COMFORT YE 2024

Artists raising money for the homeless at Lauren Flanigan's annual "Comfort Ye"

It doesn't really feel like Christmas until we experience the annual event called "Comfort Ye", a most engaging concert created by acclaimed American Soprano Lauren Flanigan joined by Maestro Kamal Khan at the piano. For 29 years funds and goods have been donated by audience members who join to hear great music and to alleviate hunger in the homeless population of New York City. The emphasis has always been on working for social change and promoting a culture of self reliance.

Ms. Flanigan is renowned for her work with young singers in her Music and Mentoring House, by means of which we have discovered young talent who need all the help they can get. We have felt a special bond with this amazing woman who does so much social good and has given the opera community so many memorable performances. We admit that our favorite was always her Lady Macbeth in a characterization that grabbed Verdi's music and amplified its emotional impact by a power of ten.

The superstar herself graced the stage a few times last night singing music by Ricky Ian Gordon (his tango-inflected "Coyote") and William Bolcom (his unsettling "George" from Cabaret Songs). Mo. Khan thrilled us with Chopin's "Barcarolle, Opus 60". One after another, opera stars graced the stage, wowing the audience with their favorite arias and songs.

Since our focus is on young singers we would like to begin with mezzo-soprano Shengnan Yang who initially impressed us as a student at Mannes.  My, how her voice has grown! We noticed the same intensity that we have always admired in Ms. Flanigan as she threw herself into "Condotta ell'era in ceppi", the very upsetting aria sung by Azucena in Verdi's Il Trovatore. What was quite remarkable was the power at the very bottom of the register. It pleased us no end that Ms. Yang has been cast in the role of Carmen which will suit her beautiful appearance far better than the role of Azucena.

Another performance that struck us was that of coloratura soprano Lusilla Mazi whose interpretation of the Queen of the Night in "O Zitt're Nicht" from Mozart's Die Zauberflöte managed to show us the dangerously manipulative purpose underlying the character's warmly seductive approach to Tamino. This was a revelation because we have seen so many performances that showed us only a powerful woman who just wanted to protect her daughter.

J'Nai Bridges, whom we recently reviewed, performed the sad and moving "Ah! Je vais mourir" Didon's lament from the final act of Berlioz' Les Troyens. This superlative mezzo-soprano succeeded in conveying the grief of a woman who has loved and lost, since Énée has been persuaded by the gods to leave Carthage for Italy. Ms. Bridges just garnered superb reviews for her performance as Didon at the Seattle Opera. We can certainly see why!

Another suicidal character, the eponymous La Wally from the Catalani opera was brought to life by soprano Elizabeth Blancke-Biggs who also performed the moving "O patria mia" from Verdi's Aida with a most generous sound. Her accompanist was Michael Recchiuti.

Ziwen Xiang offered everyone's favorite tenor aria "Ah mes amis" from Donizetti's La fille du régiment. Perhaps the rest of the audience was reveling in the high C's but our attention was drawn to the manner in which Mr. Xiang conveyed both the exuberance of announcing his new found love and the tenderness he felt toward Marie.

The diva quality of a famous actress' "humble bragging" was capture by soprano Brittany Olivia Logan in "Io son l'umile ancella" from Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur. Umile, she ain't!

The humorously satirical song "Twelve Days After Christmas by F. Silver was performed by Olanna Goudeau; the lyrics were so clever that we had to look them up online.

Soprano Manna K. Jones offered a selection from Handel's Messiah and bass Daniel Sumegi offered Wotan's aria from Das Rheingold-- "Abendlich strahlt der Sonne Auge". Yet another bass, Seth Malkin offered a couple Christmas songs, and the entire company joined vocal forces for Adolphe Adam's beautiful "O Holy Night".

It was an altogether memorable night, one to treasure, an event that benefited the audience as much as the homeless, and, we hope, left the artists feeling as elevated as we did.

