March 9, 2014 Crocetto and Lomels Triumphant Return BY JASON VICTOR SERINUS The frisson that greeted soprano

Leah Crocetto and tenor David Lomel when they and their superb pianist Mark Markham took to the stage for their oint recital on !unday afternoon could be felt throughout "eill #all$ %t was& after all& Lomels first regional performance since a stomach ailment forced him to stop singing '( months ago& and left many )uestioning whether he would ever sing again$ Could he could possibly return in the same glorious form that& in *++,& won him two top pri-es in .l/cido Domingos 0peralia competition and& five years later& swayed stickler critics in his 1ew 2ork City 0pera debut as 1emorino in Doni-ettis LElisir damore3 The wonderful news is that& heard in the finest vocal recital venue that the greater 4ay 5rea has to offer& Lomel in most respects sounded the e)ual of the great& fresh6voiced tenors of the present or past$ "hen he began with a short set of classic %talian songs 7 Tostis 81on tamo piu9 and 8Lalba sep:ra dalla luce lombra9 and Mascagnis 8!erenata9 7 his remarkably clear& glistening and vibrant voice sounded in peak form& and perfectly on pitch$ 5lthough his sound was small and shallow at the bottom of the range& and could not e)ual Crocettos in immense& unforced volume on top& the sheer beauty and ardor the Me;ican tenor brought to everything he sang& the sensitive softening with which he capped key phrases& and the glorious high note with which he concluded the set rivaled the singing of the best %talian tenors on record$ The afternoon presented a golden opportunity for two friends who met seven years ago in !an <rancisco 0peras 5dler <ellows program& and will soon fall in love as Mim= and Rodolfo in .ittsburgh 0peras La bohme& to preview what the rest of the opera world can look forward to$ %n their great solos and duet from the first act of .uccinis beloved opera& Lomels vibrant high C in 8Che gelida manina9 was matched by all the sweetness and radiance one could ever wish from Mim=$ True& when Crocettos vibrato occasionally bubbled over in 8!=& mi chiamano Mim=9 7 it evened out beautifully in the second half of the recital 7 she gave hints of a >erdi soprano itching to break loose$ The afternoon presented a golden opportunity for two friends who met seven years ago in !an <rancisco 0peras 5dler <ellows program to preview what the rest of the opera world can look forward to$ 4ut when she launched into the passionate e;panse of the arias 8Ma )uando vien lo sgelo9 ?4ut when the thaw comes @ the first kiss of 5pril is mineA9B& and delivered her final lines with a depth of understanding that only surfaces when an artist fully inhabits their character from the

inside& the perfumed romance of duos garret intimacy provided a direct portal into Mim=s soul$ Then came the great love duet& 80 soave fanciulla$9 Complete with adorable flirtation& it culminated in a glorious unison high C in which Crocettos unsurpassable warmth and power surrounded Lomels slimmer but no less beautiful sound as an ardent lover might cradle their beloved$ The beauty of the performance was so complete that a greatly relieved Lomel broke down crying$ 1ot even the wonders of their Bohme encounter could possibly prepare us for 84imba dagli occhi pieni di malia9 ?Dear child& with eyes filled with charmB& the great 5ct ' duet from Madama Butterfly$ 5s Lomel= continued to sound like one of the most convincing lovers on the planet C we should all be so lucky 7 Crocetto gifted us with one of the most nuanced& heartwarming Cio6Cio !ans % have ever heard$ !ummoning forth the melting rapture that .uccini inspires& she allowed herself all the time and e;panse necessary to e;press the deepest longings of 4utterflys soul$ Caressing her phrases like a master& with Markham supporting her every note of the way& Crocetto sang like a dream come true$ Caressing her phrases like a master& with Markham supporting her every note of the way& Crocetto sang like a dream come true$ The three songs by Rachmaninov that began the second set also presented Crocetto in ideal repertoire$ The opening phrases of 81e poy& krasavitsa9 were gorgeous& the emotional peaks glorious& and the reigned in& half6voiced highs radiant$ 8Ddes khorosho9 was begun with the voice of springtime& its une;pected high 4 plucked out of the air with breathtaking perfection$ Markham proved himself an e)ually superb artist in the way he supported every dynamic shift& from intentionally dramatic chest voice to booming highs$ Lomel=s set of three Me;ican songs found him e)ually in his element$ 5fter a surfeit of endearing& personal anecdotes& he graced Catans 8Comprendo9 with an ideally soft& sweet ending& and delivered a glorious high at the close of Laras 8>eracru-9 while an inspired Markham wa;ed symphonic$ Even more personal was the tenors encore& by Cano& that seemed too low for his voice until he concluded with a slightly pinched but nonetheless remarkable high C6sharp$ Then came Crocettos encore to end all encores$ 1oting& 82ou cant get out of one of my concerts without hearing some a--&9 the soprano who formerly sang a-- on 1ew 2orks restaurant row summoned up the most teasingly delicious voice imaginable for a wondrous& aw6 dropping rendition of 8Cant help lovin that man&9 aka 8<ish gotta swim& birds gotta fly$9 Markham was e)ually remarkable$ %f Crocetto sings as well when she brings her cabaret act to the 4ig 5pple& she will have 1ew 2ork at her feet$ 5ll that was needed for a perfect afternoon& aside from more encores& was song translations$ Their absence was ine;cusable$ "eill #all is a world class venue& and basic concert aids are not optional there$ %t also would have been nice to see the flowers that usually greet great recitalists at other venues$ Jason Victor Serinus is a professional whistler and lecturer on opera and vocal recordings. He is editor ofPsychoimmunity and the Healing Process ! Holistic !pproach to "mmunity # !"$%&

and he has written about music for 'pera (ews& 'pera (ow& !merican )ecord *uide& %tereophile& +arnegie Hall Playbill& *ramophone& !udio%tream& %an ,rancisco Maga-ine& %tanford Live& Bay !rea )eporter& and other publications. httpsFGGwww$sfcv$orgGreviewsGcrocetto6and6lomelis6triumphant6return