Oberon's Grove

Hyunah Yu & Randall Scarlata at Town Hall

March 30, 2008 - I hate to admit it but the last time I was at Town Hall was in 1969 for a recital by soprano Lilian Sukis. My opportunity to re-visit the famous auditorium came today when my dear friend Randall Scarlata invited me to his joint recital with soprano Hyunah Yu and pianist Ken Noda. Randy, who I met nearly a decade ago when he was at Juilliard, now lives in Philadelphia and we have been sort of out-of-touch for a while but Facebook has recently provided the remedy. It was great to see and hear him again this afternoon.

The afternoon was part of the People's Symphony Concert series which started in 1900 as a way of bringing classical music to a large audience at affordable prices. Their website may be found here.

The recital today was especially inviting:

PURCELL: Songs including 'Sound the Trumpet' and 'Lost is My Quiet'
SCHUMANN: Six Early Songs
MENDELSSOHN: Songs including 'Gruß', 'Abendlied' and 'Herbstlied'
MAHLER: Four Songs from Des Knabenwunderhorn
WOLF: Songs from the Italienisches Liederbuch

The programme was mainly a German lieder-fest which is Randy's specialty, and Ms. Yu proved equally at home in the repertoire, though they started with a Purcell set. Purcell's music is so clean - that's the best way to describe it. The opening duet, "Sound The Trumpet" with its cascades of fiorature set a mood of joyous music-making as the two singers reveled in the ease and clarity of their vocal delivery. The Town Hall acoustic is wonderfully immediate and both Hyunah and Randy were able to show off their attractively contrasted timbres without ever having to resort to pushing or distortion. Randy's smooth, warm and mellow tone ideally compliments Hyunah's silvery softness. They further harmonized to lovely effect in the melancholy "Lost is My Quiet" and then sailed heartily thru "Come, let us Leave the Town" from THE FAIRY QUEEN.

Hyunah, her pretty face and petite figure superbly set off by her gem-strewn pale olive-green top and black trousers, introduced a really entrancing set of songs from the youthful works of Robert Schumann. Composed by Schumann while still in his teens, the songs tell of the aspects of young love. I try not to use the word 'ravishing' when describing a voice but nothing else quite suits Ms. Yu's delicious quality - the shimmering sound and hints of rapture in the words - which at various points in the afternoon put me in mind of the best qualities of Hei-Kyung Hong, Kathleen Battle, Barbara Bonney and Reri Grist.      

Mendelssohn duets followed in which both singers treated us to impeccable harmonies and finely tapered  vocal lines which Ken Noda underlined with his refined and very expressive playing. Again I was struck by the acoustic perfection of the hall and the way Ken (Christian Steiner photo) was able to make the piano 'speak' with many colourful nuances woven around the voices. Hyunah's delicacy of expression blended with Randy's velvety tone making these duets especially appealing and in fact the set was over seemingly way too quickly.

Randy Scarlata is a profoundly satisfying Mahler singer; he had a lot of fun with "Rhinelegendchen' before moving into the two central songs, "Wo die schonen Trompeten Blasen" and "Revelge" which are almost operatic in scope. These two pieces seemed especially poignant today in their depictions of the sadness and the horror of wartime experiences since in the past week we have had brutal reminders of the fact that we live in a time of war even though it is taking place far away. Randy's dramatic treatment was emphasized by Ken's playing which reached a peak of intensity in the grim rhythmic figures of "Revelge".

The 'Urlicht' has a special meaning for Randy and me and I had to admire his courage in offering it today because I think it took all of his discipline as an artist to avoid breaking down emotionally. His interpretation was intrinsically beautiful and the silence in the hall at the end was profound. I could tell Randy was deeply moved.*

The recital ended with an entertaining set of songs from Wolf's ITALIAN LIEDERBOOK which Hyunah and Randy treated as a mini-drama. They traded solos, each observing the other's performance, before joining in a duet. Buy Hyunah got the last word with her lively "Ich hab'in Penna". They then sang a flirtatious "La ci darem la mano" from DON GIOVANNI as an encore.

