NICK CO-CURATES METAMORPHOSIS RECITAL AS PART OF MEROLA OPERA PROGRAM FACULTY
Jam-packed Merola Opera season features new take on Britten classic
The Merola Opera Program returns this summer with four events in store: an opening recital, a Schwabacher Summer Concert , the Merola Grand Finale, and — as the season’s centerpiece — a new production of Benjamin Britten’s “The Rape of Lucretia.”…
…When we spoke, Phan was deep in rehearsals for the June 29 recital.
“When Carrie-Ann and I settled on the theme of “Metamorphosis,” we were trying to balance the intensity of ‘The Rape of Lucretia,’ to acknowledge that we’ve been in this really transformative time, and to recognize how lucky we’ve been to survive the pandemic lockdown,” he said.
“Now we’ve emerged on the other side, and everybody’s trying to grapple with what is the new normal. I think we were looking for something that acknowledged that – and also gave us a ray of hope.”
Recital singing is essential for singers, he added. “It’s the place where they can be most vulnerable and at the same time, have the most autonomy. There’s no conductor in front of them; they’re dealing with poetry on their own terms.
“This program has so much beautiful music on it. It’s from composers we all know and love — Franz Schubert and Robert Schumann, Aaron Copland and Samuel Barber, to people who don’t get usually get enough air time — composers like Alma Mahler, Amy Beach, and Florence Price. There’s something for everybody on this program, and these young singers and pianists are doing so much great work. It’s a unique opportunity to get to know these artists at the beginning of what will be great careers.”
Read the entire preview article at The Mercury News.