The young Armenian-Canadian soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian sang a recital
today in UC-Berkeley's Hertz Hall, displaying a bright, flexible voice
and brilliant technique, which have helped her ascendancy in the past
couple of years into the ranks of the most promising opera and lieder
artists.

With winning, direct stage manner, musical and dramatic intelligence,
effortless high notes and freely communicating the joy she finds in
music, Bayrakdarian (yes, I had to look up the spelling again, but I'll
memorize it soon enough) put together an unusual, entertaining "ethnic"
program of song.

In an ecumenical sort of ethnic collection, the soprano, of course,
featured her own Armenian heritage - Alan Hovhaness, Parsegh Ganatchian,
Aram Khachaturian - but also covered the Hispanic-English-Italian-Russian
front.

Granados got a whole set to himself, with "Coleccion de tonadillas
escritas en estilo antiguo" and a song from "Goyescas." Barber and his
"Hermit Songs" followed.  Vivaldi's rarely-performed motet, "In turbato
mare irato," and four Tchaikovsky songs presented welcome additions to
the unusual program, as were the encores: Jayme Ovalle's "Azulao" and
Delibes' "Les Filles de Cadiz."

Bayrakdarian's legato is exceptional, almost excessive, as if she were
showing off, almost - but not quite - at the expense of the music.  Other
singers, especially young ones, would kill for such a "weakness." The
single real concern about her voice is insufficient heft in the middle
and low registers.  Her high notes are all spectacularly from the chest,
but in the middle range, there seems to be not enough under the voice.
Her diction, in any language, is impeccable.

Martin Katz accompanied the recital with his usual brilliance and his
recent tendency to play louder than one (and the singer) would wish.
Unlike earlier in his distinguished career, Katz now often comes to the
edge of dominating the performance...  occasionally going over the edge.

One complaint about the program: no opera.  The voice was born for Mozart,
Rossini and Donizetti, and there is a clear possibility of mastering
genres widely separated, from Baroque to contemporary music.

Janos Gereben/SF
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