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SYMPHONY REVIEW
May 16, 2003
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By Anna Carol Dudley
A performance of Mendelssohn's oratorio Elijah is made memorable by a superb
Elijah and an eloquent chorus. Friday night's Elijah, accompanied by the
Oakland East Bay Symphony under the sure direction of Michael Morgan, was memorable.
Bass Kirk Eichelberger was the very embodiment of Elijah, by turns
pleading, scolding, reassuring, triumphing, despairing. He is a gifted
actor — sensitive both to large emotions and to details of language — and a
gifted singer, varying the colors in his voice for maximum effect. The
warmth of his "Lord God of Abraham,", the vehemence of his attack on King
Ahab, the headlong rush of "Is not His word like a fire," his sarcastic
baiting of the fickle Israelites — all combined to build the Biblical
narrative. I was particularly struck by his singing of "It is enough,"
starting with a completely unforced, quiet, "I-give-up" sort of tone,
going on to a rant, and returning to that heartbreaking quiet sound at the end.
Daniel Reiter's cello solo helped.
In a program note, Michael Morgan confessed to his increasing partiality
To Mendelssohn, and it showed. Mendelssohn's inspired construction of the
oratorio was made evident in many musical and dramatic details, e.g. the
prophet Elijah's announcement at the very beginning, before the overture,
of the fate coming upon the people of Israel because they have turned away
from their God; the assignment of recitatives to the chorus; the
orchestration of the soprano/alto drought duet; the momentum of Elijah's
dialogs with a widow, a boy, and the chorus, building up to wonderful
climaxes.
The Oakland Symphony Chorus, prepared by Magen Solomon and led by Morgan, partnered Eichelberger magnificently in the unfolding drama. They brought out the word-painting and counterpoint of "Blessed are all they that fear Him," and they had a roaring good time trying to call up the false god Baal. With the help of Mendelssohn, Morgan and the responsive orchestra, they used dynamics to telling effect. I especially liked the sequence of "Behold, God the Lord passed by," with its "still small voice," "Holy is God the Lord" with its contrast of treble and low voices, and "Thus did Elijah the prophet break forth like a fire," with the whirlwind that took Elijah to heaven. It is unusual to hear a group of soloists without a weak link in it, yet such was the case in the group fielded by Morgan. All had strong voices, well used in the service of the text. Tenor Michael Sommese's sound was lovely in lyrical arias and forceful in recitatives. Soprano Twyla Robinson's excellent diction, bright sound and dramatic sense infused everything she sang. She might want to find a warmer color for the second part of "Hear Ye, Israel" — it sounded more triumphant than comforting, somehow. Mezzo-soprano Jennifer Palmer Boesing's voice has an unforced beauty that carries well both in solos and ensembles. She was also willing, as Jezebel, to sound ugly. It was wonderful to hear these four young singers, already so good, and to imagine their getting even better as their careers develop. And it is encouraging to know that Robert Geary has 350 children and teenagers getting a musical education along with a lot of fun in his Piedmont Choirs. Under his direction, the top-level Ensemble sang the trio, "Lift thine eyes," with pure tone and accurate intonation. A soprano from the Ensemble, Eric Tuan, brought those same qualities to his solos as the boy who looks for rain and finally sees it coming.
(Anna Carol Dudley is a singer, teacher, member of the faculties of the University of California, Berkeley, and San Francisco State University [lecturer emerita] and director of the San Francisco Early Music Society's Baroque Music Workshop. She sang the title role in the American premiere staged performance of Handel's Semele at UC Berkeley in 1962.)
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Kirk Eichelberger
Twyla Robinson
Michael Sommese