Taminophile goes on about Andrew Garland!

FEB 17 Do not eat that which rips your heart with joy Barihunk Andrew Garland is a fine singer, mighty fine to look at, and also has a fine new CD, released quite recently. This handsome young lad has won hearts with his singing, acting, intelligent musicianship, and good looks on opera and concert stages all over this country. This quote from his web site tells it all: Garland is best known for his highly communicative style of singing. Equally at home in opera, concert and recital, he brings to each genre a powerful voice and extremely sensitive delivery. On Mr. Garland’s presentation of Lee Hoiby’s I Was There, the composer commented: “I have performed these same songs with several professional baritones of stature, and none has brought more depth of musical understanding than did Andrew Garland. Quite apart from the special beauty of his voice is his distinctive feeling for the musical line. He pulls the listener irresistibly into the music. In my judgment, he is a rare talent, and I expect him to enjoy an important career.” Mr. Garland's intelligent singing is evident everywhere on this CD, in songs by current American composers Jake Heggie, Lori Laitman, Stephen Paulus and Tom Cipullo. I found great fun in some of these songs. Ms. Laitman's set of four settings of poems by Thomas Lux, Men With Small Heads, gives us a view of the wonder and mystery of childhood. Relishing the optical illusion created when looking at people at a distance juxtaposed to your own hand very close ("Men With Small Heads"), or wondering what in the world those exotic looking, impossibly red maraschino cherries were doing in a refrigerator full of a perfectly boring food ("Refrigerator 1957", whence comes the title of this post), Mr. Garland created a picture with his voice and his skillful interpretation of the lyrics, just as Ms. Laitman's musical style for these proved wonderfully illustrative of either a child's attention span or his wonder or his fear. I heard Jake Heggie's wonderful writing in the CD by Talise Trevigne of which I wrote so fondly last year. He does not disappoint with his settings of Vachel Lindsay poems entitled The Moon is a Mirror. All the songs are about different impressions of the moon--a miner, a child, an old horse. In "The Strength of the Lonely (What the Mendicant Said)", the moon is compared to monks, "...who all life’s flames defy", and having given up the world, in the end leave "...only the arching blue" behind. In "What the Forrester Said" the moon stands watch over children as an ever-present, unwavering candle flame, "Grandmothers guarding trundle beds/Good shepherds guarding sheep." This song in particular has a lyric, lullaby-like feel to it, which Mr. Garland brings out lovingly. Of course I can't write about every song, but suffice it to say Mr. Garland sings them all with the same intelligence and beauty as in the few I describe. This CD belongs in the players and iTunes playlists of anyone who loves fin singing; new music, particularly songwriting; or handsome ginger singers. After all, everyone knows us redheads are the best singers!

Operaobsessions rave for Castronovo

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2013 Nostalgia with grit: Charles Castronovo's Neapolitan Songs Even the cover art of Charles Castronovo's "Dolce Napoli" album sets it apart from the sun-flooded, pizza parlor kitsch that threatens to swamp such undertakings. If there is nostalgia here, it is anchored in historical specificity, and in performance, Castronovo honors the songs as living artifacts, rather than treating them like so many aural postcards. He is aided by Sweet Nectar, a band whose members' sensibilities are, like Castronovo's, influenced both by classical training and an upbringing shaped by the experience and music of family immigration. Alongside a few standards (Malafemmena, Core 'ngrato, Santa Lucia) are many less familiar songs, and Castronovo and Sweet Nectar prove adept at drawing out the emotional specificity in pieces relying on a limited number of tropes. As Castronovo observes in his liner notes (both informative and charming) the text of the songs is often ironically undercut by their melodies. The bemoaning of one's own suffering or the imploring of an unresponsive lover can be cheerfully mocked by accordion and guitar. Castronovo is attentive to these nuances, coloring his voice and the text accordingly. For me, this not only makes the disc a more interesting listen than it might have been, but pleasingly complicates the recurrent image of the Cruel Woman. An interesting, if indirect, commentary on this image is found in Glen Roven's translation of "Malafemmena," which replaces the apostrophe "Femmena" variously with "Salome," "sorceress," etc. Roven translates (freely) several of the songs; the stated objective is to make them more accessible, revisiting the common practice of the mid-century when the genre enjoyed a renewed vogue. To me, though, the disc's main attraction is Castronovo's distinctive voice, sweet, but also with a darkness belied by his boyish good looks. If interested in obtaining the CD for yourself, a friend, a lover, or your sweet Italian landlady (mine's getting one,) "Dolce Napoli" is available here and here.

