A NIGHT AT THE OPERETTA

Steven Blier and Friends

Steven Blier's artistic generosity and modest demeanor hide the fact that he is a most successful impressario; indeed his many NYFOS evenings have broadened our own appreciation for works at the fringes of the opera world.  Last night at Henry's on the Upper West Side,  he put together a delightful program of songs from operettas both native and foreign, using the wealth of talent available at The Juilliard School.  One would never suspect that the singers are students; we have seen and heard professionals whose talents fall way short of what we heard last night.  The good news is that next season Henry's will play host to an entire NYFOS series!

Raquel González portrayed the femme fatale in "Ich schenk' mein Herz" from Carl Millöcker's Die Dubarry, captivating the audience as well as the five gentlemen of the cast.  Next she sang a duet with Nathan Haller from Lehár's "Die lustige Witwe".  Miles Mykkanen sang "There Isn't One Girl in the World for Me" from Jerome Kern's Sitting Pretty, subtly coloring his timbre and varying his vibrato to sound like a recording of that period.

"Je suis Lazuli" from Chabrier's L'Etoile was sung in the best of French from the very French Virginie Verrez.  Philip Stoddard donned a silly rajah's turban for the amusing "Chant birman" from Messager's  L'Amour masqué; what was most remarkable was that he gave the rajah's nonsense language a French accent.  Absolutely hilarious.

Rachel Wilson infused her zarzuela number with a pinch of sazón; Barbieri's El barberillo de Lavapiés is a zarzuela we long to hear in its entirety.  A splendid duet with some lightning fast patter was performed by Kyle Bielfield and Davone Tines from another zarzuela entitled La del manojo de rosas by Sorozábal; it involved a humorous dispute between two men courting the same woman.

Simone Easthope sang "The Amorous Goldfish" from Sidney Jones' The Geisha and Kyle Bielfield sang "Je suis gai" from Offenbach's La Belle Hélène, perhaps the most famous of the operettas on the program.  The seasonal duet "April Snow" from Romberg's Up in Central Park was sung by Rachel Wilson and Nathan Haller.  The program ended with John Philip Sousa's humorous "Against the Spanish Army" from El Capitan.  Somehow we never knew that the famous composer of marches wrote an operetta!

Throughout this generous evening, Mr. Blier narrated from the piano, letting the audience in on the plot and characters.  It was just one of those evenings that you wish would never end.  Sadly, it is over and these talented performers are leaving for summer programs elsewhere.  But Mr. Blier is not going anywhere and we will be enjoying his exploration into unusual vocal music tonight and on May 13th.  You should as well!

© meche kroop

YING FANG, MASTER OF MUSIC!

Ken Noda and Ying Fang

Having witnessed Ying Fang's progress through Juilliard, we are thrilled to report her acceptance to the Lindemann Young Artists Program.  Watching artistic growth is one of the greatest pleasures imaginable.  Yesterday's recital by this radiant soprano is a case in point.  Her presence is glamorous yet modest; she graces the stage with luminosity and a charming personality that engages the audience.

Accompanied by the equally modest and prodigiously talented  Ken Noda (we call him Mr. Magic Hands behind his back), Ms. Fang opened her program with an expressive rendering of two Argento songs and moved on to Richard Strauss' Mädchenblumen, Op.22 in which the composer likens different women to different flowers.  Ms. Fang showed a variety of moods from flower to flower; while admiring the brilliance of her upper register and her clarity of focus, we were trying to figure out which flower she identifies with herself.

Following we heard a passionate concert aria by Mozart, "Misera, dove son!" in which Ms. Fang unleashed a remarkable sense of drama and impressive control of dynamics.  But perhaps our favorite songs were those by Bizet, the sweet "Chanson D'Avril" and the amusingly wry "La Coccinelle".

Four songs by Rachmaninoff were offered with the most charming one being "The Pied Piper".  As encore, Ms. Fang dedicated a lovely Chinese song called "The Bridge" to victims of the earthquake in Ya-an.  The composer Zaiyilu composed it in a lyrical style with a melody that fell lightly on the ear; Ms. Fang sang it with touching sincerity.

Mr. Noda reports that he and James Levine discovered Ms. Fang at a master class in Shanghai and we are all the more fortunate for it.  We are looking forward to witnessing her future development which will happily take place right here.  She is already bringing a beautiful instrument, fine technique and a developed personal style to the program.  We can scarcely wait to see what happens next.

