THUS SPAKE HEINRICH HEINE

And thus composed Robert Schumann and thus sang baritone Luthando Qave and thus played In Sun Suh and thus were thrilled into rapt silence the attendees of Friday night’s Lindemann Recital. Dichterliebe is a thrilling work, comprising so many changes of mood and color; Mr. Qave and Ms. Suh nailed them-- all from the joy of “Im wunderschonen Monat Mai” to the ecstasy of “Die Rose, die Lilie, die Taube, die Sonne”, to the bitterness of “Ich grolle nicht” and the sorrow of “Und wussten’s die Blumen, die kleinen” and the bewilderment of “Ich hab im Trau geweinet” and the resignation of “Die alten, bosen Lieder”. These young artists, with perfectly comprehensible German, elucidated every nuance in the poetry. The vocalism and the pianism were equally accomplished. The pair seemed to breathe together.

This major delight was followed by the elegantly beautiful soprano Emalie Savoy accompanied by piano partner Keun-A Lee. Ms. Savoy was a major prize winner just a week ago at the George London Foundation Award Recital at which she sang Rusalka’s “Song to the Moon”. At the Lindemann Recital she had chosen to perform two shimmering songs by Debussy, a few Schubert songs and several contemporary songs by Philip Lasser, a Juilliard faculty member whose lovely music was inspired by poetry written by the late Wynelle Ann Carson. It didn’t sound very inspired, coming after Heine, Schiller, Goethe and Baudelaire.

Ms. Savoy has a most pleasant low and middle voice but sounded a bit shrieky at the top. English is not the easiest language to make beautiful. I longed to hear something in Italian.

--Meche Kroop for The Opera Insider