By Robert Croan
For the final concerts of his five-year tenure as Symphony of the Americas’ artistic and music director, Pablo Mielgo conducted the music of his native Spain: more specifically, extracts from zarzuelas — that country’s counterpart to the Viennese operetta and the Broadway musical. The concerts in Broward Center’s Amaturo Theater [seen April 20] offered a rare opportunity to hear some ingratiating music that has been mostly neglected outside Spanish-speaking countries.
While Spain has no opera tradition of its own, zarzuelas (musical theater with spoken dialogue in between the songs and vocal ensembles) date as far back as the Baroque era. Most of the surviving repertory, however, dates from the first half of the 20th century, in a musical style akin to, say, Franz Lehar’s The Merry Widow or Jerome Kern’s Show Boat, but with a Spanish flavor that is quite unique.
With two vocal soloists well-schooled in the style — Cuban soprano Eglise Gutierrez and Uruguayan tenor Martín Nusspaumer — Mielgo led SOTA in crisp, enthusiastic performances of a cross-section of the zarzuela repertory. The crippling flaw, however, was the lack of texts or translations or synopses, in the printed program or elsewhere, so that non-Spanish speaking members of the audiences could not know what the singers were singing about.
There were projections on the back of the stage, for example, which might have been used for surtitles; or, the maestro himself, who spoke prolifically to the audience between numbers, could have given brief introductory summaries. As it was, the exaggerated histrionics by the soloists too often resembled a Marx Brothers sendoff on grand opera.
That said, it was nonetheless a very pleasant Easter Sunday afternoon. The music itself was consistently delightful, and the orchestra played with professionalism and high spirits. This was notable in the instrumental selections: the prelude from Tomás Bretón’s La Verbena de la Paloma, an intermezzo from Reveriano Soutullo’s La leyenda del beso, and the preludes to Ruperto Chapi’s La revoltosa and Tambor de granaderos.
The vocal music was the most fun, with almost every piece dominated by the rhythm of one Spanish dance or another. On each half of the program, each soloist sang two arias, then joined for a duet to conclude that half.
Gutierrez’s voice was not in prime shape. Her middle range was weak and muffled, and her diction was mushy and mostly unintelligible. The voiced bloomed, however, in the upper register. High notes soared mightily and coloratura fireworks including some glittering staccati were striking and exciting. Moreover, this singer exudes personality, captivating her audience with attention to detail and coloration. Highlights included a cheery bout with the principal flute (Nicole Granroth) in a piece from a Barber of Seville setting by Gerónimo Giménez, and a warmly vocalized Romanza from a Cuban zarzuela by Ernesto Lecuona, Maria la O. There were also two extracts from Federico Moreno Torroba’s once-popular Luisa Fernanda, a rare choice for a Florida Grand Opera production in 2011.
Nusspaumer’s strong tenor was an asset throughout the show. His ringing high notes and his ability to soften them elsewhere for expressive effect were an asset in each of his numbers. Most impressive was an aria from Pablo Sorozabal’s La Tabernera del Puerto, but his delivery of arias from Amadeo Vives’s Doña Francisquita and José Serrano’s La Dolorosa were also exhilarating for his lyrical legato lines and the sheer energy of the climactic moments.
The closing duet, from Manuel Penella’s El gato Montés, was particularly engaging. Again, it’s too bad we didn’t know what they’re all about, because the two vocalists seemed to be having great fun, along with a personal rapport with each other — and with the conductor and concertmaster — that stayed with the audience beyond the conclusion of the music itself.