When an operatic concert begins with Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd, one must expect some silly pop culture opera stereotypes like Viking horns and overly dramatic acting. But despite the light-hearted, somewhat pedestrian feel, Texas Choral Consort's "Viva L'Opera" last weekend delivered genuine talent and musicality.
The concert was introduced by Dianne Donovan from KMFA, a nice surprise which seemed to legitimize the production... and then we watched a cartoon, which promptly delegitimized it. I had to remind myself to keep an open mind and I'm glad that I did because the music was quite enjoyable. I must admit that "What's Opera, Doc?"--the cartoon that opened the show--served as a clever way to entertain the audience while the chorus filed on stage.
Ev Lunning Jr., Associate Professor of Theatre and Communication at St. Edward's University and Austin-area voice and theater personality, provided amusing narration and background information for the program. He took the stage between every couple of pieces with a goofy headdress or prop to explain the plots of the various operas from which these choruses were taken. He was occasionally hard to follow, but Lunning's charm and wit provided good-humored breaks from the music.
Instead of an orchestra, the choir was accompanied by Austin Haller at the piano and Chris Smith on percussion. The piano sat in probably the only place it could (right in the middle of everything), but because the lid was up, a part of the choir was always hidden from view. I was seated on the left-hand side of the church and couldn't see most of the basses or the percussionist, who, from what I understand, wore funny hats. No funny hats for me. Of course I would have preferred to hear an orchestra accompany all those big dramatic opera choruses, but I suppose each piece called for different instrumentation. That would have been hard to accommodate, not to mention expensive.
All the soloists were quite good. Kirsten Watson, the Soprano soloist, really thrives in her high range and has an innocent, lyric tone that can give you goose bumps with its clarity. I sort of wish she could have stayed in that range throughout the concert because her midrange was somewhat overpowered by the other soloists. Her black flowy dress was a tad distracting to me personally. Kathryn Findlen, the Mezzo Soprano, has a rich, lush vocal quality and an incredible stage presence. She demanded your attention, especially in the Habanera from Bizet's Carmen. I've never been disappointed with a performance from Findlen and it seems like she's in almost everything around Austin requiring a Mezzo. Brava!
I loved Tenor Soon-Chan Kwon as soon as he stood up from his chair. His confident stature and collected gaze had me swooning even before he opened his mouth. And then when he did sing, his voice was bright yet tender and filled the room with a smooth thickness. The Bass soloist, David Small, also displayed real professionalism and intense beauty. He didn't have to move much to convey raw emotion and power in the Te Deum from Tosca by Puccini. I did feel, however, that in the Waltz Scene from Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, he was too concentrated on his score and not on his performance. I enjoyed the other minor soloists from the choir as well, feeling that they gave a bit of variation to the evening.
The chorus had tight harmony for most of the concert; the sopranos were only the tiniest bit flat at the end of the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves from Verdi's Nabucco. Occasionally, I got the impression that the choir was uncomfortable with the pronunciation of the languages because they seemed to be buried in their scores. But they finally woke up for the Eugene Onegin movement. You could tell that they really enjoyed singing that piece. While their sound was balanced, I couldn't help but feel a little underwhelmed by their volume. A choir of 88 people singing opera should have me practically sticking my fingers in my ears (in a good way) from their fortissimo. But I felt like that only happened one time--in Verdi's Anvil Chorus from Il Trovatore, one of the most famous opera choruses ever written (you've definitely heard it before). Surely their music called for more than just one occurrence of fortissimo, right? This is opera, for pete's sake. Perhaps it was a stylistic choice, but I definitely noticed the lack of huge sound that I expect from a choir that large.
Brent Baldwin, TCC's conductor and artistic director, picked just the right pieces for this performance, from the 18th century to the 20th century and from the well-known to the obscure, or at least the obscure to me. The evening ended with the chorus and soloists joining together to sing a beautiful rendition of Make Our Garden Grow from Bernstein's Candide. It was a comforting and powerful piece that left everyone in good spirits and I'm glad I got to see it. Despite the occasional hiccup, the concert was joyful and entertaining and I'm excited to see another by this talented group.