© meche kroop

GERDA LISSNER FOUNDATION AWARDS RECITAL

The generosity of the Gerda Lissner Foundation in its support of young singers is extremely praiseworthy.  It was a pleasure to hear President Stephen De Maio being acknowledged by charming host Brian Kellow (Features Editor at Opera News) for all of his hard work.  This year's honoree was the beloved Bass-baritone Eric Owens.  The long list of awards testified to the success of the venture.  That we got to hear a baker's dozen of them sing yesterday was a major delight.  Some of them were new to our ears and others have been enjoyed on numerous past occasions.  All were excellent; the judges chose well.

We have space to mention a few of the highlights.  Soprano Deanna Breiwick tickled everyone's fancy with "Quel guardo il cavaliere" from Donizetti's Don Pasquale.  This young woman has beauty and stage presence as well as fine technique; she knows how to create a character and how to get a song across.  Her trill gives one a thrill.

Soprano Ying Fang, who gives a recital this afternoon at Juilliard, showed off some mighty fine embellishments and secure control of dynamics in "Prendi per me sei libero" from Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore.  We simply cannot get enough Donizetti, especially when sung this charmingly.

Continuing in the bel canto style, bass-baritone Jeongcheol Cha showed impressive flexibility and legato in "Vi Ravviso" from Bellini's La Sonnambula; tenor Juan Jose De Leon won us over with his "Si, ritrovarla, io giuro" from Rossini's La Cenerentola.  Bass-baritone Evan Hughes had all the right qualities for Dandini's aria "Come un'ape" from the same opera.

Massenet's "Letter Scene" from Werther was sung by mezzo Jennifer Johnson Cano with a rich tone, fine French diction and moving involvement with the text.  The grand finale comprised two arias from Leoncavallo's I Pagliaci sung by two of the Top Prize winners, both baritones.  Well known to us from recitals and several other competitions, consistent winner Takaoki Onishi once again dazzled us with his rich full sound, his variety of color and his depth of feeling as he sang Silvio's aria "E fra quest'ansie".  Truth to tell, we would have eloped with him in a minute!  Equally convincing was Anthony C. Evans who sang the prologue in mighty praiseworthy Italian and drew us in as any carnival barker might have.

We also heard some excellent work from tenor Noah Baetge and soprano Marcy Stonikas who took Wagner out for a whirl; tenor Dominick Chenes, soprano Chloe Moore, counter-tenor John T. Holiday, tenor Anthony Kalil and tenor Jonathan Winell were all a pleasure to hear.  Accompanists for the recital were Jonathan C. Kelly and Arlene Shrut. We predict excellent careers for all and wish everyone well.

© meche kroop

PIN-UP GAL

Bryan Wagorn and Wallis Giunta

Ms. Giunta's flowing strawberry blonde hair was pinned up cleverly to create a 1930's look to match the theme of her recital and her slinky red satin gown.  But there was nothing "pinned up" about her performance.  No indeed!  It flowed seamlessly and dramatically from one song to the next.  It flowed gracefully from German to French to English to Spanish to Italian--all sung with perfect diction.

The theme chosen by this supremely gifted Canadian mezzo was Brecht and Weill's Die Sieben Todsünden with a variety of songs interspersed between verses of what was written as a ballet chanté commissioned by one Edward James, whose wife Tilly Losch was a ballerina.  The plan was to split the character of Anna into two, with Anna I being sung by Weill's wife Lotte Lenya and Ms. Losch dancing the part of Anna II.  Characteristic of Brecht, the text satirizes the bourgeoisie.  One is never quite sure whether Anna I and Anna II are different aspects of the same woman who visits seven cities in the USA, each city used to demonstrate a different sin.

We particularly enjoyed the group of songs chosen to illustrate the sin of sloth.  Weill's "Youkali" was followed by Poulenc's "Hôtel" from Banalités and an extremely funny song called "The Sloth" by Michael Flanders and Donald Swann.  So much textual and dramatic variety were conveyed not only in Sloth, but also in Pride, Wrath, Lust, Greed, Gluttony and Envy.  Mr. Weill's "Die Muschel von Margate", used to illustrate Greed was particularly relevant today.

Perhaps the two songs we enjoyed the most were used to illustrate the sin of lust: Cole Porter's "Love for Sale", given a unique dose of irony by Ms. Giunta and "Al Pensar en el Dueño de mis Amores" from Ruperto Chapí's zarzuela Las Hijas del Zebedeo which evinced the soul of flamenco.

John Lennon's "Imagine" was movingly sung a capella.  Stephen Foster's "The Old Folks at Home" was sung sitting on the edge of the stage with the tenderest of piano work from the estimable Bryan Wagorn who succeeded brilliantly in keeping up with all of Ms. Giunta's many shifts of mood and period.  She did step outside the 1930's a few times, for the Foster, the Lennon, for Schubert's "Der Zwerg", for Monteverdi's "Addio Roma" from L'Incoronazione di Poppea and the zarzuela.

