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| Charlene Baldridge Photo by Ken Howard |
The Tenor from Texas
heard at Balboa Theatre
By the time 9 o’clock rolled around Saturday night I was saturated with high tones, tenor René Barbera having commenced at 10 past 8 with “Vieni fra queste braccia” from Gioachino Rossini’s La Gazza Ladra (The Thieving Magpie). This aria and “La Danza,” sung at the 11th hour, proved Rossini’s immense gift for melody and Barbera’s adept way of performing it. The tenor demonstrated his immense musicality, smooth line, coloratura, bel canto, and effortless high voice all evening, in fact, with songs by Vincenzo Bellini, Fernando Obradors, Pablo Sorozábal, Alberto Ginastera (Cinco Canciones populares argentinas), Paolo Tosti, Revierano Soutullo and Juan Vert’s “Bella enamorada.” He concluded the printed program with Augustin Lara’s “Granada,” and adding another encore, “La donna e mobile” from Verdi’s Rigoletto.
To say it was a generous program 25 songs and arias) is an understatement. Adding to its length was audience applause in the middle of sets, something one hears more and more, even in Carnegie Hall, though not as persistently. In addition to the opening Rossini aria, Barbera also sang “Ah, Mes amis…Pour mon âme” from Donizetti’sLa Fille du Régiment, and (the evening’s highlight in my ears) “Una furtiva lagrima” from Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore. And still, at the closing note of the taxing Verdi encore, the young women seated around me complained that Barbera sang only one encore.
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| Cellon and Barbera in concert Courtesy of San Diego Opera |
Granted, the tenor was just getting warmed up, but he does have to save himself for another day. That goes for his collaborator, pianist Cheryl Cellon Lindquist, who has an amazing resume. Barbera is engaged in an ascendant career, Almavivas and Don Ramiro’s all over the world, each season alone ranging as far as Los Angeles Opera and the Stanislavsky Music Theatre in Moscow. In 2013 I saw him in his Santa Fe debut, as Rodrigo in Rossini’s La donna del lago opposite Joyce di Donato. He debuted here last year in San Diego Opera’s 50th anniversary concert, at which he also sang the high-C festooned Donizetti, which he tosses off like a troubadour, no sweat. No doubt the SDO powers that be are salivating over the possibility of his return.
Tenors with such facility and vitality are rare; however, in my humble opinion Barbera’s voice is exceptionally edgy and exasperatingly unlovely within a range of about four lower-high notes, very likely his personal transport tones. Over the course of a long concert program there are many such cringe experiences.
The Princess from Castle Adamant
Sunday afternoon Bodhi Tree Concerts afforded me the opportunity to hear Gilbert & Sullivan’s rarely performed Princess Ida. Ladies room discussion afterwards: “That was wonderful! Wonder why it’s not heard more often?” The reasons are quite apparent: The book is as complicated as any convoluted Shakespeare plot (Love’s Labours Lost and Much Ado About Nothing spring to mind); the title role requires a soprano of Wagnerian proportions (think Elsa or Isolde); a tenor who not only has all the notes but a sense of humor as well; and a huge number of secondary roles – tenors, baritones, basses and sopranos of many sorts, including a G&S patter-song expert. To its credit Ida provides many lovely moments musically.
It was certainly worth a run out on a hot Sunday afternoon. The venue, All Souls’ Episcopal Church in Pt. Loma, kept the doors open and an unimaginably beautiful breeze wafted through the church, much like it did at the organ recital I attended in Mission Valley earlier this year. Here, the acoustics did not enhance articulation and though the singers worked very hard, comprehension was no more than 70 percent: ‘twas ever thus. The indefatigable Janie Prim was at the keyboard.
One of Bodhi Tree’s founders, bass-baritone Walter DuMelle, took the role of Arac, one of King Gama’s (Michael Sokol) sons. The other two are Jeremy Bottroff and Joe Zilvinskis. King Hildebrand’s (Craig Johnson) son, who crashes Ida’s ladies academy disguised as a girl, is Chad Frisque as Hilarion, accompanied by his best buds, Cyril (Sean McCormac) and Florian (Jack French). All were great favorites with the audience.The men may be fetching, but the ladies are extraordinary. G&S provide them several luscious choruses, “Towards the empyrean heights,” being the Act II introduction. The women, like Navarre’s men, have locked themselves away from the opposite sex for study and contemplation. That lasts only so long. Hilarion has come to claim his promised bride, Princess Ida (vocally resplendent Patricia McAfee). Ida’s vice principal is Lady Blanche (equally wonderful Ava Baker Liss). The other ladies are Kate Oberjat who portrays Lady Psyche, professor of Humanities; Kiana Bell as her daughter, Melissa; and Julia Taylor, Vanessa Dinning and Lesley Fields as graduates. The ensemble of soldiers, courtiers, graduate, etc. are Marylou Gibson, Will Henry, Kate Thickstun and Krista Wilford.
They never flagged, each giving their all to the cause of remembrance, and bringing joy to everyone who heard and saw. Many in the audience sang along with the chorus parts, having picked up scores upon entering. Who of a certain age did not sing G&S in high school? It alone provided a vast number of roles so that many could participate. That is to say nothing of vocabulary enhancement by Mr. Gilbert. I really think I owe the fact of my writing to him.
Thanks are due to Bodhi Tree Concerts who turn over the proceeds of each event to a not-for-profit beneficiary. This concert benefitted Moxie Theatre. One of the Moxie founders, actor Jo Anne Glover, was present to introduce Moxie.
Founders Walter and Diana DuMelle have planned the 2016 Bodhi Tree season (its fifth), which comprises The Best of Bodhi Tree March 9; the San Diego premiere of Brundibar June 11; and Gilbert & Sullivan’s Gondoliers September 25. www.bodhitreeconcerts.org