Finals Conclude with Strong Performances
by Wah Keung Chan
[For photos visit
http://www.scena.org/columns/reviews/020605-WKC-voicejmf1.html ]
The second session of the Finals of the Jeunesses Musicales Montreal
International Music Competition concluded with strong performances
from all five singers. No individual scored a knock-out performance,
but the quality of singing was high thereby making the decisions
difficult for the jury. The night most probably belonged to Measha
Brueggergosman who created a consistent mood through her use of
pianissimo singing. After a 60 minute wait the jury returned the
following results:
1. Measha Brueggergosman, Canada
2. Burak Bilgili, Turkey
3. Joseph Kaiser, Canada
4. Mélanie Boisvert, Canada
5. Daesan No, South Korea
6. John Matz, USA
Finals (Part II)
Sin-Nyung Hwang, soprano, South Korea
Haydn: "Auf starken Fittche" - I Capuleti e i Montecchi
Bellini: "Oh! Quanto volte"
Rossini: "Una voce poco fa" - Il Barbiere di Siviglia
Gougeon: "Alea"
The evening began with South Korean soprano Sin-Nyung Hwang who at
once brought a fresh, well-projected clear voice to the first balcony
of Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier where the judges were sitting. In the
Haydn, Hwang presented a good musical line. The first part of the
Bellini aria was boring, but Hwang developed a good mood in the
second half. In the well-know Rossini aria from the Barber of
Seville, Hwang offered several new interpolations but as a whole, the
reading lacked intensity. Her performance of Gougeon's Alea was the
best projected of the imposed piece thus far.
V: 96, P: 92
Mélanie Boisvert, soprano, Canada
Mozart: "Mia speranza adorata" - K. 416
Offenbach: "Les oiseaux dans la charmille" - Les Contes d'Hoffmann
Gougeon: "Alea"
Bernstein: "Glitter and be gay" - Candide
Not all singers make the adjustment well from a 800-seat hall to a
2800-seat hall. Canadian soprano Mélanie Boisvert seemed to be off
her voice from the start. Whereas Boisvert's voice was one of the
best projected voices in the semi-finals, here the voice did not
distinguished itself most likely due to her habit of tilting her head
towards the balcony thereby deforming her alignment. Although the
voice was at times clear and well-projected, I detected an unstable
vibrato and her voice was a bit tight in the upper register. She
appear to make an adjustment in the Offenbach and became more relaxed
in the second and third verses. Nevertheless, Boisvert brought good
dramatic concept throughout her program. Her performance of the
Gougeon was the most dramatic so far. I thought originally
Bernstein's Glitter and be gay a poor programming choice, but
Boisvert proved me wrong with an absolutely convincing performance.
V: 92, P: 96
Jennifer O'Loughlin, soprano, USA
Mozart: "Alleluja" - Exsultate, jubilate
Verdi: "Caro nome" - Rigoletto
Gougeon: "Alea"
Gounod: "Je veux vivre" - Roméo et Juliette
I had concerns whether Jennifer O'Loughlin could project in the big
hall, but the American soprano's controlled clear firm tone managed
well. If she could develop a higher placement and more head
resonance, she would be able to float rather than lunge for high
notes, and even be able to touch the heart strings of the listener.
Musically, O'Loughlin gave a lovely performance. Her runs were clean,
but presentation lacked dramatic intensity, most likely due to
conductor Stefan Lano's inflexible accompaniment, especially in the
Caro Nome. O'Loughlin left the stage quickly after her last piece,
clearly unhappy.
V:93, P: 93
Measha Brueggergosman, soprano, Canada
Weber: "Und ob die Wolke sie verhülle" - Der Freischütz
Fauré: "Pie Jesu" - Requiem, opus 48
Gougeon: "Alea"
Catalani: "Ebben ? Ne andrò lontana" - La Wally
After an entrancing semi-final round, Canadian soprano Measha
Brueggergosman was the odds on favourite coming into the Finals.
Since her last Montreal competition two years ago, she has corrected
her tendency to consistently sing loud, exposing unstable
fortissimos. Her repertoire choices at the JMMIC were all slow-moving
works that allowed her to show off her pianissimi and legato. In the
lesser performed Weber aria, Brueggergosman established a clear
atmosphere through her soft singing and nice legato. The Pie Jesu was
a disappointment. Too slow and pianissimo throughout, her voice
sounded heavy and restrained, causing pitch problems on several
occasions. Brueggergosman recovered nicely for the most dramatic
reading of the Gougeon of the night. She concluded with a fine
performance of her signature tune, Catalini's "Ebben? Ne andrò
lontana" from La Wally. A lovely tone emerged.
V: 95, P: 96
John Matz, tenor, USA
Händel: "Total eclipse!" - Samson
Massenet: "Ô souverain, ô juge, ô père" - Le Cid
Verdi: "Ah, la paterna mano" - Macbeth
Gougeon: "Alea"
The only male singer of the evening, American tenor John Matz brought
a firm lyric tone that is both clear and dark. The voice projects
well in the large hall but a heavy muscular approach to high notes
resulted in two noticeable breaks. Nevertheless, Matz gave an ardent
performance, especially the aria from Massenet's Le Cid, which
compared favourable to performances this year from both Ben Heppner
and Richard Margison. I would take off points for his habit of
expirating his end notes, a bad habit that he should correct.
V:93, P: 95
On the Competition
Organizers should consider presenting future finals in the 1400-seat
Théâtre Maisonneuve over the 2800-seat Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier. While
the larger hall proved to be a litmus test as to whether a singer is
ready to be a professional, a medium size hall would allow singers to
communicate better. In the big hall, it was difficult to be blown
away by any of the young singers.
Throughout the finals, the conductor's podium was positioned well
behind the singer often causing communication problems between singer
and orchestra. Lacking a visual connection with the contestant,
conductor Stefan Lano beat time inflexibly. There was also a
difference in the volume of sound from the orchestra between Day 1
and Day 2; those performing early in the first round got the raw end
of the draw while conductor/orchestra made adjustments.
The discussion following the competition shows that the first two
spots were consensus (some had them inverted) whereas opinion was
divided over the placement of spots 3 to 6, reflecting the very close
nature of the finals. The final outcome showed that this panel of
judges favoured performance over vocal ability.
The Gala of the Winners of the Jeunesses Musicales Montreal
International Competition goes tonight (June 7 at 7:30 p.m.) at Salle
Wilfrid-Pelletier, Places des Arts in Montreal. Tickets are $16, 22,
33 and 44. (514) 842 9951.
For listeners outside Montreal, The entire concert will be
telecast live on Art TV, as well as video webcast live on the
Radio-Canada website, and broadcast live on La chaîne culturelle of
Radio-Canada.
For links visit http://voicejm.scena.org
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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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