Hyunah's was a new voice for me and I'll look forward to hearing her again. I found that Randy, who has always been a very good singer, seems - if it could be possible - to have improved on his own high level of excellence both in the sheer beauty of his sound and his compelling mastery of dynamics; his word-painting too gives the impression of complete naturalness.

I always like to hear what other audience members have to say about singers, especially those singers I know as friends - since I don't want to think I'm unduly generous in praising them. After the first half, the woman in front of squinted at her playbill, then turned to her companion and said, "Randall Scarlata?! Now why isn't HE at the Met? He's better than anyone they have there." I agree whole-heartedly.

It was great catching up with Randy briefly backstage and to meet the delightful Hyunah Yu; Randy's mother was there and so was Ken Noda's. Ken and I talked about the acoustic perfection of Town Hall and how wonderful it would be to have a lieder or vocal-chamber-music recital series there. Hyunah and Randy both have interesting repertoire out on CD (Randy joins the American String Quartet on the Danielpour disc). I found them both at Amazon. 

*Here is the text, in German and English, of Mahler's 'Urlicht' the song from DAS KNABEN WUNDERHORN that  is also used as a contralto solo in Mahler's 2nd Symphony:

O Röschen rot!
Der Mensch liegt in größter Not!
Der Mensch liegt in größter Pein!
Je lieber möcht ich im Himmel sein!

Da kamm ich auf einer breiten Weg;
Da kam ein Engelein und wollt mich abweisen.
Ach nein! Ich ließ mich nicht abweisen!
Ich bin von Gott und will wieder zu Gott!
Der liebe Gott wird mir ein Lichtchen geben,
Wird leuchten mir bis an das ewig selig Leben!

An English translation by Lionel Salter follows:

O red rose!
Man lies in direst need!
Man lies in deepest pain!
I would be rather in heaven!

I came upon a broad path:
and angel came and sought to turn me back.
Ah no! I would not be sent away!
I am from God, and to God I will return!
Dear God will give me light,
will lead me to eternal, blessed life.

                                                                  

Here Comes the Bride

I never look at the 'Weddings' page of the NY TIMES but for some reason I did today and I love this photo of Carol Turner and Avi Klein and the story that goes with it. Neither the bride nor her groom are known to me but as Wei and I approach our tenth anniversary stories of other people's searches for love seem all the more moving. Best wishes to the happy couple! (Photo: Michael Temchine).

Nicole & Ante: Murderous Siblings

Nicole Piccolomini has been singing Maddalena in RIGOLETTO at the Deutsche Oper, Berlin along with Croatian basso Ante Jerkunica as her brother Sparafucile. Ante was at last year's Cardiff Competition where he drew considerable enthusiasm.

Nicole has more performances of Maddalena and of the Third Lady in ZAUBERFLOETE coming up as well as Lola in CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA and she is in the production of Braunfels' JEANNE D'ARC. She also has some interesting assignments for next season, her third at the Deutsche Oper.

A Decade in Gotham

Friday March 28, 2008 - Today I'm celebrating the tenth anniversary of my move to NYC. Really, when I moved here I had no idea what I would be doing or in what directions life would take me. I just knew it was something I had to do before I turned 50.

What's happened since?

I met the love of my life...two weeks after I moved here.

I lived thru possibly the worst time this City ever experienced: the aftermath of 9/11.

I lost contact - slowly - with some of my old friends and made some wonderful new ones.

I found a park where I can stay close to nature in the Big City.

I met people I never would have dreamed I'd meet - like Hei-Kyung Hong and Wendy Whelan.

I met, befriended and lost a wonderful person: Makiko Narumi.

I met a bunch of fascinating young singers from Juilliard between 1998 - 2002.

I have gone to the US Open each year, indulging my long-time interest in watching tennis.

I turned my passion for New York City Ballet and my love of writing into a blog.

I found a delightful new voice - and friend - in Lisette Oropesa.

I found out all the things I can live without - as long as I have books, music, dance...and Wei.

