Queens and kings of the great opera night
Oscar from songs to opera
Iam glad that both ‘my musical nominees’ received Academy Awards. It is a fact that the choice was not too much complicated. Many critics had predicted what the Academic jury has just confirmed – let’s say – a common suggestion.
I hope the other info regarding the banquet (mainly vegetarian) and other parts of celebration were also within the predictions. However the Oscar musical competition didn’t stop last week at Los Angeles. The game continues and in that stage we (yes you and me) will participate somehow.
Let me explain. The International Opera Awards are recognized and called as Operas Oscar proclaimed its nominees. It is worthy to remind that a few months ago the organizers had appealed to the critics and opera fans to vote for this prestigious award and even your ‘reporter’ is informed and invited to vote for future win- ners. Of course, except for my own preferences I would love to hear from my Dear Readers suggestions of their candidates to Opera Oscar.
This year 20,000 operatic names, records and events were submitted by critics and followers from around the world. Now forty international professionals, chaired by renowned ‘Opera Magazine’ editor, John Allison has shortlisted the finalist in 18 categories of Awards. At this stage we still have a chance to vote but only for one nominee. Next April the distinguished jury will declare the results on Monday, May 4, 2020.
The winners will get a red-carpet reception at the Sadler’s Wells in London. The event will be hosted by BBC Radio 3’s Petroc Trelawny and we can say the live performers will include the Great Opera stars, duo at opera stage and private stage too, soprano Aleksandra Kurzak and her husband tenor Roberto Alagna.
Performing
I wrote about them several months ago. Both are soloists on the New York Metropolitan Opera as well as constant Guest Soloist of Covent Garden Royal Opera (among others). Both world class opera soloists will be staying in London for the occasion performing leading works by Ruggiero Leoncavallo (1857-1919) ‘Pagliacci’ (The Clowns). The highlights of the evening will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
Like with Oscar Academy Awards the most exciting is the competition between female and male Opera stars – singers. The Italian soprano from Salerno, Maria Agresta opens the female nominee list. After winning several prestigious competitions she made her great professional debut in 2007. It begins with the impressive list of engagements – N. York MET, Liceu Barcelona, Salzburg, La Scala, Paris Opera and so on just like a list of other operas: Carmen, Norma, Don Juan, La Boheme, Il Trovatore… The same lists of partners and conductors. Presently she is a soloist of the Royal Opera.
The next name is of the Norwegian lyric dramatic soprano Lise Davidsen. She started to sing (with guitar) when she was fifteen. After studying at the Grieg Academy (and Royal Dannish) she won the Operalia competition in London. After Glyndenbourne Festival, Zurich Vienna, Teatro Colon and so on, she made her debut in a leading role (NB – Lisa) in Tchaikovsky’s ‘The Queen of Spade’ at the New York MET in November 2019. It means really much, believe me.
‘The night belonged to Christine Goerke’, wrote ‘The Guardian’. ‘She is the Brunhilde of dreams, progressing from girlish enthusiasm to defiance to tragic acceptance; her soprano is thrilling from top to bottom’, added critic after the Wagnerian eve at the MET. As a girl she focused on clarinet, but MET Young Artistes Program launched her as a dramatic soprano to the orbit of that stage. Christina is an American, not German.
The next, Kate Lindsey is mezzo soprano, also the beneficiary of MET Program. She debuted as Julia at St Luis but soon appeared at MET in G. Massenet’s opera, ‘Manon’. Soon she performed at the Carnegie Hall and Royal Albert Hall (on Proms) but also recorded with the Deutsche Grammophone of Mohammed Fairouz’s cycle of songs.
The third American nominee is Lisette Oropesa, discovered by the Opera world just last year in 2019 as the operatic lyric coloratura soprano. She is a vegan, marathon runner, cowriter of ‘Running, Eating, Thinking Vegan Anthology’ and ‘Master Singers: Advise from the Stage!’
