Oberon's Grove

Shanghai Ballet's SWAN LAKE

~ Author: Oberon

Saturday January 18th, 2020 - Billed as the "Grand SWAN LAKE", Shanghai Ballet's production of the Tchaikovsky classic arrived at Lincoln Center for four performances, of which we saw he third. In this very traditional setting, the Derek Deane Petipa-based choreography offers no surprises, aside from the sheer number of swans to be seen: I guess that's what makes it "grand".

The production is mostly pleasing visually, but the scene in the palace ballroom has a very ugly mish-mash of a set in which the vision of Odette seems like an afterthought, thus missing a key dramatic point. Garish costumes for the national dances added to the cheesy effect.

But the lakeside scenes were fine, and the 48 swans were wonderfully in-sync choreographically, making the stage seem full but not over-crowded. Mr. Deane deploys them skillfully as they form pleasing patterns and make smooth entrances and exits throughout the White Swan act. Zhu Haibo, a Rothbart with expansive wings dripping with seaweed, menaced Odette and her prince as Rothbarts have ever been wont to do.

There's no Jester in this production, nor does the prince have any friends to join him on his hunting expedition. There is a Tutor, who is thankfully not given much to do.

At the heart of the matter, Qi Bingxue as Odette/Odile and Wu Husheng as Siegfried (above) danced expressively and with technical polish. Their love, doomed from the start, played out in the moving tenderness of their partnering, in their effortless brilliance in the feats of the Black Swan pas de deux, and in the jolt of betrayal. But the production ends rather weakly, as the lovers float over the stage on a large swan-boat while Rothbart lay dying. Once you've experienced the final moments of the Peter Martins SWAN LAKE, nothing else compares. 

The New York City Ballet orchestra played the familiar score with some very nice solo parts shining thru, and Charles Barker conducted, keeping a firm rein on things whilst also admirably supporting the principal couple thru both the poignant and the showy passages.

Late seating, and ushers wandering the aisles to admonish viewers about cellphones during the music, were serious distractions, as were the constant babbling of the two Russian women seated next to us, and of the two silly queens sitting behind us. But we stayed until the end, because Wei was enjoying it.

Production photos by North American Photography Associates, courtesy of Michelle Tabnick PR

~ Oberon

Five Love Duets

Above: Beverly Sills, James McCracken

BOHEME ~ Love Duet - Beverly Sills & James McCracken - live radio concert

Above: Carol Vaness

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR ~ Love Duet - Carol Vaness and Luciano Pavarotti - NYC concert 1986

Above: Gabriella Tucci

MADAMA BUTTERFLY ~ Love Duet - Gabriella Tucci & Carlo Bergonzi - Met bcast 1962

Above: Maria Chiara and Luciano Pavarotti in UN BALLO IN MASCHERA

UN BALLO IN MASCHERA ~ Love+Duet - Maria Chiara & Luciano Pavarotti - Chicago 1986

Above: Nicolai Gedda and Eleanor Steber in VANESSA

Eleanor Steber & Nicolai Gedda - duet from VANESSA

Giorgio Merighi Has Passed Away

The Italian tenor Giorgio Merighi has passed away at the age of 80. A native of Ferrara, Merighi made his operatic debut in BALLO IN MASCHERA at Spoleto in 1962 and went on to an extensive career singing lirico and spinto roles in the opera houses of Italy. In 1968, he sang in a famous production of Meyerbeer's ROBERTO IL DIAVOLO at the Maggio Musicale opposite Renata Scotto and Boris Christoff. He later appeared at Covent Garden and the Vienna State Opera.

In the USA, Merighi sang at Dallas and Chicago, and he came to The Met in 1977 as Manrico. His broadcast in that role I can remember warmly. He sang Radames at The Met in 1979, and Luigi in IL TABARRO in 1989. Following that, he remained active in Europe but was seemingly forgotten here.

