Review: Top Singing and Tap Dancing Highlight Richard Tucker Awards Gala

As usual, the gala concert of the Richard Tucker Music Foundation started off with an interloper from the golden age of opera: Richard Tucker himself, singing Mascagni’s “Addio alla Madre” from CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA. A tough act to follow for those singing live at Carnegie Hall, but happily no one seemed daunted by it.

That doesn’t mean everything went smoothly at the gala concert, which is par for the course for the annual event. Despite the prestige of the Richard Tucker Awards, the world doesn’t stop when the Tucker Foundation comes a calling.

This year’s winner, heldentenor Clay Hilley, was not around to treat us to his vocalizing—he had just begun a run of TRISTAN UND ISOLDE at the Deutsche Oper Berlin—and he was particularly missed since he’s not a regular on the NY music scene and we’d like a taste of what the future holds.

And, also as usual, the concert, which features American singers, came complete with some late cancellations, injuries, changes in the repertoire and more fun in ways that were unexpected. For instance, tenor Michael Fabiano had been in the season’s first IL TROVATORE the previous day and badly twisted his ankle during “Di quella pira”. He made it to the Tucker concert, but nearly had to be carried on stage and switched his selection from Cilea’s “Lamento di Federico” from L’ARLESIANA to Duparc’s “Phidyle.”

The singing lineup—all winners of one of the Tucker Foundation’s awards or grants--is also somewhat at the mercy of the Met, depending on who is working at the house. (No one appears to fly in for the occasion.)

For example:

• The principals from the Met’s current RIGOLETTO revival were scheduled, including the sublime Nadine Sierra and formidable Quinn Kelsey who made it to Carnegie Hall, in the duet from RIGOLETTO, while tenor Stephen Costello who was MIA. Kelsey added a fine “Eri tu” from TROVATORE to his Verdi duet with Sierra.
• There were also most of the stars of the current TROVATORE, Besides Fabiano, there were the wonderful Jamie Barton--what a witch from HANSEL UND GRETEL and Adalgisa from Bellini’s NORMA--while the notable Ryan Speedo Green, put on his DON GIOVANNI gear and add a mournful “Deep River,” a spiritual; and the lovely Rachel Willis-Sorensen brought in two excerpts from Bellini’s NORMA: "Casta diva" and "Mira o Norma" (splendid with Barton).
• Three singers from Golijov’s AINADAMAR were also part of the lineup: sopranos Angel Blue, singing the Election-week appropriate “America the Beautiful” and Hoiby’s “Lady of the Harbor” that quotes the Emma Lazarus poem on the base of the statue of liberty, and Elena Villalon (a Tucker Career Grant winner this year), plus the plush mezzo J’Nai Bridges, in a velvety Massenet, “O ma lyre immortelle” from SAPPHO.

Also on stage was that audience-favorite overachiever, countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, taking off time between his active singing career and running Opera.Philadelphia. He and soprano Sierra were centerpieces of the show. Along with the gorgeous duet for Rigoletto and Gilda with baritone Kelsey, she did Stephen Foster’s “Beautiful Dreamer” and “Mi chiamano Mimi” from LA BOHEME. He sang Handel, both roles in a duet from NOZZE DI FIGARO that was part of the one-person performances of the opera that he did at Little Island this summer.

However, my absolute favorite part of the evening was the duet with Costanzo and Sierra on the Gershwins’ “I Got Rhythm.” Their pairing was a real song and dance treat. They not only sang charmingly but tap danced up a storm—and he jumped up in Sierra’s arms at the end of it, sending the audience into fits of joy and happiness.

Besides all the seasoned performers on their busman’s holiday from the Met and other major houses, there were a pair of newcomers, who sounded like far from beginners.

Both were Career Grant winners from this year: Soprano Villalon (doing a marvelous Gavotte from Massenet’s MANON) and Anthony Leon (a charming “Una furtiva lagrima” from L’ELISIR D’AMORE and “No puede ser” from the zarzuela LA TABERNERA DEL PUERTO.  (The third Career Grant winner was Luke Sutliff.) According to the program, “A Career Grant candidate should have a fair amount of performing experience in professional companies and is generally 36 years of age or under”: the two on the program certainly seemed to fill that description

Indispensable to the evening’s festivities were a pair of superior pianists: Bryon Wagorn, a longtime collaborator of Sierra, and Howard Watkins. Bravo to both!

Caption: Nadine Sierra and Anthony Roth Costanzo, with pianist Bryan Wagorn

Credit: Dario Acosta

The evening’s program:

Nadine Sierra		“Si, mi chiamano Mimi” from Puccini’s LA BOHEME
Quinn Kelsey		“Eri tu” from Verdi’s IL TROVATORE
Jamie Barton		“Ja, Gretelchen…” from Humperdinck’s HANSEL & GRETEL
Rachel Willis-Sorensen		“Casta diva” from NORMA
Michael Fabiano		“Phidyle” by Duparc
Elena Villalon		Gavotte from Massent’s MANON
Anthony Costanzo		“Stille amare” from Handel’s TOLOMEO
J'Nai Bridges		“O ma lyre immortelle” from Massenet’s SAPPHO
Anthony Leon		“Una furtiva lagrima” from Donizetti’s ELISIR D’AMORE
Ryan Speedo Green		“Deh vieni a la finestra” from Mozart’s DON GIOVANNI
Sierra/Kelsey		Act II Duet from Verdi’s RIGOLETTO
Willis-Sorensen/Barton		“Mira o Norma” from Bellini’s NOMA
Angel Blue		“America the Beautiful”/”Lady of the Harbor” by Lee Hoiby
Anthony Costanzo		Duet from Mozart’s LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
Nadine Sierra		“Beautiful Dreamer” by Stephen Foster
Anthony Leon		“No puede ser” from Sorozábal’s LA TABERNERA DEL PUERTO
Ryan Speedo Green		“Deep River” (spiritual)
J'Nai Bridges		“My Man's Gone Now” by George Gershwin and DuBose Heywood
Jamie Barton		“It’s You I Like” by Jake Heggie
Sierra/Roth Costanzo		“I Got Rhythm” by George and Ira Gershwin

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