Revisões de perfil
3the evening was seized by Konu Kim's astonishing, ringing Arnold, a great, concentrated physical performance expressed through fabulous vivid and fearless singing, including a ten-second top C and some real distilled angst as Tell and Walter worked him over to rouse his patriotism.
Hongni Wu’s Bao Chai Chinese mezzo-soprano Hongni Wu is a graduate of New York City’s Manhattan School of Music, a winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and a member of the Jette Parker Royal Opera House Young Artists’ Program. Wu’s character Bao Chai intones one of the key motivating themes of the opera: “a woman’s only chance at happiness is to marry well.” A triangle forms between herself, Bao Yu, the man she (and the Xue family) believe she must marry, and Dai Yu (the woman whom Bao Yu wishes to marry) whom she has to displace. Despite Bao Yu’s humiliating treatment of her, Bao Chai agrees to the plot to trick Bao Yu into marriage. Hongni Wu made a strong impression in the role. Her next scheduled assignment is the Santa Fe Opera’s late July world premiere of “M. Butterfly” based on a play by David Henry Hwang (“Dream of the Red Chamber”‘s co-librettist), with music composed by Huang Ruo to Hwang’s libretto.
Revisões de produção anteriores
8the evening was seized by Konu Kim's astonishing, ringing Arnold, a great, concentrated physical performance expressed through fabulous vivid and fearless singing, including a ten-second top C and some real distilled angst as Tell and Walter worked him over to rouse his patriotism.
Mariam Battistelli as Norina demands attention with her racy soprano - she is the perfect mixture of alluring feminine charm, devilish mischief and fiery temper.
And Battistelli, where do you start? I, along with everyone else, was blown away by her vocal fireworks and exquisite trills. Throw in some fantastic comic timing and she’s a stage diva I’d watch again and again.
Timothy Nelson’s clever direction is jam-packed with creativity and scenic eye candy designed by Tim Wallace that keeps the audience engaged throughout the production’s three hours. Ingrid Helton’s lush costumes set the story in a picture-perfect 1950s America, where the men gamble over their women’s virtue in a locker room, then disguise themselves as mustachioed silver screen-style cowboys.
Fridman was powerful, Konu Kim gave a profound performance filled with different colors and emotions. No one could ever anticipate what Kim would do with the role as he first entered Act one, singing with a bright timbre and giving each phrase a smooth and delicate color. His phrases starting out with a piano sound and would eventually crescendo to a forte with smoothness and facility. That bright optimism could be seen in the aforementioned duet with Sylvia. While Fridman sang with delicacy and darker hues, Kim’s timbre contrasted with gleam, his high notes projecting beautifully into the hall. In the role of the King, Florian Sempey brought an imposing baritone to his character. From the start of the performance, he gave off an air of authority that started to weaken throughout the evening. In the his duet with Sylvia, Sempey brought a refined and controlled timbre that showcased his power over her. He forced Fridman into his arms undressing himself and insinuating forced intercourse. Overall the orchestra was solid but Tingaud sometimes indulged in slower tempi particularly in the ensemble strettas. It may have added to the drama to give more time to the ensembles but it seemed more French in style than the energetic Italian Bel Canto. The chorus led by Fabio Tartari was also part of the success of the evening. The changes in character that were conveyed showed their versatility. At the beginning they were boisterous, animated, joyful and prepared for a party, singing with unending energy. In the third act, the men’s chorus was gossipy, singing in a soft staccato as they were conspiring and entertaining themselves with the secret of Sylvia being the king’s mistress. In the final act the ensemble sang with an angelic tone, bringing the opera to a powerful and heavenly finale. Overall this was an unforgettable evening that thankfully has been recorded for release through Dynamic and presented Lidia Fridman and Konu Kim as promising figures in the opera world.