I was working at Tower Records in 1998 when the name of Giorgio Merighi appeared on the poster for AIDA in front of The Met. A Russian tenor named Vladimir Bogachov had not fared well as Radames in the season prima, so Merighi was now announced for three performances; I guessed that Maestro Nello Santi, who had worked with Merighi over the years, had suggested him as a substitute.

My boss Bryan Hester and I had tickets for one of the performances, and in the days leading up to Merighi's return, we speculated as to how he might be sounding - it had been a decade since he had last sung here. One afternoon, Bryan and I were grabbing our lunch at a little Chinese place on Amsterdam when I spied an older gentleman and his wife at a nearby table. "That's Merighi!" I said to Bryan. We kept an eye on the couple, and soon they rose to leave: the tenor, looking quite dignified, walked with an arthritic gait but erect posture. The next day, this same man and his wife came in the store, so now we felt certain who they were. Our curiosity as to what he could do as Radames was now fully piqued.

At the performance we attended, Merighi fared well, sounding better than some of the tenors the Met was using then. He would have been nearly sixty years old at that time, but the voice was still steady and well-projected. He knew the role inside-out, and it was a pleasure to hear the Italian language sung by a native. Sharon Sweet, Olga Borodina, Paolo Gavinelli, and Robert Lloyd were his colleagues; Sondra Radvanovsky sang the Priestess, and Placido Domingo conducted. 

A sample of Signor Merighi's singing - and its effect on an audience - can be heard here, in the Improviso from ANDREA CHENIER. The sound quality is not the best, but it's a kind of voice we are lacking in this day and age.

~ Oberon

Debussy & Brahms @ Chamber Music Society

Above: pianist Juho Pohjonen

Author: Oberon

Tuesday January 14th, 2020 - Continuing the celebration of their 50th season, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center tonight programmed music from the Czech, French, and German schools, played to perfection by as assemblage of prestigious artists.

Josef Suk's Elegie for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 23 (1902) was originally scored for solo violin, solo cello, string quartet, harmonium and harp. A shorter version, for piano trio, was performed tonight. Pianist Juho Pohjonen, a master of evocative music-making, was joined by Adam Barnett-Hart (violin) and Jan Vogler (cello). Following a peaceful opening passage from the piano, the violin sings a sweet, sad melody on high. This is taken up by the alto voice of the cello. A sublime melding of the three instruments ensues, interrupted by a burst of passion. With calm restored, Mr. Barnett returns to the opening theme as Mr. Vogler's cello comments; then, they switch roles. Near the end, some ominous rumblings stir from Mr. Pohjonen's left hand, but all ends peacefully. It's a truly beautiful piece, and the playing was captivating. 

Leoš Janáček's Sonata for Violin and Piano (1914-15), played this evening by Mssrs. Barnett-Hart and Pohjonen, was the composer's "response to war". In its opening movement, Janáček establishes a restless atmosphere wherein melodic fragments are tossed back and forth between violin and piano; mood swings and rhythmical gestures abound. By contrast, a love of homeland finds expression in the Ballada, with its  shimmering piano setting the tone and its lyrical main theme spun out with heavenly clarity by the violin. The music takes on a quiet intensity, turning ethereal with delicate piano textures supporting a cantabile for violin. Passion and subtlety intersect, and then Mr. Barnett-Hart's violin ascends to the stratosphere.

The zippy, folksy Scherzo has a gypsy-like lilt; a melodic breakdown follows until some soft pizzicati bring a sort of da capo. The sonata's finale attempts a return to lyricism, led by the piano, but the violin's short, urgent slashings prevent the mood from developing. To finish, the violin rises yet again to the heights.

Above, The Escher Quartet: Brook Speltz, Pierre Lapointe, Brendan Speltz, and Adam Barnett-Hart

The Escher Quartet have recently undergone a personnel change, with violinist Brendan Speltz (brother of cellist Brook Speltz) joining. It is a pleasure to report that the Escher's signature blend has been preserved; their playing of the Debussy tonight was simply spectacular.

