{"id":54672,"date":"2018-06-06T11:10:33","date_gmt":"2018-06-06T15:10:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/montreal\/?p=54672"},"modified":"2018-06-06T11:10:33","modified_gmt":"2018-06-06T15:10:33","slug":"cmim-2018-six-singers-move-aria-finals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/montreal\/2018\/06\/06\/cmim-2018-six-singers-move-aria-finals\/","title":{"rendered":"CMIM 2018 | Six Singers Move On To Aria Finals"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Les
Les six finalistes du volet aria du CMIM. (Cr\u00e9dit: Tam Lan Truong)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For opera fans following the CMIM Competitions, crunch time is fast approaching! Tonight, six candidates gave their all. These hopefuls, together with the six who strutted their stuff last evening, were competing for a coveted spot on the Aria Finals.<\/p>\n

Each contestant sang approximately twenty minutes, usually three arias, depending on length. The first to sing was Korean tenor Konstantin Lee<\/strong>, who contributed \u201cSpirto gentil\u201d from La favorita, \u201cChe gelida manina\u201d from La boheme, and \u201cPourquoi me reveiller\u201d from Werther. Diminutive in size except when it comes to his voice, complete with the requisite \u201cmoney notes,\u201d those Bs, Cs and beyond needed for a great career. Tonight, he had his top guns blazing. He opened with the Donizetti, singing with a robust, Italianate sound, showing off his high register. Short and sweet, \u201cSpirto gentil\u201d was a nice warm-up for him, followed by a well sung \u201cChe gelida manina,\u201d with a high C that wasn\u2019t the richest but true. To my ears, his best work of the evening was the Werther aria. His voice, while engaging, has a slightly pushed quality to its delivery; his expressions, while vivid and engaging, tend to be rather generalized. That said, as a last- minute replacement due to a withdrawal, he did exceedingly well.<\/p>\n

Next up was Czech tenor Petr Nekoranec<\/strong>. A high tenor in the Juan Diego Florez mode, his singing in \u201cUn aura amorosa\u201d from Cosi was a complete delight. The sound is sweet, ringing, bright, clear, even up and down the scale, with a tinge of nasality. There is a fast vibrato, but well calibrated and not in the least obtrusive. This was followed by the other aria from La fille du regiment. He had sung the one with the 9 high Cs brilliantly in the First Round. Now he offered \u201cPour me rapprocher de Marie, je m\u2019enrolai,\u201d every bit as thrillingly sung. He finished with \u201cSi, ritorvarla io giuro\u201d from La cenerentola. His singing here was brilliant, with every last one of the dizzying roulades in place. This is a tenor to watch.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"John
John Brancy. (Cr\u00e9dit: Tam Lan Truon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

American baritone John Brancy<\/strong> is one of two singers doing double-duty in CMIM. He already made it to the finals of the Song division. Tonight, he opened with \u201cEs ist genug\u201d from Mendelssohn\u2019s oratorio Elijah. To my ears, his warm, expressive baritone is at its best in this repertoire, in the more cantabile and reflective pieces, and he has chosen wisely this evening. It was followed by Onegin\u2019s short Act 3 aria, sung with ringing tone and dramatic urgency. Billy Budd\u2019s monologue was next, an internalized, evocative and atmospheric piece. I don\u2019t know if Brancy has sung this onstage, but he is a natural Billy, given his heart-felt expression and plaintive tone. He concluded with the drinking song from Thomas\u2019s Hamlet, with the requisite vocal and dramatic swagger.<\/p>\n

Canadian mezzo Rihab Chaieb<\/strong> sang \u201cO rest in the Lord\u201d from Elijah with refulgent tone and a dark-hued mezzo. Her instrument has developed by leaps and bounds since her time at the COC Ensemble, with greater solidity at both ends of her range. Her Composer\u2019s Aria from Ariadne auf Naxos was lovely, offering all the ecstasy and expressiveness one would want, albeit a tiny bit of pushing at the top notwithstanding. Her best work of the evening was Charlotte\u2019s passionate outcry, \u201cWerther! Qui m\u2019aurait dit la place.\u201d It was intense, deeply moving, and heart-breaking, a highlight of this competition and arguably the best I have heard from this excellent mezzo.<\/p>\n

She was followed by Korean tenor Mario Bahg<\/strong>, who changed the order of presentation of the arias in the program. He started with \u201cJe crois entendre encore\u201d from Pearl Fishers, with the recitative added on. His lyric tenor is warm and engaging, with refined technique and control. His Bizet was sung with beautiful tone, including the interpolated high ending in a honeyed falsetto. Some would say it was more of a voix mixte \u2013 arguably more desirable \u2013 you can decide for yourself from the archived live stream. His Federico\u2019s Lament from L\u2019Arlesiana was delivered with gorgeous tone, and he sang the interpolated high B at the end. He final piece was \u201cCujus animam\u201d from Rossini\u2019s Stabat Mater, a technically treacherous piece requiring a brilliant top. Mario Bahg was totally up to the task. He attacked and held onto the final C-sharp thrillingly, but perhaps a tad too long as when he came down, the voice had a slight crack, the only one among all the contestants. No wonder people say singing tenor is a high-wire act! Dramatically, I must say Bahg is of the \u201cstand and sing\u201d variety, with little acting and just the most generalized expression. But when you have a voice as terrific as his, perhaps it\u2019s enough to satisfy the tenor aficionados?<\/p>\n

The last contestant was Russian bass Mikhail Golovushkin<\/strong>, who opened with Gremin\u2019s aria from Onegin. Tall, handsome and distinguished, Golovushkin has the proper gravitas for these bass roles. He sang it beautifully, with a sonorous bass, his acting a bit reserved, rightly so given the character. He followed it with \u201cInfelice! E tuo credevi\u201d from Ernani, which he sang very well. His best work of the evening was as Mefisto in \u201cVous qui faites l\u2019endormie\u201d from Faust. Here he let himself go and gave a series of hall-filling, demonic laughs, which of course the audience thought was very funny, ending the competition on a high note.<\/p>\n

After about a half an hour wait, the jury panel reached its decision. The six finalists \u2013
\nMario Bahg<\/strong>, tenor (South Korea)
\nJohn Brancy<\/strong>, baritone (USA)
\nEmily D\u2019Angelo<\/strong>, mezzo (Canada)
\nMikhail Golovushkin<\/strong> (Russia)
\nAndrew Haji<\/strong>, tenor (Canada)
\nKonstantin Lee<\/strong>, tenor (South Korea)<\/p>\n

Be sure to tune into the Grand Finals on Thursday June 7 at 7:30 p.m., on the Concours website, Youtube channel, or Facebook page.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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