LA CHANTEUSE ET LE CHANSON

Alice Coote

Mezzo-soprano Alice Coote and collaborative pianist Graham Johnson gave a highly pleasurable recital last night in Zankel Hall.  We have enjoyed Ms. Coote at The Metropolitan Opera in Two Boys and in Der Rosenkavlier, but last night we felt that we got to know her prodigious talent in a new way.  For one thing, she has a consummately expressive warmth in her voice; she seems to caress each word and imbue it with color.  For another thing, her French diction rivals that of a native French speaker.

Instead of performing a set of songs by each composer, she grouped together songs with similar moods.  She appeared onstage in a black pants outfit with a gossamer black and white coat on top and sang songs of nostalgic love.  When singing of rapturous love, a vibrant fuschia coat replaced it; when singing of mournful love she exchanged it for a black coat.  It was not just a fashion exercise; it reflected the way she "wore" each song and made it her own.  This variety ensured that an evening of chanson and mélodie would never be perceived as boring or effete. 

Mr. Johnson is a quiet pianist and perfectly captured the delicacy of the music without compromising the harmonic richness.  He never overwhelmed the voice and never went in for showiness.  We loved his piano work in Saint-Saëns "Soirée en mer" as we heard the rowing and the swelling of the waves.

Hector Berlioz and Charles Gounod wrote some of the earlier pieces on the program.  Gounod's "Sérénade" in waltz time was one of our favorites of the evening with Ms. Coote's  beautifully executed runs and the lovely text by Victor Hugo.  Berlioz' "Spectre de la Rose", a setting of text by Théophile Gautier, delighted us with its charming story and wide vocal leaps.

Later songs by Gabriel Fauré, Ernest Chausson, Camille Saint-Saëns, Emmanuel Chabrier, Alfred Bachelet, Claude Debussy, Reynaldo Han, Erik Satie and Charles Koechlin made up most of the remaining program.  Songs that stood out for us were Hahn's delicate "L'heure exquise" with text by Paul Verlaine, his languid "Fumée" (text by Jean Moréas) and his morose "La chère blessure" (text by Augustine-Malvina Blanchecotte.  Chausson's "Le Temps des lilas" with the sadly nostalgic text by Maurice Bouchor simply broke our heart. And Satie's "Je te veux" with text by Henry Pacory absolutely charmed us with its sumptuous melody.

Songs by Francis Poulenc were the most modern of the evening.  True Gallic nostalgia was evinced by the program opener "Les chemins de l'amour" with text by Jean Anouilh.  Poulenc's music also closed the program with texts by Guillaume Apollinaire--the lively "Voyage à Paris" and the langorous "Hôtel" being our favorites.

Zankel Hall is a mid-sized venue and lends itself to voice and piano recitals far more than Stern Auditorium.  The only thing that interrupted the feeling of intimacy was Ms. Coote's performance "on the book".  We kept hoping she would ditch the music stand but she did not.  We were somewhat surprised that titles were not projected.  The lights were quite dim and we noticed many in the audience squinting at the printed translations.  We guess that the majority are not French speakers and wanted to understand the text. And who could fault them for that!

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MOSTLY BRAHMS

Emanuel Ax and Anne Sofie von Otter onstage at Carnegie Hall

Last night at Carnegie Hall, two of the finest artists of their generation performed an evening of Brahms' music (interrupted by a lengthy work by Nico Muhly commissioned by Carnegie Hall).  It was not until the encores that we got to hear what we wanted to hear.  Highly esteemed mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter with acclaimed collaborative pianist Emanuel Ax made a fine team; what was missing was the feeling of intimacy that Brahms' songs require.  It is not their fault; it is just the size of Stern auditorium.  The number of fans and financial considerations likely dictate the size of the venue and this cannnot be helped.

Ms. Von Otter is on the contained side but during the first encore, "Sapphische Ode" her gestures grew in amplitude and somehow bridged the intimacy gap.  In the second encore she enacted, yes ENACTED! the dialogue between a young woman who has trouble expressing what she wants to her mother who feigns ignorance.  The girl gets increasingly exasperated until her mother realizes the girl wants a man.  So far we are unable to locate the name of this charming song but will supply it in the future.

