delectable confection. Beaten too little and there is no shape; beaten excessively and things get nasty. The team of Director Dona D. Vaughn and Music Director of the Senior Opera Theater/Conductor Jorge Parodi are so incredibly effective that we wonder why the revered Metropolitan Opera cannot do such honor to the operas they choose to present.

This piece of fluff is a period piece and the entire production team gave us exactly what was intended--a gentle satire using stock characters to poke fun at the aristocracy, arranged marriages, duels, clever servants outwitting their masters, class distinctions, yearning for power, and awe of those in "superior positions".

The work itself is less than two hours in length; reading the plot summary takes almost as long! But the ending brings joy to the Moncontour household; the two marriageable daughters get the husbands they want, the two disdained suitors chosen by the parents get frightened off after a mock duel, the clever servant girl Javotte gets to spend her life with Benoit, the sweetheart from her village, and the Marquis and Marquise can stop quarreling. They are happy. We are happy.

The big joke is the sudden Pygmalion-like transformation of Benoit; he wants to better himself and falls into a situation where the Marquis needs to produce a son to win favor from the King. Miton, the household etiquette tutor, achieves the transformation in ten lessons. Benoit, dressed to the nines, adopts the mien of arrogance and becomes thereby convincingly aristocratic.

He presses his advantage to dispatch the unwelcome suitors, to rescue the daughters from a convent, and ensure that they get the husbands they have chosen for themselves.

The libretto for this silly but pointed plot was written by Edmond Gondinet and first offered to Jacques Offenbach who was and is known for his fine hand at this sort of thing. That Delibes was equally assured at frivolity came to us as a delightful surprise. The work was a modest success in the 19th c. and was revived a few times in the 20th c. but was never before presented in the United States. 

The music is as light and tickly as champagne. Maestro Jorge Parodi took command of his fine orchestra right from the overture, comprising an opening march, followed by a lyrical theme, and then a frisky one.

But oh, those melodies! They tumbled out one after another with the entire cast doing a splendid job with their fresh young well-trained voices. Particularly lovely was the duet between Benoit, the upwardly mobile peasant (terrific tenor Philippe L'Esperance) and his sweetheart Javotte who left her village to come work for the Marquis. This role was sung by soprano Alexandra Linde, an adorable Swedish songbird, possessor of astounding coloratura skills.

Speaking of adorable, if the four daughters had not been chosen for their fine voices, we would have believed they were chosen for their looks. In ensemble, they harmonized happily. Only petite soprano Christa Dalmazio had an aria to show off her fine coloratura. The other three were sopranos Nicole Rowe and Grace Kidd, and mezzo-soprano Alanna Fraize.

The sycophantic Marquis was well portrayed by baritone Michael Gracco and the Marquise by the fine mezzo-soprano Monica Talavera.

The two desirable suitors were britches roles and soprano Eleanor Coleman and mezzo-soprano Agness Nyama made them vocally and dramatically appealing. In the second act trio with Benoit, we were astonished by the musical modernity of Delibes' writing. It sounded almost like jazz singers doing scat!

The two cast-off suitors were portrayed by baritones Nicholas Krsnich and Seok Jong Baek.

Matthew Hernandez made a fine servant to the household. As Miton, the pompous etiquette tutor, Marshall Morrow overplayed his part by half but it just added to the fun. After all, we are watching stock characters meant to utilize a very broad acting style.

The costumes by Summer Lee Jack were appropriately over the top, poking fun at the High Baroque. The set by Kate Ashton was simple but effective; there were sheer white drapes, a few pieces of period furniture, some flowers, and a screen for suitors to hide behind (of course). We spied a couple porcelain rabbits hiding under tables.

Ms. Vaughn kept the action moving at a fast pace and wisely chose to have the dialogue in English and the singing in French. French diction was fine all around, thanks to the efforts of Bénédicte Jourdois. 

We walked out smiling and humming the tunes, wondering why no one ever thought to revive this gem before. Perhaps it was chosen for its large cast, giving so many talented young singers a chance to perform. Whatever the reason, we are grateful that the always enterprising folks at Manhattan School of Music put it on stage. 

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A RAINBOW OF SONG

Atsuko Nieda and Antonio Signorello

It was a short recital at The National Opera Center but all the bases were covered in terms of repertory for an Italian tenor.  Accompanied by pianist Atsuko Nieda, Antonio Signorello, who hails from Catania in Sicily, appeared under the auspices of New York Lyric Opera Theatre. Elizabeth Heuermann is the General/Artistic Director of this organization and we have enjoyed her creative directing on a number of occasions as well as her vocal performances. (The last time we heard her was in the role of Adele in Die Fledermaus.)

We hope she was not responsible for Mr. Signorello's changing scarves for each aria and canzone. Every color of the rainbow was represented and perhaps the color was meant to relate to the lyrics, but we found this bit of stage business to be quite distracting.

