http://www.scena.org/columns/reviews/020604-WKC-voicejmf1.html
Voice Competition Final Opens with Tight Race
by Wah Keung Chan
Male singers dominated the opening session of the Finals of the First
Jeunesses Musicales Montreal International Music Competition.
Baritones Daesan No, Joseph Kaiser and bass Burak Bilgili led the
way. The only disappointment was charismatic Russian baritone Mikhail
Davydov.
After a three day marathon semifinal featuring 51 singers from 21
countries, the competition turns to a two evening final featuring 10
singers from 5 countries. Whereas singers of the semifinals performed
a program of 4 groups consisting of an operatic aria, one oratorio or
concert aria, and two song groups, the finals with orchestra features
two operatic arias, one oratorio or concert aria and the imposed
Canadian work. Originally, an orchestral song was included but
probably the fear of paying overtime to the MSO musicians compelled
organizers to drop the song. Too bad, as the result is heavy on
opera. André Bourbeau, president of the Jury, told La Scena Musicale
that the marks from the semifinal round do not carry over to the
finals. With a change in venue from the 800-seat Salle Pierre-Mercure
to the 2800-seat Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, the finals should favour
voices that can project in the big space. The performances of Day 1
of the finals show that repertoire choices will play an important
part in the results of the competition.
Mikhail Davydov, baritone, Russia
Verdi: "Confutatis" - Requiem
Gougeon - Alea
Verdi - Infelice! E tuo credevi - Ernani
Mozart - Finch'han dal vino - Don Giovanni
The choice of program of Davydov's final entry was disappointing.
While Davydov captivated the audience in the semifinals with two
Tchaikovsky selections, by his two Verdian selections, Davydov proved
that he is far from being a Verdian baritone. Throughout the
competition, most singers sang their best in their native language.
Davydov would have done better if he had included a Russian aria.
The Bass aria from Verdi's Requiem was an unfortunate choice as the
tessitura was too low for Davydov. It was also clear that as had been
anticipated in the semifinals, Davydov's Russian technique did not
allow him to project in the big hall over the orchestra; the voice
sits too far back and head resonance was lacking. Lack of experience
showed, as in front of the orchestra, Davydov stood with a wide
stance and a stiff upper body thereby negating the possibility of
showing off the charisma that entrance the crowd in the semifinals.
Only in the the Don Giovanni aria did he show some kind of life.
V: 80, P: 85
Daesan No, baritone, South Korea
Giordano - "Nemico della patria - Andrea Chénier
Wagner - "O! Du mein holder Abendstern" - Tannhäuser
Mendelssohn - "Es ist genug" - Elijah
Gougeon - Alea
No immediately established that his is a baritone that can carry over
the orchestra. Though a bit grainy, No's rich tone brought a regal
presence. His Italian was very good, and the drama was convincing.
The crowd roared their approval.
In the Wagner ode, No demonstrate a good legato, fine nuance and an
intelligent concept of the characterization. The only blemish was a
flat note in the middle. No continued with a masterful reading of "Es
is genug" from Elijah.
V: 95, P: 95
Se-Jin Lee, soprano, South Korea
Bach: « Wie freudig ist mein Herz » Cantate BWV 199
Mozart: « Ach, ich fühl's » Die Zauberflöte
Bizet: « Comme autrefois dans la nuit sombre » Les Pêcheurs de perles
Gougeon: « Alea »
After singing a Caro Nome to almost die for, Lee unfortunately left
off all Italian repertoire. A big mistake as Italian sat perfectly in
her voice. German is not well placed for Lee's voice, as she appear
to work hard in the Bach. Nevertheless, a fine interpretation
emerged. Her performance of Ach, ich fühl's was quite touching as she
use her impeccable technique to produce a great effect. While she
closed the Bizet with a nice ending showing a lovely vibrato, most of
the aria was rather boring. Her tendency of tilting her head up
became evident, and I wonder if that may be responsible for some lost
in projection.
V: 93, P: 90
Joseph Kaiser, baritone, Canada
Rossini: « Largo al factotum » Il Barbiere di Siviglia
Schumann: « Hier ist die Aussicht frei » Szenen aus Goethes Faust
Gougeon: « Alea »
Britten: « Look! Through the port comes the moon-shine astray » Billy Budd
In the semifinals, Canadian baritone Joseph Kaiser proved to be
perhaps the most musical touching of all the singers. Performing
after a short intermission, Kaiser thrilled the audience with a
convincing Largo al factotum from Rossini's Barber of Seville. Kaiser
brought an easy well-projected voice that was easily heard in the big
hall. He threw off the high Gs with ease leading to whispers
afterwards that Kaiser is a tenor. The 24-year old baritone developed
a good mood to the Schumann oratorio, but I found the inclusion of
this piece curious, as it was not that interesting. Kaiser concluded
his program with a moving interpretation of the Britten scene from
Billy Budd, injecting a sombre mood to the soliloquy. Kaiser lost
some of that intensity in the second half of the scene "I had to
strike down that Jimmy Legs." Conductor Stefan Lano did not help to
keep the orchestra volume down.
V: 92, P: 96
Burak Bilgili, bass, Turkey
Rossini: « La calunnia » Il Barbiere di Siviglia
Gougeon: « Alea »
Rossini: « Pro peccatis » Stabat Mater
Bizet: « Quand la flamme de l'amour » La Jolie Fille de Perth
The most imposing voice of the evening was that of Turkish bass Burak
Bilgili who immediately established himself as the one to beat with a
devilish "La calunnia" from Rossini's Barber of Seville. Equally
convincing was Bilgili's dramatic reading of the oratorio aria from
Rossini's Stabat Mater. Bilgili's warm voice projects easily and his
high notes came easily with the help of getting on his toes. The
evening conclude with a full-throat presentation of an aria from
Bizet's rarely performed La Jolie File de Perth.
V:96, P:98
Gougeon's Alea
The imposed unpublished work Alea (The die) by Canadian composer
Denis Gougeon comprises of two parts that string together without a
break and are built upon two Latin sentences. The opening part tests
the singer's legato and range while the second part calls upon the
vocal agility of the singer. Of the singers, only Davydov and Kaiser
sang it from memory. Making the world premiere, the Russian sang it
expressionless and did not leave much of an impression. No brought
good nobility to the piece while Lee gave the most precise reading,
showing that the work may work best in the soprano voice, for which
it was originally written. Kaiser and Bilgili both gave ardent
performances, though in the case of the former, he may have been
hampered by his choice of a lower key.
The competition concludes tonight with a five more contestants, four
sopranos and one tenor. Watch for Canadians Measha Brueggergosman and
Mélanie Boisvert and lone tenor American John Matz. The concert
begins at 7:30 p.m. At Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier and will be broadcast
(audio) live worldwide through CBC Radio-Two and Radio-Canada's
Chaîne culturelle as well as available in video webcast from
Radio-Canada's website. Visit http://voicejm.scena.org for more
details.
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Wah Keung Chan
Publisher / Éditeur
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* June 2002 - La Scena Musicale's 6th Annual Summer Festival Guide
* Juin 2002 - Le 6e guide annuel des festivals d'été de La Scena Musicale
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