On the Horizon: The Kirov @ City Center

In April I will have the good fortune to see two programmes danced by the Kirov Ballet during their season at New York City Center. Susan has invited me to their Balanchine programme and I was able to secure a pass for the Petipa evening thanks to Helene Davis. Details of the programmes, casting and links to ticketing here. I've been poring over their website and reading up about their dancers and repertoire in preparation for my two visits, and I'm very taken with this photo of Yekaterina Kondaurova in Balanchine's RUBIES. The only dancer listed for the two evenings that I have seen previously is Diana Vishneva who danced Aurora in ABT's unfortunate production of SLEEPING BEAUTY last year; she was lovely - to be sure - and I'm hoping to get fresh impressions of her in the BAYADERE Kingdom of the Shades and in RUBIES during the City Center season.

UPDATE: First reports on the Kirov's stay at City Center may be found at Ballet Talk.  

Here are some of the male dancers on the current roster I'm scheduled to see: Igor Kolb, Andrian Fadeyev, Danila Korsuntsev and Yevgeny Ivanchenko. The Petipa is April 3 and the Balanchine is April 18.

 

Angel is Engaged

Soprano Angela Fout and Peter Nolle have announced their engagement.  Angela, who I met when she was at Juilliard, is currently on the roster of the opera company at St. Gallen, Switzerland. I love this photo of her.

Congratulations, Angel & Peter!

 

ERNANI at the Met

Wednesday March 26, 2008 - Dmitry and I settled in for this performance of ERNANI with varied expectations. I had heard some of the season premiere last week over the Sirius network; Sondra Radvanovsky (Elvira) was announced as being ill and while she sang acceptably and sometimes excitingly she was having serious pitch problems in the middle register. Thomas Hampson (Carlo) managed fairly well in an unsuitable role which calls for a broader expanse of tone and more sheer vocal heft than he can muster. Ferruccio Furlanetto was a powerful Silva; his voice has aged well and is still very strong and suffused with that type of generosity of expression that marked singers of earlier eras but seems rarer today. Marcello Giordani was vocally awful in the first scene on the prima netcast, and Roberto Abbado was a very routine conductor. {Hampson & Radvanovsky in a Marty Sohl photo from the Met website}.

At the second performance - which Dmitry heard over the air - Angela Meade replaced Sondra and seemed to have had a good success. There were varying reports of the size and scope of her instrument but most notices I read indicated that she acquitted herself honorably.

Ferruccio Furlanetto {Mary Sohl photo} walked off with the vocal honors tonight; he was the only one of the principals who completely right for his role and even though there were a couple of husky moments, his big sound and intense delivery were really exciting. Giordani seemed to sing the first scene just a fraction sharp most of the time; he was better in the restored Act II scena "Odi il voto". Thomas Hampson sang very well but more vocal amplitude and grandeur of utterance were sometimes desired. Sondra worried me somewhat with a tendency to sing flat in the middle register; she seems to be pushing the lower register at times and over-darkening it while the top sounds clear and bright. She easily soared over the ensembles. Remnants of her recent illness may have caused her to be a little below her very best; she looked superb.

The opera actually is not very interesting: so much rum-ti-tum. The characters don't really engage us emotionally and the story veers from one improbable situation to another. The Met's production is large-scale and visually sluggish; the costumes are attractive. Dmitry and I survived two acts and then packed up and left.

Dancers: Peter Martins

When I started going to New York City Ballet back in the mid-1970s everyone - of both sexes - was in love with Peter Martins. 'The blonde god', that's how I remember him being described before I saw him dance for the first time. Peter danced the Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux on the very first night I ever saw NYCB, and even though I knew very little about ballet at the time (and next to nothing about NYCB except that TJ adored them), I wrote in my diary that Peter's "combination of cool partnering and bravado solo dancing made his performance the highlight of the evening." Peter was dancing then with Kay Mazzo and their partnership continued to impress me in  RAYMONDA VARIATIONS and DUO CONCERTANT although the latter ballet I found to be 'corny' on first viewing. I have since changed my mind about it, several times.

Mazzo had this beautiful, vulnerable quality and Peter's looming yet protective presence enhanced her dancing visually to fine effect. His partnering was so assured and steadying but always just a bit aloof. We have all read Balanchine's admonishment: "You are not in love with your partner," and Peter was true to that; he never displayed the kind of torrid angst some European dancers do when partnering.  He had seemingly enormous hands which must have made his ballerinas feel totally secure.

