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An Evening of German Art Song Toronto
Walter Hall, University of Toronto
08/04/2010 -
Robert Schumann: Dichterliebe, Op. 48
Hugo Wolf: Selected Songs
Richard Strauss: Selected Songs
Peter McGillivray (Baritone), Colin Ainsworth (Tenor), Leslie Ann Bradley (Soprano), Elizabeth Upchurch, Piano
Following by a week the appearance of German star baritone Matthias Goerne, the Toronto Summer Music Festival presented a program of German art songs sung by three Canadian singers. A direct link was provided between the two concerts when, the day after his recital, Goerne gave a master class for the three younger singers during which they worked over their programs.
Accompanying was Elizabeth Upchurch, Director of the Ensemble Studio of the Canadian Opera Company.
P. McGillivray (Courtesy Toronto Summer Music Festival)
Peter McGillivray opened the program with Robert Schumann’s Dichterliebe, 16 harrowing songs composed in one week during the 30-year-old composer’s remarkable “year of song”, 1840. The singer’s voice was a bit clouded during the opening numbers (a couple of warm-up songs might have helped) and there were some scoopy moments. However these were minor drawbacks to what was a marvelously integrated performance of the fraught Heine/Schumann monodrama. He certainly deserves further opportunities to present his gripping rendition of this great work.
McGillivray and Upchurch have just recorded a CD, Summer Schemes, of French, German, English and American songs (available on the website CDBaby). Mr. McGillivray’s website announces that he will be engaged as a cover artist at the Metropolitan Opera this coming season.
Colin Ainsworth (Courtesy Toronto Summer Music Festival)
After the interval Colin Ainsworth performed seven songs by Hugo Wolf, three by poems of Möricke, two from Eichendorf, and two translations from the Spanish by Heyse. No big monodrama here (a bit of a relief, actually.) Thwarted love is expressed in resigned ruefulness in Auf dem grünen Balkon (On the green balcony) - a far cry from the barely controlled hysteria of the Schumann cycle.
Ainsworth’s attractive voice has a soft-grained boyish quality, but it rang out well the few times these miniatures presented such an opportunity. Each number was presented in an evocative manner without any of the archness or preciousness that can creep into performances of Wolf. Excellent diction as well.
Leslie Ann Bradley (Courtesy Toronto Summer Music Festival)
The program concluded with eight songs by Richard Strauss, some of them among his most challenging and well-known, sung by soprano Leslie Ann Bradley.
Ms. Bradley is at an earlier stage of her career than the two men (she doesn’t have a website yet, for example). Just this past year she was the first recipient of the Charlotte and Jim Norcop Song Prize designed to recognize a young singer who shows exceptional talent in performance of art songs. On the opera stage a calling card role seems to be the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro, a role that appears so frequently in the repertoire of sopranos who excel in Strauss.
Ständchen, Einerlei, Die Nacht, Morgen!, Cäcilie - these were among the Straussian top hits joyously and thoughtfully performed. Her reach might still exceed her grasp (lacking, for example, the total identification with the songs we got from Mr. McGillivray), but she is certainly heading in the right direction. She earned a rapturous reception from the packed audience. She has a marvelous voice and we can anticipate great things in the future - from all three solists.
Liz Upchurch’s accompaniment was well-calculated throughout, shining especially in the Strauss songs.
Peter McGillivray’s Website
Colin Ainsworth’s Website
Michael Johnson
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