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After Final Farewells, Mme Vera Returns on a Whim-and Why Not? |
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by Bruce-Michael Gelbert | >> see bio |
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photo courtesy of Ira Siff
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| Vera Galupe-Borszkh |
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Mme Vera Galupe-Borszkh (Ira Siff), peerless principal traumatic soprano of La Gran Scena Opera, has said her final farewells so many, many times, but we always forgive and forget her threats to leave us and welcome her back with warmth and open arms. And we did so again when she returned, to "perform on" us, "by personal whim (and popular demand)," to the stage of the Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre at Symphony Space, on May 27, immeasurably assisted, at the piano, by matchless Maestro Sergio Zawa (Lucy Arner). Of course, the fact that Madame and Maestro's music-making is note perfect makes the way they amusingly-shall we say, as Vera does, in a different context-"manipulate" it all, that much more enjoyable.
The diva's opening aria, "Cruda sorte," from Gioachino Rossini's "L'Italiana in Algeri" was sheer delight. Snapping her fingers and giving that opening phrase an air of "darn it," in reaction to her shipwreck, she soon treated us to the sudden high notes, loud and soft; snarled low notes, just as surprising; endless trills; unexpected detours into other music; innigkeit as introspective as Elisabeth Schwartzkopf's; and a two-octave drop to rival Marilyn Horne's for taste, that are just what we expect of her.
Commenting on a Metropolitan Opera telecast of "Salome," led Vera to recall her own "Salome," set in Great Neck, because the heroine, after all, "is Princess of Judea." Observing about the Met's recent take on a Vincenzo Bellini favorite, "Well, wasn't that something else? It certainly wasn't 'La Sonnambula,'" prompted La Dementia to deliver a haunting-haunted?-and frankly breathtaking "Ah! non credea mirarti."
Her reminiscences about her Great-Uncle Sergei (Sir-Gay), of the KGB (Kiev Gay Ballet), and his mentor, Vaslav Nijinsky, brought Mme Vera to a "Spectre de la Rose," from Hector Berlioz's "Les Nuits d'Été," that was at once balletic and smoothly legato, not to mention multi-orgasmic-"J'arrive" indeed! For Franz Schubert's "Erlkönig," contemplative and irrepressibly Teutonic, our soprano not only changed timbres for the four characters of the lied, she also changed headgear-not so easy to do while wearing a tiara-and, at the conclusion, brought Zawa, hands still trembling from the emotional workout, forward for a well-deserved bow. La Galupe-Borszkh shared memories of the formidable Jennie Tourel and launched into an "Oh quand je dors," of Franz Liszt, that showed off a remarkable fil de voix, or filigree 'thread of voice.'
The prima donna did numbers on songs from her native Russia-including a lullaby guaranteed to induce nightmares, a song to clean a samovar by, and a sink-alonk of a mill song-and on contemporary music that could leave one Glass-y-eyed, from which these repertories may never recover. (Thank Richard Burke for the music for these.)
Madame had the assistance of guest mezzo-soprano Carmelita Della Vaca-Browne (Johnny Maldonado) for two of the grandest scenas, the openings of Act Two of Giacomo Puccini's "Madama Butterfly" and Act Three of Giuseppe Verdi's "La Traviata," which gave us two scene-stealing divas working to upstage each other. When la Vaca-Browne interpolated Annina's cadenza into the latter, the glare from Vera it inspired, sent Zawa into such a fit of laughter, that she, um, he was almost in tears.
Our soprano poignantly explained that Butterfly, having been told by her American 'husband' Lt. Pinkerton, that he would return when the robins nested, naively noted that in Japan "robin bird [Robyn Bird?] come three times, but husband not." (When I told the diva of sex about the mention, in this unexpected context, of her coming three times, she exclaimed, "Only three?") Mme V, waxing political, rejoiced earlier that "the madness of King George is finally over," and found a way to introduce Barack Obama into the "Butterfly" scene.
The "Traviata" excerpt brought our prima donna back to La Gran Scena's debut, on November 13, 1981 at the Orpheum Theatre on Second Avenue-I made it to the third performance, on the 27th-as, once more, during a touching "Addio del passato," this Violetta brought forth, from her trove of treasured memorabilia, some risqué souvenirs of her years in the oldest profession.
For "spontaneous encores," our heroine drew on the repertory of the aforementioned Schwartzkopf and, because one must, on that of every singer who ever felt inclined to tackle a spiritual, however alien the idiom might be to her style.
Peter Schlosser was responsible for stage direction. Daniel James Cole and Jared Leese designed the gowns, Christopher Banner, the hair, and Larry Vrba, the jewels. Matt Berman and Manya made up the tech crew. Hans Pieter Herman was on hand to assist.
Mme Vera Galupe-Borszkh and company continue to make merry mayhem at the Thalia, 2537 Broadway at 95th Street, on May 29 and 30 at 8 p.m. and tickets are $35. Visit www.symphonyspace.org or call the box office at 212/864-5400 for any tickets that remain.
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