Check out the cast of my first Tchaikovsky PIANO CONCERTO #2 in the box at left. By this time, Merrill Ashley and Colleen Neary were just about at goddess status for me, and Peter was the impeccable prince of the dance. Ballets were starting to fall into echelons for me and TPC #2 was at the top. Colleen Neary was a brilliant dancer (try to imagine morphing Sofiane Sylve and Teresa Reichlen and you get the idea) and Merrill & Peter looked great together; but within two months of this performance something happened that revised the shape of NYCB and put Peter's career in a different light.

Suzanne Farrell had spent five years away from NYCB - much of the time dancing for Maurice Bejart - after her marriage caused Balanchine to go into a jealous snit and let his prize ballerina fly away. I was there on the night of her return and the audience was thrilled to have her back; she even had a solo bow which is almost verboten at NYCB. Peter's partnering was so immaculate, he almost seemed to 'disappear' as he displayed Suzanne to the adoring public. I must say that I did not fall for Farrell immediately; the big thrills for me in that SYMPHONY IN C (my first) were Colleen Neary in the 1st movement and Sara Leland stepping into 3rd Movement at the last minute and dancing with Robert Weiss. But Suzanne's return caused waves thru the Company; her former roles reverted to her and Peter was called on to be her cavalier most nights.

Of course, the Suzanne/Peter partnership wasn't exclusive; my first DIAMONDS was actually Mazzo/Martins and a terrific treat came when Peter and Christine Redpath blew the roof off the State Theatre with a dazzling virtuoso performance in one of my favorite Robbins ballets, AN EVENING'S WALTZES. This piece really needs to be seen again at NYCO. Peter & Christine swirled thru their waltz to a breath-taking exit and thunderous applause; they had to come out twice to bow even though such mid-ballet calls were frowned-upon.

COPPELIA was a big crowd-pleaser at NYCB at that time; Swanhilda was danced by the inimitable and unforgettable Patricia McBride with her most frequent partner Helgi Tomasson at the premiere. But it was inevitable that Peter Martins would eventually appear as Franz. No one was quite sure how Mr. Cool, the Iceman, would handle this full-length fun-filled role since we were used to him in the abstract Balanchine format. Peter played Franz as sort of a dumb blonde, but understated. He looked phenomenal in the costumes, causing more hearts to throb. The passages which call for virtuosity were delivered with defining brilliance. He & McBride got on like a house afire, reaping big ovations. At ABT, choruses of 'bravos' were commonplace mid-variation but not at City Ballet; Peter's Franz had people screaming as he nonchalantly tossed off various combinations. Despite Peter's big success, the role pretty much reverted to Tomasson after this, maybe because Peter was really busy dancing with Suzanne.

APOLLO, the ballet which originally drew Martins into the Balanchine sphere and became his signature role, was memorably danced with Suzanne Farrell {left}. Another palpitating performance of the Farrell/Martins partnership was the Jerome Robbins setting of AFTERNOON OF A FAUN which I saw for the first of many times in their classic interpretation. I was living in Hartford then, and Peter & Suzanne came up to the provinces to dance FLOWER FESTIVAL and Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux.

I went thru a phase of going less often but I still managed to see Martins in such diverse repertoire as MIDSUMMER NIGHT''S DREAM, BOURNONVILLE DIVERTISSEMENTS, GOLDBERG VARIATIONS, VIENNA WALTZES {in the Merry Widow segment with Kay Mazzo} and UNION JACK which was a big attraction in its early seasons: everyone was buzzing about how great Martins looked in a kilt or in his sailor's uniform, and Suzanne Farrell was strutting her stuff in culottes as the saucy Wren. Peter Schaufuss, another Dane, joined the Company {photo left} and the next generation of ballerinas was coming up so that I was treated to Peter's partnering of Kyra Nichols in the Robbins VERDI VARIATIONS {which eventually became part of THE FOUR SEASONS}  and in the Rondo finale of BRAHMS-SCHOENBERG QUARTET.

