(Still bringing articles forward from Oberon’s Grove to The Glade. I wanted to hold onto the memory of this night full of Rossini treats.)
Wednesday November 30, 2011 – The Collegiate Chorale presented a concert performance of Rossini’s rarely heard MOISE ET PHARAON at Carnegie Hall this evening. A fine and distinctive collection of solo voices – notably tenor Eric Cutler’s (above, in a Werner Kmetitsch photo) – prevented any threat of ennui creeping in. The Collegiate Chorale and the American Symphony Orchestra provided a well-woven tapestry of sound to back Rossini’s flights of bel canto fancy, and conductor James Bagwell had his forces well-in-hand. The composer’s self-borrowings were sometimes evident, and the work ends with an over-extended orchestral postlude which is both melodically and harmonically predictable. But there’s also a lot of really demanding music for the soloists to cope with, which they did – admirably for the most part.
The opera is a classic tale of “my-god’s-bigger-than-your-god” with two cantankerous heterosexual (basso) males – Moses and Pharoah – each trying to keep his cult under firm control by bellowing commands he’s purportedly received directly from his respective deity. To keep things on an operatic keel, a love interest is developed: Egyptian prince meets nice Jewish girl. But heaven forbid (literally) that they should be happy for even a moment as their elders lay one guilt trip after another on their pretty heads. (These mind control games have endured for centuries; my Methodist parents would quietly whine because both the girls I dated in high school were Catholic; I sometimes think being gay was my revenge.) So instead of viewing the young lovers as a bridge between two cultures and belief systems, they are torn apart. The girl reaches the Promised Land; the prince drowns in the Red Sea. The gods have spoken. Yet again.
Anyway, to the singing (which is what Rossini is all about anyway): I really enjoyed hearing Eric Cutler again. He has the clarity and warmth of tone as well as the stylistic nuances of dynamic and colour to make this florid music come alive. Whether in finely tapered long lines or in bursts of fiorature and forays to the top, Eric’s heady voice seemed just right for this music. And his harmonic blends with the other singers were beautiful.
Another major source of aural joy came from basso Kyle Ketelsen as Pharoah. His voluminous and dramatically-edged vocalism and his slender, vivid presence onstage kept us keenly focused on him whenever he stood up to sing.
James Morris, the great Wotan of our age, was in top current vocal form tonight as Moses. His solemn pronunciations were delivered with innate grandeur and he looked like a benevolent prophet, even in his tux. A bit of flatting on higher notes was the only slight detriment to Morris’s vocalism; overall it was a very impressive undertaking.
Soprano Marina Rebeka recently made her Met debut as Donna Anna. Tonight as Anais she revealed a sizeable lyric-to-spinto sound with a lovely sheen on it. A striking beauty, Ms. Rebeka received the evening’s longest applause after her big scena. When she harmonized (superbly) with Eric Cutler, I immediately had thoughts of hearing them together in TRAVIATA or MANON. I’ll keep my eye out for Ms. Rebeka in the future.
On the Egyptian side, soprano Angela Meade as Sinaide made much out of a somewhat limited role. At full sail, her voice could be a bit over-vibrant but she controlled this tendency for the most part and gave us some really lovely piani and phrasing along the way. Ms. Meade already has a following and they were out last night to cheer her on.
Ginger Costa-Jackson (as Miriam, wife of Moses) managed to make a vocal mark despite the brevity of her role, and tenor Michele Angelini lent his clear, Italianate sound to the role of Eliezer.
I feel certain I’ll never experience this opera in a live setting again; that’s the big plus about concert opera: a chance to hear real rarities without the expensive trappings of a staged production. Of course the endless raising and lowerings of the soloists’ music stands was a distraction. And what would Maria Callas say about all the indiscreet swigging from bottles of Poland Spring?
UPDATE: I have just received some photos from the evening’s performance; these images are by Erin Baiano. Click on each photo to enlarge.
Marina Rebeka & Eric Cutler
Angela Meade & Kyle Ketelsen
Ginger Costa-Jackson & James Morris
December 01, 2011
Oberon's Glade 