Claude Debussy's Quartet in G-minor for Strings, Op. 10 is the composer's only work for string quartet. He completed it in 1893, when he was 31 years old. How amazing this music must have seemed at its premiere, and how fresh it can still sound to us today in the hands and bows of the Eschers.

From note one, it was clear we were in for a most engaging performance of the Debussy tonight; the integration of the four voices filled me with delight. Melodic motifs afforded each of the players the opportunity to display their tonal allure whilst the harmonies, so abundant in this score, were so appealing in their clarity and warmth. A special tip of the hat to Brook Speltz for the musical magic of his playing in the opening movement.

Debussy established his second movement in a swarm of guitar-like pizzicati, relished by the Eschers before moving on to a more lyrical flow, both subtle and vibrant. I cannot begin to convey the...happiness...I felt in listening to this music tonight.

Brendan Speltz introduced the Andantino with pliant expressiveness; violist Pierre Lapointe takes up the theme, and then the almost painfully lovely harmonies arise, evoking thoughts of past loves and of present desires. Music has seldom seemed so personal. Mr. Lapointe's viola sings wistfully, and from Brook Speltz's cello this romantic dream is sustained. Just when it seems that the emotions have reached their peak, Mr. Barnett-Hart's ravishing violin sound carries us higher still. 

The cello again casts a spell as the final movement opens, and the viola sounds moody. Thru a series of harmonic transformations, and the ebb and flow of passion, this remarkable quartet sails to its finish. A wave of unbridled enthusiasm broke forth in the hall even as the last note was hanging on the air: the Eschers were hailed as the musical heroes they are.

Following this extraordinary performance, I spent the interval trying to decide if the return of symptoms of a cold I have been battling should induce me to head home. I was especially concerned that a coughing fit might spoil everyone's evening in the course of the dauntingly long Quartet No. 2 in A-major for Piano, Violin, Viola, and Cello, Op. 26, by Johannes Brahms, which was to follow. I had just heard this piece two days previously and found it rather long-winded. But a quartet of favorite artists were to be playing the Brahms tonight; that, and my charming concert companion, persuaded me to stay.

Mr. Pohjonen can take a great deal of the credit for sustaining me thru this prolonged, uneven work with his breathtaking artistry. His colleagues - Danbi Um (violin), Richard O'Neill (viola), and Jan Vogler (cello) - played marvelously as well, with such polish and vitality that I soon ceased to even think about my "illness" and simply embraced the music and the playing of it, feeling very connected and alive. Only in the final movement, in which I think Brahms tends to ramble, did I begin to fade a bit. A large-scale and vigorous ovation greeted the players at the end, and was much merited.

~ Oberon

Jan Peerce as Samson

Tenor Jan Peerce (above) recorded some roles that he most likely never would have sung onstage: Bacchus in ARIADNE AUF NAXOS, and Florestan in FIDELIO. For Leopold Stokowski, the tenor also recorded excerpts from SAMSON ET DALILA. This excerpt - from the scene of the blinded Samson at the grist mill - makes me wonder what sort of Lohengrin or Parsifal Jan Peerce might have made.

Jan Peerce - Vois ma misère ~ SAMSON ET DALILA - Stokowski cond

Philarmonic Ensembles ~ Rarities

Above: composer York Bowen

~ Author: Oberon

Sunday January 12th, 2020 - This afternoon's concert in the Philharmonic Ensembles series at Merkin Hall brought such rarities as a sonata for two violins and a quartet for violas, along with a Vivaldi trio and Johannes Brahms' second piano quartet. An assemblage of artists from The New York Philharmonic delivered the music with élan, and the audience's enjoyment was palpable.

