49th Toulouse International Singing Competition - Final, 08/09/12

Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse
David Syrus

Chance had it that I was in town for the final of this formerly annual, but now biennial event. I knew there was an important singing competition in Toulouse, but I've never been in a position to attend. As it is, only the semi-final and final are open to the public, and I could only get to the latter. As a result, I know next-to-nothing about how candidates are selected, and what hoops they're made to jump before getting to the final. It's certainly not on a 'national' basis, like the Cardiff competition, with a singer per country – out of twelve finalists, there were five South Koreans. As to the format of the final, twelve singers, as mentioned, with seven prizes to be awarded; 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd Prizes for female and male voices, and a Prix du Public – the popular vote, collected from the audience in the ten minutes after the last finalist has sung, and tallied while the jury is deliberating.

Each singer is given about ten minutes, in which he or she sings one item with piano, and an operatic aria. This seems like a bit of a tough call. The final is held in the Théâtre du Capitole, which is certainly small but nevertheless a proper opera house, and each singer had to go from singing with the piano on-stage, as if in recital, and then shift gear for the piece with orchestral accompaniment. This was difficult for all the young singers, and few of them managed it gracefully. The other thing that seemed a bit hard on them was that the public was asked not to applaud, at all. These people are performers, they thrive on the feedback of applause, and I thought it a little churlish not to at least salute each artist's arrival on and departure from the stage. However, I suppose the organisers were concerned either that the public might influence the jury (unlikely, I think), or that the contestants might be unduly affected by the public response to their own, or their colleagues' performances. There were times, though, when it seemed almost cruel not to be able to applaud.

To be blunt about it, most of the singers were wasting their time (and ours) with their 'art song' elements. Of the twelve singers, ten were clearly superior in the operatic repertory, one managed both elements equally (well), and the last was, somewhat surprisingly, better in his choice of lieder than in his aria. So you'll have to forgive me if I pass over most of the song repertory without going into detail. Also, apologies to the four accompanists, but I was unable to identify them individually, so cannot specify who accompanied whom.

Kim Junghoon (24, tenor, South Korea) [For the Asiatic singers, I've stuck to the custom of citing the surname first]

Richard Strauss : Allerseelen; Massenet : “Ah, fuyez, douce image” (Manon)

Not a lot to say about this one. His diction was excellent in German, less clear in French, but the interpretation of both items left quite a bit to be desired, and although the voice was not displeasing, it lacked distinction, and conviction in the interpretation.

Irina Churilova (29, soprano, Russia)

Barber : Solitary Hotel; Tchaikovsky : “Uzh polnoch blizitsya... Ah, istomilas'...” (The Queen of Spades)

I'd have enjoyed the Barber more had I been able to distinguish the text better, nevertheless there was a nice bluesy feel to it, and it was an interesting choice. In her own tongue, Churilova was considerably more communicative, though Lisa's confusion was down-played. Still, the voice was good and secure, and probably in a more atmospheric situation, she could do more about projecting the character. Churilova won the 2^nd Prize – not my choice, but I don't grudge it to her.

Zhou Zhengzhong (28, baritone, China)

Duparc : Phidylé; Verdi : “Per me giunto... Io morró...” (Don Carlo)

This was one of the least successful song interpretations, precisely because of the shift of gear he imposed on himself. He was trying too hard to rein the voice in, and the end result was rather timid, which is decidedly contra-indicated in this expansive song. He relaxed very audibly for the Verdi, and let us hear a fine quality, mellow, lyric baritone with a good flow. There was a slight tendency to over-emote, but that seems to come with the territory – Rodrigo's death is possibly the single most popular aria baritones choose for competition, and rare are those who can resist the temptation to milk it for all its worth. Again, in the proper context, I imagine he could easily be persuaded to treat it with due restraint, and then it would really be worth hearing, rather than just very promising. The promise was rewarded, however; he won the 3^rd Prize.

Jessica Muirhead (31, soprano, UK)

Richard Strauss : Beim Schlafengehen (Four Last Songs); Gustave Charpentier : “Depuis le jour...” (Louise)

The Strauss went in one ear and out the other, leaving little impression other than that of a pleasing sound. The Charpentier, however – ah, that was a very different story! It was absolutely perfect. Clear French, well pronounced, a fresh, youthful timbre, a subtle quiver of excitement magically combined with the warm languor of sensuality, and the voice perfectly placed throughout the range, radiant and luminous. A joy to listen to, from start to finish. This was 1^st Prize material and duly recognised as such.

Li Yi (24, tenor, China)

Richard Strauss : Zueignung; Cilea : “È la solita storia...” (L'Arlesiana)

For an aria that most opera-lovers know, the Lamento di Federico isn't actually heard that often (never mind the opera from which it comes!), so it was nice to get the chance, and it began very well, with particularly evocative support from the orchestra. In the introduction, Li projected Federico's melancholy musings very well, only to lapse into bland routine during the aria, and then jarringly adding an extraneous high note at the end, just to show he could. Completely unnecessary, and counter-productive.