It was in every respect an original and compelling program that showed off Ms. Giunta's linguistic facility and dramatic skills as effectively as her burnished mezzo.  At this level of performance, fine technique can just be taken for granted and the listener can focus on the artistry and communicative skills of the performers.  Ms. Giunta's greatest gift is that she makes each song her own, and always in a way that involves the audience.

We were left wondering what magic is being performed by the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program which seems to regularly turn out such impressive performers.  Ms. Giunta is completing her second year with the program and simultaneously completing an Artist Diploma in Opera Studies at The Juilliard School.  She has several recordings to her credit and sings all over the USA and her homeland Canada as well as in Europe.  A stellar career would seem to be a foregone conclusion.

© meche kroop

THE RISE AND THE FALL

The fate of the work itself has significantly paralleled the fate of the eponymous city.  It started life in 1927 as an experimental non-opera singspiel of one act's duration, premiering in Baden Baden.  It became a succès de scandale and shocked the audience with Kurt Weill's jazzy melodies and unusual orchestration and with Bertolt Brecht's radical countercultural themes. 

In 1930, the work was expanded to three acts and, having been too shocking for Berlin, premiered in Leipzig with some of the raunchier scenes toned down.  Brecht's libretto, strongly influenced by his Marxist view of capitalism, managed to skewer politics, the judicial system, materialism and sex.  There were riots.  By 1933, the Nazis banned the work and The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny did not achieve regular productions in the USA until the 1960's.

This was a daring choice for the Manhattan School of Music.  Opera singers have invested a great deal of blood, sweat and tears learning to inhabit a role and getting the audience to identify with their characters.  In this "theater of alienation" the performers are meant to distance themselves from their characters and we of the audience are not meant to identify, but rather to use our brains and think about what is being presented to us.  Brecht held a mirror up to the culture of his epoch and wanted to shame society.  It is a distorting mirror but a mirror nonetheless.  We wonder, "Has society changed?"

With the esteemed Dona D. Vaughn as Director, with valuable contributions from Set Designer Beowulf Boritt, Costume Designer Tracy Dorman and Lighting Designer Tyler Micoleau, the goal was largely reached.  The production had a surreal and cartoony aspect that suited the improbable story of three fugitives from the law whose truck breaks down in the middle of nowhere; they decide to build a city that seems to be one where capitalism runs rampant without any civilizing forces.

No attempt is made in the direction of geographic validity or character development.  There is a curtain on a long cable which is slid back and forth.  There are titles announcing the content of each scene.  The lighting is directly over the scene and anything but atmospheric.  (Are you alienated yet?)  The costumes are splendid, especially for Jenny and the six prostitutes that come to the city to destroy any illusion of romance.  (Anti-opera, remember?) 

Rob Greene and J. Jared Janas are credited with wig, hair and makeup design and credit must be given; Rachelle Pike went unrecognized, although we had just seen her as Marthe in Faust!  But the generous mezzo voice was unmistakable in her superb performance as The Widow Begbick.  Soprano Cree Carrico employed a bright soprano to fine effect as Jenny the whore who won't give up her money to save her man from the electric chair.  The six prostitutes who sang "The Alabama Song" were fetchingly costumed Kerstin Bauer, Ann Louise Glasser, Nan Li, Kathleen Spencer, Leela Subramaniam and Ellen Teufel.

The men were no less wonderful.  Arriving in the truck with The Widow Begbick were Fatty the Bookkeeper, sung by tenor Peter Tinaglia, and Trinity Moses, sung by bass-baritone James Ioelu, well remembered from his role as Méphistophèles in Faust.  It is always exciting for us to witness an artist's versatility.

The four lumberjacks were perfectly cast: Tenor Aaron Short sang the role of Jim Mahoney who is sentenced to death because he can't pay his bar bill or bribe the judges; tenor Scott Ingraham performed the role of Jack O'Brien who dies from grotesque overeating; bass Brett Harrison Vogel sang the role of Joe who dies in a prizefight; baritone Jason Cox was the only surviving lumberjack--Bill.  Michael Papincak was Toby.

Musical values were first-rate with Maestro Kynan Johns on the podium and some mighty fine MSM musicians in the pit.  Weill's radical scoring included two saxophones and an onstage player of mandolin, banjo and bass guitar as well as the marvelous Juan Pablo Jofre playing the bandoneon.  (He seemed to be the only Argentinean involved in the production, but if you started counting New Zealanders you might run out of fingers.)  There is no praise sufficient for the chorus who were given some outstanding music and served to tie together all the loose ends.

