The Opera Tattler

* Notes *
Seven of the 2008 Adler Fellows gave a recital last night at Lincoln Theater in Yountville. The evening started off with the overture to Nicolai's Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor, played by the Napa Valley Symphony. The winds and brass tended to be a bit rough and occasionally out of tune. Both the bass, Kenneth Kellogg, and the tenor, Andrew Bidlack, showed promise. Kellogg sang arias from Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Simon Boccanegra, he had a good percussive quality in the former, though did get overwhelmed by the orchestra. He sang the second aria more audibly, though some of his higher and lower notes were both a bit weak. Bidlack, on the other hand, was rather loud, both aurally and in his manner. His aria from Die lustigen Weiber was not memorable, but the one from La Belle Hélène was hilarious.

All three mezzo-sopranos were in attendance, including Daveda Karanas, who sang from Aida with soprano Heidi Melton. Karanas' voice is bright and brassy, quite distinct from Melton's more creamy sound. I found the other two mezzos a bit underpowered. Daniela Mack's first aria was marred by a coughing fit at the rear of the orchestra section. Mack sang nicely, she has good control of her vibrato, and she is quite pretty and smiles a lot. Katharine Tier's voice lacks heft, but she had some lovely moments singing a duet in Norma with soprano Tamara Wapinsky.

Wapinsky's first selection from La Traviata galled me so much I choked and started coughing. She did not regulate her vibrato well and was often flat. By the time she sang again with Tier, I was prepared with a bottle of water, so I managed to sit quietly. I did enjoy hearing Heidi Melton again, though even she sounded strained a few times. The evening encore was an extremely funny ensemble version of "Quando m'en vo'."

* Tattling *
Though not large, the audience was enthusiastic. There was scattered chattering, but no cellular phones or watch alarms. The people behind me were concerned what voice type the two male singers fell into, and had to speak during Bidlack's first aria to determine this. Eventually they read the appropriate information off of their programs, despite the dim light. Maybe they could have listened to the singers to figure it out, but perhaps that's just too reasonable.

During the intermission I spoke to acquaintances from various opera organizations, and I was interrupted by one Kendrick, resident of Napa, and former car salesman. He pleasantly related to me how the Chinese (he had one for a wife at some point) are even more stingy than the Scots. He tried to draw out my ethnic background by interrogation, but my answers, though truthful, were too opaque to give him the information he so desired.