Voice Recital at Brookline Public Library wows audience

Event occured Thursday, May 13th, 2010 at 7 PM, Brookline Public Library, Brookline MA

Light Opera and Broadway hits

50 people came out on an ordinary Thursday night in spring to watch something extraordinary.Olga Lisovskaya soprano, Bulent Guneralp baritone, and pianist Boris Fogel presented 20 gems from the classics, Broadway and seldom-heard Russian film and opera music.

Lisovskaya took her talent to the lighter side of the operatic spectrum and started with three famous arias that showed her acting ability on top of a lovely voice.J. Strauss’s “Adele’s Laughing Song”, Offenbach’s “Doll Song” where she is a mechanical doll singing thoughtlessly and with a slightly disconnected brain, and Offenbach’s “Périchole's aria” where she is tipsy and sings about her own alcoholic haze (picture Virginia Woolf drunkenly dominating the dinner party).She chose a very challenging collection of songs and sang them effortlessly; you could relax in the artistry of her other talents beyond the vocal.

In the opening numbers, this reviewer laughed out loud (to the amazement of his fourteen year old daughter) with every extreme of Lisovskaya’s emotion --- from giddy laughter to her drunk abandon as she staggered next to the piano..She was dressed beautifully in pink gown and had a placid comportment …. but her hand gestures and facial expressions were absolutely in service to whatever she sang, and she was comforting and delightful to watch.She spoke a few words now and then to introduce pieces.I felt a rich intelligence in what she does.She knows she is a storyteller rather than a vocal gymnast, and brings understanding beyond the words, in her voice and her actions.

She chose guest baritone Bulent Guneralp to do some American standards from Broadway.He has a deep voice, and has a rakish and debonair air about him well suited to a favorite number from Guys and Dolls, “I’ll Know” and Loesser’s “Once in Love with Amy.” From South Pacific, he sang “This Nearly Was Mine”.Guneralp, too, goes beyond merely mastering the song; he moves, he chuckles, he winks and instantly creates a vivid character to put across these songs.Together, he and Lisovskaya are the perfect duo.Perfect interpretation and emotional impact as if they ARE the characters they sing.

Boris Fogel is a master accompanist whose forte is Russian film and show music.He was constantly in control, but not dominating, and had a wonderful smile for the artists as they finished each piece.He took little acclaim for himself, but this reviewer appreciates what an important role is the accompanist; he can make or break the magic his solo partners weave.He did one piano solo, a potpourri of Russian music by Kalman.Lisovskaya remarked “nobody in the world can play these quite like him”.

The last four pieces of the program were by a Russian film composer, I. Dunaevsky.It was a heavily Russian-speaking audience.As I looked around the room I saw several people with their hands clasped in delight and deep smiles on their faces, like they were receiving rare gifts.This is music-making --- it obviously transported the listeners to happy realms.

Encore:Rossini’s “Duet for Two Cats”.They fooled the audience by announcing they were going to do a duet with very difficult lyrics to remember. It turned out the words were simply, “Meow Meow”.But oh what fun with nuance, innuendo, and gesture.After an entire evening of masterful emoting in every human situation portrayed, this was a crowning piece of fun, and took us by surprise.

It was a very successful evening of artistry, highlighting the smaller-scale song formats, as compared to grand opera with all its high intrigue, murder, and mayhem.A twenty-faceted dessert platter, as compared to a heavy, cloying brownie in three acts.

