2005-04-07 - 10:42 p.m.
Opera Workshop I - Love Scenes
Concert presentations of arias and scenes from operas by Puccini, Verdi, Mozart, Bizet, Debussy, Tchaikovsky, Delius, Gluck. Directed by Joshua Major, Music Direction by Timothy Cheek.
Today blogspot is not working so I have to add my "music note" blog here temporarily.
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Gounod (1818-1893) Romeo and Juliette. Fred Peterbark, Suzanne Klock.
Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) Eugene Onegin. Shawn McDonald, Marlene Fullerton.
Cavalli (1602-1676) La Calisto. Rebecca Loeb, David Trudgen.
Debussy (1862-1918) Pelleas et Melisande. Nathan Brian, Hannah Williams.
Verdi (1813-1901) Falstaff. David Steely, Rebecca Eaddy.
Puccini (1858-1924) La Boheme. Michael Fabiano, Andrea Moore.
Cavalli (1602-1676) L'Ormindo. Fernando Tarango, Kevin Bylsma.
Delius (1862-1934) Lakme. Lucretia Fleury, Shawn McDonald.
Mozart (1756-1791) Cosi fan futte. Keith Dixon, Adrienne Webster.
Gluck (1714-1787) Orfeo ed Euridice. David Trudgen, Rebecca Eaddy.
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This set of love arias and scenes were very delightful. The students were all quite professional and very enthusiastic. The audience was supportive. I really enjoyed this opera workshop recital.
Random comments now. I was surprised to see that of the 17 student singers, 6 were black, but none were Asian. The black singers were all very good. Perhaps opera singing needs a lot of energy and strength that Asians don't have? I think it's because Asian parents most likely to start their children early on piano and violin training, so there are more Asian pianists and violinists. On the other hand, students who want to sing or play other instruments usually start much later in life, and they have to really love what they play to choose the music career.
I was late for the beginning of Gounod, but I enjoyed watching the pair singing, so refreshing and lovely. Tchaikovsky was good too.
Cavilli is old! He is sort of contemporary with Monteverdi (1567-1643), but before Charpentier (1644-1704), Purcell (1656-1706), Vivaldi (1675-1741). The remarkable thing about this scene was David Trudgen's voice. His voice was so high and pure and I suspected that he was imitating a female voice. What kind of singing was that? Was it because of Cavilli, and in that period everyone must sing in a high voice? I must investigate.
Debussy's opera was not my cup of tea. The students were earnest, but something with the French and the harmony that just didn't strike the right note in me. Maybe the impressionist music is too vague to be effective for opera, which is a passionate and forceful music medium. Also they had a different pianist who was sounding more intruding and not sparse like the other.
Verdi was cute. I especially enjoyed Rebecca Eaddy's performance. This little black girl had a wonderful voice and expressive emotions.
Puccini's La Boheme must be the highlight of the concert. Michael Fabiano and Andrea Moore were so open with their voice and emotions. Of course Puccini's music was dramatic without any inhibition. I was able to be carried away by the performance, and felt tears in my eyes. Just last weekend Mike told me how emotional he could be affected by operas (and movies). For me it has to be a very great performance.
Cavalli again after the intermission. The pair of young students gave a good try. Then Delius in French. The duet was very emotionally written, and Shawn McDonald was good despite of the French. But I still concluded that for opera, one truly needs Italian. Mozart was fun, and I just realized how "period" Mozart was compared to other opera composers.
The last performance was of Gluck, by Trudgen and Eaddy. Trudgen was using the high voice again. Was it what Gluck wanted? Gluck was contempoary of Bach's son CPE Bach (1714), and Mozart's father (1719), so perhaps the operas then also required a high voice? I remembered having heard of Orfeo's aria when I was young.
When I left the recital, my heart and my head were filled with the glory and the passion of the opera art.
