January will mark the fiftieth anniversary of beloved tenor Richard Tucker’s sudden demise on the age of 61. The muse created quickly after his passing has develop into probably the most necessary organizations supporting younger American opera singers. Since 1978, the muse has given out the Richard Tucker Award (now price $50,000) to a proficient performer nicely on the best way to changing into a number one presence at opera homes worldwide. Starting in 2000, dozens of one of the best and brightest have been supported by substantial profession and examine grants from the muse. In the course of the ultimate week of October, performances at Carnegie Corridor and the Metropolitan Opera amply demonstrated the ubiquity of Richard Tucker Basis alumni.
Lisette Oropesa (Tucker Award recipient in 2019) made a uncommon New York Metropolis look for her Carnegie Corridor recital debut at Zankel Corridor late final month, collaborating with pianist Ken Noda in a horny program of Spanish and Spanish-influenced music. To the frustration of her many U.S. followers, for the previous decade, Oropesa has spent most of her time in Europe, the place she has advanced into a serious star specializing in bel canto and Nineteenth-century French operas.
Within the first half of her program, Oropesa visited Spain by means of Ravel, Delibes and Massenet. The soprano tossed off their dazzling florid writing with élan plus rows of easy trills that lots of her colleagues would kill for. Although the soprano has all the time proven a eager stylistic affinity for French music, on this event, her cloudy diction lacked hoped-for incisiveness, although this wasn’t a difficulty in her bewitching wordless Ravel “Vocalisse-étude en forme de habanera.”
Within the acquainted coloratura showpieces “Les filles de Cadix” and “Sevillana,” Oropesa eagerly seized on all of the excessive acuti, although as a rule, they emerged jarringly pinched. Although it was a deal with to listen to the acquainted Bolero from Verdi’s Les Vêpres Siciliennes in its authentic French, Oropesa’s bumpy rendition plodded fairly than danced although she correctly didn’t try the excessive E-natural others have added on the finish.
Starting with 4 haunting alternatives by Joaquín Nin, after intermission, Oropesa relished refined nuances within the Spanish alternatives, although as soon as once more, her phrases may have been clearer. Presumably, her standing as a bel canto specialist leads her to decide on music with plenty of excessive notes. Probably the most enticing a part of her voice is its distinctive center with its very particular person fast vibrato.
This system concluded with Roig’s “Entrada de Cecilia,” one of many alternatives included in Oropesa’s new, remarkably transient CD (simply 44 minutes!) of zarzuela arias. Her earnest renditions at Zankel and on the recording of the Roig and Chapi’s better-known “Carceleras,” nonetheless, lacked the required attraction. Nonetheless, for her encores, Oropesa turned to opera arias and revealed an depth and emotional involvement that had been lacking earlier. Her pleading “Robert, toi que j’aime” from Meyerbeer’s Robert le Diable constructed slowly to its shattering climax, whereas her shocking ultimate quantity, a carefully spun “Casta diva” from Norma, as soon as once more emphasised the beguiling magnificence of the center of her voice. One prays, although, that the rumors that she’s going to quickly tackle the dramatic title position of Bellini’s Norma are unfaithful.
Whereas Oropesa hasn’t appeared with the Met at Lincoln Middle for a number of years, two different Tucker Award winners—Michael Fabiano and Jamie Barton—have been readily available when Il Trovatore had its season premiere on the Saturday matinee. Additionally featured have been Tucker grant winners Rachel Willis-Sørensen and Ryan Speedo Inexperienced, in addition to Russian baritone Igor Golovatenko. All 5 have been performing their roles on the Met for the very first time.
Because of Daniele Callegari’s vividly propulsive conducting, Verdi’s generally preposterous story of doomed love and intractable vengeance whizzed by aided immeasurably by David McVicar’s intensely centered manufacturing (nonetheless his greatest Met work) in Charles Edwards’ evocative revolving set.
Persevering with his exploration of a extra demanding tenor repertoire, Fabiano introduced his acquainted arresting depth to his first-ever Manrico. Although he has prior to now appeared distractingly self-absorbed on stage, this time Fabiano introduced a welcome heat to Manrico’s fervent attachments to the ladies in his life. Whereas he ably negotiated “Ah sì, ben mio,” the strenuous calls for of its cabaletta “Di quella pira” (one verse solely) discovered Fabiano stretched to his limits. The following day, we discovered that he had sprained his ankle exiting after its thrilling, if strained, ultimate be aware.
Barton as his “mom” started the afternoon in restrained type. Although she skillfully recounted Azucena’s devastating narrative of her mom’s fiery demise in “Condotta,” she sounded underpowered when duetting with Fabiano’s extra vibrant “son.” After intermission, Barton bravely stood as much as aggressive therapy by Golovatenko and Speedo Inexperienced and located her greatest type within the ultimate act’s haunting nostalgic duet with Fabiano. Barton’s Azucena emerged much less deranged and extra maternal than many, however her ultimate triumphant cry of vengeance boldly rang out because the lights went out.