The last time I saw Peter Martins dance was MOZARTIANA with Farrell. Sean Lavery and Adam Luders were assimilating Peter's roles in the early 1980s and time was moving swiftly; Balanchine was dying and Peter was shifting his energies from dancing to choreography and preparing for the impossible task of taking over the reins. How does one replace a genius?

Peter's running of New York City Ballet has been monumentally controversial and his choreographic efforts seldom please the majority. Now at almost a quarter century since Balanchine's death Peter's tenure inspires fierce debates. For better or worse, the repertoire, the theatre itself and most importantly the individual dancers keep me going back time and again. However one feels about his running of the Company, his accomplishments as a dancer - for those who saw him onstage in his prime years - are unforgettable.   

TRISTAN at the Met

Saturday March 22, 2008 matinee - For decades now I have been trying to unlock the door to Wagner's TRISTAN UND ISOLDE. For some reason this opera is a major stumbling block for me. Wagner is one of my top two or three composers - in fact, in the long run I'd say he's my favorite overall. The idea of madly passionate, out-of-control love appeals strongly to my romantic nature. The locales ignite the imagination (photo: Tristan's castle, Karoel). The plot moves me, as does the story of the work's genesis. A lot of the TRISTAN the music puts me right in seventh heaven. The Liebestod is so gorgeous that I want it played at my funeral, and Isolde's Narrative & Curse from Act I provided me with my single all-time most thrilling operatic experience when Waltraud Meier sang it at James Levine's 25th anniversary gala.

The one prior time I experienced TRISTAN in the theatre was an unforgettable night:

Metropolitan Opera House
November 18, 1971
Benefit sponsored by the Metropolitan Opera Guild
for the production funds
New production


TRISTAN UND ISOLDE {396}
Wagner-Wagner

Tristan.................Jess Thomas
Isolde..................Birgit Nilsson
Kurwenal................Thomas Stewart
Brangäne................Mignon Dunn
King Marke..............John Macurdy
Melot...................Rod MacWherter
Sailor's Voice..........Leo Goeke
Shepherd................Nico Castel
Steersman...............Louis Sgarro

Conductor...............Erich Leinsdorf

Director................August Everding [Debut]
Designer................Günther Schneider-Siemssen





So, what's the problem?  In fact, I could never put my finger on it. Like most opera lovers I know, Dmitry thinks very highly of it - high enough in fact to have had the opening bars of the prelude tattooed on his bicep. Last summer I swore to myself I'd learn to love TRISTAN come hell or high water so I borrowed Dmitry's beautiful EMI recording conducted by Karajan and barely made it thru listening to Act I, nodding off a couple of times. Promising myself to try again in a few days, the recording sat there glowering at me til I gave it back to Dmitry without finishing it. Meanwhile, in recent days I've been getting in the mood by viewing things like this.   

In February I had a score desk for Simon O'Neill's superb Siegmund in the recent Met WALKURE and found the experience really enlightening. Deciding that I really needed to give TRISTAN a greater effort, I ordered a score desk seat for the TRISTAN matinee on a whim. I listened to Act I from this view-less spot, then moved to standing room.

This revival of the Met's TRISTAN has been beset by perils: Ben Heppner withdrew due to illness from the first four performances (and eventually from all of them). At the season premiere a normally reliable John MacMaster found himself over-parted and was booed. Then Gary Lehman was given a chance. But Deborah Voigt took ill during the second performance (Mr. Lehman's debut) and walked offstage midway thru the Love Duet. After a pause, Janice Baird appeared onstage and finished the performance. In another scary episode, a carpet on which Tristan (Gary Lehman) was sleeping came detached from the set and carried the tenor down an incline where his fall into the pit was luckily stopped by the prompter's box (on which he hit his head). They had to stop and start over. Lehman by all reports sang very well and had a good success.

Peter Gelb had been counting on the Ben & Debbie Show for the Met's international theatre-cast of today's matinee but Heppner has reportedly returned to Canada. Despite Lehman's reported success, which could not have been predicted, the Met was fortunate to get Robert Dean Smith released from some European concerts to make his Met debut ahead of schedule (the plan was for FRAU OHNE SCHATTEN in December 2009). In the photo at left, Smith & Deborah Voigt in the Chicago prouction of FRAU OHNE SCHATTEN. Robert Dean Smith had a lot to do with the success of today's performance as well as helping me get over my TRISTAN-resistance. The men in the cast today were superb; the women were middling at best.

