The New York City Opera (NYCO), with its longtime commitment to American music, returned to its rightful place, in Lincoln Center, at the former New York State Theater, now the spanking new David H. Koch (pronounced coke) Theater, with a dazzling gala concert, billed as "American Voices." It consisted of music of the Americas, of different varieties, some of it classic, some of it from works that NYCO helped to make classic, performed by artists representing the company's past, present and future, as well as some illustrious guests. The gala and its reception before and dinner after the performance raised more than $2 million for NYCO and all soloists donated their services.
Music Director George Manahan and the NYCO Orchestra welcomed us back to the theater and saluted it and the company and the city with rousing renditions of Stravinsky's "Fanfare for a New Theater," Lieberson's "Fanfare for New York City Opera" (world premiere), and Bernstein's "New York, New York," from "On the Town."
Next came speeches from Koch, welcoming us to the renovated theater, improvements to which he financed, and General Manager George Steel, detailing these alterations, which include a new metal fire curtain and new movable orchestra pit, both of which were shown off, as well as new seats, new side aisles on the orchestra level, new dressing rooms and restrooms, and removal of the much-despised amplification system.
Company alumni conductor Julius Rudel, with the company since its inception in 1943, and bass Samuel Ramey, who introduced some of his greatest roles here, returned for a fully staged Revival Scene from Carlisle Floyd's opera about hypocrisy, "Susannah," which found Ramey, as Reverend Olin Blitch, once more preaching a fiery sermon to a hymn-singing congregation, portrayed by the NYCO Chorus, and to the eponymous young woman, mistakenly thought to have erred. With Manahan back at the helm, mezzo-soprano alumna Joyce DiDonato, as Abigail Adams, the nation's second First Lady, offered warm and earnest wishes, not only for the White House, now fortunately in good hands once again, but also, in this case, for the theater, hopefully in hands as good, in "Take Care of This House," from Bernstein's "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue."
Reigning prima donna, and recent champion of Samuel Barber's heroines-in "Vanessa" and "Antony and Cleopatra"-Lauren Flanigan, star of both the 1993 world premiere and of this season's revival of Hugo Weisgall's "Esther," thrilled us anew with her heated "Do not utter a word, Anatol," Barber's Vanessa's contemplation of beauty, aging, love, and the passage of time. Joyce Castle seduced us, and members of the NYCO Chorus, once again with her zesty "I Am Easily Assimilated," from Bernstein's "Candide." And soprano Anna Christy treated us to "Blue green beautiful chlorine," a reverie, with runs ascending to the stratosphere, from William Bolcom's "A Wedding."
The gala introduced the NYCO audience to soprano Measha Brueggergosman, on hand for a dramatic, lavishly vocalized "My Man's Gone Now," from Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess," and mezzo Kelley O'Connor and soprano Talise Trevigne, in a driving "Quiero cantar entre las explosiones," from Osvaldo Golijov's wrenching opera "Ainadamar," about Federico García Lorca, the gay playwright martyred during the Spanish Civil War.
Sterling Hyltin, Robert Fairchild, Daniel Ulbricht, and other members of the New York City Ballet, NYCO's housemate here, gracefully danced an excerpt from John Adams' angular "Hallelujah Junction," choreographed by Ballet Master-in-Chief Peter Martins and played by pianists Cameron Grant and Richard Moredock. Rufus Wainwright delivered a Judy Garland interlude with pizzazz, singing and hoofing it in Schwartz and Dietz's "That's Entertainment," which was juxtaposed with soprano Amy Burton singing a sentimental-sounding "Les feux d'artifice t'appellent," introduced by the "Marseillaise" played against dissonant strains, from Wainwright's opera "Prima Donna." Completing the evening was Marc Kudisch singing Billy Bigelow's "Soliloquy," from Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Carousel," a swaggering tour-de-force.
NYCO's season continues with "Esther," with Flanigan, Stephen Kechulius, Beth Clayton, Margaret Thompson (debut), Roy Cornelius Smith (debut) and James Maddalena, conducted by Manahan, on November 7, 13, 17 and 19 at 8 p.m. and 15 at 1 p.m., and Christopher Alden's new production of Mozart's "Don Giovanni," with Daniel Okulitch (debut), Stefania Dovhan (debut), Joélle Harvey (debut), James Hardy, Keri Alkema, and Gregory Turay (debut), conducted by Gary Thor Wedow, on November 8 and 22 at 1:30 p.m., 10 at 7:30, and 12, 14 and 20 at 8 p.m. For tickets, starting at $12, visit www.nycopera.com, telephone 212/721-6500, or go to the NYCO box office on Lincoln Center Plaza.
