English Touring Opera are delighted to announce a season of lyric monodramas to tour nationally from October to December. The season features music for solo singer and piano by Argento, Britten, Tippett and Shostakovich with a bold and inventive approach to making opera during social distancing.
This tenth of ten Live from London concerts was in fact a recorded live performance from California. It was no less enjoyable for that, and it was also uplifting to learn that this wasn’t in fact the ‘last’ LfL event that we will be able to enjoy, courtesy of VOCES8 and their fellow vocal ensembles (more below …).
Ever since Wigmore Hall announced their superb series of autumn concerts, all streamed live and available free of charge, I’d been looking forward to this song recital by Ian Bostridge and Imogen Cooper.
Although Stile Antico’s programme article for their Live from London recital introduced their selection from the many treasures of the English Renaissance in the context of the theological debates and upheavals of the Tudor and Elizabethan years, their performance was more evocative of private chamber music than of public liturgy.
Evidently, face masks don’t stifle appreciative “Bravo!”s. And, reducing audience numbers doesn’t lower the volume of such acclamations. For, the audience at Wigmore Hall gave soprano Elizabeth Llewellyn and pianist Simon Lepper a greatly deserved warm reception and hearty response following this lunchtime recital of late-Romantic song.
For this week’s Live from London vocal recital we moved from the home of VOCES8, St Anne and St Agnes in the City of London, to Kings Place, where The Sixteen - who have been associate artists at the venue for some time - presented a programme of music and words bound together by the theme of ‘reflection’.
'Such is your divine Disposation that both you excellently understand, and royally entertaine the Exercise of Musicke.’
‘And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven … that old serpent … Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.’
There was never any doubt that the fifth of the twelve Met Stars Live in Concert broadcasts was going to be a palpably intense and vivid event, as well as a musically stunning and theatrically enervating experience.
‘Love’ was the theme for this Live from London performance by Apollo5. Given the complexity and diversity of that human emotion, and Apollo5’s reputation for versatility and diverse repertoire, ranging from Renaissance choral music to jazz, from contemporary classical works to popular song, it was no surprise that their programme spanned 500 years and several musical styles.
The Academy of St Martin in the Fields have titled their autumn series of eight concerts - which are taking place at 5pm and 7.30pm on two Saturdays each month at their home venue in Trafalgar Square, and being filmed for streaming the following Thursday - ‘re:connect’.
The London Symphony Orchestra opened their Autumn 2020 season with a homage to Oliver Knussen, who died at the age of 66 in July 2018. The programme traced a national musical lineage through the twentieth century, from Britten to Knussen, on to Mark-Anthony Turnage, and entwining the LSO and Rattle too.
With the Live from London digital vocal festival entering the second half of the series, the festival’s host, VOCES8, returned to their home at St Annes and St Agnes in the City of London to present a sequence of ‘Choral Dances’ - vocal music inspired by dance, embracing diverse genres from the Renaissance madrigal to swing jazz.
Just a few unison string wriggles from the opening of Mozart’s overture to Le nozze di Figaro are enough to make any opera-lover perch on the edge of their seat, in excited anticipation of the drama in music to come, so there could be no other curtain-raiser for this Gala Concert at the Royal Opera House, the latest instalment from ‘their House’ to ‘our houses’.
"Before the ending of the day, creator of all things, we pray that, with your accustomed mercy, you may watch over us."
The doors at The Metropolitan Opera will not open to live audiences until 2021 at the earliest, and the likelihood of normal operatic life resuming in cities around the world looks but a distant dream at present. But, while we may not be invited from our homes into the opera house for some time yet, with its free daily screenings of past productions and its pay-per-view Met Stars Live in Concert series, the Met continues to bring opera into our homes.
Music-making at this year’s Grange Festival Opera may have fallen silent in June and July, but the country house and extensive grounds of The Grange provided an ideal setting for a weekend of twelve specially conceived ‘promenade’ performances encompassing music and dance.
There’s a “slide of harmony” and “all the bones leave your body at that moment and you collapse to the floor, it’s so extraordinary.”
“Music for a while, shall all your cares beguile.”
The hum of bees rising from myriad scented blooms; gentle strains of birdsong; the cheerful chatter of picnickers beside a still lake; decorous thwacks of leather on willow; song and music floating through the warm evening air.
![Scene from <em>Gianni Schicchi</em> [Photo by Martha Benedict]](http://www.operatoday.com/gianni-2036.png)
Puccini’s only comedy, the one act Gianni Schicchi is most often programmed with a second short piece of tragic fare, but the adventurous Pacific Opera Project has banked on a fanciful Ravel opus to sustain the mood and send the audience home with tickled ribs and gladdened hearts.
Those who might not have linked the plot circumstances of L’enfant et les sortileges (The Child and the Spells) to the garrulous Donato family in the Puccini, were helped along by the creative direction of the relentlessly imaginative Josh Shaw.
