The New York Times
February 2, 2003Neglected Verdi
Opera Performed in N.Y.
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 2:16 p.m. ET
NEW YORK (AP) – Verdi’s most neglected opera might be "Alzira," a
work seldom seen on stage since its 1845 premiere in Naples, Italy.
Vincent La Selva’s New York Grand Opera mounted what was billed as the
opera’s first New York performance seven years ago in Central Park, where the company
staged all 28 Verdi operas from 1994 to 2001 at SummerStage.
La Selva brought "Alzira" back on Friday night for a concert performance at
Carnegie Hall…
"Alzira" – which didn’t even have a studio recording available
until last year – is the eighth of Verdi’s 28 operas, composed between
"Giovanna d’Arco" and "Atilla." It was his first collaboration
with librettist Salvatore Cammarano, who have achieved great success with Bellini and
wound up working on three more operas with Verdi, including "Il Trovatore."
Based on Voltaire’s "Alzire," the opera is set in Peru of the mid-16th
century. And like Verdi’s later "Aida," there is some grand pageantry,
including a climactic wedding scene in which Gusmano, the groom, is stabbed to death by
Zamoro, Alzira’ lover.
Zamoro, the head of a Peruvian tribe, earlier had rescued Alvaro, the governor of Peru
and Gusmano’s father. Like much of Verdi, there is a focus on the relationship
between sons and fathers, and a woman caught in the middle.
…the audience was exuberant…The title role was sung by Soprano Maria Knapik
– billed in the program as "the eighth daughter of the celebrated Polish Knapik
family, often compared to Austria’s Von Trapps."…she sang with color and
strength…
Baritone Ping Yu was…successful as Gusmano, although he had a slightly dry sound.
The best singing came from bass Andrew Martens as Alvaro.
La Selva knows a Verdi beat better than most and led a far more energetic performance
then some guest conductors at the Metropolitan Opera who make Verdi go limp.
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New York Concert Review
Alzira
New York Grand Opera Company
January 31, 2003
On Friday, January 31, 2003, The New York Grand Opera Company, under the
Direction of Vincent La Selva, Presented a concert version of Alzira, an early and
infrequently performed work by Giuseppe Verdi.
Concert goers who are familiar with this company and Maestro La Selva
will know that Alzira was already mounted in 1996 in Central Park as part of a cycle of
the complete Verdi Operas. This most recent performance was in response to the tremendous
success of the Al Fresco version. Alzira is not by any means a sophisticated work, but the
composer's craftsmanship and affinity for the voice are already evident.
Alzira, premiered in 1845, followed quickly upon the heels of Ernani, a
huge success for Verdi. It was the composer's first collaboration with both The San Carlo
Theatre in Naples and its resident librettist Salvatore Cammarano, Donizetti's creative
partner for Lucia De Lammermoor and Roberto Devereaux. The opera, based on a play by
Voltaire, is set in 16th century Peru, Alzira, an Inca princess, has agreed to an arranged
marriage with the Spanish Governor, Gusman. Her true love, Zamore, is thought to have been
tortured to death by the Spaniards; yet, at the close of Act Two, he returns to
assassinate Gusman and the two lovers live happily ever after. As in most current book to
movie transfers, the complexities of the source material have been smoothed out to render
the final product more accessible to general audiences.
In general, the performance was solid, coherent and nicely shaped. The
singers and the orchestra were well rehearsed and there was a feeling of real ensemble, an
almost familial quality to the entire undertaking. This must derive in part from the
guidance of Maestro La Selva, who seems truly to love this music and these musicians. The
tone of the evening was set from the overture and opening chorus - staring and dramatic,
but with dignity.
There are no fewer than six roles for men in Alzira and they all have
opportunities to shine. The bass Andrew Martens, playing Alvaro, Gusman's father,
maintained a beautiful, liquid sound in his first aria and proved to be a quite sensitive
partner in his duet with Gusman later in Act Two. Ping Yu, as the doomed Gusman, began the
first act strongly, but with little modulation in character and dynamic. He came into his
own in his duet with Alvaro, and most especially in his final scene with Alzira, where he
matched her agility quite well. The bass Don Yule, as Ataliba, the Peruvian chief, sang
powerfully, with a large, open sound.
The three tenors in this embarrassment of vocal riches were all quite
distinct in style and training. Aubrey Bryan, as the warrior Oturabo, had a light, airy
quality. Brian Woodward, who waits until late in the Opera to make his first appearance,
sang Ovando's material wit the tight, well focused and lyrical, Italianate sound. I would
be very interested to hear him in other works.
The most intriguing singer amongst the men was the tenor Edward Peretti
in the lead role of Zamoro. His singing is virile and hearty, which was completely
appropriate for the young lover of Alzira. I admired his performance for its commitment;
it was reminiscent of an older approach to making music when entertainment was valued as
highly as other musical considerations.
