Opera Review: UMKC Conservatory’s Le Nozze di Figaro

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

A trigger warning was posted at the doors of White Recital Hall on Wednesday, November 20. The note advised that droit du seigneur is an essential plot point of “Le Nozze di Figaro.” In blending the threat of sexual violence with boisterous hilarity, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte crafted the most popular work in the history of the form.

The opening night of UMKC Conservatory’s three-hour production was unremittingly delightful. Heidi Shea (Susanna) radiated stardom. I also appreciated the robust presence of Evan J. Nelson (Count Almaviva), the comedic acting of Madeline Friesen (Cherubino) and the lush voice of  Victoria Schmidt (Countess Almaviva).

A Mozart freak, I didn’t need to be warned about the opera’s harshest component. I was triggered, however, by the dismal attendance of about 125. I bought a $25 ticket as a member of the general public, but discounted ticket options are available. The production runs through Saturday, November 23. Wednesday’s performance streams here.

Opera Review: UMKC Conservatory’s Die Zauberflöte at White Recital Hall

Original image of the temple “boys” at curtain call by There Stands the Glass.

Five years ago, I didn’t know the difference between Puccini and Verdi. I discovered I’ve since become an odious opera elitist at White Recital Hall on Thursday, November 16. The alterations made to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte in a UMKC Conservatory production outraged me. Yet even when condensed, sanitized and slightly dumbed down, Mozart’s genius still shines brightly. The orchestra conducted by Nicholas Perry Clark performed commendably. Among the solid cast, I most enjoyed Angelo Silva as Tamino, the three attendants of the Queen of the Night and the three “boys” of the temple. I paid $25 to sit amid the audience of about 250. The production streams here. My sniveling reservations aside, it’s well worth watching.

Concert Review: Thomas Rosenkranz at White Recital Hall

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

Everything you might care to know about my current state of mind is encapsulated by my steadfast commitment to attending Thomas Rosenkranz’s recital at White Recital Hall on Friday, October 20. (The recital streams here.)

The rare opportunity to hear a complete performance of Olivier Messiaen’s Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus appealed to me more than attending concurrent concerts by Travis Scott or the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

Friends and loved ones declined to join me when upon learning they were being asked to endure two hours of challenging solo piano at the free concert presented by the UMKC Conservatory. The translated title of Messiaen’s work- Twenty Contemplations of the Infant Jésus- was a nonstarter for at least one person.

The piece is best experienced alone anyway. Upon selecting a seat allowing me to watch Rosenkranz’s frenetic fingering, I placed my phone on the floor and didn’t once turn around to check on the responses of the approximately 100 people in the auditorium.

Transfixed, my mind only wandered to consider how curious the composition must have seemed to listeners at its premiere in 1945. It still sounds otherworldly. Allusions range from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to George Gershwin. Messiaen also seems to have anticipated the innovations of Philip Glass and Cecil Taylor.

Yet musicological musings are a secondary consideration. During one segment I sensed the incomprehensible magnificence of God from a proximate vantage point I hadn’t previously experienced. Three days later, I’m still trembling.

Concert Review: Karen Hsiao Savage, Hyeyung Sol Yoon and Gregory Beaver at White Recital Hall

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

Had I realized I’d be able to watch a video of the concert the next day, I probably wouldn’t have dragged my poor human body to White Recital Hall on Monday, October 3. But I would have missed the privilege of sitting 15 feet away from Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Zhou Long. An interpretation of his “Spirit of Chimes” (13:30) thrilled me. I also enjoyed monitoring composer Mathew Fuerst’s reaction to a rendering of his “Trio for Violin, Cello, and Piano” (33:20). I moved to the back row for Felix Mendelssohn’s “Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 49” (62:25 mark) ater intermission. The piece initially struck me as stale, but I gradually became invested in the reading of the 1839 composition by pianist Karen Hsiao Savage, violinist Hyeyung Sol Yoon and Gregory Beaver. And for better or worse, had I stayed home I wouldn’t have been troubled with the knowledge that less than 50 people availed themselves of the free offering on the campus of the University of Missouri-Kansas City.