Smith was a wonderful Tristan today, bringing far more lyricism to the role than  one might expect. His tone is clear and warm. Even when James Levine pushed him a few times by allowing the orchestra to almost swamp him, Smith refused to force or yell. His singing had real beauty of expression all afternoon with only one very brief trace of fatigue near the end. It was a great pleasure to hear Tristan's music so beautifully sung, especially the opening of the Love Duet where Smith suffused the phrases with real tenderness. In the grueling forty-minute 'mad scene' in Act III, Smith stuck to his guns vocally and was never induced to bark or whine. He is an uncomplicated actor, earnest and sincere. I loved his Tristan.   

Matti Salminen (King Marke) and Eike Wilm Schulte (Kurwenal) were absolutely first-rate. I've always enjoyed their performances over the years and they made tremendous contributions to the success of  the afternoon. Salminen's voice is of epic proportions, effortlessly pouring his dark, voluminous sound into the great theatre. His monologue was sensational in its vocal profundity and the expression of his pain at Tristan's betrayal. Schulte, beloved as the Speaker in ZAUBERFLOETE and a matchless Beckmesser, turned the faithful Kurwenal into a major role. Sometimes reduced to a gruff-voiced old chum of Tristan's, Kurwenal in Mr.Schulte's interpretation gets a strong dose of vocal warmth and verbal detail. Like Mr. Smith, Schulte often sang with the pointed diction and subtle colourings of a fine lieder recitalist. Making a big impression in a sometimes overlooked role was Stephen Gaertner whose stern and fearsome presence as Melot added to his ample tone and vivid accents; he should be given much more to do at the Met: bigger roles and more of them. Matthew Plenk's unusually appealing  tenor sound got the afternoon off to a fine start in the sailor's song. In the third act, Mark Schowalter (Shepherd) and James Courtney (Steersman) upheld the high level of the men's team today.

If the women had been as impressive this would have been a sensational TRISTAN. But in Act One both Deborah Voigt (Isolde) and Michelle de Young (Brangaene) sounded metallic and lacking in vocal beauty. De Young sounded better in Act II but was placed too far offstage for her Tower Warning to be effective. After having enjoyed her Fricka earlier this season, I was disappointed by her today.

Voigt soldiered on all afternoon; her voice sounds forced and colourless to me. She has power but no poetry that I could discern. The top no longer has any bloom; she just goes at them full-throttle and hopes they are on pitch...some of them are and some are flattish. Her Liebestod lacked any sense of rapture and instead gave a feeling of dogged determination. The concluding  F-sharp was just a touch below  pitch. The audience of course loved her. I found myself wishing that it was Isolde who had died and Tristan who sang the Liebestod.

Levine and the orchestra were close to perfect all afternoon though a couple of slight 'blips' from various players came at bad times - as did loud coughs which ruined a couple of the singers' hushed moments. For the most part the audience was wonderfully attentive. That's one of the best things about Wagner audiences: they don't put up with any distractions.

What I realized today about my 'problem' with TRISTAN is that I've always tried to get into it by listening to it on radio, tape or disc. I think it's really an opera you have to experience in the theatre because it creates its own completely unique atmosphere and the music really needs to steal out into a large darkened space full of attentive people waiting for the ecstasy. Listening at home is too routine; you need to be drowning in the orchestration and savoring the voices illuminating the words as they float into the house.

So, Dmitry, let's plan to see it next season...OK?

Happy Birthday, Christopher Wheeldon!

News of Christoper's latest creation (for London's Royal Ballet) comes to us as the choreographer celebrates his birthday. ELECTRIC COUNTERPOINT certainly sounds very different from the Wheeldon works we've seen in New York City. I wonder if we'll ever get a peek of it here? Happy birthday, Chris!

Meanwhile, Monica Wellington has taken a glance back at the NYC Ballet season just past as well as a look ahead to their Spring season and talks about some other recent happenings.