The mezzo soprano Valeria Gerardi as Zuma, sister of Alzira, sang with
a large vibrato. She shows promise but needs more stage experience and coaching. As the
title character Alzira, Maria Knapik delivered the goods and met all expectations in this
demanding role. She showed good control of dynamics, a silken, shimmering sound, agility
in her coloratura passages and a pleasant, engaged demeanor throughout the evening. Her
voice also had the heft to cut through the entire ensemble in the finale. She was an
excellent find for the role.
The chorus was in general quite good, although the men lacked power
where necessary. These are small complaints however, for I enjoyed the performance very
much and look forward to this company's work in the future. Maestro La Selva is keeping a
traditional live as a teacher, conductor and historian.
- David La Marche
David La Marche is Conductor and Music Administrator for
American Ballet Theatre. He is also an active pianist and composer and has recently
produced a song cycle for soprano based on the texts of Edna St. Vincent Millay.
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| Press Release: Renowned conductor
Vincent La Selva and his New York Grand Opera Company present a concert
performance of Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Alzira," Friday evening, January 31st,
8pm, at New York's Carnegie Hall. The concert will mark the second time Maestro La Selva
has conducted this rarely performed work. La Selva presented the first fully-staged
American performance of the work in Central Park in 1996 (as part of his "Viva
Verdi!" cycle of all 28 Verdi operas), of which New York Times critic Anthony
Tommasini wrote: "Wednesday night's performance of Verdi's "Alzira" by the
New York Grand Opera Company in Central Park was the kind of event that makes you feel
good about New York… [La Selva] has the instincts of a true Verdian." (July 12,
1996 The New York Times)
Soloists for this concert include:
soprano: Maria Knapik
mezzo-soprano: Valeria Girardi
tenor: Edward Perretti
tenor: Aubry Bryan
tenor: Brian Woodward
baritone: Ping Yu
bass: Andrew Martens
bass: Don Yule
The New York Grand Opera Chorus
(Ida Angland, Director)
will be augmented by the
Metropolitan Greek Chorale
(Constantine Kitsopolous, Director)
Conductor Vincent La Selva has been a New York music institution for
almost fifty years. Founder of the New York Grand Opera Company in 1973, he is unique in
the world for presenting fully-staged grand opera productions that are free to the public.
Since 1974, Mr. La Selva has chosen New York's Central Park for his productions of grand
opera, conducting over 55 operas in upwards of 125 performances, which over the years,
have been attended by more than three million people. In 2001, Mr. La Selva finished an
unprecedented eight-year cycle of the complete Verdi operas -- all twenty-eight of them --
performed in chronological order. This past summer he presented three Puccini operas in
Central Park, "Manon Lescaut," "Tosca," and the rarely heard "Le
Villi."
In addition to his opera performances, Maestro La Selva has earned special renown for
conducting symphonic scores with directness, lyricism, and great passion. He has led
acclaimed performances with the New Jersey Symphony, the Juilliard Symphony, the Brno
State Philharmonic in the Czech Republic, the Bern Symphony in Switzerland, the Symphony
of the Air (formerly the NBC Symphony,) and for many years he was Music Director of the
Greater Trenton Symphony Orchestra. He numbers among his collaborators such soloists as
Leonard Rose, Ruggiero Ricci, Zinka Milanov, Rudolf Firkusny, Murray Perahia, and Peter
Serkin. Since 1969 Mr. La Selva has been a member of the Juilliard School faculty,
teaching courses in symphonic conducting, and opera. In 1995 the President of Italy
knighted Mr. La Selva as a "Cavaliere" in the Order of Merit of the Italian
Republic for his distinguished service to Italian music. Mr. La Selva's contribution to
the cultural life of New York was commended by President Bill Clinton, New York Governor
George E. Pataki, and New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who awarded La Selva the coveted
Handel Medallion, New York City's highest distinction for achievement in culture and the
arts.
New York Grand Opera, founded by Vincent La Selva, has given 153 performances of 53
different operas in Central Park for audiences totaling more than 3,000,000 since it made
its bow with a performance of "La Bohème" on May 23, 1973. Its repertoire
includes such standards as "Aida," "Rigoletto," "Tosca," as
well as such rarities as Leoncavallo's "La Bohème" and Verdi's
"Stiffelio" in their U.S. premieres; the first staged performance in the United
States of Verdi's "Giovanna D'Arco," the first staged performances in New York
of his "Aroldo" and "Jérusalem," the first New York staged
performance in 127 years of his "I Masnadieri," and the first New York
performance with orchestra of his earliest opera, "Oberto." In addition to its
annual summer series in Central Park for the past 25 years, New York Grand Opera has
played such diverse venues throughout the metropolitan area as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln
Center's Alice Tully Hall, the Beacon Theatre, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Co-op City,
and the Bronx Botanical Gardens.
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