Nothing sets concert off to a finer start than music of Antonio Vivaldi. This afternoon, the composer's Trio Sonata in F-major, RV 69, sounded particularly vibrant as performed by Soohyun Kwon and Andi Zhang (violins), Satoshi Okamoto (bass), and Paolo Bordignon (harpsichord). Mr. Bordignon briefly introduced the piece, noting that the harpsichord's main purpose in this music is to provide harmonies; this he did with distinction.

In four brief movements - Prelude, Allemande, Courante, and Gavotte - this music is elegant and lively. The fugue-like Courante was especially appealing, and in the concluding Gavotte, Mr. Okamoto played an animated bass line with aplomb.

The two rarities came next, and both proved worthy of more frequent hearings. Sergei Prokofiev, in his autobiography, wrote of hearing a "bad" sonata for two violins (without piano accompaniment) and thought he could make a better one. A commission from Triton, a recently-formed Paris-based society dedicated to presenting new chamber music, gave him the opportunity to try his hand in composing just such a sonata for the organization's inaugural concert in December of 1932.

Tonight, this fascinating work was performed by Quan Ge and Jun Suk Yu. From the thoughtful, high opening passage of the Andante cantabile, the distinctive colours of the two players' timbres made their performance a vivid delight. Slashing motifs in the Allegro presaged an angular dance; the violins seems to be chasing one another. An agitato passage briefly transformed into a rocking lullaby before springing to life again. Sweet sorrow in the Comodo gives way to the lively Allegro con brio, a dance with strong accents and a sense of humor. Acceleration and a leap to the heights contrasts with some dour harmonies before an insectuous finale. The two violinists scored a hit with the crowd in this engrossing performance.

Equally enjoyzble, in a very different was, is York Bowen's Fantasia for four violas, written in 1907. The composer brings forth an array of textures from the four violas, played today by Rebecca Young, Dorian Rence,  Cong Wu, and Rémi Pelletier (who is leaving the Philharmonic to join the Toronto Symphony).

The music has a melancholy depth, and is rich in harmonies. While animated passages sometimes crop up, the overall mood is elegiac. The melody is carried much of the time by Rebecca Young, but themes are sometimes passed from player to player. One of the most interesting moments came as Cong Wu ascended the scale note by note whilst his three colleagues played weeping motifs. The quartet comes to a truly gorgeous ending, winning the players especially warm applause.

The performance concluded with Brahms' Piano Quartet #2. It's a chamber work with a symphonic feeling and was played superbly by Anna Polonsky (piano), Yulia Ziskel (violin), Cong Wu (viola), and Nathan Vickery (cello).

Introducing the piece, Mr. Vickery noted that it seems to be the least-frequently played of the three Brahms piano quartets. I had only heard it played live once previously, and today I admit it seemed rather drawn-out, with the composer sometimes pursuing by-ways rather the moving forward with a great sense of purpose. The playing of it, however, was genuinely wonderful, and evoked a shouting ovation the at end.

{I feel I must amend this report on the concluding Brahms: I have realized that the fact that I was experiencing symptoms of a cold and effects of medication caused a lack of focus on my part during the playing of the piano quartet. I can only re-affirm that it was excellently played.}

~ Oberon

THE HIKERS @ Hauser & Wirth

Saturday January 10th, 2020 - This evening I finally saw Claudia Schreier's duet THE HIKERS, a collaboration between the choreographer, artist Rashid Johnson, and composer Antoine Baldwin.

THE HIKERS premiered at the AspenArt Museum in Colorado, and was then shown at the Museo Tamayo in Mexico City. The dancework developed from a film Mr. Johnson made while hiking in the mountains of Colorado; the film is part of this exhibition of the artist's latest work. Claudia Schreier's duet is performed live by Lloyd Knight and Leslie Andrea Williams of The Martha Graham Dance Company (photo above).

The Hauser & Wirth Gallery on West 22nd was an ideal venue for this presentation. In spacious connecting rooms, Mr. Johnson's large "canvases", which feature elements of collage and mosaic, can be savoured; shards of mirror worked into these pieces give an added gleam. In a curtained alcove, the original film is continually shown. 

