Competition Spy - the Art Song Competition
Tenor Chaoran Zuo performed three diverese songs by G. Puccini. The artist presented a well through interpretation. The witty Sole e amore was offered with humor, in Terra e mare he led a lyrical phrase, and in Mentia l'avviso his singing was more dramatic. The performance was graceful, but in some places the voice sounded harsh and could have used more legato needed to lead a truly Puccinian phrase.
In the song category Katarzyna Belkius showed much more expression than in the second round. Perhaps she was tired competition marathon, as her voice was less sonorous. R. Strauss's songs were a good choice for her bright sounding soprano, however more legato to lead broader phrases and more dynamic differences would have helped her to better draw the attention of the audience.
It was nice to hear the song about crickets performed by soprano Aleksandra Borkiewicz again. She perfectly interpreted the entire cycle of T. Cipullo entitled Late Summer, although the poems to which it was composed do not belong to the simple ones. She sang intelligently, with great sensitivity to both music and the sense of words. At the piano, she was accompanied by Tetyana Dranchuk. Together they built the dramatic tension of the cycle.
A great duo was created by Hongyu Chen baritone and pianist Tomasz Domański. In their performance of Vier Lieder op.27 by R. Strauss, they showed a great sense of time and dynamics in music. Sometimes in more dramatic passages, the voice of the singer did not quite break through the dense texture of the piano. Hongyu Chen magnificently emphasized the text with the sound of the voice, the word "zitter" was really shaky and the word "wild" was wild. Tomasz Domański played the introduction to the last song Morgen beautifully. The singer picked up the suspense from his partner and kept it to the very end of the performance.
Soprano Paulina Gocałek gracefully performed Quatre Chansons de jeunesse by C. Debussy. Her voice sounded nice, but there was a lack of diversity, needed to paint all the colors contained in French poetry. You can see that the artist has a high sensitivity, which will help her deepen the interpretation with time.
Soprano Paulina Horajska had a well-chosen repertoire and used it to show her best side. She performed Five Kid Songs by L. Bernstein, acting the child's authentic expression and naivety. The artist made eye contact with the viewers, reaching out to them with her interpretation, which resulted in a salvo of laughter in the audience after the song A big Indian and a little Indian. I'm a person too was sung so innocent that it became really touching.
Beautiful phrasing which Łukasz Karauda showed in the second stage of the competition, he used again when performing Dichterliebe by R. Schumann. He started with great commitment. His baritone sounded especially beautiful in Ich grolle nicht. The last song was performed by the artist with an expression not only in the voice, but also in the body, leaning against the piano and bowing his arms as if in genuine pain.
In both stages of the competition, the baritone Jakub Łęczycki showed that he has stage personality. Unfortunately, R. Strauss's selected songs were not a good repertoire choice. To perform them convincingly, more technical efficiency is required. Charisma alone will not do all the work.
Maria Malinowska took care of every detail of the performance. To sing Pieśni kurpiowskie by K. Szymanowski, she put on a dress with a motif associated with the Kurpian lace, typical for the Kurpie region in Poland. Her voice sounded nice as she sung almost non vibrato sounds. She performed with commitment, but it could have been more engaging if she consequently planned the dynamic differences on larger fragments of the song.
By introducing Aleksander Chodecki Ukrainian baritone Danylo Matviienko showed the importance of the pianist in performing art songs. They performed Deux mélodies hébraïques by M Ravel. Kaddish is a song with a simple structure, based on a melismatic melody accompanied by simple chords. In order for the beautiful melody of this prayer to become overwhelming, the singer who performs it must fill it with emotion. Although Mr Matviienko's voice is appealing, there was not enough suspense in his interpretation.
Anna Parysz together with pianist Paweł Sommer, performed Trois Poèmes de Louise Lalanne by F. Puolenc. The whole performance was very nice, although in the first two songs, short and energetic, the voice of the soloist was sometimes covered by the piano. In the song Hier the duo found their balance in a common subtle sound.
Michał Rudziński was the next singer of the day who introduced the pianist performing with him. Together with Tetyana Dranchuk, they performed the cycle Pożegnania by H. Czyż. Great accompaniment and singing in native language made it easier for the soloist to interpret the songs. Just like during the auditions of the previous day, I got the impression that the artist will be able to fully show his potential as his voice matures.
Graceful soprano Sarah Shine, appearing with pianist Manfred Schiebel, presented selected songs by S. Rachmaninoff. Manfred Schiebel perfectly adapted the dynamics of his play to the voice of the soloist. Ms Shine sung the songs of the Russian composer sweet and gentle. She has a very good presence on the stage and every gesture is subordinated to the word.
Barbara Zamek
photos Piotr Droździk