You see, Mr. Shaw has decided that the bratty boy in the Ravel, who is confined to his room as punishment for not finishing his homework, is the same young lad Gherardino who had the mission of bringing the character Gianni Schicchi to do the bidding of the scheming relatives of dead Buoso Donato, who has left all of them out of his will. The thinking is that the boy was so traumatized by these machinations, that he then has nightmarish Ravelian hallucinations as his toys, furniture, animals, and various and sundry inanimate objects come to life to torment him. To reinforce the connection, all of the performers from the Puccini are back (among new ones) and subtly recognizable as part of Gherardino/The Boy’s milieu.
This might have been just a cerebral exercise were it not for Shaw’s strong hand at defining character relationships, and skill at crafting richly detailed stage business. The plotters in Schicchi can often seem “greedy generic” but here each was a unique personality, informed by subtext. The controlled restlessness of the first half of the Puccini, settled into a nice stage picture when the notary documents the new will. This was matched in the Ravel by well-choreographed sequences that paraphrased the bustle in the first piece, even down to cascades of papers hurled through the air.
Scene from Gianni Schicchi
Josh Shaw, the designer also showed his customary ingenuity and flair. The rather ordinary 1950’s (death)bed room was a handsome enough box set, but it was in L’enfant that we delighted in the many here-to-fore hidden bells and whistles, with performers bustling through hidden passageways, popping up over the top of the walls, bursting out of an armoire, and even standing on top of it. The colorful and astonishing appearance of Fire as she jumps through the wall of the fireplace, with long fabric flames billowing behind her was alone the price of admission.
The variety and excellence of Maggie Green’s over the top costumes were certainly a major factor in the project’s resounding success. From the slightly rude placement of the Teapot’s spout, to the imposing tree, to all manner of witty treatment of small animals in the fantastical second opera, to the spot-on 50’s Goombah getups of the day’s opener, this was a magnificent visual achievement. Owing to the sheer numbers of attire, it is worth noting the contributions of Assistant Costume Designers Vanessa Karamanian and Gabriela Villa Lobos.
Marie Scott Mawji’s lighting design was simple but effective. There was especially nice pointing up of key exchanges, and the passage of time in both selections was well indicated with subtle adjustments of mood, and all this from a rather limited lighting inventory.
The cast could hardly be bettered. As Schicchi the charismatic baritone E. Scott Levin is a company favorite and for good reason. Mr. Levin never fails to engage us with his well-considered impersonations that are grounded in truth. Seldom has his sturdy baritone been heard to better advantage, and his dying geezer vocal mannerisms were delectably delivered. I especially liked his undercutting delivery of the climactic, deceptive “Gianni Schicchi’s” (in which he bequeaths valuable items to himself) in his own robust, penetrating voice. This was a masterful role assumption. Turning on a dime (or lira), he makes for a wily, characterful Black Cat in part two.
Scene from L’enfant et les sortileges
Tiffany Ho was such a winning Lauretta that we missed her when she was offstage for that extended plot stretch, especially since she totally beguiled us with such a poised, freshly nuanced O mio babbino caro. Her assured, silvery soprano also impressed as Ravel’s Princess and Owl. Jonathan Matthews proved an accomplished Rinuccio, his shining, appealing tenor making the most of his featured scenes. I only wish Mr. Matthews could invest the very top of his range with the same alluring brightness of the voice below the passaggio . Small matter when he and Ms. Ho blended so splendidly in their thrilling, full-throated duet passages. More than a pretty face, Jonathan’s antics as a daffy bouncing Frog in L’enfant showed off his theatrical range.
With little to sing in the Puccini, Kimberly Sogioka’s Gherardino seemed like an appropriately lumpy, bored teenager, but that all changed when she unleashed her ample, creamy mezzo in part two. As the enfant of the title she reacted appropriately to all the dizzying spells visited upon her, all the while singing with aplomb and stylistic accuracy. Her touching final word was the perfect punctuation to the day’s riches.
Sharmay Mussachio was a powerhouse as Zita, her beautifully colored contralto slicing through proceedings with incisive appeal and stature. As the White Cat in the French opus, Ms. Mussachio trades in her deviousness for a slinking, warmly vocalized feline that would bewitch even an avowed dog lover. Joel Balzun regaled us with one of the best star turns of the day as Ravel’s Clock. Wedding uninhibited, goofy stage business to his ringing, imposing baritone, Mr. Balzun served notice that at this moment, the stage was his. Earlier, he contributed a firmly presented take on Puccini’s Betto.
Tom Sitzler took complete ownership of Schicchi’s Simone, his well-modulated and personable baritone imparting much pleasure. His generous, pliable delivery also made the most of his brief scene as he tortured L’enfant as a particularly solid-voiced Arm Chair.Sonja Krenek deployed her attractive, soulful soprano to create a well-rounded Nella that captured our ear no matter how much turmoil ensued in povero Buoso’s bed chamber, and her scolding Mother in the Ravel was infused with unspoken love.