Eve-Maud Hubeaux (24, mezzo-soprano, France)

J.S. Bach : “Es ist vollbracht...” (Johannes-Passion); Rossini : “Cruda sorte...” (L'Italiana in Algeri)

A singularly ill-chosen programme, with an interminable Bach aria (which could really have done with its proper orchestral accompaniment, for the sake of colour) in muddy German, and a hooting timbre. If she was going to do a piece of oratorio, why not the much more attractive “Erbarme dich” from the St. Matthew Passion, which is certainly demanding enough for a competition? The Rossini never quite managed to compensate, lacking sparkle and crispness. Nevertheless, she was awarded Joint 3^rd Prize, a decision which totally escapes my comprehension.

Lee Seung-Soo (27, bass, South Korea)

Tchaikovsky : Net, tolko tot, kto znal; Verdi : “O tu Palermo...” (I Vespri siciliani)

A positively funereal “None but the lonely heart” hardly created the best impression, and he never quite recovered from the pall of gloom cast by his dismal Tchaikovsky. Although the Verdi was a fairly original choice, Lee never really connected with the patriotic sentiment of this aria, and his bass voice lacked distinction.

Tamara Banjesevic (25, soprano, Serbia)

Tchaikovsky : Zabyt tak' skoro; Massenet : “Dis-mois que je suis belle...” (Thaïs)

She arrived dressed for her aria in a slinky silver halter-neck gown, slit to mid-thigh in front, that got a distinctly appreciative murmur from the audience, and seemed entirely appropriate for the role of the Egyptian courtesan. Despite being the title role, the character has surprisingly little to sing, but this monologue is absolutely crucial both to the development of her character and the progress of the piece, and its vocal demands are considerable. Banjesevic was excellent here, the voice flexible, with a very good dynamic range that was clearly audible even at its most intimate, and a good, bright top, though the very last high note was a trifle sharp. Her characterisation was clear, and would probably be clearer still with the appropriate props, Even if her Tchaikovsky song was unremarkable, her Massenet put her into international class, and I was very sorry she didn't get a prize. To my mind she was certainly superior to either of the 3^rd Prize winners in the female voice category.

Kim Jootaek (26, baritone, South Korea)

Poulenc : Couplets bachiques (Chansons gaillardes); Verdi : “Cento leggiadri vergini” (Il Corsaro)

Here was a baritone with a warm, round timbre and a great deal of stage presence, put to good use both in one of Poulenc's roistering Ronsard settings (though clearer French would improve things further), and in a little-known Verdi aria delivered with conviction and panache. He pulled off the broad, 'nudge, nudge, wink, wink' attitude of the Poulenc moderately successfully, but then went to town in the Verdi, and even if the aria was unfamiliar, the emotions were distinctly conveyed, and the Italian more than clear enough to get the gist of things. And that, in the end, is what much of singing is about – communication. Kim Jootaek proved the point admirably, and was awarded 1^st Prize.

Anaïs Constans (24, soprano, France)

Richard Strauss : Zueignung; Bizet : “Comme autrefois... (Les pêcheurs de perles)

I don't know what possessed all these singers to try their hands (or rather, voices) at Strauss. Not one of them was any good at it. As for the Bizet, it was little more than a pretty party piece. Constans has a nice voice, a pleasing, soft-grained timbre that is still clear and silvery in texture, but she came across as too young, too emotionally immature to really connect with her material at the moment. There's promise there, certainly, but also much to be learnt yet. On the basis of that promise, however, she won Joint 3^rd Prize. She also won the Prix du Public, which I have to say I consider a piece of blatant chauvinism, but not entirely unexpected.

Lee Dongwhan (31, bass-baritone, South Korea)

Vaughan Williams : The Vagabond (Songs of Travel); Mozart : “Madamina, il catalogo è questo...” (Don Giovanni)

Here, for the first time, was someone who really understood the difference between song and opera, and negotiated both successfully. Clearer English and a better accompanist would have made the Vaughan Williams perfect; as it was, it was well chosen for his voice, sonorous without being too heavy, and he had a calm, authoritative presence, which he used to project the vagabond's weary dignity very well. For the Catalogue Aria, there was more weight behind the voice, to carry over the orchestra, yet paradoxically it lightened, along with his demeanour, and he had even provided himself with a prop for Leporello – a small book, for the catalogue in question. He was acting the part, not just singing it, with an evident enjoyment that crossed the footlights effortlessly. This would have been my choice for 1^st Prize; he was awarded 2^nd.

Na Gunyong (32, baritone, South Korea)

Schubert : Liebesbotchaft (Schwanengesang); Verdi : “Per me giunto... Io morrò...” (Don Carlo)

The Schubert was lovely, light-voiced and elegant, full of hope and lyricism, with a crystal-clear text and perfectly projected, like a breath of fresh air. To sing Rodrigo, however, the voice thickened and coarsened, which was a great disappointment, because I had been looking forward to hear this bright, lyric baritone caress Verdi's melodic lines. Although his interpretation wasn't entirely without merit, on the whole the delivery was perfunctory, without much feeling. Zhou may have over-emoted, earlier, but at least there was some emotion there. I think Verdi's maybe a little heavy for this singer, but there could be an interesting platform career ahead of him, if he can develop his recital technique further.

Having done a little research since writing the above, I have to lift the onus of poor programming at least partially from the responsibility of the singers. Apparently, each candidate has to come to the competition with twelve items, six in Group I, which is art-song and/or non-operatic aria (e.g. oratorio, mass, or extract from other choral music), and six in Group II, which is opera, and it's the jury that selects one item from each group for the finalists to sing. Evidently somebody was very keen on Strauss!

[Next: 19th September]