Thursday, January 29, 2015

Richard Tucker Gala 2014


This year the gala appeared on my local PBS station. Perhaps this was due to my complaining, perhaps not. I'm showing the program that was on tv. Maestro Emmanuel Villaume conducting.

GIUSEPPE VERDI, “Tutto parea sorridere…Sì! de’ Corsari il fulmine” from Il corsaro, MICHAEL FABIANO, Tenor.  Michael is the current Richard Tucker Prize holder.

VINCENZO BELLINI, “Qui la voce…Vien diletto” from I puritani, PRETTY YENDE, Soprano.

GIUSEPPE VERDI, “Infelice!..e tuo credevi” from Ernani, ILDAR ABDRAZAKOV, Bass, NEW YORK CHORAL SOCIETY men.

GIACOMO PUCCINI, “E lucevan le stelle” from Tosca, JOSEPH CALLEJA, Tenor.  This piece is very short.

JULES MASSENET, “Esprits de l’air” from Esclarmonde, ANGELA MEADE, Soprano; JENNIFER JOHNSON CANO, Mezzo-soprano, chorus.  Angela is the only former prize holder to appear on the program.

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART, “Là ci darem la mano” from Don Giovanni, INGEBORG GILLEBO, Mezzo-soprano, ILDAR ABDRAZAKOV, Bass.

UMBERTO GIORDANO, “Nemico della patria” from Andrea Chénier, ŽELJKO LUČIĆ, Baritone.

JULES MASSENET, “Pourquoi me réveiller” from Werther, JOSEPH CALLEJA, Tenor.

JULES MASSENET, “Toi! Vous!…N’est-ce plus ma main” from Manon, JOYCE EL-KHOURY, Soprano, MICHAEL FABIANO, Tenor.

GIUSEPPE VERDI “Pace, pace” from La forza del destino ANGELA MEADE, Soprano.

PIETRO MASCAGNI, “Regina Coeli…Inneggiamo” from Cavalleria rusticana, ELENA BOCHEROVA, mezzo-soprano, NEW YORK CHORAL SOCIETY.  There needs to be some serious complaining on this item.  The large chorus covered the mezzo most of the time.  Normally the choir is offstage here, if I remember correctly, so you are going to have to tone them down.

LEONARD BERNSTEIN, “I Feel Pretty” from West Side Story/ PRETTY YENDE, Soprano.  Pretty singing a song about being pretty.  Very cute.  The conductor burst in with what sounded like prompting toward the end.  What was that about?

GAETANO DONIZETTI, Finale of Act II from Lucia di Lammermoor, ANGELA MEADE, Soprano, JENNIFER JOHNSON CANO, Mezzo-soprano, MICHAEL FABIANO, Tenor, ANDREW STENSON, Tenor, NICHOLAS PALLESEN, Baritone, ILDAR ABDRAZAKOV, Bass, NEW YORK CHORAL SOCIETY

Michael Fabiano put on an excellent showing here.  He held his own against big stars of the opera world and exceeded most of them in the passion department.  Michael isn't one of those American opera singers who put all their energy into correct singing.  He gets down.  Bravo.  I expect to see a lot more of him.


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