San Francisco Classical Voice

Among the best of the Schubert group were “Rastlose Liebe” (Restless Love), full of bustling energy, and “Im Frühling” (In Springtime), sung with tenderness and sensitivity. In the hard-driven potency of “Auf der Bruck,” a lover's hearty outpouring about returning to his sweetheart, Lemalu showed off his thrilling top notes with panache. The singer's refined sense of diction was evident, but much of it was lost in the room's reverberance; “First Congo” has proven itself a fine venue for orchestra and choral music, but it's clearly far from ideal for vocal soloists. (UCB's Hertz Hall, being retrofitted, is unavailable this season.)

It may have been too early in his career for Lemalu to tackle Schumann's sardonic Liederkreis Opus 24 cycle, a setting of nine disillusion-filled poems by Heinrich Heine. The dark irony of “Lieb' Liebchen” (Dear Sweetheart) wasn't fierce enough, and “Schöne Wiege meiner Leiden” (Pretty Cradle of my Sorrows) lacked intensity and grit. There was often a gripping fullness of sound, but not always fullness of meaning. Things got more dramatic in the bitter “Warte, warte wilder Schiffmann” (Wait, Wait, Wild Boatman). Throughout the cycle Lemalu found telling moments of subdued melancholy and tempered ire.

Things were better still in the second half of the program, with English songs predominating. First came a setting of poems from A. E. Housman's poignant A Shropshire Lad by George Butterworth, a casualty of World War I at age 31. Less familiar than Vaughan Williams' songs on the same source, these proved to be highly singable and skillfully crafted. Best of the lot was the touching graveside interview “Is My Team Ploughing,” sung with bittersweet simplicity. Lemalu had plenty of fun with some breezy songs from Francis Poulenc's Chansons gaillardes, managing a deliciously boozy croon in the mock solemnity of the “Chanson à boire.” There was pleasure to be had too in Roger Quilter's “Four Shakespeare Songs, Op. 30,” ranging from the blithe sunshine of “Who is Sylvia” to the hearty warmth of “Sigh No More, Ladies.”

Encores included a ferocious and fiery “Der Atlas” by Schubert, a richly sung “Who Is Sylvia,” this time in Gerald Finley's version, and an unaccompanied Samoan lullaby. (The singer's middle name, it might be noted, is “Fa'afetai” — Samoan for “Thank-you.”)

At the piano the excellent Malcolm Martineau provided deft and graceful accompaniment, though his sound was muddied by the too-ripe acoustics. Martineau has been busy in the Bay Area of late — he accompanied Magdalena Kozená's recital in late January (reviewed in these pages last week).

Lemalu can spin some elegant legato phrases, and his admirable control over the extremes of range makes you sit up and take notice. More experienced singers could take a lesson from this youngster's excellent technical mastery, allowing him to risk chancy pianissimos without fear. Despite two solo recordings already issued and several concerts appearances in the US to his credit, he has yet to make his America opera debut. That promises to be an event to watch for.