Not a typical person and singer, but in 2019 she was awarded the two top awards in the US ‘The Richard Tucker Award’ and ‘Beverly Sills Award’, both are dreams every singer … not only young singers.
The parents immigrated to the US from Cuba; she was born in New Orleans. The MET Program promoted her to debut in Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro. She performs in native Spanish and English, as well as French Italian and German, depends from on the text and the country.
Choice
‘Blessed with plush, dramatic voice capable of formidable power and dazzling high notes…’ said the Associated Press. The last among the female nominee is from South Africa, Elza van den Heever. Debuting as Julia in Vienna, she soon appeared on the MET stage in Berg opera ‘Wozzeck’, a highlight of the MET season, with a Live in HD Broadcast. In London she succeeded at Verdi ‘Requiem’ at the Royal Festival Hall with the London Philharmonic but at the Carnegie Hall performed in the MET Gala. All six nominees make final choice extremely difficult.
I think that the choice between Male Singers will be easier. There are also six nominees as follow. Baritone from Malaga, Spain, Carlos Alvarez opens the list. He debuted singing ‘zarzuelas’, famous Spanish operetta but soon exchanged his genre for leading roles on the stages of La Scala, Royal Opera, Opera Bastille, Vienna Zurich, Washington up to MET in La Traviata under the baton of Placido Domingo.
Carlos is followed by Mexican tenor Javier Camarena. Coming from nuclear technicians’ family he did really nuclear (or bombing) career. At the MET stage he debuted in 2011 in The Barber of Seville and soon entered two MET records list: in 2014 became the 3rd singer in the history to perform an encore onstage, and in 2016 – the 2nd performing multiple encores.
Stephen Gould is the first American on this list. Heroic tenor from Virginia, he entered the top stage in Los Angeles to stand-it for the sick star. This opportunity catapulted him on top stages from Wagnerian Bayreuth to Tokyo and – to this nomination.
The next singer on the list is bass from East Germany, Rene Pape from Dresden. His mother is hairdresser and father – a chief, dropped him when he was two. He grew with grandma, whose father was an operetta tenor. He studied vocal music when the great conductor, Sir George Solti cast him to The Magic Flute in the Berlin Opera. Such miraculous recommendation brings fruits. Soon he sung in La Scala (under Solti), Paris, Chicago, even Bayreuth, singing Mefistofeles as well as Tsar Boris Godunov. Finally the MET honored him as a part of Mastersinger series and was awarded two times by Grammy.
Competition
Baritone from Cluj, Romania is George Petean. Initially he studied trombone and piano. He debuted in Romania after winning vocal competition there. The doors to the world career opened for his debut in Rome (La Boheme) and the contract with Hamburg State Opera. From the German stage he continued his career around Europe to MET and also Sydney, Australia.
The last on the list is Afro American tenor, Russell Thomas, born in Miami until he was 18. He never studied music. One day his teacher discovered that Russell is a ‘bornsinger’. He went to the conservatory and started to sing at the Miami Opera choir. Thanks, to the Young Artistes Programs in Miami and as a result at the MET he became a soloist in leading roles on leading stages as MET, LA Opera, Covent Garden, English National, Berlin and so on.
I introduced to you only two categories, the most exciting because of the ‘stars’. Between sixteen others there are also interesting young singers, conductors, directors, orchestras, choirs, records, designers, even festivals and Opera houses. Three giant categories are amazing: New Production, Rediscovered Works and World Premiere, including the interesting nomination as ‘Asters’ by Akira Nishimura, composer from Osaka presented by the New National Theatre Tokyo, Japan.
PS. Worthwhile great respect is a category of Education and scholarship for Young Talents… my due respect for the organizers and sponsors.
Editor’s Note: Cezary Owerkowicz is the chairman of the Kuwait Chamber of Philharmonia and talented pianist. He regularly organises concerts by well-known musicians for the benefit of music lovers and to widen the knowledge of music in Kuwait. His email address is: cowerkowicz@yahoo.com and cowerkowicz@hotmail.com