Brahms oeuvre of lieder is vast and he had an affection for setting folk songs, many of which were heard last night.  We enjoyed "Sommerabend Op.85, No. 1" in which our two artists shared moments of exquisite control of dynamics.  In "Juchhe! Op. 6, No. 4" we heard a joyful side of Brahms that was pure delight.  The heartfelt "Von ewiger Liebe, Op. 43, No. 1" has won our admiration time and time again.  In "Ständchen, Op. 106, No. 1", another favorite of ours, the two artists painted a charming picture of three serenaders and their effect on a sleeping maiden.  We observed that when Ms. Von Otter uses her body her voice seems to open up and enfold the audience to a greater extent.

"Nachtwandler, Op. 86, No. 3" had a lovely delicacy; "Am Sonntag Morgen, Op. 49, No. 1" was marked by an impressive range of vocal color as the singer puts on a happy face for the world while suffering within.  There was a lovely rocking feeling in the piano in "Ruhe, Süssliebchen, Op. 33, No. 9".  We recently heard the entire cycle Magelone-Lieder performed by the Brooklyn Art Song Society and were pleased to hear the song again.

Also performed were the Zigeunerlieder, Op. 103 which have somewhat less of a gypsy flavor than those of Dvořak.  We most enjoyed "Wisst ihr, wann mein Kindchen" and the rhythmic "Brauner Bursche führt zum Tanze" which was performed with lavish rubato.

Mr. Ax had the opportunity to perform four of Brahm's late-life short pieces, three Intermezzi and a Romanze.  Our favorite was the "Intermezzo in A Major, Op. 118, No. 2" in which we are sure we heard echoes of Mendelssohn's "Ist es wahr".

About Mr. Muhly's "So Many Things", we have little to say.  Our 19th c. ears could not wrap themselves around the 21st c. music and, although certain words could be heard, entire phrases could not be understood and the text was not in the program.

We  felt privileged to be able to witness these artists onstage in spite of the drawback mentioned earlier.  It is unlikely that we would ever have the opportunity to experience them in a more intimate venue.

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STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART

Ken Noda, Brian Zeger, Paul Appleby

There are singers who are sensational on the opera stage and can create wonderful characters but who just do not come across well on the recital stage.  Tenor Paul Appleby manages to excel in both places.  What seems obvious to us is that he is totally enamored of the songs he sings and selflessly submerges his own identity so that the soul of the poet shines forth. 

When he steps out on the recital stage, as he did Sunday afternoon as part of a new series at Pace University, he addresses the audience in a way that makes one feel as if a dear friend were sharing his loving feelings with you.  His sweet voice caresses your ear in a way that is almost tactile.  His enthusiasm is conveyed as he tells you about the songs he will sing and you feel as if he is singing them just for YOU.  And that, reader, is a major gift.  His artistry is such that the supporting technique becomes invisible.

The first half of the recital was sung in impeccable German; accompanied by the wonderfully supportive Ken Noda, Mr. Appleby did complete justice to Beethoven's lovely "Adelaide" and sang five songs by Schubert.  Our personal favorite was "Im Abendrot"; according to Mr. Appleby, Schubert was not a particularly religious man, but his setting of Karl Gottlieb Lappe's text as sung by Mr. A. would move anyone into a spiritual state of mind.

We next enjoyed seven songs selected from Schumann's Myrten Op.25; as Mr. A. shared with the audience, this cycle was part of the composer's outpouring of song during the year 1840 when Herr Wieck's opposition to his daughter Clara's marriage to poor young Robert was trumped by the court.  One can hear his love for his bride reflected in the music.  "Widmung", a setting of a text by Rückert, is bursting with all-consuming passion.  Julius Mosen's text "Der Nussbaum" is a gentle lyrical account of a young woman dreaming of her coming marriage.

The set also included a couple drinking songs which allowed Mr. A. an opportunity to appear rather bibulous.  Following were two songs about Venice and gondoliers to texts by Thomas Moore which were translated into German by Ferdinand Freiligrath.