© meche kroop

 

A PREMIERE COMPETITION

 

Eric Margiore and Premiere Opera Foundation Competition Finalists

We just attended the Live Finals of the 8th annual Premiere Opera Foundation International Vocal Competition and the artistry was so evenly divided we can't imagine how the judges managed to make their decision. Fortunately, we are not a judge and had the freedom to choose our own favorites. Generous prizes were awarded but we are not here to discuss money, just to discuss our own impressions. Admittedly, our preferences are often colored by the match between singer and repertoire and our favoring certain periods within the opera canon. Rest assured, Dear Reader, that our opinions and our prose are entirely our own and artificial intelligence has not been consulted!

We heard over a dozen singers within the space of a few hours and then waited patiently for the judges to deliberate, a period during which we attempted to reconcile our memories of each artist's performance in the first half with our memories of their performance in the second half. Occasionally we changed our opinion of the artist due to a more suitable choice of material. Mostly our opinions were consistent and here we will present our memories of what impressed us.

To begin, we rarely get to hear a contralto and the statuesque Canadian Rose Naggar-Tremblay took us right into Wagner's Das Rheingold with "Weiche Wotan, Weiche", in which the prescient Erda foreshadows the unhappy end of the Ring Cycle some 18 hours or so later. This performance gave us chills and, as many such superb performances do, created the scene in our mind's eye--in this case the Schenck version from ?1990 which was unforgettable and never equalled. This riveting artist won the Audience Favorite prize (the only one we will mention) so our admiration was not exclusive.

Standing out in our memory was the coloratura of Kathryn Henry which was amplified by some fine acting in "The Jewel Song" from Gounod's Faust. It was so effective that we could see the jewels with which Marguerite adorned herself. 

Another performance that touched us was that of Eva Rae Martinez whose "Prendi, per me sei libero" from Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore gave us a peak into Adina's realization of her growing affection for Nemorino.

Still another affecting performance was that of South Korean soprano Luna Seongeun Park who perfectly created the character of Sophie, an innocent young woman understandably impressed by the customs of the aristocracy. This performance also brought the scene to mind and our imagination recreated Sophie's lavish nouveau riche home with all its servants bustling about, excited about their upcoming elevation to the nobility.

Let us mention some of the male performances that stick in our mind. South Korean bass-baritone Sunghoon Han brought Leporello to life with an amusing delivery of everyone's favorite, the "Catalogue Aria" from Mozart's Don Giovanni. This is an aria that singers can have a lot of fun with but it is difficult to bring something new to it; it seemed to us that Mr. Han added a few twists, gestures and facial expressions that made it fresh for us.

It was a good night for male voices and Mexican bass Raul Morales Velazco had a great time with "Vous qui faites" from Gounod's Faust which he filled with menace and irony.

South African baritone Thandolwethu Mamba also evinced a flair for comedy as he created the character of Dr. Malatesta, putting one over on the eponymous Don Pasquale in the Donizetti opera. No matter how many times one sees this opera, that scene is always a pure delight.

Darren Drone lent his fine baritone to the introductory"Si puo"  from Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, which ended the program. By this time we didn't think we had any listening energy left-- but he woke us up. This would have been a great aria to have opened the program with.

As usual, the excellent accompaniment was provided by Michael Fennelly

The overall level of artistry was very high and the singers we failed to mention were no less marvelous and at a professional performance level. We are only sharing our "take home" which comprises the results of an imperfect memory. If you want to hear about all the other superb singers you can read about them at www.premiereoperafoundation.org. If you are feeling Christmas-generous,you can also make a donation there.

© meche kroop

A MOST GALA GALA

  A scene from Mozart's Cosi fan tutte

Unless you are new to Voce di Meche, you are familiar with our delight in institutions that share our goal of fostering the careers of young opera singers. Having impressed us year after year with results, Classic Lyric Arts tops our list of institutions worth supporting.  Recently expanded from their three summer programs of total immersion in Italy, France, and the Berkshires, yearling CLAVA (Classic Lyric Arts Vocal Academy) is now flourishing, providing advanced year-long training to a select group of students.