Scene from L’enfant et les sortileges
Danielle Marcelle Bond invests her every character with such commitment and decisive choices that it is hard to single out just one. Her vibrant, well-focused mezzo memorably dispatches her assignments whether as the plotting, earthy Ciesca in part one, or as part two’s pattering Tea Cup or gliding Dragon Fly. As Ms. Bond’s husband Gherardo in Schicchi, Robert Norman commendably matched her in wiliness and vocal achievement, but he arguably has his “moment” as a manic, moody, slightly libidinous Tea Pot which found his shining lyric tenor ringing out with joyous abandon.
Jared Daniel Jones’ well-schooled bass-baritone impressed mightily in his appropriately stolid delivery as the pontificating Tree in the Ravel. How did he stand so long, so still, on top of that cabinet? And how did he get up there? Earlier in the day, Mr. Jones also dispatched Puccini’s Marco with ease. Also in Schicchi, bass-baritone Peter Barber sang the relatively few but important lines of the notary Armantio with such luxurious tone and potent presence, that we sat up in our seats with “Who is THAT?” attentiveness.
As Schicchi’s insistent Dr. Spineloccio, William Grundler used his attractive tenor in decent service to a part that is often taken by a lower voice. As the old man representing Arithmetic (i.e. a page L’enfant has torn from a schoolbook) Mr. Grundler really lets loose with a vocal comeuppance that is as vocally satisfying as it is effortlessly funny.
Audrey Yoder’s hangdog Pinellino was a game stab at Puccini’s bass character, but hey, it worked. The soprano’s attractive timbre and laudable musicianship were much more fully on display in part two as a fussy Louis XIV chair, a pestering Bat, and a limpidly realized Shepherdess. Ms. Yoder had company covering minor male roles as Sarabeth Belóndid all she could as Guccio in the first opera. Happily, Ms. Belón’ shimmering, secure mezzo got a chance to shine in the second half as she ably essayed a squirming Squirrel and a serene Shepherd.
Well-remembered for her vocal acrobatics as POP’s recent Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute, Michelle Drever did not disappoint in her dual assignments of Fire and Nightingale. If anything, Ms. Drever’s melismas, leaps, and legato were now even more assured, and she imbued her vocalizing with fiery relish. This highly talented and evenly matched team of top area vocalists was buoyed by a polished band.
In the “pit,” Joshua Horsch led stylistically informed readings of two highly different sensibilities. Puccini’s boisterous Italian comedic effects, give way often to the plush lyricism that is his trademark. Ravel’s opus shows just why he is regarded as a master of orchestration, with more acerbic effects and a tendency to translucent tones, and vibrating harmonies. The outstanding group of musicians ably delineated these two works, thanks to Maestro Horch’s deft leadership.
I wish that the instrumental ensemble had indeed been in a pit, where their presence would have been on a par with the singers in Gianni Schicchi. Being off stage left sometimes rendered them hard to hear when the committed performers concertedly performed the extramusical wails the piece requires. Perhaps those outbursts could be modulated to allow the orchestra equal aural footing?
However, the balance for the Ravel was just the right mix of delicacy and brazenness that showed Mr. Horsch in complete command as he fused singers and instrumentalists into a luminous entity of sassy wonder and sheer delight.
This double bill is a sure-fire hit that will please the seasoned aficionado and curious novice alike. There is so much visual satisfaction and exceptional music-making going on here, that this should be one of the hottest tickets in town, and one of the most affordable. POP has taken the novel notion of pairing these two one acts for the very first time, and has emphatically turned it into a fully realized, wholly satisfying success.
James Sohre
Giacomo Puccini: Gianni Schicchi
Maurice Ravel: L’enfant et les sortileges
Gianni Schicchi/Black Cat: E. Scott Levin; Gherardino/Enfant: Kimberly Sogioka; Lauretta/Princess/Owl: Tiffany Ho; Rinuccio/Frog: Jonathan Matthews; Zita/White Cat: Sharmay Musacchio; Betto/Clock: Joel Balzun; Simone/Arm Chair: Tom Sitzler; Nella/Mother: Sonja Krenek; Ciesca/Teacup/Dragonfly: Danielle Marcelle Bond; Gherardo/Teapot: Robert Norman; Marco/Tree: Jared Daniel Jones; Amantio: Peter Barber; Spinelloccio/Arithmetic: William Grundler; Pinellino/Louis XIV Chair/Bat/Shepherdess: Audrey Yoder; Guccio/Squirrel/Shepherd: Sarabeth Belón; Fire/Nightingale: Michelle Drever; Conductor: Joshua Horsch; Director/Designer: Josh Shaw; Costumer: Maggie Green; Lighting Designer: Marie Scott Mawji; Director, Occidental Glee Club: Désirée La Vertu