In the second half of the program, the acclaimed Brian Zeger took over the role of collaborative pianist, one at which he excels.  The songs were in English and although Mr. Appleby clearly threw himself into them with the same enthusiasm, we personally do not relate as much to 20th c. works as much as we do to works of the 19th c.  We miss the scanning and the rhyming which elicits a vocal line more agreeable to our ears.

We did enjoy the tinkling piano in Britten's "Fish in the Unruffled Lakes", a setting of text by Auden, and the quiet sombre chords of "Nocturne" in which the text rhymed and scanned in trochaic meter as did "Underneath the abject willow" which was of a friskier vein.

Two songs by Leonard Bernstein followed. "To what you said" is a dissonant setting of text by Walt Whitman.  Cellist Dane Johansen joined Mr. Appleby and Mr. Zeger and made some lovely music.  But we far preferred the accessible "Dream with Me" written for Peter Pan but bumped off the show.

Three songs by Harbison from Simple Daylight with texts by Michael Fried struck us as unlovely.  The very angry "Someday a Seed" could not measure up to Schumann's "Ich grolle nicht" on the same topic.

Two Langston Hughes poems set by John Musto left us similarly cold in spite of Mr. A.'s deeply committed performance.  Just call us a fugitive from the 19th c. wandering lost in the 20th!

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TILTING AT WINDMILLS

Alexander Charles Boyd, Bryce Smith

We are happy to report that opera is not a dying art as some would have us believe; it is alive and well in the hands of small opera companies which present operas on shoe-string budgets in small venues.  There is no shortage of talent in New York and some fine work can be produced using available performers in the vocal and instrumental areas; only set designers and costume designers are unnecessary.  Imagination can replace big budgets.

This weekend Utopia Opera presented a stage-worthy production of Massenet's  1910 opera Don Quichotte.  This is their third season and our only regret is that of missing the two prior seasons.  An interesting wrinkle is that the company allows its FB  "likers" to vote on which operas to present.  Don Q was an excellent choice, especially because it is rarely performed and we valued the opportunity to make its acquaintance.

The music is typically Massenet with its lovely expansive melodies, beginning with the muscular overture which then yields to a tender lyrical theme.  Maestro William Remmers hosted the evening with some amusing remarks and then conducted the reduced size orchestra, which was sufficient to fill the Lang Recital Hall of Hunter College with just enough sound.  Notably, he also plays the guitar--a true polymath.

The text by Henri Caïn is not based on the Cervantes tale but rather on a 1904 play by Jacques Le Lorrain.  It is a tragedy but not without its moments of humor.  Don Q is a tragic figure, out of tune with the world he lives in and the object of scorn and ridicule.  He lives in a world of dream and illusion with his only support coming from his manservant Sancho Panza who is a realist--a relationship not unlike that of Tamino and Papageno.  Don Q can be thought of as a holy fool or a ridiculous saint, a knight who champions the poor and the oppressed.

Obviously, the success of the opera rests on the shoulders of the man who performs the role of Don Q and, in this case, bass Bryce Smith rose to the occasion and gave us a character who aroused our sympathy, admiration and ultimately tears inn his final moving duet with Sancho Panza.  Sancho Panza was well portrayed by baritone Alexander Charles Boyd whose loyalty to and protection of his master was inspiring.

Kimberly Sogioka made an excellent Dulcinée; she is a flirt but not a cruel one.  Surrounded by admirers, she is bored and wants something else but cannot yield to Don Q's love.  She sends him on a fool's errand to recover her necklace which had been stolen by bandits.  Don Q is ready to do battle with the entire band of thieves and they are ready to hang him; the eloquence of his words and his saintliness cause them to release him and forfeit the necklace.

The work was staged by Maestro William Remmers himself and it was staged with imagination.  Flamenco dancers with castanets (Ami Otero and Angel Betancourt) were on hand to create a Spanish atmosphere.  Don Q and Sancho Panza rode in on hobby horses.  The most imaginative scene involved twirling umbrellas to represent the windmills that Don Q believed to be giants he should attack.  Mr. Smith's acting was so fine that you could see the scene through his eyes.