Last night we attended the annual gala in which students and alumni got to show off their vocal, linguistic, and dramatic skills. Following a two handed piano arrangement of the overture to Don Giovanni (I-Hsiang Chao and Hannah Harnest) we were treated to the tender duet "Ange adorable" from Gounod's Roméo et Juliette with Sofia Gotch lending her brilliant instrument to the role of the shy heroine with tenor Yulin Wang giving an affecting performance as the ardent Roméo. The French diction succeeded beyond the customary skill of most young singers, evidence of some fine coaching. Daniel Isengart's astute direction had the two circling each other in a dance of seduction.

Following was the delightful light hearted duet from Hahn's comic opera Ciboulette, an interesting choice to show off the charms of Alison Kessler and Kevin Douglas in the duet "Nous avons fait un beau voyage", sung in French that was as Gallic as one might wish for. Hyojeong Ham accompanied.

The crazy scene from Mozart's Cosi fan tutte was so cleverly directed by Mr. Isengard that the nonsense between the six main characters made sense and we were plunged right into the craziness. Ms. Harnest accompanied the frolic with Annelise Burghardt, Brigid Mack, Yunxin Dorothy Nie, Benjamin Truncale, Jongho Woo, and Brian Linares bringing the scene to vivid life with  Ferrando and Guglielmo feigning suicide to win the affections of Fiordiligi and Guglielmo, whilst Don Alfonso and Despina enjoy the chaos they created.

Soprano Kerrigan Bigelow used her delicate vibrato to portray the shy Micaëla in her Act I duet with Don Jose, convincingly portrayed by tenor Philippe L'Esperance who has never sounded better, although we have always enjoyed his performances. Ms. Ham accompanied.

A riveting and star-making duet from Bellini's Norma ("Mira, o Norma") gave an opportunity for stellar soprano Sara Stevens to tackle this difficult number with the well loved mezzo-soprano Briana Hunter providing fine harmony as Adalgisa. The acting was particularly effective as the two women drew closer to one another. Again, Mr. Isengart's staging was right on point. Ziyi Hong accompanied.

A different Fiordiligi, Haiming Wu, succumbed to the importunate Ferrando of Mr. Truncale in "Far gli amplessi", a bit further along in the story.  There was so much going on in the aforementioned sextet that we didn't have the opportunity to focus on any one singer, but in this duet we noticed Mr. Truncale's embouchure and how that contributed to his most Italianate sound. Ms. Wu gave an excellent rendering of Fiordiligi and I-Hsiang Chao accompanied.

Comedy filled the air as Mr. Wang showed that his Italian was just as good as his French in "Se inclinassi a prender moglie" a duet from Mozart's L'Italiana in Algeri in which Lindoro evades the wishes of Bey Mustafa, well portrayed by  Juan Angel Johnston-Chavez.  Shaobai Yuan accompanied.

If there is one scene in Massenet's Manon that moves us it is when the eponymous heroine seduces her former lover who has joined the priesthood! Soprano Brea Marshall used every vocal and dramatic device in her repertoire to accomplish her goal. Her victim Des Grieux was well sung by Jack Hicks and Hyojeong Ham accompanied.

John Viscardi, Executive Director of CLA, is well known to us in both the tenor and baritone fach and made a fine impression as he stepped right into the role of Marcello, lamenting his lost love in the final act of Puccini's La Bohême. Portraying his friend Rodolfo was tenor David Freides and we enjoyed the way the two men balanced each other. Marianna Vartikian accompanied.

Closing the program was a very funny scene from Rossini's Le Comte Ory, well staged by Mr. Isengart who, we might mention, is on the faculty of CLA. The most remarkable feature of his directing is that even an opera neophyte could understand what is happening in a scene, even without benefit of knowing the language. But there were also his well written and concise program notes as insurance! Ziyi Hong provided the lively accompaniment.

