Review: COKORINOS RECITAL ON LA OPERA WEBSITE at Home Computer Screens

Known in opera houses across the globe for his excellent comedic timing and first-rate singing, bass-baritone Philip Cokorinos won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 1985 and went on to make his debut during that company's 1987-1988 season. In a new "Living Room Recital" on the Los Angeles Opera website, Cokorinos and pianist David Holkeboer perform songs by Schubert, Brahms, Tosti, and Cole Porter, as well as a Rossini aria. The recital is currently available on both the LA Opera homepage and its Facebook page.

Right now, because of the pandemic, the singer is at home with his family in Maplewood New Jersey, so he sang his LA Opera "Living Room Recital" from there. The fine collaborative pianist, David Holkeboer, played from another location, but could be seen on a screen situated atop Cokorinos' piano.

In Franz Schubert's song "Der Wanderer," an unhappy wanderer asks "Where?" Cokorinos' character says he feels like a stranger everywhere. However, he lets the warmth of his resonant bass baritone caress the microphone as he sings the ear-catching melody Schubert used as the basis for his Wanderer Fantasy.

Cokorinos then spoke of his second Schubert song, "Der zürnende Bard," ("The Raging Bard") as a piece for our time of pandemic. The first line is "Who wants to break my lyre?" Cokorinos sang it with dramatic tones colored by intense feelings for artists who have no work because COVID has closed down theatrical production for most of this year. With these two songs, singer and pianist demonstrated their virtuosity and their innate ability to perform both lyrical and dramatic works.

In the last Schubert song, "Der Einsame," ("The Loner"), the artists paid homage to those who like solitude. Here the singer's character finds contentment in being alone with only crickets for company. Although he remembers dead friends, he enjoys being alone with his memories.

After a quick drink of water, Cokorinos and Holkeboer continued with two pieces from Johannes Brahms' Biblical Four Serious Songs. "Ich wandte mich, und sahe" ("I turned and saw") is from Ecclesiastes 4, Verses 1-3 in the Lutheran Bible. Cokorinos described the horror of people oppressed by power-hungry leaders with dark dramatic vocal colors. Both artists brought warmth back into their tones as they performed "Wenn ich mit Menschen und mit Engelszungen" ("When I speak with human and angel tongues"). Taken from St. Paul's Epistle to the Corinthians I, Chapter 13, it describes the eternal beauty of charity.

Paolo Tosti's "A Vucchella" speaks of the mouth of a lovely mature woman. The poet, D'Annunzio, likens her mouth to a rose petal that has become a bit dry in cold weather. Cokorinos and Holkeboer followed this song with a charming rendition of the same composer's "Ideale," an invocation to the beauties of womanhood that describe her smile as bringing the beholder a new dawn. These exquisitely performed songs are sure to delight every woman in the wide-spread online audience.

Then it was time for an aria dedicated to the upcoming United States election, "La Calunnia" ("The Calumny") from Gioachino Rossini's comic opera, The Barber of Seville. In it, Cokorinos let us hear some of the wonderful bass notes that have delighted his audiences around the globe.

"The Tale of the Oyster" is a thoroughly amusing piece from Cole Porter and Herbert Fields' long running 1929 Broadway musical, Fifty Million Frenchmen. Like Rockefeller's butter-laden green sauce, it topped this recital off to perfection.

Photo of Philip Cokorinos by Sarah Shatz.

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