Our only disappointment was the lack of bios for the singers.  We heard some fine tenor voices (Jacob Agar and Brian Long as Rodriguez and Juan),and some lovely singing from two sopranos in pants roles  (Maggie Finnegan and Sarah Bleasedale).

The wild applause at the end served to confirm our own conviction that this is a company to watch.  How gratifying it is to see an audience comprising mainly young people!  We urge you to "like" Utopia Opera on Facebook so that you too can vote for upcoming productions.  As for us, we already have Die Freischutz on our calendar for the weekend of 3/21 and Falstaff for the weekend of 6/27.

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COSI FAN LE FRANCESE

Antonio Figueroa, Pascale Beaudin, Jeffrey Thompson, Claire Debono, Blandine Saskiewicz, Alex Dobson

Although we mainly deplore tinkering with the classics, we enjoyed a delightful evening with Opera Lafayette last night.  They presented a clever pairing of Mozart's 1790 Cosi fan tutte in L.V. Durdilly's French translation of Da Ponte's libretto in tandem with Les Femmes Vengées by François André-Danican Philidor which was composed 15 years earlier.  The concept was to show what happened to Da Ponte's four lovers after ten years had passed.  This pastiche made for an evening as long as Tristan und Isolde but far more lighthearted.

It also permitted the use of a single set and a beautiful one at that.  Misha Kachman created a light and airy space--a central room with a room off to each side and a view of an orange tree representing a garden outside; this permitted characters to be closeted away from the main action and to be listening through the walls.  Indeed it seemed as if the Comédie Française had commissioned the opera from Mozart!

Effective lighting by Colin K. Bills washed the set in warm pastels that reflected the sumptuous costumes by Kendra Rai.  Director Nick Olcott kept the action humming along.  A couple arias were sacrificed and spoken dialogue replaced the recitativi.  A non-singing character, a painter, was invented (or borrowed from the second opera) and Gillaume and Fernand were in his studio to pose for a painting; this action was established during the overture.  As it turned out, the painter did have a singing role in the second opera and tenor Jeffrey Thompson was our favorite performer of the evening, both dramatically and vocally.

Ryan Brown, Artistic Director of Opera Lafayette, conducted with gusto and finesse.  Musical values were topnotch overall.  Although Philidor is not Mozart (well, who is?), no apologies were necessary for his tuneful classicism.  Soprano Pascale Beaudin made a fine Fleurdelise and mezzo Blandine Staskiewicz an equally fine Dorabelle.  Tenor Antonio Figueroa and baritone Alex Dobson sang the roles of their suitors Fernand and Guillaume.  When they appeared in their disguises, they were costumed as trappers from Canada, sporting Davey Crockett hats and lots of fringe.  It absolutely worked.

Don Alphonse was sung by Bernard Deletré who has a commanding onstage presence but whose voice sounded a bit frayed.  Claire Debono was a delightful Delphine.  In the second opera she had married the painter and had risen out of the ranks of servant.  Indeed she orchestrated the comic revenge that the two sisters would take on their wandering husbands.  It was interesting that the second opera was taking place ten years later and the costumes were now of the Empire period, even though the opera was composed earlier.

Making a pastiche of the two operas was well conceived; the theme was infidelity and provided a justification for presenting Mozart's beloved opera in French.  We cannot avoid saying that Italian "sings" better; although we are fluent in French we definitely made use of the titles.  Italian is just more singable.

We do hope that the D.C. based Opera Lafayette will return soon to New York with another imaginative evening.

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EIN LIEDERABEND

 Mary Feminear, Angela Vallone, Michael St. Peter, Kara Sainz

If you've never been to a liederabend at Juilliard let us tell you what you're missing.  You are missing an opportunity to see the opera stars of tomorrow (or maybe next year) in an early stage of development.  They are in no way beginners.  They have been cherry-picked from an enormous field of applicants and given superb instruction and coaching in all aspects of performance.  They are definitely performance-ready and have already been performing around the country and often abroad.

