The Met’s Lindemann Young Artist Program boasts a wealth of up-and-coming talent in the opera world including both singers and coaches. Last evening I attended the second of three recitals and, if these first four singers are any indication of the level of raw talent, this is surely a most gifted group of singers. Of course, recital singing is a very different art from opera and although I heard some truly magnificent singing, there is some room for growth in artistry, language and, not least of all, overall presentation skills. Though often overlooked, the last of these can sometimes make the difference between a great and an awful recital. How a singer presents when standing alone in the crook of the piano is critical since this is the single visual takeaway for audiences who are there, not just to listen but, to see a singer sing. If a singer looks uncomfortable, if they do not know what do with their hands or make silly hand gestures, if they sweat too much, all of these are inextricably linked to the effectiveness of communication and can and will detract from the overall artistic value of the presentation.
I thoroughly enjoyed the March 15th recital of Mario Bahg, tenor, and Megan Esther Grey, mezzo soprano with Derrick Goff at the piano. Bahg and Grey possess world class voices and their programs, including songs of Debussy, Strauss and Rossini, were beautifully sung. Bahg’s large and effortlessly produced lyric tenor gave a full accounting to his Strauss selections, while Grey’s sumptuous and darkish mezzo, almost too much for the intimate Bruno Walter Auditorium, was equally impressive in her Debussy selections. Both, however, could do with some coaching in language and presentation. Bahg tended to stare ramrod straight ahead, hands to the side, with little regard for his audience leaving a slight clinical feel to the presentation. In contrast, Grey was fully animated if perhaps too studied with predictable and repeated hand gestures timed a little too perfectly with high or sustained notes and including, unfortunately, at least once striking a pose alarmingly similar to Edward Degas’ famous painting Singer with a Glove. Presentation aside, these are two very talented singers with promising careers ahead.
Last Friday evening’s recital included soprano Gabriella Reyes and baritone Kidon Choi who were accompanied by Katelan Terrell and Nate Raskin at the piano. Reyes opened with Turina’s Poema en Forma de Canciones delivering well-crafted accounts of these emotive, somewhat operatic, Spanish songs. Reyes’ offered unusual precision in the passionate Cantares and Los dos miedos was delightfully understated and evocative. Thus far, Reyes is clearly the most experienced recital singer of the four I have heard. Her inflections and movements closely tracking the text and never studied, while her connection to the audience was real and honest.
Baritone Kidon Choi has a very large, dark and clearly gifted natural baritone voice that will one day, no doubt, serve him well on large opera stages in Verdi and possibly Wagner roles. Unfortunately, he was completely unable to hone his voice to the exacting requirements of recital singing. Taking on Brahms’s magnificent Vier ernste Gesänge, Choi barked his way through every song with little to no variation in triple forte. While I can appreciate a loud voice, Choi was also guilty of a wooden, choppy sound with complete dearth of anything approaching legato singing making the Brahms nearly unlistenable as he planted himself squarely and bellowed his way through these deeply moving pieces. Denn es gehet dem Menschen was entirely bereft of mystery and gravity while O Tod, wie bitter bist du was lost in a wall of unfocused resonance leaving Choi utterly unable to communicate the universal profundity of this text. At times, seemingly oblivious to the remarkably sensitive playing of Katelan Terrell, Choi’s sound was so unfocused and harsh it ventured at times into the realm of vocal fry. I am astounded that such a presentation could escape the Met’s coaching studios and it was an unfortunate experience for all in the intimate Bruno Walter hall. My only consolation was that I was not in the front row whose unlucky occupants looked like they wanted to flee under the constant barrage of sound and the unfortunate and rather airborne spittle.
Reyes returned with a second set of Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 which was nothing less than glorious relief for all concerned. Unforced and inquisitive, Reyes backed off her voice in Barber’s speech-like lines while soaring freely and evenly in many upper lyric passages. Reyes was joined at the piano by Nate Raskin who admirably handled the often awkward orchestral reduction of this work. If there is any criticism at all it is that Reyes has yet to master a true piannissimo in the high ranges of her full lyric voice (though acoustics of hall may have over emphasized this) and sometimes her English pronunciation was too defined and operatic for the recital stage though arguably appropriate for Knoxville. These took nothing away from her performance which augers a brilliant career as Mimi, the Countess and, in all likelihood someday, Aida.
Opera Frankly 