We loved the well-chosen program which included arias by Puccini and Verdi (what's not to love!) and canzone by Tosti, Cardillo, and Cali. We enjoyed the use of rubato in "L'ultima canzone" with its lovely vocalise at the end, and "A vucchella", both by Tosti. We would have called Cardillo's "Core 'ngrato" our favorite until we heard a song new to us--Cali's "E vui durmiti ancora", or Mattinata Siciliana.  We ourselves must have been asleep to have overlooked this gem.  Many thanks to Mr. Signorello for introducing us!

There were two curiosities on the program--from Meyerbeer's L'africaine, which we have never seen, we heard "O paradis", sung in French.  And from Franz Lehar's 1929 operetta Das Land des Lächelns we heard "Dein ist mein ganzes Herz"--in Italian! Well, that was really something!

From the world of opera, we heard arias from Verdi's La forza del destino and from Puccini's La fanciula del West and Manon Lescaut. We found Mr. Signorello's delivery to involve more "grandstanding" than that to which we are accustomed. "Money notes" were held just a bit too long with some distracting grimaces.

On a positive note, we always admire an Italianate sound and Mr. Signorello has an embouchure that any American singer would do well to emulate.  He has a darker sound than we had anticipated and he has plenty of depth in the lower register.

We had heard him sing previously ("Vesti la giubba") and he was sufficiently intense at that time. We believe he would do well to "pull it back a notch". A variety of color and intensity would be welcome. So...more color in the sound and less in the fabric!

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OPERA UP FROM UNDERGROUND

Opera Collective's Encore Gala Concert at The National Opera Center

Last night we were invited to a concert given by a collective of 13 singers, most of whom were unknown to us. We were impressed by their high quality and curious about how they were all connected.  It turns out that they all sing in the subway! These singers are committed to making more people aware of the art form--a goal with which we are in complete accordance. Unless we are mistaken, they must audition for the privilege of singing underground. We are glad they came up from under!

They all have fine voices and showed evidence of committed preparations, especially the ten women. Readers will recall how much we dislike singers singing from a music stand and how disengaged we feel when they do so.  Even in a quartet, if one person is "on the book" it detracts from the other singers. Consequently, we will decline to mention those numbers on the program.

In the opening number, the "Habanera" from Bizet's Carmen  (mezzo-soprano Rebecca Schuessler), the women of the chorus were "on the book" but that is forgivable.  From that moment on, all the women were well prepared and unleashed torrents of gorgeous music accompanied by Douglas Maxwell on the piano.

Soprano Jenny Ribeiro used her bright instrument and engaging personality to create a most believable Rosina in "Una voce poco fa" from Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia. We could not recall hearing more exciting fioritura than hers, so exciting that we forgot that the role was written for the mezzo voice. We hoped to hear more of her but did not; still, that was sufficient to persuade us that we'd love to hear her again in the future.

Soprano Kathryn Wieckhorst limned the character of Violetta in a meaningful way.  She sang "É strano...Ah, forse lui...Sempre libera" from Verdi's La Traviata, coloring each section according to the character's mood. Violetta's ambivalence came through loud and clear in this sympathetic portrayal.

We also enjoyed her Fiordiligi in "Soave sia il vento" from Mozart's Cosi fan tutte. Her voice harmonized beautifully with the Dorabella of mezzo Elizabeth Mondragon and the Don Alfonso of baritone Daniel Akerman.

Ms. Mondragon was particularly noteworthy in "My man's gone now" from Gershwin's Porgy and Bess. It was deeply felt and consequently quite moving. Every word of the text was understood and she brought the aria to a sorrowful end with a gorgeous vocalise.

Soprano Stacey Canterbury impressed us with her "Dich teure Halle" from Wagner's Tannhäuser. She evinced a great big sound and immersed herself in Elizabeth's character. She clearly can handle different sorts of roles as she demonstrated in the cherry blossom scene from Puccini's Madama Butterfly.  With mezzo-soprano Hannah Kramer as her Suzuki, she harmonized beautifully. The two women scattered (faux) blossoms on the floor of the stage, thus completing the lovely image.

Ms. Kramer excelled in "Stride la vampa" from Verdi's Il Trovatore, exhibiting true mezzo sound and a gift for storytelling. We were spellbound.

Soprano Michelle Ferrara gave a fine performance of Juliet's poison scene from Gounod's Roméo et Juliette, emphasizing the long French lines.

Mezzo Abigail Wright gave a lovely performance of the Composer's peacemaking aria "Sein wir wieder gut" from Richard Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos. We wish more mezzo sopranos would include this wonderful piece on their recital programs.

Soprano Alison Tynes made a very funny Olympia, the mechanical doll that captures Hoffman's heart in Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann. Her idiosyncratic movements were coordinated with her highly agile coloratura fireworks. The embellishments were astonishing.

We believe these artists must have won many converts to opera in their subterranean performances. We would much prefer to see straphangers converted to opera than to Scientology!

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