Last night, for example, we heard four fine singers perform songs we love, most of them familiar and a few new to us.  Soprano Angela Vallone opened the program with five songs by Brahms.  With each song her voice opened up and her connection to the text deepened.  She and her sensitive collaborative pianist Jung A Bang made a fine team and exhibited excellent dynamic control.  Her German diction made the words clear.  Our personal favorites were the sad "Mädchenlied" and the charming "Ständchen" which painted such a colorful picture.

Mezzo-soprano Kara Sainz, in fine partnership with pianist Kyung Hee Kim, followed with a set of songs by Fauré .  Together they did justice to "Mandoline", another lied about a serenade that brought a smile to our face. But it was in "Les berceaux" that Ms. Sainz reached a depth of feeling that touched our heart; one could feel the ships rocking in the waves and the cradles rocking at the hands of the sailors' wives.

Michael St. Peter has a sweet lyric tenor that he employed to great advantage in a set of lieder by Hugo Wolf.  We loved the play on the word "elf" in "Elfenlied", a frisky little narrative.  But the tender tale of a man seeking peace at any price with his beloved, "Nun lass uns Frieden schliessen", moved us deeply.  Furthermore we are delighted to report that Mr. St. Peter has mastered the pronunciation of "ich"; as our readers have probably noticed, we are unhappy when a singer pronounces it as "ick", or, worse yet, avoids it altogether.  We didn't even need to look at the libretto to understand his German.  Bravo!  Raymond Wong accompanied beautifully.

The final set of songs by Gounod were performed by Mary Feminear whose rich creamy soprano recently graced the stage at Gotham Chamber Opera.  She has a lovely voice and a facility for French.  In "Sérénade" there was a beautiful arpeggiated melisma on the word "chantez".  There was plenty of excitement conveyed in "Viens, les gazons sont verts!"  Ms. Feminear was accompanied by none other than Brian Zeger himself who coaches the students of the Institute for Vocal Arts.  To hear his piano in "Venise" was to be transported; the minor key and the delicacy of the playing were enough to put us in a traveling mood.

If this description is tempting to you, watch out on the Juilliard calendar for the next Liederabend.  They occur monthly at 6PM on Wednesdays.  A better hour could not be spent--a true mid-week respite.

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NEW POSSIBILITIES=NEW VOICE

Lara Ryan, Kate Oberjat, Benjamin Perry Wenzelberg, Lidiya Yankovskaya, Alexandra LoBianco, Anna Noggle

A work in progress is not meant to be reviewed so let us just call this a "progress report".  Benjamin Perry Wenzelberg's opera The Sleeping Beauty has been presented previously by Chelsea Opera in a piano reading.  Now Act I has been orchestrated and excerpts were presented with the Bloomingdale School of Music Chamber Orchestra and members of the Chelsea Opera Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Lidiya Yankovskaya.

Our test for new operas is as follows:  "Does the music add anything to the narrative".  In this case it does.  And how!  The sophistication of Mr. W.'s music belies his youth (he is barely 14) and shows skill in writing for the voice with lovely melodies and interesting harmonies and textures in the orchestra.  It is eminently listenable and accessible but not at all derivative.

The scenes excerpted from Act I included the christening of Rosamond with the Evil Wise Woman powerfully portrayed by huge-voiced Alexandra LoBianco who limned every nuance of evil.  The Last Wise Woman was portrayed by Anna Noggle whose beautiful soprano conveyed benevolence in its color; her diction and phrasing were so fine that not a word was lost.

In the second scene Rosamond (Kate Oberjat) is now a young woman wandering the castle yearning for a prince.  The use of the harp was lovely and the melismatic singing on the word "love" was gorgeous.  Lovely harmonies emphasized the phrase "his heart would link in mine".  As the young princess imagines the future there was a sprightly allegro passage.

In the third scene, our heroine encounters the Evil Wise Woman and her spindle.  The brass section foreshadows the evil to come, along with the lower strings.  And when she pricks her finger the bass drum gives us a feeling of dread.

Mr. W.'s work is being supported by a grant from the Nicholas S. Priore New Possibilities Fund, established by Leonarda Priore in memory of her brother.  What an appropriate recipient is Mr. W.!   He has a lifetime of possibilities ahead of him.  We can scarcely wait to hear the rest of the opera.

©meche kroop