A large crowd gathered around the performance space, where - at an upright piano - composer Antoine Brown played his pensive, bendingly melodious score as Ms. Williams and Mr. Knight made separate entrances. Wearing masques, and moving stealthily, they seem at first like wary alien creatures. They meet, and when the masques are raised, their humanity emerges: they dance a pas de deux that is at once space-filling and intimate. Claudia's choreography has a seamless, inevitable quality, and is finely aligned to the music.

Although this evening marked the final showing of the danced portion of the installation, Mr. Rashid's marvelous works remain on exhibit thru January 25th, 2020. DK and I are hoping to get down to the gallery to have another look.

~ Oberon

`E morto assassinato il Re Duncano!

Above: Christa Ludwig

The finale of Act I of Verdi's MACBETH: the discovery of the murder of King Duncan elicits an a cappella prayer for justice from the horrified courtiers...and a soaring finish. 

Conducted by Karl Böhm, these 1970 Vienna performances marked Christa Ludwig's only appearances as Lady Macbeth. Sherrill Milnes, Carlos Cossutta, and Karl Ridderbusch took the leading male roles.

MACBETH ~ Act I finale - C Ludwig - S Milnes - C Cossutta - K Ridderbusch - Vienna 1970

Licia Albanese ~ Letter Scene

Licia Albanese learned Tatyana's Letter Scene from EUGENE ONEGIN in Russian at the request of Leopold Stokowski especially for this recording. Albanese reportedly coached the aria with baritone George Cehanovsky, a Met comprimario stalwart who was married to Elisabeth Rethberg.

EUGEN ONEGIN - Letter Scene - Licia Albanese - Stokowski cond

Regina Sarfaty

Born in Rochester, New York, and raised in Brooklyn, mezzo-soprano Regina Sarfaty (above) studied at Juilliard. Her professional career was kick-started when she signed on to appear at the first Santa Fe Opera summer festival in 1957, under John Crosby's direction. She made a splash as Baba the Turk in Stravinsky's RAKE'S PROGRESS, and she continued to be a mainstay at the festival thru 1968. Among her Santa Fe roles were Rossini's Rosina, Clairon in CAPRICCIO, Carmen, Jane Seymour in ANNA BOLENA, and Prince Orlofsky. She sang in the world premiere of Carlisle Floyd's WUTHERING HEIGHTS and in the US premiere of Henze's THE BASSARIDS.

In 1962, Ms. Sarfaty joined New York City Opera, where she sang everything from Cherubino to Stravinsky's Jocasta. At NYCO, she sang in the world premieres of Hugo Weisgall's SIX CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF AN AUTHOR and Douglas Moore's WINGS OF THE DOVE.

In 1959, Regina Sarfaty appeared in a concert version of Bellini's IL PIRATA at Carnegie Hall opposite Maria Callas. And in 1960, she appeared in a film of Menotti's THE CONSUL opposite Patricia Neway and Chester Ludgin, currently available on DVD.

Ms. Sarfaty made her European debut in 1960 singing Octavian in DER ROSENKAVALIER at the Glyndebourne Festival. The Strauss role, and Bizet's Carmen, figured prominently in her successes on the continent, where she appeared at Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna, and Paris. She was a mainstay at the Zurich Opera throughout the 60s and 70s.

Above: Regina Sarfaty in retirement at Santa Fe

Following her retirement from the stage in the mid-1980s, Regina Sarfaty moved to Santa Fe where she taught voice. As of this writing, she is still with us.

Listen to Regina Sarfaty in opera...

Regina Sarfaty -SAMSON ET DALILA scene - with James King & Victor de Narke - Schippers cond -Teatro Colon 1971

...and in song:

Regina Safarty sings Ned Rorem's The Apparition

~ Oberon