home : community/arts : community July 16, 2009 7/5/2009 6:01:00 AM  Email this article • Print this article  Bringing opera into the new millennium Chelsea Whyte When you think of opera, the word modern doesn't usually follow. Bülent Güneralp, a Turkish singer living in Somerville, is changing the way we think about this centuries-old art form. Güneralp is anything but a stereotypical opera singer. Instead of the classic caricature of a rotund performer draped in velvet, he's a soft-spoken man, small in stature and simple in his habits. He admits to living a focused life, almost monastic in nature, though it's easy to forget his quiet manner when he opens his mouth to sing and his baritone voice fills the room. His foundation in music started with his mother, an opera singer in Turkey, who first introduced him to singing. After studying opera at the Istanbul Conservatory for 8 years, he met conductor William Thomas and came to Boston in 1998 to study at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, and eventually at the Boston Conservatory where he graduated in 2003. Since then he has lived in several Boston-area towns, but he has been in Somerville for the last 4 years and says "Somerville's one of the best places I've lived." In addition to singing, Güneralp studied percussion and played in the Istanbul City Theater Orchestra for 2 years, and with a rock band in Istanbul. He isn't merely an opera singer, but a well-rounded musician. He has performed Broadway pieces, jazz solos, spirituals, and even contemporary pop songs, which he says inform his interpretation of even the most classical roles in opera. This approach to opera may be what draws crowds who aren't as familiar with the genre. Alongside many young opera singers in Somerville, Güneralp brings a new interpretation to even the most classic repertoire. He says this has resulted in many opera singers having bigger followings in the past few years. According to Güneralp, "There is a growing young population who appreciate opera." This may account for his recent success, including performances with the Boston Opera Collaborative, Enterprise Opera in Rhode Island, La Scena Concert Duo, and Musica Anatolia International Contemporary Music Ensemble. Güneralp has also performed contemporary opera, most recently in The Prioress's Tale, a re-imagination of Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, with themes relevant to today's audiences. Güneralp cites this opera's message of "peace and overcoming differences to find mutual understanding" as his own political philosophy, and says "organizations committed to promoting tolerance are drawn to this opera." Opera in the new millennium, even opera based on a 14th century tale, can be relevant to today's society and bring communities together for a cause. Güneralp loves the diversity in Somerville and sees a trend toward people from many backgrounds coming to shows. "Opera is appreciated more and more by people from so many different areas of life," he says. Because of its comprehensive nature, opera can draw a crowd with many interests, including singing, dancing, and acting. Güneralp sees this as one of opera's main draws, saying that "in certain periods in the past, people seemed to be losing interest in opera, but I think the general situation is much better now, and there is a growing interest in opera." This opera singer, who says his favorite music ranges from that of the heavy metal 80s band Cacophony to jazz pianist Chick Corea, shows that opera singers may not be what you think, and his audiences are surprisingly diverse as well. Opera has evolved, and Bülent Güneralp is evolving along with it to reach new audiences. His bass-baritone voice will next be showcased in the Boston Opera Collaborative production of Georges Bizet's Carmen, playing July 17-19 and 24-26 at the Bulger Performing Arts Center at Boston College High School. For more details on Bülent and his upcoming performances visit www.bulentguneralp.com.

They sing in the aisles. They milk every humorous line for laughs. And they perform where a suburban audience can easily reach them. Since its founding in 2006, Opera del West performers have done all they can to make the world's great operas fun and accessible for area residents. But now this upstart troupe has a new trick for luring both diehard opera fans and the opera-wary: the choose-your-size performance.

For those who want to savor every last note of Rossini's Cinderella opera, "La Cenerentola," a cast of 14 will perform the full two-hour production tomorrow at 8 p.m. For those who prefer a quicker-paced show, the same cast will perform a one-hour version at a Sunday matinee. Both will be fully staged, both will have projected supertitles in English, and the Sunday show will add an English narrator so those who don't read can keep up, too. And both will take place at the Center for Arts in Natick, where free parking is ample.

"We're always looking for ways to expand our audience, and the Sunday show should be fun for people of all different ages, adults and kids, who want to try out an opera but are nervous about sitting through one for two hours," said Opera del West cofounder Eve Budnick. "There's also an older population of opera fans that may not feel comfortable driving at night, so the Sunday show makes attending easier for them, too."

To make the effort work, Budnick, of Wayland, and cofounder Rebecca Grimes of Northborough knew they needed a work with broad appeal. Rossini's take on Cinderella seemed to fit like - well, like that glass slipper.

"What's wonderful about this opera is that it's the combination of a fairy tale that most people know with this incredible music by Rossini," said Budnick. "It's also just such a fun and funny piece."

Opera del West seems to have a knack for tailoring productions to varied audiences. The troupe's Natick debut concert in August 2006 drew so many local opera fans that the line for tickets snaked out the door. And its original children's piece, "Once Upon an Opera," was so popular last year that the troupe was prompted to deliver an encore performance and is working on a sequel.

"People are often impressed with how funny our shows are," said Budnick. "People have come up to me afterward, who have never seen an opera before, and said they didn't realize it would be this much fun."

Opera del West's success when it comes to exciting kids about the likes of Mozart and Strauss can be traced to a respectful approach. The music is never dumbed down; rather, appropriate pieces are chosen, and no one is left confused. A narrator always guides the youngest audience members gently through the story lines, and much is sung in English.

His opera is built on reconciling keys and cultures

Delvyn Case reworked "The Prioress's Tale" as    an opera.