The most amazing Review for Pat

Patricia Racette: Diva on Detour The world-renowned opera singer upends all expectations in her sizzling cabaret show at 54 Below. By Brian Scott Lipton Google+ Profile for Brian Scott Lipton • Jan 30, 2013 • New York City Patricia Racette will return to 54 Below this March. Patricia Racette will return to 54 Below this March. © Courtesy of 54 Below On paper, the idea of a world-famous opera singer taking to the stage at the intimate 54 Below to perform musical theater and jazz standards might seem like the thoughts of a woman flirting with madness. But even if Patricia Racette has portrayed a few of grand opera's looniest ladies, her decision to present Diva on Detour (based on her just-released album of the same name) isn't just an act of sanity, it's a demonstration of artistic brilliance. Racette is far from your stereotypical opera diva. In fact, there wasn't really a high C to be heard as she showed off a gorgeously modulated chest voice with an impressive belt – one that made you wonder why she even bothered to a use a microphone. More importantly, she's deeply funny (even a bit bawdy) and down-to-earth, treating the audience at 54 Below like old friends hanging out in her Santa Fe living room. (Then again, many people in her opening night crowd appeared to actually be her friends.) And her impersonation of her raspy-voiced Italian mother Jackie, who clearly disapproved of her daughter's career choice, was just as uproarious as Judy Gold or Jackie Hoffman's portrayals of the women who raised them. Racette's gift for acting was even more evident in her interpretation of lyrics, as she dug into the heart of her selections. Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin's "The Man Who Got Away," Matt Dennis and Earl Brent's jazzy "Angel Eyes," and, most especially, Murray Grand and Elisse Boyd's "Guess Who I Saw Today," paired with Alan and Marilyn Bergman and Johnny Mandel's "Where Do You Start" were practically one-act plays about love, loss and heartbreak that practically brought me to tears. While the show was full of ballads, Racette wisely lightened the mood here and there, with aptly humorous takes on Stephen Sondheim's "I'm Calm" and Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart's "To Keep My Love Alive." (She even opted to perform the "happy" version of Sondheim's "Not a Day Goes By" as her encore.) And even when I expected to be dazzled by a traditional soprano, such as when Racette tackled Cole Porter's fiery "So in Love," she defied expectations by sticking to her strong, sure lower register. She was also willing to take some well-known songs in unexpected directions: another Rodgers & Hart standard, "Where or When," was done with a light jazz-inspired lilt, while her pianist, Craig Terry, underscored Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer's "Come Rain or Come Shine" with an inspired touch of Bach. Throughout the evening, it was clear that Racette was happy to have "detoured" from her usual repertoire. And cabaret goers will be just as happy if they momentarily take a turn from their tried-and-true "divas" to experience this extraordinary singer. http://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/reviews/01-2013/patricia-racette-diva-on-detour_64251.html

