Lawrence Brownlee
ZEALnyc
April 26, 2018
By Brian Taylor, Contributing Writer
Lawrence Brownlee, one of the busiest singers around, in demand for
bel canto opera roles all over the world, has a commanding stage
presence, flawless intonation, and crystal-clear diction. The son of a
church choir director, music is in his bones, and his lush, shimmering
tenor voice flows effortlessly. In an impressive, warmly received
recital at Zankel Hall on Tuesday evening with a program of contrasting
pieces, Brownlee demonstrated his range well beyond the melismatic
dramatics of Italian opera.
Robert Schumann’s Dichterliebe is the quintessential
romantic song cycle, and in many ways, a defining piece of the romantic
period in music. Sixteen songs, some quite short, detailing the
universally human experience of dizzying infatuation and painfully
unrequited love. The title means “A Poet’s Love” and the text is poetry
by Heinrich Heine, arranged into this narrative arc by Schumann.
Schumann is always tricky interpretively, and the Dichterliebe
is a true test for both vocalist and pianist. Their collaboration must
be well-honed and artistically polished, and Brownlee and Huang bring
exceptional refinement to their passionate performance of the dramatic
piece.
Huang plays beautifully, every phrase shaped like a refined jewel,
each note placed deliberately. Her round tone and subtle use of pedal
result in a gorgeous sound from the instrument. In his approach to art
song, Schumann approaches the text from the piano and the inner life
depicted in the poetry is frequently depicted in the piano texture.
Huang expressively sets the stage for Brownlee to shine, not merely
accompanying, but lifting up and enhancing his heartfelt
interpretations. In the exquisite “One bright summer morning,” Huang’s
delicate, ravishing pianism gently buttressed the emotional resonance in
Brownlee’s delivery of the melancholy lament.
My hat is off to Brownlee for spearheading the project that he is presently performing around the U.S. Cycles of My Being,
commissioned by Opera Philadelphia, Carnegie Hall, and Lyric Unlimited,
is a powerful new song cycle written expressly for Mr. Brownlee by
composer Tyshawn Sorey and librettist Terrance Hayes. Scored for piano,
violin, cello, and clarinet, the composer conducted this moving, earnest
performance.
Cycles of My Being addresses the experience of being a black
man in America, and Brownlee explained in an earlier interview that the
intent behind the piece’s creation is to give an idea of what black men
think about on a daily basis, as they move through a world in which they
must endure the threat of “undeserved aggression, incarceration,
brutality, and even death,” as he writes in his program notes.
