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December 25-31, 2002 music An Evening of Russian RomancesOpera in America is firmly anchored in the Italian repertoire. But there is a world of great musical theater beyond this familiar territory, with some of the richest treasures to be found in the Russian school. Russian vocal music in Philadelphia is personified by Ghenady Meirson, the Russian vocal coach at both AVA and Curtis, and a participant in nearly every major musical event in town involving Slavic vocalism. Every year at AVA he spreads the gospel with "An Evening of Russian Romances," accompanying a parade of young singers from the piano. If Meirson had his way, we would be listening to a lot more Russian singing, which might not be such a terrible thing. This year, the program was exclusively from opera, instead of the mix of songs and arias in past seasons. Tchaikovsky dominated the field, and female voices outnumbered the males. The entire second half was given over to excerpts from Tchaikovsky's best known opera, Eugene Onegin. The four singers were thoughtfully matched, with the arresting, stentorian voice of Cristina Nassif carrying the ardently romantic Tatania, contrasted to her sweet, girlish sister Olga, presented in dulcet tones by Amy Elizabeth Wallace-Styles. None of the singers really conveyed a sense of true Russian diction, which arises from deeper in the throat, and features a looser jaw muscle than anglo speakers are used to. Much of this singing sounded oddly like Russian with a British accent. It is sad enough that American audiences have so few opportunities to hear a complete masterpiece like Eugene Onegin with any regularity, and yet, Tchaikovsky wrote a number of superb works for the musical stage. Several excerpts from Iolanthe suggest an opera of exceptional beauty and dramatic impact. A massive duet for soprano and tenor, rendered with touching ardor by Ailyn Perez and Jeffrey Halili, rang out with echoes of the composer's Fourth Symphony, especially as accompanied by Meirson's exceptionally expressive piano playing. The vocal high points of the evening came not from Tchaikovsky, but via his contemporary Rimsky-Korsakoff. His exotically beautiful "Song of the Indian Merchant" was delivered by Derek Taylor with a dynamism and variety of tonality that belies the old saw that tenors only sing loud. Soprano Eglise Gutierrez sang the dazzling aria "Hymn to the Sun" with a technical self-assurance and emotional maturity that can only be called spectacular. AVA regularly produces singers that are instantly recognizable for that certain star quality. You can try to describe it, but in the presence of the artist, you know it at once. Eglise Gutierrez is the latest; remember the name. --Peter Burwasser "An Evening of Russian Romances," Dec. 17, The Academy of Vocal Arts 
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