SF review of DIVA ON DETOUR

Who Is This Sensational New French Chanteuse? 33 2 0 6 0 COMMENTS By Janos Gereben Ooh La La! Photo by Lisa Cuscuna The answer is easy here because you see the photo, but if you received an unidentified MP3 from the album, you'd say Piaf or Cotillard. Shockingly, a world-famous mezzo and friend of Patricia Racette since her far-away Merola days said, apparently frustrated, "I don't have a clue!" Patricia Racette: Diva on Detour, soon to be released, but already available for preorder, is both obvious and a big surprise. It reveals the soprano in all her vocal splendor, but in a repertoire wholly different from how we know her. And, while she sings French chansons, Broadway hits, and cabaret standards, there is none of the awkwardness, the inappropriate sound of "stars of opera sing musicals," à la the 1998 West Side Story (Te Kanawa! Carreras! Troyanos! Horne!). Harold Arlen, George and Ira Gershwin, Johnny Mercer, Richard Rodgers, Cole Porter, Stephen Sondheim, and others get regal, but unpretentious treatment in Diva on Detour. Produced by Glen Roven, with Craig Terry's occasional overloud piano accompaniment, this live recording places a defining Cio-Cio-San, Kát'a, Violetta, Jenufa, Emmeline for our times in a cabaret environment where she sings as if she never stopped perching on a barstool in a smoke-filled room. It's not completely unexpected; an early stage of her career is clearly at play here for this alumna of the University of North Texas, where Racette originally enrolled to study jazz. The result is well described in Bill Madison's blog: [This is] a CD that exuberantly proclaims Racette’s mastery of an altogether different idiom. While she brings to bear certain assets of concert singing — particularly extended range and breath control that permits her to hold notes far longer than the average chantoozy — she gives herself over freely to the demands of the art form, exploiting a gutsy chest voice, alert attention to rhythm, and expressive devotion to language. She manages Billie Holiday’s trademark, singing on consonants, and she belts as if she was born to do nothing else. Looking over the playlist of pop standards, almost all of which are associated with legendary stars of the past, you admire not only Racette’s good taste but also her courage. How the hell does any "diva on detour" open her act with a medley of Judy Garland numbers? Well, it takes her about less than two bars to dispel any doubts you may have, and once she’s got you in her grasp, she’s not letting you go. Even in a set of Piaf numbers, she catches exactly the right style. She doesn’t imitate so much as invoke the Little Sparrow’s gargles and growls, her moans and roar, not to mention her flawless French diction. The only time she isn’t completely convincing is, paradoxically, a rendition of "La Vie en rose" delivered in what we will call her Opera Voice: though you can’t deny her emotional connection, the song becomes altogether too plummy. It’s nowhere near as bad as Renata Scotto’s legendary "Over the Rainbow," but nevertheless it’s a mistake she won’t make twice in the course of this album.

First Great Amazon Review for Racette

Crossover: Some Can, Same Can't - Patricia Racette Can and DOES!, January 14, 2013 This review is from: Diva on Detour (MP3 Music) Established as one of the most frequently cast sopranos on the opera stages today, Patricia Racette is not only beautiful to see but her soprano is rich and full and dramatic and she is as versatile as anyone on the stage today. Now she pushes the boundaries even further with this live recording in April 2012 of a series of cabaret songs with pianist Craig Terry. Many opera stars attempt crossover albums with varying results, at times breaking into operatic soaring when crooning is more in sync with the songs. Patricia Racette knows how to belt the big songs, croon the love songs, beguile her listeners with the standards and in general provide some insights to songs we all thought we knew so well. She sensitively places a number of these songs in medleys, beginning with combining "I Got Rhythm with `Get Happy'. She then moves into the mood with `Here's that Rainy Day', `Not a care in the world', `Angel Eyes' and `I'm Calm'. And as is typical of Racette's respect for tradition and artists of the past she devotes a medley to the music of Edith Piaf - `Milord', `Padam-Padam', and `La Vie en rose.' She knows how to belt (` The Man That Got Away', `To Keep My Love Alive', `Come Rain or Come Shine' and `Where or When'. The remainder of the songs on the album include `You've Changed', `Guess Who I Saw Today', `Where Do You Start?', `So In Love', `Mon Dieu' and ` Not a day goes by.' Each one is a zinger. She has the role down pat and will be recognized from now on as a singer who can communicate on any level with any audience. This is a sensational release! Grady Harp, January 13

