Concerts in the Park

Both the Metropolitan Opera and the NY Philharmonic launched their free summer events this week with concerts in Manhattan’s  Central Park. On Monday the 12th, The Met presented a recital featuring baritone Nathan Gunn, soprano Susana Phillips, and tenor Michael Fabiano with pianists Julie Gunn and Johnathan Kelly. On Tuesday, the NY Phil and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra performed a concert featuring soprano Ying Huang, baritone Changyong Liao, and pianist Lang Lang.

The Met recital was good but not great. All three singers sang well, but they lacked the energy needed to excite the crowd. Nathan Gunn, the most experienced of the bunch, sang with smooth phrasing and great technique. Recent Beverly Sills Award winner, Susanna Phillips, sang her arias well and displayed her shining top notes. Tenor Michael Fabiano, a winner of the 2007 Met National Council Auditions, was the least impressive of the three. He has a good voice, but he strained when delivering his top notes, and his performance suffered from poor diction.  The most proficient  performers of the evening, though, were the two pianists who excelled in their craft.

One disappointment was the selection of arias, duets, and trios. The first four pieces were all  heavy and lulled the audience into a state of disinterest. Also, the second portion of the evening was dominated by American standards and cabaret selections. While Ms. Phillips and Mr. Fabiano performed their selections well, Mr. Gunn’s choices seemed odd and out of place.

Nathan Gunn perfroming at Summer Stage (courtesy of nytimes.org)

In addition, for most of the duets and trios, the performers acted out the scenarios from the operas they were singing. However, their movements were awkward and did not convey the drama of the situations. And without sets, costumes and especially supertitles, the audience became confused and unable to understand the action. The whole evening seemed a little amateurish.

My biggest issue with the Met’s recital has nothing to do with the Met, but rather with the venue, Central Park Summer Stage. The crowd was informed that the gates would open at seven, and by six o’clock a long line had already formed. However, the employees did not open the venue until a quarter after seven, and were so  sluggish that audience members were still getting to their seats partway through the first half.  In addition, all beverages and lawn chairs were confiscated at the entrance and returned at the end of the concert. This forced all audience members to pay excessive prices for refreshments. I was most annoyed by the rude attitude and arrogance of the employees interacting with the public. I encourage the Met to choose another location for future events.

The Tuesday concert provided a more enjoyable experience. There was a lot more space  (this concert was held on Central Park’s Great Lawn) and one could relax on real grass, as opposed to the Astroturf and bleachers of SummerStage. More importantly, visitors were able to bring their own food and drink instead of paying the inflated prices of SummerStage vendors. Overall, the evening had a more laid-back feel.

This concert’s program was more appropriate for the occasion than the Met’s.  The Shanghai Symphony, under the baton of maestro Long Yu began the evening with the rousing overture from Wagner’s Tannhauser, which put the crowd in a lively mood. This orchestra is in the United States as part of Shaghai’s “Expo 2010″. After the overture, Changyong Liao joined the orchestra in a performance of  “Largo al factotum” from Il Barbiere di Siviglia and added nuances that made the aria his own. Liao excited the crowd through classical music they recognized – a very smart choice. Next, Ying Huang’s “Je veux vivre” from Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette showcased her brilliant coloratura. Later, Lang Lang added his unique flair in a highly stylized – although possibly gaudy – rendition of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. The Shanghai Symphony, the singers, and Lang Lang presented a wonderful first half of Tuesday’s concert and represented their city admirably.

Shanghai Symphony conductor Long Yu (courtesy of nytimes.org)

After the intermission, the New York Philharmonic with conductor Andrey Boreyko  played three rousing – though somewhat disconnected – selections of “dance” music: the polonaise from Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, Symphonic Dances from Bernstein’s West Side Story (with spontaneous audience participation during the “Mambo”), and Ravel’s Bolero. All three pieces were performed magnificently, despite the lack of continuity in the styles of the pieces. All in all, the concert was thoroughly enjoyable, even though the fireworks were cancelled because of bad weather

All three arts institutions presented two evenings of great music, but the Shanghai Symphony and the NY Phil seemed to have a better handle on keeping the crowd’s enthusiasm. However, I recommend you try sample the remaining performances: The NY Phil has concerts throughout New York City until July 19.  More information can be found at www.nyphil.org  The Met has recitals in all five boroughs through July 29.  Details at www.metopera.org.

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