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CONGRATULATIONS TO . . ., 3
RECENT DEATHS; CORRECTIONS; LEGATO NOTES: 4

LIVE EVENTS
(May 18 to October 24, 2003)

I Hear Museum Art (B.L.C./Greenfest) <> Mad Dreams and Brits (Hickey), 6
The Score's the Thing (David Cleary) <> Recitalists & Rappers (Greenfest), 7
Music for Aldous Huxley (Cleary), 8
In Sarah's Wake (Cleary), 9
Down to the C in Chips (B.L.C.), 10
Exploring the Keys (Cleary), 11
A Rave for "Vera" (Kraft), 12
At the Temple of Drama (B.L.C.), 13
This Macbeth Struts and Frets Not (Kroll), <> A Powerful Woman (Paulk), 14
A Warrior for Us All (Paulk) <> Is There a Dr. T in the House? (McDonagh), 15
Turning the World of Sound Upside-down (Liechty/de Clef Piñeiro), 16
A Classic Ascends (de Clef Piñeiro) <> Broken by Fate (Kroll), 18
An Ancient Instrument, A New Voice (de Clef Piñeiro), 19
Pushing Strings (Kroll) <> Of A Love For Music (Patella), 20
A Night with Wolfe, Ethel and Friends (Hickey) <> Grist for the Opera Mill (Lynn), 21

DOTTED NOTES
from … Kroll, BLC, 22

INTERVIEW
A recent interview by broadcaster Bruce Duffie with Ruth Schonthal

SPEAKING OUT!
"Not Just Another Concert" <>
More on the "Pullet's Surprise," 24
"… a decidedly poor second choice," 25

THE PRINTED WORD
It's Who You Know (Barry Drogin), 25

RECORDINGS

À outrance à la Anderson (de Clef Piñeiro) <>
"Beauty to the Limits" (Galganski) <>
He Never Sat Back (BLC), 27
Gi'me Moe Time (Cleary) <>
Monk's "mercy" (Kaye), 29
Readying the "Unready," (BLC), 30

RECENT RELEASES, 31

THE PUZZLE CORNER:
Another outstanding winner, 32

COMPOSER INDEX, 34

BULLETIN BOARD, 35

WEB SUPPLEMENT

Wharton and Shaw: Grist for the Opera Mill

Philip Hagemann: Roman Fever; The Music Cure. With soprano Michaela Martens and mezzo Carolyn Gronlund, Tami Petty, and Strega Thundrige (piano) Lincoln Center Clark Studio Theater. October 24th.

A rewarding evening of two one-act chamber operas by composer Philip Hagemann was presented in the intimate Lincoln Center Clark Studio Theater to a small but enthusiastic audience of operagoers eager to explore beyond the mainstream offerings at the opera barns across the plaza. The one-act opera is a particularly challenging form, as it demands a delicate balance of concision and expressiveness from the composer. Furthermore, the programmer of a set of one-acts must choose and sequence works in such a way that they combine to create a satisfying evening and not just a poorly conceived tasting menu. Mr. Hagemann demonstrated a notable if not complete mastery of the one-act form, and his works combined to form a resonant pair.

Roman Fever based on a short story by Edith Wharton concerns two middle-aged New York women who, while on holiday with their daughters in Rome, unexpectedly encounter each other and reveal some nasty secrets about troubled events in their shared past. The tonal music is fluid and emotionally subtle. It elegantly captures the smothering formality and wistful embittered tension of Wharton’s original. In particular, the scene-painting is quite admirable, particularly given the small orchestra that the piece uses; a few Respighian flourishes establish the locale, and a very short introduction sets the proper mood. The most significant weakness in the opera is the composer’s own libretto – the opera begins with a protracted episode for the two daughters that greatly and needlessly expands upon their fleeting appearance in Wharton’s original story. Also, the libretto relies upon both exterior and interior monologues for its storytelling, and it can become confusing for the audience to figure out which dialogue is intended for the other character’s consumption and which just for their benefit. For such a device to work, either a more stylized setting of the monologues or more staging cues were needed.

There were fewer misgivings to be had about the musical performance under the composer’s own direction. Though the orchestra was to the far stage left, Mr. Hagemann maintained admirable coordination with the singers and inspired his ensemble to deliver an emotionally complex, delicately tinted rendition of the orchestral part. Sopranos Christine Amonson and Thea Tullman were the two daughters; they were charming and suitably ardent in their episode. Ms Amonson also displayed a noteworthy coloratura facility. As their mothers, soprano Michaela Martens and mezzo Carolyn Gronlund made strong first impressions. It was difficult to judge the impact that these singers might have in a larger theater against a full orchestra, but I would certainly want to hear both of them again.

The Music Cure, a comic piece based on a play by Shaw pits a pompous, iron-willed concert pianist against a dimwitted, excitable aristocrat whose mother believes he needs music to calm him after a particularly rough day of defending himself against insider trading accusations. The score itself is particularly witty, weaving in quotations from the Romantics and deft allusions to Wagner. Here too, however, the composer’s libretto overdoes the exposition. While the Shavian repartee about ethics and politics and the music-hall-inspired music that goes with it are certainly amusing, it still prolongs the time before the pianist shows up and the main event begins. Once the pianist, Strega Thundrige materializes, the music turns more engaging and builds to a grand, impassioned and impressive climax.

Tami Petty, a recent Merola program alumna, has a darkly-colored soprano voice of significant amplitude; she had no apparent difficulties with the more strenuous demands of the challenging writing for Strega. Tenor James Schaffner as Lord Reginald dispatched his part with an appealing, casual ease. His voice maintained its sweetness even in the more ardent declarations of love at the opera’s close. James Sergi, a baritone wisely under-played the role of Lord Reginald’s long-suffering doctor. These singers, like those in the first piece should be congratulated on their exemplary diction. Even without titles, very little of the text was lost, and it was a pleasant change to be with an audience that laughed at jokes when they heard them rather than when they read them. Pianist, Ji Young Lee, hidden offstage with the orchestra, ably handled the virtuosic piano part.

Both operas were staged by Ellen Rievman, a retired dancer who has found a new career as an acting coach for singers. This was apparently her directing debut. Her singers moved with an understated naturalness, and the simple blocking efficiently told the story. The actors mugged a bit too much in the second piece and they need to learn how to adjust the size of their performance to the size of the theater. No credit was given for the simple, but effective sets. Scott Ashley provided the evocative lighting and the stylish costumes were cannily assembled from a variety of sources.

[Richard Lynn has been an opera fanatic since hearing the Metropolitan Opera Saturday broadcasts as a child.] <>

CONTENTS

RECORDINGS

WEB SUPPLEMENT

Live Events

CD Reviews

Obituaries

Wharton and Shaw: Grist for the Opera Mill

Richard Lynn, guest writer ©2003