Samantha Hankey, mezzo-soprano; Chris Reynolds, piano
This used to be called Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concerts—I miss the Neighborhood connection in the name. But I digress. Fourteen vocal selections, not named here.
Very interesting (and slightly strange) afternoon concert. Soprano Hannah Rose Kidwell withdrew due to an injury—apparently she sprained her ankle while en route to an audition. Ms. Hankey was wonderful as a replacement.
Two Franz Liszt songs began the program. The first was sad but not mournful and very beautiful. And Ms. Hankey sang exceedingly well in the room (a church with very reverberant acoustics). The second Liszt song had a dramatic piano introduction and then very rich and full accompaniment to the vocal lines. Sort of the epitome of the Romantic era. [And then a phone rang! Really, people?]
Four Richard Strauss songs were next, one with full, rippling accompaniment and silvery vocal lines that I associate with the composer. The second was darker in tone and form—dramatic without going overboard, just taking us right there to the edge. The third was slightly coquettish and a little off-putting. Maybe she was working too hard? The fourth was much quicker and dramatic and very effective.
A set of three Samuel Barber songs followed. The first was somewhat simple in style, though there was also some of the silvery quality of the Strauss. The next was fuller and solid, in both performance and technique. The third was clean and straightforward. Of note, her partner/accompanist was totally supportive (even when he was playing on his own)—they worked extremely well together, which brings up a slight quibble. He was quite adept at signaling when they were at the end of a grouping, which is not a bad thing. But their stage comportment was also just a little too slick for me. I understand that artists want to develop their own style, but her hand-over-heart gesture every time she bowed/acknowledged applause was a bit contrived and cloying. Yes, I’m quibbling, but it’s my blog.
An Henri DuParc song followed that was spiky and dramatic, somewhat martial in tone, and a type of a ballad, as in a story well told. An Alban Berg piece was next that was sweeter and more Romantic in style than I associate with Berg. A Schumann song was next that was solid—not sad but compelling nevertheless. It was serious, for want of a better word.
Two Manuel de Falla songs closed out the program. In the first, I thought ‘lullabye’ from the very beginning and was not wrong. There were some Latin/Spanish flourishes, however, that I really liked. The final work on the program had strong, rhythmic accompaniment, with fiery vocal lines, as though Ms. Hankey were channeling her pre-Carmen flair.
I was not far off the mark. As an encore, we heard the Habanera from Carmen!
ConcertMeister
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