Home  Entertainment Reviews Deborah Voigt Review
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Written by D.S. Crafts
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last updated Wednesday, February 28, 2007, at 14:35:12
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Deborah Voigt is the reigning Wagnerian soprano of our time. With that in mind I was looking forward to hearing her rock the chandeliers at the Lensic Performing Arts Center on Friday night (knowing full well there are no chandeliers at the Lensic). Instead she brought to Santa Fe a program highlighting her latest CD recording of American songs, All My Heart, few of which require the vocal power she commands.
A welcoming presence on stage, a decidedly slimmed-down Voigt appeared bedecked in a black gown ornamented with silver sparkles. Shamefully, she was denied the opportunity to sing Ariadne auf Naxos by the Royal Opera at Covent Garden last year for being too large to fit into the costume. In the way of poetic justice, the overwhelming reaction against a ridiculous management decision has proved a positive boon to her career. A concert such as this in a mid-sized theater is an excellent way to really hear a singer, stripped of the spectacle of opera and lacking any mediation whatsoever. From the opening number she demonstrated a voice of clear, radiant tones that were pure gold. Her diction, too, was flawless as she opened with the rather dated music of Amy Beach. But at least there were moments when the big voice (even toned down to fit the environment) was allowed to shine through, beginning with the short “The Year’s at the Spring.” “Ah, Love But a Day” was once a concert standard by the great Swedish tenor Jussi Bjoerling. Besides Wagner, Voigt has built her career upon interpretations of Richard Strauss, mostly the operas. But Strauss was as much at home in the art-song as the dramatic theater. Ich trage meine Minne (I bear my love) was followed by Nichts (Nothing) redolent with pathos. Befreit (Deliverance) with its heartfelt lyric lines and extremes of emotion about the death of a beloved, left everyone wishing this group would continue. Voigt followed with two songs in Russian by Tchaikowsky. Ya li v pole (Was I not a little blade of grass) became a drama in miniature eliciting gasps from the audience (applause being held until the end of sets). Propelled by pianist Brian Zeger, Den’ li tsarit? (Whether the day reigns) went sailing out, a profession of boundless romantic love, taking the voice thrillingly to its limits to close the first half. The remainder of the evening was given over to selections from her CD. But for me at least, it was a case of "the singer, not the song." That she wishes to promote American music is most laudable. Unfortunately it all too well points up the dearth of significant repertoire for such a voice. From Ives on down to Sondheim, the music ranged from cute to trivial, the magnificent scope of her instrument going forever under-utilized. Thankfully, she returned for an encore from the heart of the art-song literature, Zueignung (Devotion) by Richard Strauss, once called the ultimate Valentine. Finally, again was this radiant voice given wings to soar.
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About Reviewers D.S. Crafts (Website) Composer Daniel Steven Crafts came to New Mexico from San Francisco where he had hosted a classical music radio program on KPFA. His first commission from opera star Jerry Hadley, "The Song & the Slogan" based on texts by Carl Sandburg, was made into a TV program for the PBS network and aired nationally in 2004 and won an Emmy for Best Music. His latest opera La Llorona is a collaboration with novelist Rudolfo Anaya based on his play "The Season of La Llorona." Mr. Crafts is currently working on another commission from Jerry Hadley for a piece about the American Southwest which includes texts by Rudolfo Anaya and V.B. Price. Two CDs of his music, Contemporaries (short, satirical keyboard works) and ARIAS (excerpts from his various operas) have been released on the BACAT label in San Francisco.
David Steinberg David Steinberg has covered state government, the courts, city and county government in Santa Fe for the Albuquerque Journal. He's been an arts writer for the past 20 years, and serves as the book editor, for the Journal. Over the years, he's also acted in plays, sung in choruses and played trumpet.
Jennifer Noyer Jennifer Noyer has been writing dance reviews for the Albuquerque Journal for 17 years, as well as contributing articles for Dance Magazine and other art journals. She trained in dance with Hanya Holm in New York City and Colorado Springs, and studied several dance techniques at the graduate level at the University of Michigan. After teaching dance at Wayne State University she entered and completed a Masters Degree in Humanities there. In New Mexico Ms. Noyer has taught, directed, and choreographed contemporary dance for several years. Her writing on dance includes a monograph accompanying the video of choreographer Bill Evens’ ballet “The Legacy.” An overview of Evans’s world wide career, it was written and published during his tenure at the University of New Mexico. Ms. Noyer’s studies in the humanities, and her studio dance work influence her approach to dance as an integrative art form in the United States.
Barry Gaines Barry Gaines has taught Shakespeare in the University of New Mexico English Department for over twenty-five years and has received two outstanding teaching awards. He has written theater reviews for the Journal since 2000. He has attended theater all over the world including Shakespeare productions in Russia, South Africa, Denmark, and Poland. He has also served as literary advisor for two professional theater companies and written performance reviews for Shakespeare Quarterly. Gaines has taken two years of acting with Paul Ford and appeared in small parts in three plays at the Albuquerque Little Theater. He believes that he is probably a better reviewer than actor.
Joanne Sheehy Hoover Joanne Sheehy Hoover, music critic emeritus of the Albuquerque Journal, has written for NPR, PBS, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Symphony, among others. She has also been a music lecturer for the Smithsonian Associates and a music critic and arts writer for The Washington Post. She was director of the Levine School of Music, one of the country’s largest community music schools, in Washington, D. C. 1980-1993. She and her husband moved to Corrales, New Mexico in July 1993. Also a poet, her fifth collection, “Einstein in New Mexico,” was published in 2002.
Marissa Greenberg Marissa Greenberg is a member of the faculty of the University of New Mexico English Department, where she teaches Shakespeare and early English literature. A prior guest reviewer for the Albuquerque Journal, Greenberg will be reviewing theater while Barry Gaines is out of town. She also composed and edited the program notes for last year’s Albuquerque Shakespeare Festival and has written performance reviews for Shakespeare Bulletin. A graduate of Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania, Greenberg has been performing and studying drama for most of her life. She is thrilled to have this opportunity to review for the Journal.
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