Another rave for Castronovo

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful 5.0 out of 5 stars Finding the Heart and Soul of Neapolitan Songs, December 13, 2012 By Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (TOP 50 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME) This review is from: Charles Castronovo: Dolce Napoli: The Neapolitan Songs (Audio CD) Ah, Napoli! How many areas have produced so many heartfelt folk songs as this region of Italy? Once the prevue of popular singers Vic Damone, Dean Martin, and Mario Lanza these passionate songs have been embraced by opera singers for some time now but few can deliver them with the honest beauty as American tenor Charles Castronovo does on this immensely successful collection. And in addition to his perfectly shaped and sensitive tenor voice he adds the soul of these ballads - in both the original Italian and in new, excellent translations by the gifted composer/all around musician Glen Roven. The warm yet sophisticated arrangements maintain the Neapolitan spirit while introducing the English text, making this music both enjoyable and accessible to those experiencing them for the first time. These are the folk songs, music hall songs, and pop songs of ages ranging from the 1830s through the mid-20th century. They sing of the same topics as nearly any songs-love won, love lost, jealousy, and even the occasional song that is not about love! In the manner in which these songs are presented they retain their Neopolitan spirit but now become international favorites, thanks to the collaboration of Castronovo and Glen Roven. And to make sure that nothing is lost in the sense of heart on the sleeve, the accompaniment is provided by Sweet Nectar five young musicians who play the instruments meant for Neapolitan music - accordion, guitar, mandolin, percussion and bass. Having had the pleasure of seeing and hearing the handsome young Castronovo at the LA Opera production of `Il Postino' where he share the stage with Placido Domingo, it is even more a pleasure to see that this very fine operatic tenor can enter this avenue of music so comfortably. Castronovo was born to a Sicilian father and an Ecuadorian mother in Queens, New York but grew up in Southern California. He attended California State University, Fullerton for undergraduate studies in classical voice. He began his professional career as a resident artist with the Los Angeles Opera, as a participant in San Francisco Opera's prestigious Merola opera program, and later joined the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. Now he has performed major roles at the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera Covent Garden, Staatsoper Berlin, Vienna State Opera, San Francisco Opera, Salzburg Festival and Santa Fe Opera. He is clearly on the move. On this CD Castronovo celebrates his bloodlines with his album of Neapolitan Songs. Accompanied by Sweet Nectar, Castronovo performs some of the best known and most beloved Canzone Napoletana including, Maria Mari, Santa Lucia, Malafemmena, Catari, Scetate, Come Faccette Mammetta: some of the songs are also sung in new English translations by Glen Roven. That's what makes this album with Charles Castronovo so special. He captures the perfect spirit of Naples in English and Italian, introducing these songs to new audiences in the same manner as the great Italian-American singers of the last generation but with a beautiful operatic voice that does them justice. This album is a complete success and only serves to whet our appetites for more. Grady Harp, December 12

Castronovo's first review from Taminophile

http://www.taminophile.com/2012/11/napoli-napoli-napoli.html THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2012 Napoli, Napoli, Napoli! Through the generosity of GPR Records I have once again been afforded the opportunity to preview a CD before its release. This time it is a delightful recording by handsome rising tenor Charles Castronovo, entitled Dolce Napoli: The Neapolitan Songs. Courtesy GPR Records In recent years Mr. Castronovo has risen from obscurity to the ranks of singers at the very best opera houses in the world, including the Metropolitan Opera, Berlin State Opera, Bavarian State Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, and more. It's no surprise with his beautiful singing and good looks. I will freely admit that Neapolitan songs are not my area of expertise, but I can say without hesitation that young Charlie, as he insists in the liner notes we call him, sings these songs with consistently beautiful tone and deep feeling. It is clear songs like these are part of his upbringing, and that he loves the genre and the culture. What is a Neapolitan song, ask the liner notes by Charlie himself. Although he references a mid-19th century song contest, one could easily imagine some of these songs predate that time. These are the folk songs, music hall songs, pop songs of ages ranging from the 1830s through the mid-20th century. They sing of the same topics as nearly any songs--love won, love lost, jealousy, and even the occasional song that is not about love! Neapolitan songs have been recorded from the early days by tenors like Enrico Caruso, Beniamino Gigli, and Tito Schipa, and have become popular to many for their universally understood stories and their beauty. This CD includes 20 songs with a wide range of character. I can't describe them all, of course, but will gladly discuss a few favorites. The most familiar tune on the CD is Santa Lucia, the well known song to, as you might guess, Santa Lucia, sung by the fishermen who enjoyed her patronage. Malfemmena, about the two sides of love, passion and pain. The notes state this is among the most recent of the songs, written in 1951, and was instantly made into a hit by Neapolitan singer Totó. U Sciccareddu is a song of love, dedicated to the poet's donkey! A bonus track, the only Sicilian song on the CD, this song highlights the Sicilian talent for irony, making a sad song lively and a happy song sound sad. Io, ‘na chitarra e ‘a luna! is one of several songs that features English verses by recording producer Glen Roven. The poet sings of how lovely and complete his life is with moonlight and his guitar, and maybe a love, should the heavens send him one. O surdato ‘nnammurato is a lively song that describes a WWI soldier away from his love, thankful that she thinks of him alone. Charlie relates this to his own grandfather, who was a prisoner of war in WWII. This is a beautiful CD. I've had it on random repeat play for hours at a time recently while working at home, and never tired of it. I would recommend it for afficionados of Neapolitan songs and lovers of good singing. Don't miss Charlie's shows featuring these songs at 54 Below on Dec. 1, Dec 6, and Dec 8. I'll be at the Dec. 6 show! (Because, well, Dec. 8 is your intrepid reporter's birthday.) Click here.