Artistic Director Glenn Morton, well known as a faculty member of all three music conservatories in New York City, gave a warm welcome to the guests who were also treated to a lovely reception before and after the program, giving guests an opportunity to mingle with the young artists and to compare notes on the performances. This format seems more agreeable than the customary costly sit-down dinner with a high price tag used by other foundations to raise money and celebrate young singers.

We don't have enough good things to say about our own experience with CLA, not to mention the feedback we get from the students, as well as the evidence of our own ears. Their format of total immersion seems most effective. There is something more to be told, Dear Reader, something we will announce in due time.  So....stay tuned, as they say.

© meche kroop

A MUSICAL POWER COUPLE

Ahmed Alom and Rosario Armas

We searched our brain for words to describe an artistic partnership that is more than an artistic partnership. When you take an unusually gifted mezzo-soprano and put her onstage with her equally gifted conductor/pianist husband, the musical consequence is more than transporting. We apologize for our clumsy attempt to represent the love and connection between Mexican  Rosario Armas and her Cuban husband Ahmed Alom by juxtaposing two photos. The two speak the same language as well as the same musical and emotional language.

The occasion for sharing in this love fest was the final concert of The Washington Square Music Festival, of which Mr. Alom is the Musical Director. The concert was held at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery and drew a standing room only crowd of music lovers. Beside our favorite musical couple, The Festival Chamber Orchestra was on hand, about which more later.

The part of the program that best expressed the mutual affection of this darling couple was a set of songs by Clara Schumann who, as is widely known, defied her strict parents to marry the famous Robert Schumann, whose output of art songs was stimulated by his adoration for Clara. We wish that more vocal concerts would include her excellent songs and felt grateful that Ms. Armas gave them the attention they deserve. 

The passionate "Er ist gekommen in stürm und regen" was followed by Clara's  gentle setting of "Liebst du um Schönheit" (also set by Gustav Mahler) and "Warum willst du and're fragen".  Ms. Armas' instrument has both depth and breadth and remained even throughout the entire register. The tone quality was moving in its varied emotional coloration and the vibrato was just right for the material.

Mahler was not to be neglected. His Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen rivals Schubert's Die Winterreise in its depiction of the agony of lost love. No doubt, Mahler's wife Alma and her constant stream of lovers inspired this painful song cycle. The singer must convey  the many shades of sorrow, disappointment, rage, and failed attempts to rise above it all with an assist from the natural world. This was brilliantly achieved by Ms. Armas with Mr. Alom echoing the feelings every step of the way. We were fighting back tears throughout and hoping that the artists will never ever have to experience such pain!

The final vocal event on the program consisted of a song cycle Canciones de la Muerte op.20  by Julián de la Chica, a living composer with whom Ms. Armas has frequently worked. It is quite an honor to participate in an orchestral world premiere and the sonorities captured by the orchestra were various and often pungent. However, we found the death-oriented text by Padre António da Ascençao (translated from Portuguese into Spanish by the composer) to be too solemn, grim, and ponderous for our taste.

Also on the program was Johann Sebastian Bach's Brandenburg Concerto no. 5 conducted from the piano by Mr. Alom, who achieved a lively and concise reading. For our musical tastes however, we preferred Debussy's Prelude à l'après midi d'un faune for its dreamlike exoticism. The introductory flute solo was beautifully handled by flutist Sheryl Henze who was joined by clarinetist Mitchell Kriegler.

It was a lovely well-balanced and varied program. The memories we will take away, however, will be that of the lovely attunement of Ms. Armas and Mr. Alom!

© meche kroop

A NEW WORLD CARMEN

 Melisa Bonetti Luna with dancers Mariana Parma and Leonardo Sardella

What a pleasant surprise! The last time we saw an adaptation of Bizet's masterpiece was over 5 years ago and it was Peter Brooks' La Tragédie de Carmen.  Tact precludes our naming the company that produced a work that we found worthless and insulting to both Bizet and to Merimée, the author of the original story upon which the opera Carmen was based.

