Friday
Oct 28, 2005
SGN.org
Volume 33
Issue 43
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Tuesday, Dec 02, 2008
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Terrific New Soprano and Extraordinary Music at St. Mark's |
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| Terrific New Soprano and Extraordinary Music at St. Mark's | ||
| By Rod Parke
- SGN A&E Writer
More than a review, I would like this to be an alert to the GLBT community: watch out for soprano Patricia Rozario and for Cappella Romana! Few of us could be familiar with Rozario, for she has never sung in these parts before. I am ashamed, however, to be so late in proclaiming the glories of Cappella Romana, for this Portland group is not new to Seattle audiences, only to me. If you have experienced the San Francisco, mostly Gay, group called Chanticleer (absent from Seattle too long), then you know the kind of a cappella excellence that we heard at St. Mark's last Sunday evening. But the music of the two groups is very different. Cappella Romana, put very broadly, specializes in very early music and in modern music that sounds rather like very early music. The current program, called "Women in Byzantium," featured ninth-century chants by a woman Byzantine composer Kassia, as well as another early woman composer, the daughter of Ioannes Kladas (also a composer, but from the 14th century). Her piece, "The Memory of the Righteous shall be Everlasting. Alleluia," preceded the last piece of the evening: from the late 20th century, "The Troparion of Kassiane," by Christos Hatzis (b. 1953). The early pieces indeed went very well with the modern. Some of the harmonies were similar, especially in the prominent use of the interval of the second and other somewhat dissonant combinations. The most complex (and dissonant) work was the Hatzis, premiered by Patricia Rozario in 2004. I found it exhilarating and full of exciting ideas and sounds. The simplest music, aside from a couple chants, was the "Lament of the Mother of God" by Sir John Tavener (b. 1944). A beautiful, rather simple, vocal line began in the soprano's lower range and was gradually repeated many times, each time higher until the high notes were increasingly intense. In both works, Rozario blew me away with the lush beauty of her voice, the complete mastery of technique, and the artistry with which she used her instrument. Her voice was creamy smooth in all registers, with never a hint of strain. No wonder she is the soprano of choice for composer Sir John Tavener. Listed as a coloratura, she nonetheless had real power in the lower register, which the music asked her to use often. I was told Seattle Opera was taking a look at her during this visit. How I would love to hear her as Aida or Leonora in 'Il Trovatore'! In spite of the cathedral acoustics, so right for the music on this program, I could hear most of Rozario's words. Born in Bombay, she was raised in London. A striking woman, she showed dramatic intensity without exaggeration. She has concentrated more on concerts than opera in recent years. Let's hope she'll return to the stage. I am grateful to Cappella Romana for bringing this vocal treasure to Seattle, and for introducing me to early Byzantine music that I found immediately intoxicating. This group has several cd's available, some of which I hope to review in the near future. Their website is www.cappellaromana.org. Remaining Seattle concerts this season are on January 13th and May 13th, each at Holy Rosary Church in West Seattle. (Each of these is preceded by a concert the night before in Portland, OR.) Tickets are available at 206 632-8499 or 1-800-992-8499. Reviewer Rod Parke is can be reached by e-mail at: rmp62@columbia.edu |
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