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OperaNotes Review
St. Peter's Church in Chelsea
Music in Chelsea
November 21, 2004
By Charlene Frank
Prism Opera Showcase
Tosca (in concert)
Music: Giacomo Puccini
Conductor:
George
Garrett Keast
Cast:
Tosca: Deborah Longino
Scarpia: Timothy S. Hill
Caravardossi: Christian Sebek
Angelotti: Bert K. Johnson
Spoletta: John Tiranno
Listening to good opera in a very old church in Chelsea is a wonderful way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon. Paying only $10 for it makes it even better. I don't expect much for $10, especially not in this city, but I love the fact that I am continually surprised. I'm not saying that it was just like being at the Met, but it was good, and parts of this afternoon were great.
St. Peter's Church is lovely. It has been undergoing renovations for quite some time, but it is still lovely and a terrific place for a concert. And the neighborhood, Chelsea gets better and better.
I had seen (heard) conductor George Garrett Keast and pianist Howard Watkins once before in this church. They were good enough to bring me back again. But although I had never heard any of the cast before this afternoon, I will make it my business to hear some of them again.
There were really no weak links in this cast. Tenor, Christian Sebek (Mario Caravardossi) hit every note. Soprano, Deborah Longino (Floria Tosca) was fiery and strong as Caravardossi's ardente amante. And Timothy Hill, wow, Timothy Hill was the star of the day. It may have been a concert performance, but nobody was left wondering what this story was about.
If you get a chance to see any of these people perform, please know that I was fortunate to see them for the $10 donation to the church renovation fund. This was not a small town performance. This was a performance of real opera singers, a real conductor (resident conductor at the Queens Symphony Orchestra) and a superb accompanist (who also happens to be an assistant conductor at the Metropolitan Opera) donating their time and talent. And it will happen again.
The next concert for Prism Opera, Die Zauberflote, will be Sunday
February 27, 2005. It will be the middle of winter, maybe very
cold and gray, so do yourself a favor and take advantage of the reason
New York is so special. Take a subway to Chelsea and enjoy the
day.