We approached La Carmencita  with, admittedly, some trepidation. We only agreed to attend based on our admiration for some of the artists. To our delight, the enterprise was not only entertaining but valid in its concept. When we were new to opera, we couldn't understand why this very Spanish work was sung in French. Well, we got to hear it in Spanish and it sang extremely well!  Adapted by producer Sasha Gutiérrez (who also translated her Spanish libretto into English for the titles and furthermore sang the role of Micaëla), the 1871 masterpiece was transformed into a Tango opera in one passionate and swiftly moving act. As in Peter Brook's 1981 reinvention, this condensed and telescoped version preserved our favorite arias, ditching the chorus and extraneous characters. But it succeeded where Brooks failed.

The emphasis shifted to the interaction between the four main characters and their intense interaction. Since it is the specifics that involve us in any story, let us describe them. The action takes place in a cafe in Buenos Aires in which Carmen is a featured performer, along with a pair of tango dancers as seen in the photo above. Escamillo is an impresario who promises Carmen professional advancement. Jose is a fan and Micaëla is his novia. The geometry of the plot involves two triangles with Carmen being pursued by two men and José  being torn between two women. Jealousy, rage, power dynamics, and passion made for an absorbing story.

The music was provided onstage by pianist Juan Lázaro and bass Pedro Giraudo who created the reduction and also composed the tango music. Other members of the Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet were bandeonista Javier Sánchez and violinist Nicolás Danielson.

Thankfully, the singers were up to the challenge both vocally and dramatically. This Carmen, mezzo-soprano Melisa Bonetti Luna, was her own woman and delivered the arias we know and love with fine style. The besotted José was effectively portrayed by tenor Juan Hernández. As Escamillo, the formidable guest artist baritone José Luis Maldonado gave a riveting performance. Ms. Gutiérrez' fine clear soprano made for an appealing Micaëla.

The work was effectively directed by Rebecca Miller Kratzer. Costuming was done by Megan Rutherford. The titles fortunately matched the dialogue and were projected in both Spanish and English. We don't know the composition of the audience but we do know that they were vociferous in their applause. Is there room for such adaptations of works in the canon? We think so, as long as the work enhances our understanding of the relationship of the characters and adds a different perspective.  When done out of directorial arrogance such adaptations do not work.

This enchanting evening was a presentation of The Opera Next Door which was started by Ms. Gutiérrez four years ago as informal stoop concerts in Brooklyn. Their mission is to bring opera to a broader audience and it seems to us that this was a major step in achieving that mission. The work was produced by Zack O'Farrill, Santiago Gutiérrez, and Felipe Hoyos-González along with Ms. Gutiérrez. She was also joined by Mr. Hoyos for the Spanish adaptation and for the English translation by Ms. Kratzer. It would seem that what we enjoyed so much was a successful collaboration of all the aforementioned people.

© meche kroop

RUDDIGORE or THE WITCH'S CURSE

Daniel Greenwood, Sarah Caldwell Smith, David Macaluso, Matthew Wages, Hannah Holmes,

 David Wannen and Angela Christine Smith

 We have been enjoying the fruits of New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players' labors for quite a long time but we never realized that the company has been delighting audiences for half a century. During our time in New York City we have witnessed their growth in size, professionalism, and audience impact.  Every season brings new delights with constant reminders of why HMS Pinafore and Pirates of Penzance are such enduring classics as well as fresh introductions to Gilbert and Sullivan's  lesser known work like last night's Ruddigore.

The three hours spent in their company last night flew by with nary a dull moment. Ballads, madrigals, patter songs, and choruses tumbled over one another, exhibiting Arthur Sullivan's keen sense of melody. W. H. Gilbert's lyrics are replete with clever rhymes and plays on words. Although we have often heard excerpts from Ruddigore on many a prior occasion, this is the first time we had the opportunity to enjoy the entire work--and enjoy we did!

As in their other works, Gilbert's text manages to skewer all of Great Britain's "sacred cows"--aristocratic ancestry, serious opera, the Royal Navy, social etiquette, the institution of marriage, religion, and even income tax. The story concerns a hereditary baronetcy tainted by a long held curse that requires each baronet to commit a daily crime or die a horrible death. In a gloss on religious hypocrisy it just wouldn't do to commit a sole crime early in the day and then compensate by doing good for the remainder of the day.

