Dear Vocalisters:
In view of some recent discussions here about Roberta Peters, I thought you
might enjoy
reading this Washington Post review of her recent recital in Washington, DC at
the
National Museum of Women in the Arts. By the way, this particular review is
generally
very critical and exacting - I've not often read a rave from her.
Peggy
-----
Roberta Peters, Superb at 70
By Cecelia Porter
Saturday , October 21, 2000 ; Page C03
Just six hours before curtain time, a 20-year-old soprano learned that she
would fill in
for an indisposed singer at the Metropolitan Opera. That event occurred 50
years ago, when
the coloratura Roberta Peters took the stage as the frisky Zerlina in Mozart's
"Don
Giovanni." Thursday night, the now 70-year-old Peters gave another astounding
performance
at a benefit concert for the National Museum of Women in the Arts.
Most opera singers are well out of the loop long before age 70. But Peters, who
appeared
at the Met more than 500 times, as well as at other opera houses around the
globe, knows
how to tailor all the facets of her art to a voice diminished in volume but in
nothing
else. Whether it was the intricate tracery of Mozart, the bittersweet yearnings
of
Schubert, the lusty bel canto of Donizetti, the ecstasy of Puccini or the
hypnotizing sway
of Lehar, she never lost sight of the particular combination of elements that
spell the
personal language of each composer.
Her intonation was flawless, even at the topmost register, while she breezed
through
protracted trills and vaulted over coloratura cascades with the agility of an
Olympic
gymnast. Peters has also developed the astounding capacity to move from a
subdued volume
that seemingly expands to a robust forte--only pianist Linda Hall's crafty soft
pedal
alerted you to the realities of the soprano's limited dynamic range.
--
Margaret Harrison, Alexandria, Virginia, USA
"Music for a While Shall All Your Cares Beguile"
mailto:peggyh@i...
|
|  |
