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RECITAL REVIEW
April 23, 2004
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By Anna Carol Dudley
San Francisco Performances' annual gift concert for subscribers Friday
night was a recital by Canadian mezzo-soprano Susan Platts in the Herbst
Theatre. She chose German Lieder for the first half of her program,
and for the second half, simple songs in English including folk song
arrangements.
Especially in the German repertoire, Platts' voice is rich and covered.
The effect is one of beautifully manufactured tones placed like chocolates
in a line. Her words are made up of many gorgeously formed syllables and
not much literal sense. She sings with great feeling for the text, but in
order to appreciate that fact it was necessary to refer to the words and
translations provided.
Platts says that Mahler is her favorite composer, and the Mahler songs
which ended the first half were well chosen and sung. Particularly moving
was her singing of "Wo die schönen Trompeten blasen" (Where the beautiful
trumpets blow). She brought two voices hauntingly to life: the weeping of
the maiden and the heartfelt greeting from her lover, the dead soldier.
Pianist Dennis Helmrich played splendidly; he was a fine partner throughout
the evening. This song was so special that the following rather strident
"Scheiden und Meiden" (Parting and shunning) was a bit of a shock. It is conventional to segue to intermission with something lively, but perhaps an audience would rather hear the beautiful trumpets followed by "Liebst du um Schönheit" (If you love for beauty), a love song which Platts had earlier imbued with great feeling.
Three songs by Brahms were nicely shaped, from the long arching lines of "Wie Melodien zieht es mir" (It pulls at me, like a melody) to the closing line of "Ständchen" (Serenade): "und lispelt: Vergiss nicht mein" (She whispers, Forget me not). Platts was not off book. Mostly, this was not an impediment to communication; she referred to the music only occasionally. But it was a bother when it came to Brahms' "Vergebliches Ständchen" (Fruitless serenade). She clearly had fun with the dialog between the lover who wants to come in and the girl who refuses him, but there was little differentiation between the voices and body language of the two. The program began with songs by Ignaz Brüll, who was a popular Viennese composer a century ago and a friend of Brahms. According to the program notes, his songs were "intended for domestic use." Programming them before rather than after Brahms' songs was a good idea. The folk songs after intermission included three from the Hebrides arranged by Marjory Kennedy Fraser and two familiar songs arranged by Benjamin Britten. Britten's version of "The Sally Gardens" is one of his simpler ones, but he goes overboard on "O Waly, Waly." Platts goes overboard on both, sinking them with portent.
Her collaboration with Amy Beach was happier. Beach's "Shena Van" is a delightful sentimental song, and Platts did it full justice. Roger Quilter's "Love's Philosophy," also delightful and sentimental, ended the program on a delicious note. An encore by Obradors was a revelation. The Spanish language (and perhaps being off book) elicited from the singer a lovely, electric, less covered sound.
(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 emerita of the San Francisco Early Music Society's Baroque Music Workshop.)
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Susan Platts