The last baronet has apparently staged his own demise in order to escape the curse, and has gone into hiding as the shy and simple farmer Robin Oakapple, portrayed by the terrific tenor David Macaluso. The professional bridesmaids of the village, given some lovely choruses and dances (choreographed by David Auxier), have not had a wedding in months and are champing at the bit. They would like to see the lovely Rose Maybud wed.  Soprano Sarah Caldwell Smith, aside from having a lovely voice, excelled at creating a character who hides behind her etiquette book and whose willingness to wed seems not fixed on any particular suitor.

Robin is so shy and Rose is so constrained by the rules of etiquette that they cannot manage a courtship. Their duet "I know a youth" was delightful and charming.  Robin's foster brother Richard Dauntless is not so shy! As portrayed by Daniel Greenwood, he is an outwardly affable sailor who agrees to court Rose for Robin but decides to win her for himself. Alas, poor Robin!

There is worse in store for the hapless hero. His disguise is revealed by that old snake-in-the-grass Richard; Robin's brother, Sir Despard Murgatroyd, who has assumed the baronetcy, is thrilled to be relieved of his ancestral duty. Matthew Wages seemed to enjoy playing the evil man in "Oh, why am I moody and sad?". as much as he enjoyed playing him as a proper citizen when relieved of his position, leaving us to wonder "does the role make the man?"

One of the many highlights of the evening was the performance of mezzo-soprano Hannah Holmes as Mad Margaret who manages to outdo every mad scene you have ever seen.  In "Cheerily carols the lark", it was not just the singing that impressed us but the body movement amounting to a dance of madness. Once reunited with her beloved she assumes a staid mien, only occasionally erupting into the crazies from which she is brought back to normalcy by the safe word "Basingstoke" which probably had a significance for the late 19th century audience.

Vocally impressive was the contralto instrument of Angela Christine Smith as Ruth's aunt Dame Hannah.  We were happy to see her reunited with her long lost lover (or at least with his ghost) Sir Roderic Murgatroyd, portrayed by David Wannen. The tender duet "There Grew a Little Flower" placed two great voices in pleasing harmony.

Rounding out the cast was Patrick Lord Remmert who created the character of Robin's faithful servant Old Adam Goodheart, a "Vally-desham" in the titles which we figured out was Brit-speak for valet de chambre. 

Maestro Albert Bergeret brilliantly led his orchestra through the constant flow of musical numbers and also co-directed with Mr. Auxier. We found no fault with the direction which emphasized the melodramatic nature of the story and its stock characters, which are as familiar to the English speaking world as commedia del'arte is to the Italian speaking world. 

The set design was most satisfactory, attributed to Albére, after Edward Gorey.  Act I created a seaside village with a house on one side and a shed of some sort on the other, reminding us of the set for the ballet Giselle. Act II took place in the ancestral home of a the Murgatroyd's with an entire wall of ancestral portraits which, in a stroke of directorial genius, came to life.

The colorful costumes by Gail J. Wofford were a propos to time and place, adding to the success of the performance. We greet the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players with a grand. "Huzzah"!!!! We can barely wait for their production of The Pirates of Penzance in January.

© meche kroop

WHEREFORE ART THOU?

 Curtain call at Manhattan School of Music's Romeo et Juliette

Love stories are timeless, as is said; and so are antagonistic families. Nonetheless, Gounod's beloved opera Roméo et Juliette seems to us to be very specific to Renaissance Italy or what, in Gounod's time, would become the nation of Italy. (At the time in which Shakespeare set his play, upon which Jules Barbier and Michel Carré based their libretto, Verona was a city-state ruled by the Scaligero family, for which the famed opera house La Scala was named.)  

The peculiar staging of the opera at Manhattan School of Music appeared to be an ante-bellum ball in the American South and seemed to be a bad directorial decision.  Fortunately, nothing was altered musically or text wise, leaving us free to ignore the costumes and focus on some truly superb voices.