One can typically simply ignore Ferrando’s opening narrative whereas awaiting Leonora’s entrance, however Speedo Inexperienced advised a transfixing, troubling story. Because the rabidly jealous di Luna, Golovatenko, so advantageous final season within the new La Forza del Destino, attacked his music with a careless brusqueness that blunted his character’s tender aria “Il balen.”
After being away for greater than 5 years, Willis-Sørensen returned to the Met as Leonora. Whereas her warmly darkish soprano has grown since her earlier Mozart appearances with the corporate, she uneasily launched into her first aria that rose to vibrant excessive notes fairly completely different from the center. She handily negotiated the coloratura in each her shortened cabalettas, and her low, fervent utterances through the “Miserere” have been her most interesting moments. To face the violent world she inhabits, McVicar’s Leonora responds with nervous impetuosity, regularly falling or being thrown onto the bottom. Willis-Sørensen’s coolly awkward portrayal proved jarringly at odds with Fabiano and Golovatenko’s brutal physicality.
I may have adopted the afternoon’s Trovatore with extra Met Verdi within the night: Rigoletto once more solid virtually fully with Tucker Award or grant winners: Nadine Sierra, J’Nai Bridges, Stephen Costello and Quinn Kelsey. I skipped it, and Costello canceled, however the different three turned up the subsequent night for the annual Richard Tucker Basis Gala at Carnegie Corridor.
All through most of its historical past, the gala was carried out with orchestra and refrain. Nonetheless, like many arts organizations, the Basis was hit laborious by the Covid-19 pandemic; with a view to preserve its monetary assets, it has for the previous two years offered its starry roster of singers accompanied by piano solely, performed this yr by both Bryan Wagorn or Howard Watkins.
Although I missed Rigoletto, we have been handled Sunday night to Sierra and Kelsey’s intimately transferring rendition of that opera’s second-act duet. Earlier Sierra previewed a brand new Puccini position with a young “Mi chiamano Mimi” hindered by an excessive amount of portamento. Together with his grandly commanding “Eri tu,” Kelsey reminded us that his betrayed Renato was the strongest characteristic of final season’s Met Un Ballo in Maschera.
Willis-Sørensen previewed her Norma, a brand new position she’ll try quickly on the Berlin Staatsoper, first with a really gradual “Casta diva” (like Oropesa’s with out its recitative or cabaletta) throughout which she and Wagorn too typically operated at completely different tempi. Then she joined Barton for a rousing but extra unified “Mira, o Norma.”
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The auditions for the Richard Tucker Profession Grant and the Sara Tucker Research Grant happen every spring on the 92nd Avenue Y and are open to the general public. I attended this yr’s Profession Grant auditions when many worthy singers supplied their pair of arias. The choice by the judges should have been very troublesome, however the three greatest singers (all below 30) did certainly win, and two joined Sunday’s gala lineup. Tenor Anthony Léon (who additionally gained the worldwide Operalia competitors) supplied a winningly plangent “Una furtiva lagrima,” whereas Elena Villalón teased the Gavotte from Manon so seductively that the keen viewers burst prematurely into applause TWICE earlier than she reached her smashing ultimate excessive be aware.
Villalón got here to the gala immediately from that afternoon’s Ainadamar on the Met, as did shock visitor Angel Blue (Tucker Award recipient in 2022), who introduced a heartfelt “America the Stunning” coupled with “Girl by the Harbor“ by Lee Hoiby. The encores included a cringe-worthy snippet of Anthony Roth Costanzo’s misbegotten Little Island Marriage of Figaro, although the ever-eager countertenor redeemed himself with a bouncy “I Obtained Rhythm” duet with Sierra that concluded with him hopping into her arms! Speedo Inexperienced’s transferring a capella “Deep River” and Sierra’s luxurious “Stunning Dreamer,” sung intimately on the piano bench to Wagorn, felt particular, as did Barton’s sweetly endearing “It’s You I Like“ by Jake Heggie.
The evening earlier than Halloween, the Met continued its successful run of Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar during which Villalón remained a radiant Nuria, whereas Gabriella Reyes (2019 Profession Grant and 2018 Research Grant winner) took over from Blue as Margarita Xirgu. Reyes had beforehand starred in her position in the identical Deborah Colker manufacturing on the Detroit Opera. Xirgu dominates the opera of revolt and remembrance although Reyes at first was challenged by the opening scene’s low tessitura in addition to by Miguel Harth-Bedoya’s aggressive conducting and Mark Gray’s complicated sound design. Later, nonetheless, when positioned nearer to the viewers and away from the microphones, the shimmering great thing about Reyes’s soprano stood out, and she or he gamely participated in Colker’s thrilling choreography. Towards the tip, Reyes blended divinely with Villalón and Daniela Mack as Lorca in a ravishing and stirring trio that transcended the same, saccharine ensemble that concludes The Hours.
Clay Hilley, the Basis’s 2024 Tucker Award winner, was conspicuously absent from this week’s New York Metropolis occasions as a result of the rising heldentenor was performing Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde on the Berlin Deutsche Oper!