This production used the Michael Feingold translation.  Dialogue was spoken in English and the songs were sung in German and English, as they were written originally.  Perhaps Mr. Brecht saw the USA as emblematic of lawlessness and materialism.  Perhaps we still are.

© meche kroop

HOW DO WE LOVE THEE SCHUBERT? LET US COUNT THE WAYS

Takaoki Onishi, Dimitri Dover, Raquel Gonzalez, Mary Feminear, Theo Hoffman

Those of you who have been attending the Schubert&Co. recital series will recognize some of the outstanding participants in the photo.  But, what's this?  A new face?  A new voice?  Co-Artistic Directors Jonathan Ware and Lachlan Glen are at the forefront of discovering new talent and last night we had the privilege of hearing baritone Theo Hoffman in his Schubert&Co. premiere. 

Mr. Hoffman is but a freshman at Juilliard but already shows a great deal of promise.  His instrument is fresh and flexible; his technique is outstanding.  But let's take a look at the artistry.  He opened last night's program with "Der Schäfer und der Reiter"; he used his sweet light baritone when singing the invitation by the light-hearted shepherd such that we heard a tenorial quality, but when the gloomy warrior replied, Mr. Hoffman darkened his tone.  We are a sucker for that sort of dramatic contrast and commitment to the text.

In another set of songs "Don Gayseros I, II and III, D.93", we heard what amounted to one long story of a Spanish aristocrat who is courted by a strange knight.  She becomes suspicious of him when he fails to partake of her Catholic rituals and he identifies himself as a Moorish king and abducts her.  He is slain by two mercenaries and she spends the rest of her life i  mourning and prayer.  A sad tale, well told by poet Friedrich La Motte-Fouque, and well sung by Mr. Hoffman, a natural storyteller. 

Prize-winning baritoneTakaoki Onishi has a very different sort of baritone, a large sound with a finely grained vibrato that delights the ear; he has never failed to thrill us with his performances.  He sang songs of futile love ("Vergebliche Liebe" and "Hippolits Lied") and several songs referencing nature.  We loved his control of dynamics and phrasing.

Two of our favorite sopranos were on the program as well.  Raquel Gonzalez sang "Der Jüngling auf dem Hügel" with great attention to dynamics and mood.  "Abschied, D.829" was done most artistically in sprechstimme, with the lyricism occurring in the piano, performed by the always impressive Dimitri Dover who is unfailingly supportive of the singer.

Soprano Mary Feminear closed the program with the one familiar song on the evening's program--"Frühlingsglaube".  We confess to humming it all night long; it's just that kind of song!  But we most enjoyed Ms. Feminear's bright sound in the light-hearted and frisky "Hänflings Liebeswerbung" about a lovesick linnet.

There are only a couple more recitals left to finish with Schubert's massive output of over 600 songs.  You would be well-advised to get on the bandwagon before it is too late!

© meche kroop

EVAN HUGHES, WHAT NEXT?

Evan Hughes

Bryan Wagorn

Bass-baritone Evan Hughes is finishing his third and final year of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at The Metropolitan Opera.  Last night at his graduation recital he graciously thanked those who contributed to his development and showed off how much he has learned.   We were remembering his right-on-target performance as Don Alfonso in Cosi fan Tutte.  We are thrilled about his winning First Prize in the Gerda Lissner Competition.

Possessor of a rich round and mellow tone, Mr. Hughes is further notable for a most expressive face and a delightful sense of humor.  He employed all his skills in the recital.  It is our belief that when a singer does his own translations, he/she is more expressive in coloring the words.  Such was the case with the three Schubert songs with which Mr. Hughes opened his program.  We particularly enjoyed the gentle "Des Fischers Liebesglück" with Schubert's ravishing melodic invention; the octave skips upward were lovely.  Mr. Wagorn, whose propulsive pianism impressed us so in "Auf der Bruck" had an opportunity to switch hats from collaborative pianist to soloist in "Ungarische Melodie, D. 817."  Both hats become him equally.

We next heard Brahms at his most melodic: "Meine Lieb ist grün", "Sapphische Ode", and "Von Ewiger Liebe".  Again, Mr. Hughes had done his own translations and sang with impressive intensity.  Some unfamiliar songs in Swedish followed, written by Jean Sibelius, all of which would be worth a second and third hearing. 

In the Chansons Gaillardes by Poulenc which closed the program, Mr. Hughes' mobile face joined his vocal expressiveness to give full measure to the irony of these little gems.  Again, he had done the translations himself to fine effect.  His encore was another song by Poulenc--"Pablo Picasso", from the cycle Le Travail du Peintre.

Mr. Hughes has been having some exciting engagements worldwide and on the stage of The Metropolitan Opera.  We wish him the career his hard work has earned.

© meche kroop