Wednesday, November 26, 2008

On Monday night, an Albanian baritone showed up a soprano from Siberia. If neither locale sounds like an international opera hotbed, well, that was the point. Kreshnik Zhabjaku and Irina Rindzuner were invited to sing at the Lyceum in Alexandria by the Russian Chamber Art Society, a four-year-old concert series dedicated to presenting Russian art songs.

This season-opening performance featured selections by Rachmaninoff, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky and Alexander Dargomyzhsky. The two singers alternated onstage: three songs up, three down. With each passing rotation, it became clearer that though Rindzuner is a promising opera singer, Zhabjaku is a recitalist in his prime.

The Lyceum, a restored 19th-century ballroom, is a lovely venue for chamber music. No one sits more than 10 yards from the stage. How unfortunate, then, that Rindzuner sang as if aiming for the fourth-ring seats at New York City Opera, where she debuted singing Santuzza in "Cavalleria Rusticana" last year. As her voice climbed predictably louder, every crescendo caused a cringe. Not that the color of her voice is unpleasant -- and she does have fantastic control of her vibrato -- but her performance suffered for lack of emotional nuance. Whether spurning a lover or heralding the coming of spring, Rindzuner sang with equal vehemence.

Zhabjaku, by contrast, rarely sent listeners reaching for the lyrics. Whether embodying the debonair Don Juan or expressing profound regret, the baritone kept the crowd engaged. His soothing voice was a conduit for character, and though singers cannot survive on expression alone, stage presence and subtly won out at this recital.

-- Rebecca J. Ritzel