In terms of capturing the emotion of the story, we have been most deeply affected by Kenneth MacMillan's ballet for American Ballet Theater which utilizes a highly dramatic score by Sergei Prokofiev. We have seen 40-year-old ballerinas convince us that they were 14 years old and still playing with dolls. Not so effective were the play and prior opera productions we have attended. It is believed that only mature actors can fulfill the two starring roles and only mature opera singers can fulfill the vocal requirement.

For that reason, we were thrilled to see comely young graduate students (from Manhattan School of Music) with finely tuned voices bring the opera to convincing life before our very eyes. 

For example, Sofia Gotch sang the role of Juliette with brightness and clarity, exhibiting excellent French diction. In her Act I aria "Je veux vivre" she showed us a spunky young woman, full of life and ready for adventure, making her ultimate demise even more tragic. Gounod made many demands on the soprano portraying Juliette, and she definitely rose to the occasion. She also showed herself to be a fine scene partner in her tender duets with Romeo scattered throughout the opera, each one outdoing the prior one

Her Roméo was sung by tenor Wonjin Choi, whose fine instrument revealed itself immediately in  "Ange adorable" and even more in "Ah! Lêve-toi Soleil!". His infatuation started strong and only got stronger. The performances of the leads were stellar, leaving absolutely nothing for us to criticize.

Other roles were similarly well cast and well performed. Two mezzo-sopranos made a fine impression. Xiaowei Fang seemed to relish her part as Gertrude, fussing over Juliette, and filling out a couple of lovely quartets, which, we might add, were well balanced. As the page Stephano, Yiqian Heng made a strong impression with "Que fais-tu, blanche tourterelle?", taunting the Capulet family with a provocative aria, likening Juliet to a dove in a flock of vultures.

Benjamin R. Sokol made a fine Frère Laurent, portraying the friendly friar with an admirable combination of gravity and levity. Blake Stevenson admirably fulfilled the role of the pugnacious Mercutio and impressed us with his dueling skills--as did Fernando Silva-Gorbea as the unpleasant and menacing Tybalt. Props to Fight Director Chris Dumont.

Donghoon Kang made Capulet a gracious host but a demanding father. Making a brief appearance as Le Duke was Daniel Navarrete-Estassi, appearing quite authoritative as he commutes Roméo's death sentence to banishment. The unfortunate suitor Paris was enacted by Graham Rui Guan. Grégorio was portrayed by Juan Angel Johnston-Chavez and Justin Hong took the role of Benvolio.

Just as excellent as the singing was the orchestra conducted by Maestro Pierre Vallett. The simple set by James Rotondo was dark and simple with lots of doors and windows serving multiple purposes. Evocative lighting was by Marika Kent. Stephanie Sutherland's choreography gave the large and effective chorus plenty to do and provided dances appropriate to the weird 19th century. setting. 

And this brings us back to the peculiar direction by Katherine M. Carter.  As is our habit, we looked for the Director's Notes after the performance, hoping to learn some justification for moving this Renaissance story to, judging by the costumes, the early 19th century. We had to keep trying to block Gone with the Wind from our mind to focus on the singing.

We also wondered why, with a perfectly good upper level, the balcony scene was staged at ground level. Another nitpicky observation was that during the several emotionally intense duets, Roméo and Juliette were positioned so that they did not appear to be facing each other. This is generally accomplished by placing them at a 90 degree angle to one another, thus creating the illusion of actually facing each other.  

And while we are nitpicking, Juliette's face should not be smiling when she is told she is being married off.  Her face changed to misery when Paris' name was mentioned. But clearly she should be expressing misery at the idea of being married to anyone. The way it was played made it seem as if she had something personal against Paris. One of the features of sitting on the front row is being aware of small details like that.

Nitpicking aside, we commend the entire cast, and especially the members of the chorus, for creating an absorbing performance that was dramatically and musically compelling.

© meche kroop