Two Ukrainian-born soloists star at Washington National Opera (10/16/05)

Two Ukrainian-born soloists star at Washington National Opera

by Yaro Bihun
Special to The Ukrainian Weekly

WASHINGTON - The Washington National Opera inaugurated its golden anniversary season with a rare treat for Giuseppe Verdi fans, his infrequently performed "I Vespri Siciliani," and an even rarer treat for Ukrainian American opera buffs, two Ukrainian-born soloists in its leading roles: soprano Maria Guleghina as Elena and bass Vitalij Kowaljow as Procida.

And the critics praised the September 17 opening night performance at the Kennedy Center, especially Mr. Kowaljow's role in it.

The Washington Post's leading music critic, Tim Page, and his colleague at the Washington Times, T.L. Ponick, compared Mr. Kowaljow to the renowned bass Samuel Ramey. The Ukrainian singer's "dark, lithe and lustrous bass voice sometimes calls the young Samuel Ramey to mind," wrote Mr. Page, while Mr. Ponick called him "a real rival to such world-class singers as Sam Ramey and Alan Held" and noted that "unlike the American bass-baritones, however, Mr. Kowaljow is a true bass."

"Well supported and with a laser-like intensity, his clear voice negotiated Verdi's difficult demands, effortlessly providing the audience with one of the most deeply satisfying performances by a bass in recent memory," the Washington Times critic added.

In neighboring Baltimore, The Sun's music critic Tim Smith said that Mr. Kowaljow "lit up the opera house with a beefy, but warm, tone and consistent elegance of line."

The New York Times reviewer was no less impressed by his performance: "As Procida, Vitalij Kowaljow seemed to do everything right. This is a bass voice of uncommon elegance and belongs to a singer with a real future."

And Washington's Metro Weekly reviewer opined that Mr. Kowaljow has "an extraordinary voice, an immensely flexible instrument of gorgeously smooth soul and seamless technique," as well as "a significant stage presence."

Commenting on Ms. Guleghina's opening night performance, The Washington Post's Tim Page noted: "She was fine in loud, proclamatory phrases, when her voice rang out nobly throughout the opera house. Quieter passages were less convincing, and she often sounded wavy and unsupported when she tried to sing softly."

"Still, there was some beautiful musicmaking, particularly in the final trio," he added.

Except for a miscue in the last act, The Baltimore Sun's Tim Smith found Ms. Guleghina's portrayal of Elena "a potent combination of creaminess and bite, helping to give the character of the conflicted woman considerable depth. She negotiated most of the coloratura demands solidly and spun out long lines with considerable elegance," he wrote.

And the Metro Weekly reviewer, while noting that the heavy demands of the part brought out an "odd moment of vocal strain" in Ms. Guleghina's performance, said that she was "well up to the job, her deep, rich soprano carrying the emotional punch of this opera beautifully. She is also a superb actor, using her eyes like lasers as she watches her world fall apart amid her struggle to find strength for herself and others."

(The unevenness in Ms. Guleghina's performance cited by critics on opening night was not apparent at a subsequent performance attended by this writer a week later.)

The opera is set in 13th century Sicily, suffering under the yoke of a harsh French occupation. Procida, Elena and her fiancé, Arrigo, are leading Sicilian revolutionaries. The plot becomes complicated when the tyrannical French governor of Sicily, Monforte, reveals to Arrigo that he is his father.

There were six performances of "Vespri" through October 4 with its general director Placido Domingo conducting the WNO orchestra. Monforte was sung by Georgian baritone Lado Ataneli, and Arrigo was sung by American tenor Franco Farina.

Mr. Kowaljow was born in Cherkasy in 1968 and, as he told The Ukrainian Weekly in an interview in 2001, he began his musical career as a choir conductor.

Since winning Placido Domingo's 1999 Operalia Competition and his American debut in "Turandot" with the Tulsa Opera, Mr. Kowaljow has appeared throughout Europe and the United States. This was his third appearance with the Washington National Opera, where he debuted in 2002 as Samuel in "Un Ballo in Maschera," and later in the season returned as Colline in "La Bohème." He had a busy 2004-2005 season with the Metropolitan Opera, performing in four operas: "Otello," "Aida," "Turandot," and "Don Carlos."

His upcoming engagements include three more Met appearances, in "Rigoletto," "La forza del destino" and "Luisa Miller"; a Tokyo debut in "Don Carlo"; in Trieste in "Eugene Onegin"; and in concert performances of "Ernani" in Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

Ms. Guleghina first sang with the Washington National Opera as Tosca during the company's 2002 tour in Japan. Her debut with the company was as Aida in 2003. Following her debut with the Metropolitan Opera in the 1990-1991 season, she has performed with the Met many times since then.

Ms. Guleghina was born in Odesa. (The WNO program identifies her heritage as Armenian.) She began her career with the Minsk Opera in 1985 and since then has appeared in the world's leading opera houses. Her upcoming schedule includes "Aida," "Norma," and "Il Trittico" at the Met, as well as performances in Japan, Germany and Spain.

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